Adams Losing Support Among Jets Fans?
Let’s get one thing out of the way. Jamal Adams is a fantastic football player. An All-Pro alternate in his second year who can be deployed in a variety of roles and able to excel in each of them. He can cover, he can stuff the run, he can pressure the passer and nobody in their right mind can question the intensity he brings on each and every play. He’s an early candidate for Canton and a lock for the Ring of Honorif he stays with Gang Green.
With all of that being said, it’s time for the man who call himself “The President”, to grow up. What Joe Douglas was doing by negotiating with other teams is referred to in some circles as “his job”.
Curiously, Adams in the midst of a temper tantrum stemming from his team’s willingness to listen to trade offers from other clubs as the NFL’s trade deadline approached just a couple of days ago. Adams’ reaction is curious for many reasons, but the one that stands out most? His blood lines.
Adams is the son of George Adams, a former first-round draft choice of the Giants who played just four seasons with big blue, starting only seven games before being let go. The fact that a player whose father saw the harsh business side of the NFL but seems completely unaware of it himself makes little sense.
In the days following the trade rumors, Adams compared himself to first-ballot Hall of Famers Tom Brady and Aaron Donald, saying that their respective teams would never field calls regarding their availability, and as a player who views himself as being on that level, he should expect the same treatment from the Jets. Adams has refused to speak with GM Joe Douglas or head coach Adam Gase up to this point, but in doing so comes off as a hypocrite, not a leader. He’s a safety scorned, but one who made some curious comments of his own.
As rumors of a possible deal to Dallas were circulating, Adams told one reporter that he would welcome as trade to the Cowboys as it’s a spot he would “love to land”.
Jets S Jamal Adams confirmed the ESPN report that he was interested in joining the Cowboys. Adams said once he thought he was on "the verge of being traded" he told a reporter that Dallas, where he grew up, "was definitely a spot that I would love to land."
— Andy Vasquez (@andy_vasquez) October 30, 2019
So how is it alright for “The President” to entertain the notion of moving on to another club while still under contract, but needs several days to recover from the trauma of having his name used in a trade negotiation?
This reeks of a player overreacting to a completely normal situation with an eye on using it as a reason to demand a trade in the near future. Adams was supposed to be a “true leader of men” and lots of fans bought in to that notion. It would appear now, that his antics have changed the minds of some members of Jet Nation.
By publicly ripping the Jets FO without speaking to them first, does Jamal Adams hurt his brand or his reputation as a leader?
— Glenn Naughton (@JNRadio_Glenn) October 30, 2019
So now Adams and the Jets will go through the rest of what is in many ways a lost season, and fans will wait and see if the Jets will accommodate Adams and send him to Dallas, or if a veteran leader in the locker room, perhaps Steve McLendon will pull Adams aside and help him understand the ups and downs of being a pro, both on the field and off.
If not, Adams will go down as another first-round pick whose stay in Green in White will end ugly and prematurely.
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