RADIO
NFL fans and pundits alike have been left shocked after the Miami Dolphins cut ties with their running back Jay Ajayi on Tuesday after they allowed him to make the move to the Philadelphia Eagles. For many people the decision simply didn’t and still doesn’t make sense, especially for a team that has struggled offensively for a long time to move on Ajayi - who was one of only a few assets the Dolphins had on their struggling offense in the first place.
There have been a few reasons suggested that are behind the decision to allow him to join the Eagles, and one of those is that Ajayi, like others, simply didn’t fully buy into the project and what the Dolphins were looking to achieve. In terms of commitment to the cause, Ajayi was 4th on the leader board of rushers and was seemingly always looking to improve his skills to become more of an asset to the team. However, Ajayi went from 4.9 yards per attempt last term to 3.4 this season, which is a dramatic drop.
More people have blamed his departure on things going on behind the scenes. A spokesman of industry leader Unibet stated, it became apparent that Ajayi had been missing meetings and assignments and coach Adam Gase made reference to this when speaking to the media. Gase insisted that some of his players weren’t putting the effort in to learn from the things that they have been taught in meetings and it was said Ajayi was one of the culprits. It certainly seemed the relationship between coach and player was breaking down, with many suggesting Ajayi just wasn’t the kind of player Gase wanted around.
There were also concerns about Ajayi’s attitude too. The Dolphins at time grew frustrated with him and left him at home on occasion. He was said to regularly kick off if he wasn’t getting enough of the ball and even after victories he often stormed off. So you can certainly see why Adam Gase moved quickly to cast him aside for the good of the team if nothing else. Although Ajayi is a very good player on his day and if he’s behind a strong offensive line, he’ll do a lot of good work for whichever team he is starring in. It’s more his personality that seems to cost him time and time again, rather than his abilities as a player.
The real upside for Jay Ajayi though is that he’s actually gone to a better team in the Philadelphia Eagles. He even has the chance to win the Super Bowl, so now might be a good time to place that sports bet on the Eagles. So it has seemed to all work out for the 24 year old running back, even in the face of adversity.
His age will play a big role going forward too as he’s still learning and still maturing. If anything, he will look at the NFL a whole lot differently while putting in the effort he showed at the Miami Dolphins last season.
