Catching up with Steelers wide receiver Demarcus Ayers
Recently I had an opportunity to speak with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Demarcus Ayers to talk about how his offseason has come together.
Our conversation began with Demarcus talking about his upbringing in Texas. He was reluctant to say if his household were Cowboys fans, but he wasn’t shy about sharing stories about his college teammates from the University of Houston: Greg Ward Jr. and William Jackson III.
Jackson is an interesting name to be brought up on a Steelers platform, as the cornerback was drafted by division rival Cincinnati a pick before Pittsburgh went on the clock in the 2016 NFL Draft. Many analysts had Ayers’ former teammate pegged as a player the Steelers had an interest in, however, they’d never get the opportunity to draft him, with Jackson becoming a Bengal. Unfortunately for Jackson, he would be placed on injured reserve before last season started, missing the entire year with a torn pectoral muscle.
As is customary in a brotherhood of football players, Demarcus, William, and Greg still stay in touch, even training with one another and other former Cougars during the offseason.
William’s my guy. We came in together in Houston and I tell him all the time “man you got my game growing in so many ways”.
In just terms of going against one of the best corners if not the best corner in a draft, in my opinion, every single day… when I got to game days he made it a lot easier for me to go out there and compete against other guys around the country.
He’s he’s doing a phenomenal job. He’s been in high spirits the whole year. We text every week. Last year when I got hurt in camp, and then he got hurt in camp, we kept communication throughout the year. Even now we both always talk just about every weekend and just see how we’re doing.
I’m excited to see him play and I’m also excited to play against him. That’ll be an interesting matchup
Last year’s seventh round draft pick is a “Swiss Army Knife” of skills and looks to use those talents to help secure a spot on the Steelers 2017 roster:
I played quarterback in high school and then transitioned to receiver. I played a little running back here and there in college. Just any possible way I could get the ball in my hands, Coach Herman and his staff did a really good job. at giving me the opportunity to make plays.
One of those ways could be taking the punt return duties away from longtime returner Antonio Brown, something that’s always discussed each offseason:
There’s been some discussion just like it was last year. It was really me or Eli’s job to lose.
When I went down with the injury I had zero chances of winning the job. Just being realistic, I had no lateral movement in my foot. I couldn’t plant to put my foot in the ground. So it was tough for me. I was able to make a couple of big returns in the preseason, but nowhere near what I could do in terms of my potential. So I struggled with that a little bit. I know what I bring to the table as a receiver and I can only control what I can control. I’m going to have my share of opportunities to make plays.
I’m going to do what I do there but winning the punter return job will mean everything to me, because I know my ability, I know I can take the distance anytime. Get on the same page with the guys blocking for me and just understand what the punter and the punt team is trying to do to, what we’re trying to do.
Once I get on the same page with my guys I know that I can have a really good chance at doing that this year.
Knowing what Demarcus can also offer the team in terms of his playmaking ability as a receiver, we revisited when he was first called up from the practice squad for the Christmas Day encounter against the Baltimore Ravens. Having an opportunity to not only dress for that game but have an integral part in the victory was a gift in and of itself for Ayers:
I told a lot of my family members and friends that was probably the best Christmas I ever had! Just going through what I went through to actually have the opportunity to be in that moment, I had so much fun that I even forgot it was Christmas.
Being out there and just the emotions, the adrenaline pumping, my first game, and in the NFL just happened to be on that day. And then just the situation that we were brought up on having to win that game to even clinch the playoffs, I just wasn’t rattled. I felt like I belong out there. I’m always excited to have an impact on the game, to be able to put my teammates and team in a good position to win the game and clinch playoffs.
Demarcus realizes he has work to do on a deep wide receiver depth chart. However, when his number is called like it was on Christmas Day and in subsequent weeks against the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins, he knows he must maintain the same standard set forth by the other veterans on the team.
Afterall, this is a team effort and it takes everyone’s input to create a championship contender.
That’s one of Coach Tomlin’s biggest quotes. “The standard is the standard.” It’s not going to change for anyone or anybody. We really embrace it.
I can remember ever since I’ve gotten here the only thing we’ve ever talked about is, the main goal is winning a world championship. This is from the start from, when rookies get there, from rookie minicamp, OTAs, to minicamp, to training camp, its championship, championship, that’s all we’re preaching.
It’s never, can we get there? Will we get there? It’s always been the main goal every single day and it’s our reminder that we’re trying to be world champions. We’re not satisfied with just winning one game, with winning a couple games or winning our division, and making it to the AFC Championship. We want more.
I think in terms of the attendance that we had as a team as a whole this offseason, pretty much everyone being there throughout every OTA, every minicamp, showed to the guys we’re hungry, and we’re not satisfied with just making it to the AFC Championship this past year.
We want “the main thing”.
And that’s precisely what Steelers Nation wants as well: a seventh Lombardi trophy.
