Here's a quick rundown on the newest Patriot:
*The Tennessean,
which broke the news of the Ayers trade, wrote a story in early October about Ayers, who has been inactive in five of seven games. Some excerpts from
Jim Wyatt's piece:
"Just because I am not walking around here ticked off and tearing everything up doesn't mean I am comfortable with my situation," Ayers said. "I am not comfortable with not playing. I want to play. I am a competitor, and I want to compete. So just because I am not carrying myself a certain way doesn't mean I don't care. "But there is a way to handle everything, and I'm trying to handle things the right way."
And Titans coach Ken Wisenhunt's quote
in the story:
"When he gets his opportunity we expect to see production, and see him compete. I'm expecting consistency," Whisenhunt said. "The only way he is going to get back on the field is if that happens. He needs to be consistent in his approach and not making mistakes. … (Whether he plays) is really going to be up to him as far as how he prepares and does on the practice field."
On October 14, two days after he was inactive versus Jacksonville, Ayers tweeted:
*
ESPN's Paul Kuharsky said the Titans netted "something for nothing" with the Ayers trade.
From Kuharky's
blog post:
Ayers showed no fire and made no strong move to force his way into the lineup even as others at his position have been unproductive. Such a guy should be working tirelessly to show coaches he needed to be active and on the field with the defense. Ayers did no such thing.
*The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Ayers started at Sam linebacker for three years in Tennessee's 4-3 scheme. When a new coaching staff took over this season, it transitioned the Titans to a 3-4. Ayers lost his starting job and, eventually, a spot on the active roster.
*It was reported by
The Tennessean in June that Ayers had offseason surgery on both knees.
From
John Glennon's story:
He's still not at 100 percent, which probably goes a long way toward explaining why Ayers – a starter for most of his first three seasons – has not been working with starters during the individual portions of OTAs. "Both of them were damaged, so I had to get both of them cleaned and repaired," Ayers said. "It started with my right knee and then when I injured the right knee, I started compensating for it a lot and eventually damaged the left knee."
*Ayers is in the final season of a four-year, $4.93 million deal that he signed after being selected in the early second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He was the third linebacker taken in 2011 behind Von Miller (2nd overall) and Aldon Smith (7th overall). He was thought by many, including Mel Kiper, to have first-round talent.
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*Coming out of UCLA,
Ayers told WEEI's Chris Price that he'd "be a great fit" for the New England defense. He played defensive end at UCLA and had 14 sacks in three seasons.
Albert Breer ✔ @AlbertBreer
