Burrow shows Cincinnati some love Ayres enjoys new fame as an emergency goalie
Heisman winner says he’ll play for the team that takes him in draft
Indianapolis — Who wouldn't want to follow in the footsteps of John Elway and Eli Manning? Joe Burrow, that's who. The Heisman Trophy winner, national champion and consensus No. 1 pick in next month's draft said Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine that he'd have no qualms playing in Cincinnati, which owns the top choice.
"Yeah, I'm not going to not play," the LSU star quarterback replied when asked if he would report to the Bengals should they select him No. 1 overall on April 23 in Las Vegas. "I'm a ballplayer. Whoever picks me, I'm going to go show up."
Burrow, who grew up in Athens, Ohio, and initially attended Ohio State, said he'd love to play professionally in his home state.
"Yeah, absolutely. It's 2 hours, 15 minutes from my house," Burrow said. "I could go home for dinner if I wanted to."
Burrow said on Dan Patrick's radio show last month that it was important for him to keep winning in the NFL and that while he wanted to be the first overall pick, "you also want to go to a great organization that is committed to winning. Committed to winning Super Bowls."
The Bengals haven't won a Super Bowl since entering the league in 1968.
Those comments sparked speculation that Burrow was skeptical about the Bengals.
"The only thing I've said is that I just didn't want to be presumptuous about the pick," Burrow said Tuesday. "That's why I've been non-committal because I don't know what's going to happen. They might not pick me. They might fall in love with someone else. You guys kind of took that narrative and ran with it. There has never been anything like that from my end."
So, no reservations about playing for the Bengals.
"I'll play for whoever drafts me," Burrow said. "I'm just not going to be presumptuous about what they want to do. It's the draft. You guys have been covering it for a long time. You never know what's going to happen."
So, he's all-in on Cincinnati should the Bengals call his name on draft night?
"Yeah, of course I want to be the first pick," he said. "That's every kid's dream. I've worked really, really hard for the opportunity and I'm blessed to be in this position. So I'm just really excited to be in this position."
Elway was the top overall selection in the 1983 draft, the vanguard of the greatest quarterback class in NFL history, but he didn't want to play in Baltimore and the Colts traded him to Denver, where he won two Super Bowls as a player and another as an executive.
Something similar transpired in 2004 when Manning was selected first overall by the San Diego Chargers but was quickly traded to the New York Giants, where he twice beat Tom Brady in the Super Bowl.
Elway spent four years searching for Peyton Manning's replacement in Denver before landing Drew Lock, so this marks the first offseason since 2015 that he isn't spending a lot of time on the QB prospects such as Burrow.
Instead, he's looking at the deep class of wide receivers that punctuate this year's rookie class.
Elway already has a Pro Bowl receiver in Courtland Sutton and a rising star tight end in Noah Fant. But nowadays teams have to load up at wide receiver and this year brings a wealth of talented pass catchers to choose from.
"Oh, I think this is one of the best groups since Odell's group," Colorado wide receiver Laviska Shenault said in comparing this year's crop to the one in 2014 that featured first-rounders Odell Beckham Jr., Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, Brandin Cooks and Kelvin Benjamin.
In addition to Shenault, this year's group features Alabama's Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III, Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb, LSU's Justin Jefferson, Arizona State's Brandon Aiyuk and Clemson's Tee Higgins.
"I think we're talented across the board," Shenault said. "I think we check a lot of boxes. I think this class is going to do great things. It's definitely going to be a legendary class."
Raleigh, N.C. — David Ayres is still adjusting to new-found stardom after winning a game as the emergency goaltender for the Carolina Hurricanes.
The 42-year-old Zamboni driver and kidney-transplant recipient has been making the rounds on TV shows and radio interviews since earning Saturday's unlikely win at Toronto following injuries to the Hurricanes' top two goalies. Now he's here to provide Carolina with another boost by cranking the pregame siren to fire up fans before Tuesday's visit from Dallas, part of a day that included being honored by the Raleigh mayor and North Carolina governor.
"It hasn't stopped since I got off the ice," Ayres said Tuesday at a news conference alongside his wife, Sarah. "It's a good time for sure."
Ayres said he would watch videos of people sounding the siren to prepare.
"Everyone has said this siren thing, it's really huge and really loud and everyone gets crazy, so I can't wait," Ayres said. "This is going to be so much fun. I just hope I'm doing it right."
Well, in the eyes of Hurricanes fans, he probably can do no wrong, anyway. Not after he skated into the net Saturday for a team jostling for playoff position in the Eastern Conference as the local on-call goaltender, then finished with eight saves in the 6-3 win against the Maple Leafs.
That made him the oldest goalie in NHL history to win his regular-season debut, while Ayres' stick was sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In the days since, Ayres has been featured on the "Today" morning show as well as Stephen Colbert's late-night show, which included a joke of Ayres running on to relieve Colbert after the host injured his hamstring.
By Tuesday morning, Gov. Roy Cooper had issued a proclamation declaring Ayres as an "honorary North Carolinian" while the City of Raleigh had its own proclamation that it was "David Ayres Day" in the state's capital
“Everyone has said this siren thing, it's really huge and really loud and everyone gets crazy, so I can't wait. This is going to be so much fun. I just hope I'm doing it right.” DAVID AYRES
city.
"Good for him," Hurricanes veteran Justin Williams said Monday of Ayres' sudden fame. "I'm proud, and I hope everything that comes his way is positive. He gets a great story out of this because it is one."
There were also plenty of fans stopping at the PNC Arena store to buy shirts featuring Ayres' name and No. 90 jersey number on the back. The team has said Ayres is set to receive royalties from the shirt, while a portion of proceeds will go to the National Kidney Foundation's Carolinas Division.
Ayres also has received some paid sponsorship opportunities and could even receive a playoff share if the Hurricanes reach the postseason, though that hasn't been discussed by the team in detail.
Ayres said he's "definitely going to be a lifetime fan" of the Hurricanes, even as he plans to be back in Canada as the emergency goaltender for Saturday's Vancouver-Toronto game. He's also eager to settle back into a normal routine.
"We kind of live our lives just low key and go about it with family and friends and stuff like that," Ayres said, adding: "I didn't ever think it would be like this. I'm not really complaining about it, but it's not something I would want to do" daily.
"Like the A-listers, I don't know how the celebrities and even the hockey players that have people following them all over the place — it can't be easy, that's for sure."