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Is this still an accurate assessment of the player?
Talking about Jamal Adams being a great leader.
You hear that a lot.
I wrote that a lot early-on during his Jets career – often calling him an “alpha dog.”
Perhaps he still is an “alpha dog” on some level, but not for the New York Jets.
Too many bridges have been burned. His words would likely ring hollow with his teammates now. He won’t stop tweeting about how he wants out. A fan yelled at Adams over the weekend in Texas, “Are you coming to Dallas?” Adams responded, “I’m trying, bro.” How can you lead people you don’t want to be with?
But you can make an argument this whole “alpha dog” angle was blown out of proportion to a degree.
First of all, he’s been the leader of a secondary the last three years that has been pretty bad. Obviously, you can’t blame all of this on him, but as Bill Parcells always says, “You are what your record says it it.” And the secondary he’s been leading has been terrible. Let me clarify that. Terrible against the pass. Their run defense wasn’t bad. But while stopping the run is important, don’t you think stopping the pass is a little more important for a secondary than stopping the run?
The Jets’ secondary the last three years has been a unit that is given to blown assignments and miscommunication. He was the leader of that group. Not saying there isn’t plenty of blame to go around, but as the leader of that group, he needs to take some heat, doesn’t he?
Another example of questionable leadership, as we have pointed out before, is the player going public with who the GM should sign in free agency. Naming names.
Not a good idea from a player leadership standpoint? Leave that to fans, writers and sports talk hosts.
During the NFL scouting combine this year, he was asked by the league’s network who the Jets should target in free agency?
“Pass-rusher, man, that’s what I’m looking forward to. That’s a safety’s best friend, you now what I mean? But definitely Clowney, big 9-1 [Yannick Ngakoue] down in Jacksonville,” Adams told NFL Network. “He’s a beast. Dante Fowler. I mean, there are so many guys coming out right now in free agency that we could sure you coming off that end.”
Players shouldn’t do this. Why? Because you are insulting players currently at that position on your team, guys you went to war with, guys who have families to feed. By coming out publicly lobbying for Clowney. Ngakoue and Fowler, you are insulting the players currenting in the defensive end room like Jordan Jenkins, Kyle Phillips, Tarrel Bashem and so forth.
Please don’t misinterpret what I’m saying here. I’m not discounting the fact that the Jets need a game-wrecking edge-rusher. They do. But leave that to Joe Douglas to focus on. Adams is a player, not the GM.
Remember Adams put on the GM hat before, when he lobbied for Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell after the 2018 season. Not his job, and an insult to teammates who man the wide receiver and running back positions, guys he shares a locker room with.
A player playing GM in the press, isn’t just insulting to the GM, but bad for the football culture.
Did players in great football cultures, under the likes of Bill Belichick and Bill Walsh, ever advise the GM who to sign? Not that I’m aware of.
It’s very important within the structure of a football operation, for players to farm their own land, and player personnel decisions aren’t situated on their land.
June 22, 2020
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