Transcripts

Search Transcripts
Jay Ajayi – September 22, 2017

Friday, September 22, 2017

RB Jay Ajayi

(How’s the body feeling this week after the heavy load last week?) – “I’m feeling good today. I’ve been talking with the coaches and I think we have a good plan leading up to this game.”

(What do you remember about the Jets game from December?) – “Yes, the second one? It was cold. I remember that. I remember their defense did a good job stopping us on the ground that game – better than they had done the previous time, and so our passing game really was able to be explosive that game. For the running backs, it was a tough one; but for the team, it was great to get that win.”

(What did they do defensively? Why were they effective against the run?) – “I think just during that game they made it their mission to kind of try and make us one-dimensional a little bit, and that year they were doing really well with their run defense. I think they just played us a good game that day on the ground.”

(Regardless of what the situation is going with one team doing well and one team doing bad, or whatever the case may be; this rivalry’s always fierce. Everybody’s got you guys going there and blowing them out but football doesn’t really work like that, especially at this level. Just talk about that.) – “Yes, I mean I think that this game … I mean every one of our divisional games, I think we kind of have a little bit of a rivalry with each one, where all of those games are intense and we don’t really like any of those guys. I think that whenever we play the Jets, it’s always been kind of intense out there. They always like to talk smack. That’s just what it’s been with my experiences playing against them and it’s been fun going against those guys, and I think it will be nice to go up there in New York and get a win.”

(You talked in the offseason about your goal of being a three-down back and always being on the field, so how satisfying was it that you were pretty much on the field the entire game against the Chargers?) – “Yes, I mean I looked at the play count and everything. It was like ‘Wow, I was almost out there like all of the plays,’ and I felt good. It felt good to be out there in all the plays and be dependable and be counted upon, and that’s just how the game plan went against the Chargers. We’ll see how it goes this week.”

(You’ve been dealing with a knee injury I guess for a minute. I think you were on the injury report last week with it too, is that right?) – “Yes, I mean (Head) Coach (Adam Gase) put it on there; but it’s just a little bit of rest and just keeping me feeling fresh for the game.”

(How much does staying on the field help your rhythm and how many carries do you feel is a good amount for you to be in rhythm?) – “I think anywhere from that 20-25 range is a good (number of) carries for a running back in a game. However the game goes, game flow, all of that stuff, can affect how many carries you get. It’s all about just taking what you get with the opportunities that you get, and that’s always my mentality is how many times we run ball, how many times (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase calls my number, whether it’s running the ball or catching it. Just take advantage of every opportunity and with every touch, just make it count and try to put points on the board.”

(Can you talk a little bit about your offensive line and how they effective they are in conjunction with you?) – “Just from the start of that game, they were pushing guys off the ball. It was really exciting for me just because we’ve been trying to see what’s going to happen with our o-Line and who’s going to be those five. To be able to start our year off with a 100-yard rushing game and then realizing that the (Los Angeles) Chargers team hadn’t given up 100-yard rushing (game) for like 17 weeks, I think that was definitely gratifying for us to know that we started our season on the right foot with a physical mentality, running the ball, we got a victory and just kind of setting that tone for the season.”

(When you look at the Jets defense, what stands out to you?) – “It’s kind of the same guys. There are a little bit of some new faces out there, so they’re a little bit young; but there’s still some of those same guys up there on the front. They’ve got my boy ‘Leo’ (DL Leonard Williams) – ‘Big 92’ – he’s going to always make it tough inside, and they’ve got some other great players on there. So it’s going to be a fun one for us on Sunday.”

Search Transcripts

Weekly Archives