Jay Ajayi – April 27, 2016
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Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Running Back Jay Ajayi
(On whether becoming a starter is his goal this season) – “Absolutely. With Lamar (Miller) moving on to the Texans, it gave us a chance to compete for his position. That’s basically what I’m here to do is compete to be that guy, to be a starter.”
(On how excited he is heading into this offseason) – “I’ve been excited since I found out that Lamar (Miller) was going to be moving on and that the position would be available. I’ve just been pushing myself through this offseason to prepare myself to have a great sophomore season. I was able to get a lot of opportunities last year when I finally started playing, and I felt comfortable. Now, I’m ready to elevate my game to a new level this season.”
(On whether he has thought about the Dolphins possibly drafting a running back) – “I’m not worried about that stuff. That’s out of my control. I can only control my mentality every day and my work ethic. And that’s what I’m going to do.”
(On what he would like to improve upon this offseason) – “(I) definitely (want to) try to lose some weight so I can be a little bit more shiftier this season. (I am) just trying to prepare myself mentally to be able to take that role up as a starter. I think that I’ve been doing a great job so far, and it’s just about constantly progressing all the way up to the season.”
(On how much weight he would like to lose) – “I played last year around 228 (pounds), close to 230. This year I want to be closer to 220 – 218 to 222 – around that range.”
(On working with Head Coach Adam Gase) – “I (felt) really good about Coach Gase from the first day that we talked (about) how he’s such a young guy who’s really excited about being here. He’s excited about working with me and the rest of the team. He made us feel very comfortable from the first day. We’re excited about this new offense that he’s implementing. It has been really great to get out on the field and actually be able to work with him now day in and day out.”
(On Head Coach Adam Gase running around with the team during practice) – “He’ll be fine. He’s young, and he has been doing a great job of keeping our intensity levels up while we’re out there in practice.”
(On whether he will sacrifice any strength with weight loss) – “No, because I’m working with (Team Nutritionist) Mary Ellen (Bingham) on nutrition and all that. Really, it was just cutting out a lot of the junk food and (about) trying to eat (well), cook more at home to (the point) where I feel healthier. I’m still working out really strong with the physical training coaches – (Head Strength and Conditioning) Coach (Dave) Puloka and all of them. So, I feel strong. I don’t feel like I’m losing any strength. So, that was really (about) cutting out the bad diet in my dieting.”
(On what food he misses while dieting) – “It’s the junk food. I don’t eat at McDonald’s anymore. (laughter) You’re not supposed to eat there anyway. You get a cheat meal every now and then, but it’s more about cooking at home and trying to watch my fast food intake.”
(On Head Coach Adam Gase commenting that he is a shifty running back and if that is how he sees himself going into the season) – “Definitely. I know that I can be a powerful runner (who) prides himself on breaking tackles and stuff. But I wanted to add another arsenal to my game of being quick, being able to make those quick cuts, getting that one cut and getting down the field fast. That’s kind of through my training in the offseason. That’s what I was working on: to try and be a little bit shiftier so I can make more people miss and also break tackles as well to create more yards on the field. “
(On whether he has proven that a prior knee injury is not a concern) – “To be honest, that injury occurred my freshman year of college, and I didn’t miss a game after that. So, those concerns were from whoever was putting that out there. I was never concerned about it and I feel great. I was able to play last year at a high level and I’m playing right now at a high level. That’s what I’m focused (on): continuing to come out here on the practice field and put some good work out there and prepare myself for this season.”
(On whether he has set specific goals for this year) – “No, not yet. I’m – right now – working out here, learning this new offense and trying to contribute on this field here while we’re practicing, make big plays and set myself up for a great season this year.”
(On whether he has been focusing on his hands) – “Yes, definitely. Just seeing Coach Gase’s offenses and seeing that he likes to throw the ball a lot and knowing that we’re going to have to be weapons out of the backfield, it’s definitely something that myself and the other running backs … We understand that we’re going to need to know how to run good routes, know how to catch the ball out of the backfield and be able to do that when we’re called upon. That’s really what we’re working on besides everything else about being a running back.”
(On whether he has nervous curiosity about whether the Dolphins will draft a running back) – “Not really, because at the same time, I can’t do anything about it. I’m just here working on myself. If the Dolphins do that, then that’s what they do. But, I’m really just worried about myself and controlling my work ethic – my mentality – out here on the field, which is to be the starter this fall.”
(On whether it is weird to think he was drafted a year ago) – “It’s weird. It has been fun for me though just because I have a lot of guys I went to school with at Boise State, because I left a year early, that I came in with at Boise State, and now they’re going through this draft process. It has been really fun to go back and watch those guys. They’re working hard. They’re chasing their NFL dream, and I’m there to give them any advice that they need and be a good friend to those guys.”
