Ajayi vows to last the Super Bowl distance

Rewind a year. Jay Ajayi had seen enough. The London-born running back had been a large reason why the Miami Dolphins had reached the NFL play-offs for the first time since 2008.

Yet the chance of lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy had been short-lived. The Dolphins had been eliminated at the first hurdle, after a Wild Card shellacking in Pittsburgh – the bookend to a tough season which began with the then 23-year-old being left behind in Miami for the team’s Week 1 trip to Seattle, amid rumours of a bad attitude and friction between himself and head coach Adam Gase.

One of the few stars on a mediocre team, he knuckled down and dragged the Dolphins to the post-season. His star was in the ascendancy. Indeed, he was the face of the franchise.

READ MORE: NFL: Gronkowski returns to Patriots practice

READ MORE: NFL: Harrison key to containing ‘monster’ Fournette

READ MORE: Jaguars and Ravens blast President Donald Trump for ‘taking a crap’ on the NFL

Despite this, a few weeks later at Houston’s NRG Stadium, he cut a forlorn figure on the sidelines at Super Bowl LI – and missed the greatest comeback in NFL history, the finale that defied adjectives, as Tom Brady orchestrated a New England rally. From a 28-3 third-quarter deficit, he led the Patriots to 31 unanswered points to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime.

“Last year was the first year I ever went to a Super Bowl,” explained Ajayi. “I had to go because I was doing some stuff for the NFLUK and was at the game, basically until the third quarter – and I kind of got fed up, because I couldn’t take the fact that I was watching the Super Bowl and I wasn’t playing in it.

“I was on a Dolphins team and watching the (AFC East division rival) Patriots, so it was really uncomfortable, and it was really hard for me, so I left the game early and I promised myself last year that I would not go back to the Super Bowl unless I was playing in it.”

Fast-forward 12 months and the violent runner’s luck has spun as neatly as his trademark pirouette out of a would-be tackle.

In 2016, Ajayi had been phenomenal, piling up 1,272 yards and averaging 4.9 yards per carry. He averaged 3.5 yards after contact last season, which was second best in the NFL.

Yet this term, behind a sub-par offensive line, he averaged just 3.4 yards per carry in the first seven games with the Dolphins and had been stuffed behind the line of scrimmage a league-topping 26 times.

Gase had seen enough after an embarrassing 40-0 loss in Baltimore and told reporters the Dolphins had “too many guys who don’t want to take (studying) home with them”. He called out Ajayi directly, blasting: “We’ve got to stop trying to hit home runs all the time. It’s on the running back. Do your job. It’s not hard to do.”

Five days later, Gase acted, and in a trade which stunned the NFL, sent Ajayi to the Philadelphia Eagles for a fourth-round draft pick. It was akin to swapping Cristiano Ronaldo for a can of pop and a bag of stale doughnuts.

The former Boise State University standout had been held out of the end-zone in those seven games and while he had rushed for 465 yards on 138 carries, he was still “shocked” by the trade.

However, he quickly accepted he was better off with the Eagles.

“I found out when everyone else found out,” said Ajayi. “It was a quick turnaround. I left a couple of hours after I found I had been traded. It is what it is. At the end of the day, after I was able to take a breath and understand what went on, I was grateful because of where I ended up.”

The Eagles had a League-best record, but their running-back situation had been unsettled for much of the season. LeGarrette Blount had been a pleasant surprise, having joined from New England in the summer, but he was a quick-fix solution on a one-year deal and is a two-down back. Having lost Darren Sproles to a season-ending injury and with Wendell Smallwood a non-factor, Ajayi seemed a good fit. He was also an inexpensive option, as he still had a year to run on his rookie contract.

While Ajayi’s blitz pick-up needed work, his favourite run play is the outside zone, which is a staple of the Eagles’ offense.

“It’s a blessing. From the moment I got traded, I understood that I was coming to a contender, so that was exciting,” said Ajayi. “I believe I was placed where I could succeed in Philly, to come from a team that was not performing well to a team that was successful, one that has a great locker room and brotherhood. I felt welcomed and appreciated – which was the most important thing for me. All of those things together, added with the fact that the team is amazing and brilliant, and that we were able to perform at an elevated level, just made the move a lot easier.”

He quickly became the featured back in a three-headed monster and was in tears after the underdog Eagles topped the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 in the NFC Championship last weekend, having rushed for 73 yards on 18 carries.

“It was the realisation of the opportunity to play in the Super Bowl, the final game, the big stage, something that all of us guys who play in the NFL or any kid who has grown up playing the game of football, has dreamed about,” said Ajayi.

“For that feeling to come true, that reality, after everything that has gone on throughout the season, to understand that I am one step closer to accomplishing my dream, it was just a great moment to thank God for the opportunity. I was just taking in the whole moment.”

London-born Ajayi lived in Manor House for seven years and briefly moved to Chadwell Heath in Essex before his family emigrated to the US. He started playing football in 2003 after his family moved to Texas. For a Brit, the learning curve was steep. Rumours of durability issues, thanks in part to a knee injury at college, have dogged him. Even after a stellar career at Boise State where he piled up 3,796 rushing yards and 55 career touchdowns, his draft stock fell and was a mere fifth-round pick in 2015.

Fortunately, the underdog status sits well with both the Eagles and Ajayi. He said: “I’ve always been the underdog throughout my career. I’ve always been doubted and had a chip on my shoulder, so that role is nothing new to me. It’s that much sweeter (to prove them wrong) when people don’t believe in you and count you out.”

Ajayi, who will have “about 15” friends and family coming to Minnesota for Super Bowl LII, is 60 minutes away from giving Philadelphia its first Lombardi Trophy. Standing in the Eagles’ way are the Super Bowl champion Patriots, who are four-point favourites with most bookmakers.

However, Ajayi insists the Eagles have a legitimate shot of preventing the Patriots from earning a sixth title.

“This is a team that played them two years ago and won, so they have had success against the Patriots before,” added Ajayi. “It is about focussing on this moment, this one game – this is it. It is about leaving it all on the line when you are out there.”

He added: “Now it is just about finishing. We are here, but it is not just about making it. We want to win – we are going to win. That’s the plan. It’s just about making sure that we just stay focussed and keeping our minds set on what the goal and the task in hand is.”

Ajayi was on the injury report earlier this week with an ankle problem, which has limited his preparation.

However, he insists: “It’s late in the year. I have little bumps and bruises and I’m a little sore, but there is no reason why I won’t be playing in that Super Bowl – nothing is going to keep me from that. It’s about getting my metals ready, making sure my mind is right, curb the distractions and getting ready to play the game of my life.

“I’m just glad how it has worked out this year. So now, instead of being at the game and shaking some of the guys’ hands pre-game and doing analysis at half-time, I’m playing in the game. So, this is a dream come true – it’s crazy how things happen.”

And should the Eagles and Ajayi upset the Patriots, you can bet that, somewhere, Adam Gase and the Dolphins’ nation will be bemoaning nothing short of a crazy trade.