Jamal Adams still leans on lessons taught by his father

After a successful rookie campaign, New York Jets safety Jamal Adams will look to produce another strong year, while leaning on lessons he’s learned over the years from his father.

When the New York Jets drafted former LSU defensive back Jamal Adams with the sixth pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the selection was considered to be a steal. That theory may just have been true, as Adams, who made an immediate impact, has continued to blossom into not only a force on the field but into a team leader as well.

With organized team activities and mandatory minicamp now in the books, the reports have been well-documented: Adams is confident and he isn’t afraid to express that verbally. Adams has been said to have a certain swagger about him when he plays and it’s been revealed that he’s a trash talker of sorts on the field after big defensive plays.

Recently speaking with Steve Serby of the New York Post, Adams said that this style isn’t anything new, but he also revealed that his father, former NFL running back George Adams, has seemingly had a big impact on him both personally and athletically.

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He was the one who taught him that words mean nothing without action. Here’s what he said:

“It was fourth or fifth grade I started talking noise,” Adams said, “and he said, ‘If you’re gonna talk noise, you gotta be able to back it up.’ And ever since then I’ve been backing it up.”

But this isn’t the only lesson Adams learned from his father that he still carries with him today and one that can be seen directly in the way. Adams approaches his craft as if tomorrow is never guaranteed. Here’s what he said from that same article by Serby:

“The NFL stands for Not For Long, and that is dead serious,” Adams said. “Every time I’m out there on the field, I try to give it my all, because again, you just never know when it’s your last play. But just looking at his example, some things happen to where you can’t control and some things you can avoid by just going hard, so he’s always taught me to play fast and go hard.”

Following the 2017 season, which the Jets ended with a 5-11 record, this lesson learned is incredibly evident within Adams, who has repeatedly said that his focus lies solely on winning a Super Bowl. To do that, however, improvements must always be made and to the outside eye, it appears as if Adams is doing all of the right things.

Despite playing well last season, there were areas where the 22-year-old could improve upon, specifically in the interceptions department. Adams didn’t total a single interception in his rookie season, but that wasn’t for lack of opportunity. He had his chances, but he may have been out of position or possibly didn’t attack the ball correctly. And not only is he well aware of this but he’s vowed to change it.

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Heading into the 2018 season, the Jets’ future, for the first time in years, actually appears to be quite bright and Adams is a pivotal part of that. If he continues to lean on the lessons he took in from his father and play every day like it’s his last, he may, one day, just lead his team to that Super Bowl victory he’s so desperately striving for.

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