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Jamal Adams . . .
. . . was running around today like a guy who has a shot at playing this week.
He’s dealing with an ankle sprain.
I also saw him hopping up and down, jumping full throttle from a standing position, and landing on the ankle.
As for Quinnen Williams, who hurt his neck against Miami, he participated in a drill where defenders dive at a tackling dummy full speed and land on a mat.
I’m not a doctor, but if his neck wasn’t feeling okay, would he be diving at a tackling dummy, an exercise where is neck is clearly involved? Absolutely not.
So you would have to think Williams has a chance to play.
One thing about Williams that should be noted. He might have played his best quarter of football against Miami before hurting his neck, so perhaps the light bulb is coming on. Sometimes it takes young players a bit to get comfortable playing in the NFL. We expect everyone to be instant coffee, and that isn’t always the case. Let’s not forget this player is only 21.
Now you could make an argument that the Jets made a mistake picking Williams, an interior player, over edge-rusher Josh Allen, who has 10 sacks as an rookie end for the Jaguars. The Jets might have the worst edge-rush in football this year. They couldn’t do anything against the Ravens BACKUP left tackle James Hurst, which is a illustrative of the problem.
But just because the Jets former GM might have made a mistake picking Williams over Allen, that doesn’t mean Williams won’t be a good player . . .
After Jamal Adams was named to the Pro Bowl, the team’s social media department tweeted out: “He dominates every time he hits the field.”
Very good player, but that might be a little over-the-top.
Adams still has some things to work on, and surely he would be the first to admit it.
Social media hyperbole about players isn’t ideal from a football culture standpoint.
When it comes to football culture, everything matters.
Last Thursday, after the Jets’ social department tweeted the score following three quarters – Baltimore 35 – Jets 7 – this bothered some fans including @sarahellahi.
“@nyjets I hate this account,” tweeted Sarah.
I’m not being negative here. I’m actually doing them a favor. The Jets’ social media should go on hiatus in January and February (aside from real news announcements) and let the wounds heal. Many fans will be fired up once free agency starts to see what Joe Douglas does in his first off-season as the GM, but stay out of their faces for a couple of months.
The Jets had a poor season. There is no way around it. And as Bill Parcells used to say, “There are no medals for trying.”
They’re constantly tweeting about good stats involving people like Sam Darnold and Robby Anderson.
“Stats are good, but winning is better,” said long-time Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome, Douglas’ long-time boss.
Moral victories are something that good football cultures stay away from. Stop posting positive stats about Anderson, Darnold or whomever after losses. They are meaningless.
But getting back to Adams. Congrats to him for making the Pro Bowl. He’s a terrific player.
But to say “he dominates every time he takes the field” is hyperbole. He’s had some rough series here and there.
And this tweet doesn’t really help him at all.
It also doesn’t help Douglas when he sits down to negotiate a new contract with Adams’ agent.
December 18, 2019
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