Hurricanes' Byrd Takes Notes, From His Mom

Hurricanes' Byrd Takes Notes, From His Mom - Solange Reyner, CBS4

One of Laron Byrd's biggest supporters is his mother. She's also his biggest critic.

Byrd, a junior wide receiver at Miami, often asks coaches to single out his flaws, even if he hauls in a long touchdown pass or picks apart a cornerback.

His mom doesn't need him to ask her for her thoughts.

"She'll be like come on Laron, you can do better than that," said Byrd, who caught 33 passes for 460 yards last season. "I catch a big touchdown pass and she'll say 'You should have run faster.'"

Byrd is a self-professed student of the game. He spends hours in the film room, constantly asking video coordinator Stewart Cramer to put together clips of former 'Cane Reggie Wayne, and a slew of other receivers in the league.

The feedback from his mother is also something he values, especially after game days.

When Byrd's mother can't make it to games, she'll record them on DVR at home in Louisiana. Byrd expects a phone call right after.

"I'll see a voicemail 'Call me ASAP,' and I'll call her and say 'What's up momma,' and she'll say 'You know you could have caught that ball,' and I'm like 'Aw, I'm sorry.'"

Byrd wants to make his mother proud.

He also wants to be remembered as one of the greatest players to come out of the University of Miami.

He knows he'll have to make a name for himself in a crowded field. The Hurricanes have a solid corps of receivers, including returning starter Leonard Hankerson, who decided to return after his junior season.

Hankerson led the team with 45 catches for 801 yards in 2009, the first receiver to haul in that many yards since Andre Johnson had 1,092 in 2002.

Travis Benjamin, Aldarius Johnson, Tommy Streeter, and Thearon Collier also return for the Hurricanes, who haven't had this much depth in their wide receiver corps since 2000 when Reggie Wayne played on the same team with Santana Moss and Jeremy Shockey.

"It's going to take a lot of hard work and capitalizing on my opportunities," said Byrd, who models his game after Wayne and Saints' receivers Marques Colston and Robert Meachem.

"When my play is called, I definitely have to execute it. [But] I want to be the type of guy that once my career is over at University of Miami, I want people to list my name up there with the Reggie Wayne's. I want people to be like 'Well, I want to be like LaRon Byrd.' Until I reach that goal, then I don't think my goals will be complete."

Miami coach Randy Shannon expects improvement from the entire bunch.

"Now it's time to take that jump. Me and Mike Irvin were talking about it the other day – when we first came here it was AD Brown and we didn't play," said Shannon, referring to his playing days as a linebacker in the late 1980s.

"The next year, Mike would slowly come around and the third year he was ready for him to do what he had to do. All those guys who came in when we were 7-6, so you're going to see a lot of improvement."