Robert Ayers wasn’t thinking about a family reunion when he signed a two-year deal with the Giants. The Jersey City-bred defensive lineman came back home — after spending the first five years of his career in Denver — to get back to the Super Bowl.
“I want to get back to that situation — and I think this year is in Arizona — and that’s all we’re thinking about,” he said before practice on Sunday. “That’s all I think about. I want to win.”
Ayers could serve a vital role for the Giants, as a veteran presence and key depth defensive lineman to help fill the void left by Justin Tuck.
The 28-year-old was a first-round pick (18th overall) in 2009 by the Broncos out of Tennessee, and while he failed to live up to the lofty potential in Denver for such a high draft choice, the sixth-year pro may be just coming into his own.
Ayers is coming off his best season, a 5 ¹/₂-sack, 23-tackle effort for Denver and berth in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium last February. Gaudy numbers especially because he received just three starts, being used as part of a rotation much the way he will be utilized with the Giants.
“I’m a guy that can help the team in a lot of ways, [play] a lot of different positions,” Ayers said. “You can ask me to do a lot and I can get it done. I can play the run, I can rush the passer. … That’s the thing the Giants take pride in. Mathias [Kiwanuka], [Jason Pierre-Paul], all those guys can play different positions, a lot of guys on defense are real versatile.
The 6-foot-3, 275-pound Ayers played down the significance of coming home as the reason he wound up with the Giants. While being back in the area has its positives — he sees family far more often and he gets to play for the team he followed growing up — Ayers is back in New Jersey because of the Giants’ organization, not where it is located.
“I’m loving it, I’m loving the way they do things. That’s the biggest thing,” he said. “It’s the Giants way. They do things under the radar. They are all about work and business.”
Ayers isn’t worried about stepping back into MetLife Stadium, where he absorbed that beating by the Seahawks last February. The past is just that. He’s a Giant now. In his mind, Ayers was part of that disappointing 7-9 season, not a member of the AFC champion Broncos.
“I’m a Giant and I’m carrying the burden they carried last year,” he said. “We’re going to move forward that way and I have the same motivation they have, to get back to the playoffs and get things back going the way they used to. Get back to the playoffs and try to win it all.”
Ayers grew up in downtrodden Jersey City and graduated from the Sacred Heart School. He played one year for Hoboken High School, reaching the state championship game at the old Meadowlands, but his family sent him to live with his aunt in South Carolina to get away from his troubled neighborhood. He blossomed at Marlboro County High School, found his calling as a dominant defensive lineman and landed a full ride to Tennessee.
Now he’s back home, living out his dream, hoping to get back to the Big Game.
“It’s always good to be this close to family. When you’re tired, you can lean on them a little to help put a smile on your face,” he said. “That’s one thing my family has always done — they know how to make everyone laugh.”