Seahawks safety Jamal Adams: The most misunderstood DB in the NFL

Seahawks defensive back Jamal Adams is the most misunderstood player in today’s game.

Seahawks fans and analysts alike have thrown a ridiculous amount of shade at their star safety this year. They have thrown darts at him for lack of coverage skills. They have attacked him for missed tackles or making ‘business decisions.’ However, it is time to take a moment and understand how lucky the Seahawks are to have a player of his caliber on this defense.

It is time that to stop comparing Jamal Adams to any other defensive back. Instead, start appreciating one of the most gifted and misunderstood players in the league for what he does bring to the game.

I am not saying Jamal Adams is perfect. However, respect needs to be given. The defense hasn’t played with this level of fire and competitiveness since before Richard Sherman was released.

Speaking of Sherman, the best comparison I can think of for Adams’ style of play would be the cerebral gifts of Richard Sherman, the athletic gifts of Earl Thomas and the tone-setting ability of Kam Chancellor. He is all 3 players wrapped into one, style-wise of course.

The article is going to break down a few aspects of Jamal Adams’ game that really need to have more light shone upon them. Seattle spent a king’s ransom to acquire the star safety, including giving the Jets two first round picks. He is proving that to be well worth the investment.

Jamal Adams is a one-man wrecking crew in the pass rush.

Jamal Adams is a force in the pass rush. When big plays need to be made, you can bet that he will be found wreaking havoc on defense. In fact, he broke the record for most sacks amongst defensive backs in a single season several weeks ago.

The crazy part about it, Adams did it in 6 fewer games than the previous record holder. To put this feat into perspective, if Adams played in all 16 games this season, his current projection would have him at 15 sacks and 16 tackles for a loss on the season.

15 sacks would have been enough for him to finish 4th out of all defensive players last year. Above players like TJ Watt (14.5), Danielle Hunter, (14.5), Za’Darius Smith (13.5), and Aaron Donald (12.5).

Now let’s talk about the efficiency in which he is producing these sacks. Let’s compare TJ Watt and Jamal Adams pass-rushing output this year.

Player                           Adams           Watt
Pass rush snaps         79                    407
Sacks produced          9.5                    13
Pressures produced  36                     74
Pressure rate              46%                 18.2%
Hurry rate                    25%                  7.9%

In nearly a fifth of the pass-rush snaps, Jamal Adams has amassed two-thirds Watt’s sack count. Adams also has about half the pressures and 2-3 times the pressures and hurry rate. Again, he has rushed the passer 328 fewer times than Watt.

Sure, you can argue that the larger a sample size, the closer the numbers will get to reality. The thing is, I have been watching these stats all season for Adams. The pressure and hurry rates have actually increased as the season has progressed. Meaning, he is learning and improving, not regressing back to expectation.

You can also argue that Adams is a blitzer, so he naturally gets a better shot at the quarterback. This is true. However, when you look at the top 3 pass-rushing DB’s behind Adams, you will notice that doesn’t tell the full tale. The top 3 blitzing defensive backs behind Adams are Harrison Smith, Logan Ryan, and Keanu Neal.

Player                        Adams          Harrison       Ryan         Neal
Pass rush snaps          79                  33                 20            24
Sacks                              9.5                  0.5                  1              1
Pressures                      36                  12                    7              8
Pressure %                     46%                36%              35%         33%
Hurry %                           25%                27%              30%         17%
Sack %                             12%                  2%                  5%           4%

Jamal Adams is the only player with over one sack. All the defensive backs are pressuring on at least 30% of the reps. However, Jamal Adams is the only one who has the fight, speed, and instinct to finish the job and do so consistently. At the current rate, it would take Harrison 627 reps, Ryan 190 and Neal 228 to get to the same sack count as Adams (9.5).

Jamal Adams is the type of leader that the Seahawks desperately needed.

The most impressive part of Jamal Adams game is not actually his pass-rushing prowess. It is his leadership, grit and perseverance.

When you look back at the Legion of Boom years, what is remembered is the tenacity, and attitude that the Seahawks played with. Other teams feared going against the team because of their killer confidence, athleticism, discipline, sky-high football IQ, and best of all, their comradery. They played in perfect sync with one another.

Most of these aspects have been missed for some time. Adams is a leader through and through. He leads in meetings. He leads in practice. He leads in-game and he leads from the sideline. He talks the talk and walks the walk. He has a supreme understanding of the game and helps everyone around simply be better.

When Adams is in-game, he leaves everything on the field, no matter what. He has been playing with a bad shoulder and several broken fingers. You don’t hear him complaining about it. He is ecstatic to simply be making it to the playoffs.

He plays for his city, for his team and for his teammates. He holds his game to the highest of standards. Nothing else will satisfy. It’s this type of attitude that changes the way others around him look at the game. A true culture changer for the defensive side of the ball.

There is another benefit as well. When everyone fully buys in and everything is consistently left on the field, bonds form. These types of bonds develop trust in one another’s games. Players stop thinking and just start playing. Each player knows the other player will cover their responsibility and all they have to do is cover their own. It’s contagious.

Through Adams’ leadership, both verbal and on the field effort/production, the team finally began to trust one another and play as a unit. We all knew the talent was there. It just took someone to bring the group together.

Jamal Adams also isn’t afraid to accept the fallout for his mistakes. This is crucial for any player who is considered a locker-room leader. Or for that matter, any player whom others simply look up to. It helps create a sense of responsibility throughout the organization. No player is above the team.

As the age-old saying goes, culture starts at the top. That means from ownership, down to coaches, down to leaders amongst the players. The coaches have done their part in creating an accepting culture. It was simply time for the players to do their part. Jamal Adams amongst others has escalated this process.

The point of this article is not to draw you away from Adams ‘down’ season in coverage. It is instead meant to show you why Jamal Adams is well-worth the king’s ransom used to acquire him.

It is time to stop comparing Adams to what we believe a defensive back should be and start appreciating him for the many things that he brings to the organization. Adams is a true difference-maker, on and off the field. He is a player who can bring the fiery obsession for greatness back to Seattle. It’s time to simply enjoy that the Seahawks have one of the best playmakers in the NFL. Adams has finally brought some swagger back to a once stale defense.

Side note: Despite what PFF says, Jamal Adams has not been bad in pass coverage. I am not saying he is having his best year. However, when you watch the film, he is actually quite sticky in coverage. In fact, he has gotten better week after week. As he continues to learn the Seahawks scheme I have no doubt this will continue to improve.