FanPost

B-I-O-S Bios! Bios! Bios! - Jamal Adams

Hi there again! After putting out my last bio on Le'Veon Bell, I received a comment from marko518 nominating Jamal Adams and Greggggggg Williams for the next one. I decided to go with the first of the two because of how much noise he's been making this year and that he's from my home state of Texas.

Old Gregggg may be coming next, but if you enjoy these and want to see anyone else's name come up feel free to comment and let me know! You can also check out what I've written on Bell and Darnold if you're interested.

Hope y'all have a great weekend and let's cross our fingers for some good football today. In the meantime, enjoy this bit on our star Safety, Jamal Adams:

It Runs In The Family

.03-.08%. This is the NCAA’s calculated probability of anyone becoming a professional athlete.


48.8%. This was the volume of current NBA players related to "elite athletes" in 2016 according to a study by the Wall Street Journal. The NFL sat at 17.8%, with the MLB following at 14.5%.


Combine these two statistics together and the seemingly random references you hear made by commentators begin to make sense. When a rookie is shooting their first free throw and you hear their Great Grandmother was an Olympic swimmer. The heart-warming stories you watch unfold when a retired-father sits next to his son on Draft Day. In the end, they’re more common than not.


These family ties spill into every major sport. You have the two generations of Currys, Thompsons, Bryants, and (soon to be) James’ in the NBA. The Ripkens, Griffeys, Fielders, and Boones in the MLB. In the hockey rink there are the long-standing dynasties of Hulls, Sutters, Espositos, and Howes (where three family members collectively played together on the same team). The Williams in tennis, Mayweathers in boxing, Andrettis in racing. The list goes on everywhere you look. There’s just something that runs in the family.


The NFL is not an exception to this. Everyone knows about the family of hard-hitting Matthews, dime-dropping Mannings (let’s not be too hard on Eli right now), and even the Longs who have made a living off of terrorizing and protecting quarterbacks. As these families get so much of the dynasty spotlight, sometimes others are pushed aside. Case and point is that Christian McCaffrey’s father, Ed, was a formidable NFL wide receiver in the 90’s and early 2000’s. This may have been a quick note on draft day, but is otherwise mostly buried underneath the record-breaking stats of the young present-day running back.


The two offensive stars of the Jets, Sam Darnold and Le’Veon Bell, do not share this direct lineage. Both grew up in families which encouraged athletics, most famously is Darnold’s Olympic volleyball-playing grandfather, but neither had the direct guidance in their profession. On the other side of the ball, though, there is a player who grew up in the shadow of a first-round NFL draft pick and has it in his blood to succeed.

This is the story of Jamal Adams.


The Lewisville Slugger

Jamal Adams first set foot into this world on October 17, 1995 in Lewisville, Texas. If you’re unfamiliar with Lewisville, that’s okay. It’s a suburb of the greater Dallas area, and about a 15-minute drive from Carrollton, Texas (where Adams would go to high school and the birthplace of Vanilla Ice). Almost as quickly as he could walk Jamal began playing football, claiming he began when he was three years old. This could sound a bit too young of an age to throw on the pads, but with a former NFL Running Back as a father, Jamal was encouraged to start early to say the least.


Growing up Adams was a perennial member of the local GA Giants football team, earning a reputation as a hard-hitter while playing for them. His father encouraged him to play on defense, as through a lifetime of getting hit George Adams wanted to see his son delivering hits instead. This route proved to be something Jamal was exceptionally good at, and for seven years Jamal represented his squad by hitting people so hard the refs would have to stop the game in fear of players getting hurt.


Moving into Carrollton High School, Jamal maintained his reputation as a quick-striking Safety, seemingly all over the field on every play. Coaches began to restructure offensive game plans around his position, a theme that would continue on into college. His consistent play earned him the honor of District MVP as a senior and a shining Scout.com profile. This would translate to 19 universities expressing interest in the energetic Lewisville playmaker. The University of Texas and Florida would be the first to receive consideration from Jamal, the latter likely receiving help from Adams’ Godfather (and then Flordia Recruiting Coordinator), Joker Phillips. It’s worth noting that "likely" may be a soft word to use here as Joker was subsequently investigated and found guilty by the NCAA for impermissible conduct in his recruiting efforts.


Ending his high school career, the 2014 Under Armour All American game would prove to be a pivotal moment for Jamal’s future. Aside from playing alongside Dalvin Cook and Leonard Fournette, Adams cemented himself as the latter’s college teammate following the game. With his niece perched on his lap, Jamal announced that he would be committing to his childhood favorite school, Louisiana State University. Given LSU’s Safety situation at the time, Adams was plugging in a sore spot for a Tigers roster which would prove to be spectacular.


Geaux Big or Geaux Home

If the Tigers didn’t know about Jamal Adams before their first practice, he would make his presence known right off the bat. The Tigers had just brought in Louisiana phenom and number one recruit Leonard Fournette to lead their backfield. Adams, knowing how to make a loud statement, supposedly "lit him up" right away, something Fournette recalls years later. Jamal’s role as a core piece of LSU’s defense was not handed over to him though, and even with a sore spot at Safety there was plenty of competition.


In the LSU secondary, Craig Loston had just graduated and been signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars leaving a huge hole behind. Cornerback Jalen Mills also shifted to Safety in Loston’s absence but was expected to be a candidate in the NFL draft the following year. This placed Ed Paris, Dwayne Thomas, Jamal Adams, and plenty of others in a tough situation for guaranteed time.


Jamal began his 2014 Freshman season playing in select packages that pertained to his skill set. His role began to grow when fellow Safety Dwayne Thomas went down with a season-ending injury in week five. Adams began to see more time in nickel (five Defensive Backs) and blitz packages. Jamal only started two games his Freshman year, but was still able to deliver highlight-reel plays like the infamous block on Kentucky for a Tre’Davious White punt return touchdown.


The Tigers would go on to end their season ranked 22 with an 8-5 record. They had just lost Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Alfred Blue, and plenty of others the year before on offense. Their defense struggled to form an identity riddled with injuries and the loss Ego Ferguson, Lamin Barrow, and others to the NFL. An early spark of optimism did at least exist on the defensive side in Jamal Adams, who was said to have already brought back a swagger to the team in his limited time.


By Spring before his Sophomore year, Jamal had been moved up to a starting position. The LSU defense had been revamped as well, with a new Defensive Coordinator in Kevin Steele at the helm. The refreshed Tigers would prove to be much more improved, beginning with a week two win against Auburn (who thrashed them the year before). Ever the optimist, Adams even went on record saying "the sky is the limit" for his team in a post-game interview before they eventually finished their season at 9-3. For Adams, the success largely came in the form of his four interceptions (compared to none his Freshman year) and sustaining his high volumes of tackles on the ball.


By 2016 and the beginning of his Junior year, Adams’ reputation as a premier Defensive Back grew. Beginning with the "Jamal Adams Rule" in LSU’s practices, he found himself on the radar of NFL scouts as well. The Tigers had gotten off to a surprisingly lackluster 2-2 start, more on the fault of the offense failing to create momentum than the defense halting opposing teams. This performance led to both Head Coach Les Miles and Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron being fired. Now set free, the offense was able to fire themselves up while the defense maintained control (holding opponents to 21 or fewer points in all but one game). This season culimated into a final 8-4 performance and LSU facing the Hesiman-winning Lamar Jackson in a final Citrus Bowl game. Holding Louisville’s offense to only 9 points and no touchdown, Jamal Adams and the LSU defense looked incredible. As NFL scouts and fans looked upon him, it seemed like now was a perfect time for Adams to let the people know; would he stay in the Bayou or test himself in the NFL? A press conference following the game allowed Adams to set his stage.


From The Bayou To The Meadowlands

Introduced by Ed Orgeron and with an LSU branded background behind him, Jamal Adams stood, preparing to make the decision of a lifetime. He had just finished his Junior year in Louisiana, finishing with 76 tackles and a position as the heartbeat of an electric defense.


Jamal got right to the point.


After thanking "Coach O", he ended his opening words with "I will declare for the 2017 NFL draft". Two months later in preparation for the expected star’s career, Jordan brand also signed Adams to a sponsorship deal, placing him in an elite group including Joe Haden and Jalen Ramsey.


Leading up to the draft Adams was largely predicted to go early in the first round, reaching heights such as #2 or #3 in mocks by Bleacher Report and CBS (Bleacher Report being interesting as they predicted the Jets would take Mitch Trubisky, so let’s be glad fate went another direction). When the New York Jets’ number six selection came around, Adams was, surprisingly, still on the board. Whether due to a flood of direct messages by fans on Twitter or just seeing his potential, the Jets jumped and punched Adams’ ticket to Metlife.


For the eighth season in a row the Jets had selected a defensive player in the first round and followed this up with a second-round selection in Marcus Maye. Adams was elated, winning a bet with his father that he would be drafted earlier than 19th and getting an all-expenses trip to anywhere paid for. Jamal also made sure to treat his family to a dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen to celebrate his new status as an NFL Safety. While other stars may have splurged on expensive steakhouse dinners, Adams is a self-proclaimed frugal spender, so the $125 tab was even high for himself.


Coming into his rookie season, Adams was pushed into a team that the year before had gone 5-11 and was expected to be the worst team in the NFL. After inking his $22.3 million rookie contract, Adams went directly to work and helped push the team to a surprising 5-11 finish once more. Jamal came third in tackles for the newly dubbed "New Jack City" defense with 82 and earned a spot on the PFF All-Rookie Team. Although this is a great achievement, Adams had his sights set on the Pro Bowl’s elite stage. After missing this he went on to say he "would never miss the Pro Bowl again", and not to spoil anything, but he’s 100% in upholding this promise. His effort to be great was not replicated by the rest of the team though, and Adams even claimed the Jets gave the "bare minimum" as a team in 2017. This can be seen as a harsh stab, but in Adams’ eyes, it was meant to spark a fire for the next year.


2018 came around and Jamal once again tried to spark the Jets into a winning mentality. For him personally, it was a self-declared breakout year, while for the Jets it was a "playoff or bust year". Fast forward to playoffs time and the Jets were not there. They had given up, on average, 3.5 more points per game and sat at a 4-12 record. Individually, Jamal Adams did break out with 115 tackles (next in line was Darron Lee with 74). Collectively, though, it was obvious the Jets did not have much going for them, leading Adams to say they "needed more dogs". The upcoming season was a time to do just that, with the Jets having almost $90 million to spend. Whether they would do it wisely and up to Jamal’s standards remained to be seen.


In a simple summary, the offseason looked spectacular (B+ according to Bleacher Report). They unveiled new uniforms (and majorly revamped the oval). The Jets picked up offensive weapons with Le’Veon Bell, Jamison Crowder, and Kelechi Osemele. Their defense was bolstered with the expensive signing of super Linebacker CJ Moseley and drafted Quinnen Williams to beef up the line.


Things were looking up, and then in true New York Jets fashion, they went down quickly. For Adams, this meant a benching during the Week 2 matchup with the Browns when he went offsides in two straight plays. This was directly followed by a fine for hitting Baker Mayfield, which, following an appeal victory, Adams used on his mother’s birthday present.


The train kept rolling with Adams until the trade deadline approached, and for a minute people believed he would become a Dallas Cowboy by the end of the evening. Generally, players either want to be traded or maintain clear communication with their General Managers about being shopped. In Adams’ case neither of these boxes were checked and he vocalized his frustration. Claiming they "went behind his (my) back" even after requesting to stay in the Meadowlands, the situation became a shaky metaphor for the Jets season of nothing quite making sense for fans.


Since the trade rumors, Jamal has seemed unphased. There was the immediate loss to Miami in week 9 in which the entire team performed weakly followed by a bounce-back in week 10 against the Giants. Adams posted nine tackles and a beautiful strip-sack on Quarterback Daniel Jones for the second touchdown of his career (and season). Now, this could excite any player, but Jamal once again had optimistic views for his team the remainder of the 2019 year. "If we keep doing what we did today...we can go to the ‘ship," he said.

Perhaps you may believe this, perhaps not. Something that is inarguable, though, is that since he began playing football at the age of three Jamal Adams has been a force of intensity and positivity. A personality and character that every team needs, the Jets are certainly lucky to have had the hard-hitter from Lewisville fall to them in the 2016 draft and play for them for years to come.

This is a FanPost written by a registered member of this site. The views expressed here are those of the author alone and not those of anybody affiliated with Gang Green Nation or SB Nation.