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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2015
Photos by Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
Jordan Poyer gives his gloves to his mom, Julie Poyer, after the game. See more photos of Poyer online at www.dailyastorian.com.
Poyer: ‘He will compete to win’
Continued from Page 1A
Howard Rub, Poyer’s high
school coach, made the trip to see
his former player perform live at
the highest level Poyer is the ¿rst
Astoria High School graduate to
play in the NFL since Del Bjork,
who played for the Chicago Bears
in 1937-38.
Competitive nature
What makes Poyer able to com-
pete in the NFL is his competitive
nature mixed with his natural abil-
ity, Rub said. Rub recalls the same
competitive spirit in Poyer during
his high school days.
“He is as competitive as anyone
you will ever meet,” Rub said. “If
you play him in checkers, he’s go-
ing to want to win. He will com-
pete to win.”
Although the current high
school football players may have
been too young to appreciate Poy-
er’s time in Astoria, Rub said, his
players know Poyer and his legacy
well.
“It’s certainly great to have a
local kid who did make it, and to
have someone that everyone local-
ly can aspire to be like,” Rub said.
Visits to the Northwest are few
and far between for Poyer. He Àew
into Seattle with the team Saturday
and Àew back to Cleveland Sun-
day night.
He said it felt good to spend
time away from the snow in
Cleveland and play under familiar
cloudy skies.
Being in Seattle, the closest
NFL city to Astoria, made for a
good opportunity to see his fami-
ly, who cannot make it to all of his
games.
“I love the support I get from
back home. I will always be play-
ing for the town. That’s why I love
the game, I like making people
back home proud,” Poyer said.
“I’m going to keep grinding, I’m
going to keep ¿ghting and hope-
fully this isn’t the last time you see
me playing around here.”
‘It would
be a lot
more fun
if we were
winning’
SEATTLE — In his return to the Pacif-
ic Northwest, Jordan Poyer did not have a
tackle or sack in the Cleveland Browns’
30-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Overall this season, the Astoria native
has 37 total tackles (23 solo, and 14 as-
sists) in the 14 games played so far. Poyer
also has one sack on Dec. 13 against San
Francisco and one interception that came
Nov. 15 against Pittsburgh Steelers’ quar-
terback Ben Roethlisberger.
Poyer is playing his third season in
the NFL after being drafted by the Phil-
adelphia Eagles in April 2013 in the sev-
enth-round of the draft. He joined the
Browns in October 2013.
The Browns are 3-11 this season.
“It would be a lot more fun if we were
winning,” Poyer said. “The city is behind
the football team huge. The fans out there
are great. We want to win for them. I’m
upset we can’t win for the city. It’s tough.”
— Kyle Spurr
Jordan Poyer, center, walks along the sideline with teammates during the game against the Sea-
hawks at CenturyLink Field in Seattle Sunday.
‘I love the support I get from back home.
I will always be playing for the town.’
Jordan Poyer
Former Astoria Fisherman and current Cleveland Browns safety
A proud father
Before the game, Fa’aleao Poy-
er, Poyer’s father, stood along the
front row of the stadium watching
his oldest son warming up on the
¿eld.
Fa’aleao Poyer described how
proud he is of his son and how well
Poyer represents Astoria. Poyer’s
father was looking forward to
catching up with his son after the
game.
“Above everything, I love
watching him, but it’s also an op-
portunity for me to just give him a
hug and just say, ‘Hi, how are you
doing?’ and look him in the eyes
and see how he is really doing,”
Fa’aleao Poyer said. “It’s a more
personal thing for me.”
ABOVE: Jordan Poyer smiles as he talks with family and
friends after the game. LEFT: After the game, Jordan Poy-
er poses for a photo with his uncle, Chris Crooker, while
meeting with friends and family.
Jordan Poyer blitzes during a play in the third
quarter of the football game.
Jordan Poyer hugs his aunt, Jac Crooker, after
the game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Jordan Poyer stretches on the sideline before
the game.