Eagles’ Ajayi aims to keep rollin’ all playoffs long

PHILADELPHIA >> Counting a semi-healthy scratch from the regular season finale, Eagles running back Jay Ajayi has had something akin to four bye weeks this season.

The last time he was so fresh, he rushed for 122 yards to lead the Miami Dolphins to a victory in their season opener.

“I guess I got lucky in a way,” said Ajayi, who enjoyed regular season bye weeks for the Dolphins and Eagles, and again last weekend. “I feel good right now. I’m excited for this challenge. It’s a one-game season.”

The Dolphins were 6-0 when Ajayi rushed for 100 or more yards, including a triumph over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5 this season. He ran for 200 or more yards three times, joining the exclusive club of Tiki Barber, Earl Campbell and O.J. Simpson.

Thoughtfully Ajayi has invited Eagles fans to ride the Jay Train in his rematch with the Falcons in the divisional round of the playoffs, Saturday, at Lincoln Financial Field. Train whistles are fine. All aboard, right?

“You know that, yeah,” said Ajayi, who was acquired at the Halloween trade deadline from the Dolphins for a third-round draft pick. “First class, everything, we’ve got it all.”

The Jay Train is the alter ego the 6-0, 223-pound Ajayi dreamed up during the sophomore year of a stellar career at Boise State. Think Eagles great Brian Dawkins, who did his Weapon X act after breaking the tunnel on game days. Think nasty, only with a football in his hands.

“I had seen a picture that someone had photoshopped me on a train or something like that, and I thought it was kind of clever,” said Ajayi, rewinding to his college days. “I just stuck with the Jay Train celebration when I scored and it just kind of became my persona on the field where I’m kind of a nice guy off the field, real chill. But when I’m on the field, I can turn into the Jay Train and become kind of violent, physical. Use it to just be physical, be a dog on the field and just use all those emotions to run and make plays for the team.”

Ajayi wears a necklace with a gold medallion of a train. He does a train act to celebrate touchdowns, inspired by Boise State teammate DeMarcus Lawrence, who throws arms upward following sacks.

Most pertinently, Ajayi rushed for a season-high 130 yards on 26 carries the last time he faced the Falcons, who resorted to eight-man fronts. For the most part the Dolphins neutralized the speed of the Atlanta defense by running directly at it, which is something the Eagles figure to do this weekend.

“You’ve got to have a plan prepared for that extra defender,” Ajayi said. “At the same time, it’s almost like if you can get through that wave of the eight-man box, there’s a lot of space. When we make our plays and get through that, there will be big plays for us. I’ve taken many carries before in my career, so it’s not something I’m not used to. I’ll be ready this Saturday.”

No Eagles running back this season has had more than the 16 carries LeGarrette Blount got on the way to rushing for 136 yards in a win over the Los Angeles Chargers. That was the Birds’ only 100-yard game. Ajayi got 15 lugs for 78 yards in a victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

But Ajayi felt at home in his Eagles debut, rushing for 77 yards, including a 46-yard jaunt, in a blowout of the Denver Broncos. The following week he had seven rushes for 91 yards to help beat the Cowboys, including a 71-yarder. Adversity hit in his third game, Ajayi fumbling the ball away at the two-yard line following a 30-yard run against the Chicago Bears.

“It’s been ups and downs,” Ajayi said. “But I’m excited. I’m already further than I’ve been in my career. A No. 1 seed team with the opportunity to get a Super Bowl. I’m grateful. I’m blessed. I’m excited for this opportunity because it’s all in front of us.”

The Eagles are the NFL’s first top seed to be an underdog. The sixth-seeded Falcons are three-point favorites. That’s largely because the Eagles have one of the least formidable quarterbacks of any No. 1 seed, Nick Foles stepping in to replace the injured Carson Wentz.

“It’s not insulting,” Ajayi said. “That’s the storyline right now, that without ‘11’ we’re nothing, basically. That’s what we’ve been hearing, and we’re excited to come out on Saturday and showcase what we can do.”

Thanks to their bye, the Eagles can be a little more ground and pound than the opposition this week. Thanks to the Jay Train, who has eyed this opportunity for almost a month, there is hope.

“Some guys, that’s just how you kind of get in your zone where everything is instincts and you’re just playing football,” Ajayi said. “For me, it’s being the Jay Train. I use that. It’s been great for me. I just go into an ultra-competitive mode. It’s like I’ll get mad at my own mama if she’s out there. It’s just how I am, I guess. I just want to do everything I can to succeed.”