PHILADEPHIA _ Jay Ajayi will arrive at the stadium Saturday for the Eagles' playoff game, but it won't be Ajayi running for the Eagles. To hear Ajayi tell it, it will be the "Jay Train" on the field.
Ajayi grabbed the gold, locomotive-shaped medallion from under his shirt and rubbed it between his fingers when explaining the difference between the person and the persona. He started wearing it around his neck four years ago, soon after he adopted the "Jay Train" nickname. For the Eagles running back, "Jay Train" is more than a moniker. It's a mentality.
As a redshirt sophomore at Boise State in 2013, Ajayi wanted an alter-ego on the field _ "that persona to take my game to the next level." A fan Photoshopped a picture of Ajayi on a train, and the character was on track.
"I thought it was kind of clever," Ajayi said.
Ajayi was jealous of a teammate's sack dance that would energize the crowd. He figured he scored enough touchdowns _ he needed his own way to celebrate. So he started motioning as if he's pulling a train whistle as the conductor of a train. He did it at Boise State, brought it to the Miami Dolphins, and continued it in Philadelphia after the Oct. 31 trade to the Eagles.
"When I'm on the field, I can turn into the Jay Train, become kind of violent, physical," said Ajayi, who is 6-foot and 223 pounds. "It's almost like you can be violent on the field and it's legal a little bit because it's football. That's kind of where I can go with that persona and use it to be physical, to be a dog on the field. Use all those emotions to run and make plays for the team."
Eagles coach Doug Pederson has been honest about the team's need to run the ball in the postseason. He thinks it's part of the winning formula combined with a strong defense _ implicit in that formula is that Nick Foles is starting in place of Carson Wentz _ and it might be the best way to attack the Falcons. When the Eagles upset Atlanta last season, they rushed for 208 yards. And that was without Ajayi, whose 130 rushing yards on Oct. 15 while playing for the Dolphins are the most the Falcons have allowed all season.
Add those factors together, and it's not hard to realize a big part of the Eagles' game plan: Ride the Jay Train.
"The Jay Train is always out every week," Ajayi said. "As many seats (as possible). First class, everything."
