Photo Credit: Brent Just/Getty Images
On the field he is a ferocious wrecking ball. He’ll do whatever it takes to track down the kick returner and run through as many blockers as need be. Come hell or high water, he is getting to that return man. Off the field, Dylan Ainsworth is the complete opposite; a gentle giant if you will. One of his favourite non-football activities involves a blank sheet and a few sketching tools, perhaps a paintbrush as well.
“I have always been a decent painter and drawer,” said Ainsworth. “Creativity is a good outlet. In high school I did a huge portrait of Bubbles from the Trailer Park Boys. Some guy even offered me $250 for it. I didn’t want to give it up so my parents bought it instead. We have it hanging in my house.”
It appears the 24-year old may have a career plan for life after football. For now, the Tsawwasssen native is still basking in the glow of signing with his hometown Lions. How else would you explain the fact he has been at the training facility every single day since putting pen to paper on February 10th?
“The paycheques look a lot better in orange than they do in green,” said the Western Ontario alum. That isn’t to say he didn’t enjoy his time in Saskatchewan. He proved he belonged rather quickly after being selected 11th overall in 2014.
Like many young non-import players, Ainsworth earned his money on special teams, racking up 29 tackles in 35 games. He was the Roughriders’ nominee for the CFL Most Outstanding Special Teams Player in just his second season. For Ainsworth, it was a nice reward for his willingness to fill any role asked of him.
“We’re in a game where you can’t say no. If you’re the guy who is asked by a coach to help in a certain situation, then you aren’t going to “no” your way out of it,” said Ainsworth.
“Defence is the passion. Getting after the quarterback and making big plays is where you are getting your name in the paper, but special teams is where you’re quietly putting in so much work. Every time you hit the field it’s like a 50-yard sprint. It helps the team win.”
Ainsworth’s third season in green never happened after a neck injury suffered in training camp and in the end he was one of many casualties of Saskatchewan’s roster overhaul by GM/head coach Chris Jones.
Once he became available, one member of his new coaching staff lobbied hard to bring him west.
“I remember one game we played in Saskatchewan in his rookie year where we couldn’t block him on special teams,” said defensive coordinator Mark Washington. “I remembered that game and said ‘let’s get him on our team.’ Maybe he can wreak that kind of havoc on others now.”
Ainsworth admits he did indeed have an extra gear when he battled the hometown Lions. He mentioned a shoestring tackle on Tim Brown to prevent a kick return touchdown at BC Place as one of the big highlights of his career to date.
A big motivation for coming home was the chance to be close to his father David who is battling multiple myeloma, a form of bone marrow cancer. The younger Ainsworth is happy to report the fight is going fairly well.
“His treatment is working. He has his good days and his bad days, but that’s chemo; it’s tough on you and the people around you. We’re trying to keep him upbeat and laughing. That’s really all you can do is keep him motivated and fighting. He’s doing a good job of that on his own.”
Come hell or high water, David will be in the stands cheering his boy on once the 2017 season kicks off. That’s just one big part of being a proud football dad.
“He has been the type of guy that almost invests more than I do,” Ainsworth says of his father. “All year long he is looking at the transactions and trying to break all the news to me of what’s going on. To be able to have him close to home is so big for me. It’s going to be massive because playing just one or two games here out of 18 was never enough and watching on TV doesn’t do it justice.
It’s all he wants is to be able to be close to his boy and watch him play ball.”
David, as you might imagine, was a big reason Dylan first strapped on the pads as a member of the South Delta Rams minor football program at the age of eight. From there it was on to successful career at South Delta High School and the scholarship to Western.
Photo: Delta Optimist
He acknowledges the seven years away from home were beneficial and now the focus is to continue the special teams prowess and perhaps be a factor on Washington’s defensive line. The departure of Jabar Westerman means there may be some room for ratio flexibility.
“I want to show explosiveness and tenacity,” Ainsworth says of how to stand out on defence.
“I was watching some tape with Coach Washington in his office and it was a lot of guys just swarming to the ball. Once a guy gets caught, everyone has his back and starts swarming to the ball. I just want to be part of that. I want to join what I saw on tape.”
The consensus from Washington is that when it comes to defensive line, Ainsworth certainly looks the part. And that could make things interesting at training camp.
“He’s a guy who has great measurables,” the defensive co-ordinator says. “The lifeblood of football is competition.”
You can never have too much depth on the defensive line. It also helps if you have a teammate that can paint a nice personal portrait for you.