Jamal Adams following NFL lessons his father taught him

[joewilly12]

STEVE SERBY

SPORTS

 

Jamal Adams following NFL lessons his father taught him

By Steve Serby

June 16, 2018 | 6:59pm

 

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Jamal Adams with his dad, George, and Mom, MichelleRobert Sabo

 

The young boy’s youth football coach was his father, who had loved the game the way the youngster loved the game, a dad who had been a running back just like the son was, an elder who had realized the same NFL dream the kid had already started dreaming.

The father’s name is George. The young boy’s name is Jamal.

“As a G.A. Giant, we didn’t lose,” George Adams told The Post by phone. “I gave the ball to J., he got the first down, and they came out and measured and then they said, ‘No, no, no. We gotta remeasure.’ So they didn’t give us a first down, so they got the ball and they scored and we lost.

“He cried like a baby. So what I told him, I said, ‘That’s life. That’s football. You’re gonna get some people to say one thing and it’s another, but the thing is, I’m teaching you how to lose.’ And that really just didn’t set with him, because he just don’t like losing.”

The apple sometimes doesn’t fall far from the tree, because like son, like father.

“They challenge each other every day,” George’s wife and Jamal’s mother Michelle told The Post. “They’re similar in anything that they do. If we go bowling, if we do anything, it’s down. The trash-talking between them never stops.”

Even in the sweltering Texas football hotbed, George recognized early on that Jamal had a chance to follow in his NFL footsteps.

“It was fourth or fifth grade I started talking noise,” Jamal Adams told The Post, “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.”

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Jamal Adams poses for a picture with his dad, George, after an LSU game.Adams family

But before he began backing it up as a safety at LSU, enough to be the Jets’ sixth-overall pick of the 2017 draft and a rising star and swaggerlicious leader on coach Todd Bowles’ defense, there were heart-to-heart talks in which many lessons were taught and many lessons were learned.

“I tore my shoulder, tore my labrum my freshman year of high school,” Jamal recalled. “It was my first injury, didn’t know what was going on. I kept playing on it, finished the season. Then my sophomore year going in, spring ball, ended up making a tackle and it popped out of place. Obviously he took care of me there.

“I missed the first two games of that season, and it hurt to not be out there with my team. But he just taught me to be patient, ‘let God handle everything, and you’ll be back soon.’ He kept me motivated and he definitely kept a great spirit for myself.”

“His shoulder popped out so I took him to the doctor, and the doctor told him that he’s not gonna play this year,” George said. “Man, if you could see the way he looked — just like glass, he cracked, And he cried all the way home. We were telling him, ‘Look, this is not life and death. You can get yourself back together, and you can get back out there.’ ”

George was such a talented running back at Kentucky that the Giants made him the 19th pick in the 1985 draft. But a devastating hip injury suffered in a July 26 training camp scrimmage before the start of the Giants’ Super Bowl XXI season denied him a chance to make any kind of impact during a pain-wracked career that ended in 1991 as a Patriot.

This was the reason why George convinced Jamal and his coaches at Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas, that it is better safety than sorry.

“You definitely see the sacrifice that he went through, and he still goes through it every day,” Jamal said of his father. “He has his ups and days as far as his days how his leg feels, but at the same time, you can tell that he loved the game of football. He had a chance to be very special, but his career was cut short due to injury, but at the same time he’s always smiling.

“He understands what it takes to get there, and what people can’t take away from him is he has a Super Bowl, so that’s always gonna be with him, so he has that right to talk about that and be happy about that. But at the same time he understands teaching a son — me, myself — how to get there and what his struggles were going through a process and what he was successful at, so I’m just learning from his mistakes. He doesn’t want me to go through the same mistakes he’s made.”

His father’s left leg is three inches shorter than his right leg. George, 55, has had two hip replacements and will need a third. He sued the Giants in 1996 for damages related to his second hip replacement.

“I have a limp,” George said. “That’s something that’s gonna be with my for the rest of life. One of my legs is shorter than the other. I asked him does he want to do this? And he said, ‘Yes dad, I love it.’ And you know what? I’m not gonna stop him. He knows what could happen. He knows that. But he loves the game. And like I tell him, I said if I had to do it all over again, I’d do it again. ’Cause I love the game the same way. And that’s what I always told him, that you gotta love this game to play this game. If you don’t love this game you can’t play this game.”

There are days when George, who uses a cane around the house, struggles to get out of bed. For Jamal, the youngest of four, it is a sobering image, and a reminder of how unforgiving and cruel the sport can be. And yet the rewards far outweigh the risks.

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George Adams talks about his son, Jamal, during a press conference last year.Robert Sabo

“The NFL stands for Not For Long, and that is dead serious,” Jamal 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.”

George’s best season came as a rookie, when he rushed for 498 yards and two touchdowns and caught 31 passes for 389 yards and two TDs.

“I wouldn’t say he’s living through me,” Jamal said. “He lets me be myself. But he’s definitely just proud of his son for where I am. A lot of people always thought that things were handed to me due to him, and that was never the case. I worked hard for everything I had. I’m still working hard and I’m continuing to work hard.

“I have a tattoo that says, ‘Success is not inherited it is earned,’ and I got that due to him. … He pushed me to be the best, and that’s what I’m shooting for.”

Jamal won his longtime $40,000 bet with his father that he would be drafted higher … even if he is winning it only one dinner at a time.

“I told him if he played with me now I’ll run right through him,” Jamal said. “But he said we’re not tough enough right now, like our era’s not tough like his era. So I told him that I’d run right through him. But at the same time, I understand that from what I hear he could have been very special.”

SEE ALSO

 

Jamal Adams amps up Jets' secondary hype: No one's better

 

George would much rather focus on what can be for Jamal than what could have been for himself.

“The way he plays is reckless,” George said. “He plays aggressive. He plays with a lot of mouth. He plays with emotion. He would just be so drained after a game ‘cause he leaves it on the field.”

George and Michelle try to attend every game. He is asked what it is like for him watching his son play now … wearing his old Giants number — on the same powerful 22-year-old legs he once had.

“I was just talking to my wife about that,” George said. “I have chillbumps all the time when I see him on the field with that No. 33, and I see him making plays and I see him having fun, it just puts chillbumps all down through my body, man. It’s outstanding. It ain’t nothing like it.”

Jamal, asked to describe his father, said: “Passionate. Likeable. Huge personality. Talks a lot of noise. If he loves you he cares for you and he definitely has a passion for kids period, and impacting kids lives. … He’s selfless man. I applaud him for that.”

To Jamal, his father is a friend and big brother as well.

“Anything I need him to be, he’s all of the above,” Jamal said.

And Jamal is everything his parents wanted him to be.

“He just preaches the same things over and over: Just do the right things, let everything just come to you, and if you put your mind to it, you can honestly accomplish anything in life,” Jamal said. “That’s always been his message, and I’ve always lived by it.”

So much so that on Father’s Day, one proud father says of his son:

“Everybody should want one like him.”

[T0mShane]

9 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

But before he began backing it up as a safety at LSU, enough to be the Jets’ sixth-overall pick of the 2017 draft and a rising star and swaggerlicious leader on coach Todd Bowles’ defense,

 

[New York Mick]

Too bad Winslow JR didn’t. 

[T0mShane]

Should also be pointed out that George Adams was a massive ******* bust for the Giants.

 

[BigO]

11 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

Should also be pointed out that George Adams was a massive ******* bust for the Giants.

 

Like father Like son. 

[Patriot Killa]

55 minutes ago, BigO said:

Like father Like son. 

Bravo on predicting the future based off a rookie season.(a rookie season that wasn’t even bad) Idk what we would do without your psychic abilities.

[Patriot Killa]

1 hour ago, joewilly12 said:

And that’s what I always told him, that you gotta love this game to play this game. If you don’t love this game you can’t play this game.”

 

Brings back thoughts of how Rosen may do down the line....

[BigO]

1 hour ago, Patriot Killa said:

Bravo on predicting the future based off a rookie season.(a rookie season that wasn’t even bad) Idk what we would do without your psychic abilities.

Thanks! I predict Adams will have an even worse season than his rookie season. Sophomore jinx stuff. Zero INT’s, penalties, burns and YOU will have a season to forget here on JetNation. ?

[Patriot Killa]

Just now, BigO said:

Thanks! I predict Adams will have an even worse season than his rookie season. Sophomore jinx stuff. Zero INT’s, penalties, burns and YOU will have a season to forget here on JetNation. ?

Well..

[detectivekimble]

2 hours ago, T0mShane said:

Should also be pointed out that George Adams was a massive ******* bust for the Giants.

 

Hopefully his play catches up with his big mouth.  He talks a lot for a guy who hasn't done anything.

[BigO]

2 minutes ago, Patriot Killa said:

Well..

Season doesn’t start until September Dum Dum ?

 

[Larz]

Jeez, imagine if the kid didn't make the all rookie team and a pro bowl alternate and play slot corner, outside corner and edge rusher as well as safety racking up 83 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble 

Heck our savior, Shane Ray, got 1 sack in 8 games last season and is up to 3 wrist surgeries including 1 more that will put him out until September 

Jets fans are weird 

[Charlie Brown]

Thanks to the OP for the post........

And play nice guys...................

[Fantasy Island]

JA= big mouth, small results.

[T0mShane]

2 hours ago, detectivekimble said:

Hopefully his play catches up with his big mouth.  He talks a lot for a guy who hasn't done anything.

If Maccagnan can find a really good edge rusher or two and a legitimate stud press corner, and they get a defensive coordinator who can hide his deficiencies, Adams can produce. But if they keep putting him in man coverage against beasts like Anthony Fasano, it’s going to be another Darron Lee situation. 

[Grandy]

42 minutes ago, Fantasy Island said:

JA= big mouth, small results.

Most TFLs and run stops of any DB in the NFL in his rookie season

Our fanbase continues to puzzle me. 

[BigO]

Double post - 

 

Edited June 17, 2018 by BigO
double post

[BigO]

1 hour ago, T0mShane said:

If Maccagnan can find a really good edge rusher or two and a legitimate stud press corner, and they get a defensive coordinator who can hide his deficiencies, Adams can produce. But if they keep putting him in man coverage against beasts like Anthony Fasano, it’s going to be another Darron Lee situation. 

 

 In other words he’s a liability in pass coverage and wasn’t worth spending a number six pick in the draft on.

 

[JoJoTownsell1]

1 hour ago, Fantasy Island said:

JA= big mouth, small results.

 

54 minutes ago, Grandy said:

Most TFLs and run stops of any DB in the NFL in his rookie season

Our fanbase continues to puzzle me. 

Your first mistake was thinking he was part of the FANbase. 

[Saul Goodman]

6 hours ago, Larz said:

Jeez, imagine if the kid didn't make the all rookie team and a pro bowl alternate and play slot corner, outside corner and edge rusher as well as safety racking up 83 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble 

Heck our savior, Shane Ray, got 1 sack in 8 games last season and is up to 3 wrist surgeries including 1 more that will put him out until September 

Jets fans are weird 

It’s literally only a few trolls and bozos here on JN that think Jamal is not a good player.

[T0mShane]

2 hours ago, Saul Goodman said:

It’s literally only a few trolls and bozos here on JN that think Jamal is not a good player.

It seemed like a lot of opposing offensive coordinators were in that group, as well. 

[Scott Dierking]

7 hours ago, BigO said:

 

 In other words he’s a liability in pass coverage and wasn’t worth spending a number six pick in the draft on.

 

Ahem-

BigO replied to Marshmello's topic in New York Jets Message Board

How lucky can you get to have Adams and Big Cat fall to you in 2 of the last 3 drafts. Both these scary monsters should have been scooped up by the time our slot came up. Our luck is changing.

[Jetsplayer21]

His daddy didn’t teach him “ talk with your play, not your mouth.”

[Jetsplayer21]

2 hours ago, Saul Goodman said:

It’s literally only a few trolls and bozos here on JN that think Jamal is not a good player.

I think he is great. I just wish he shut up a bit and played more. Especially as a rookie, talk on the field is fine.. I got tired of all the talk after rex Ryan yrs lol

[joewilly12]

If any opposing teams QB has all day to throw the ball there IS no secondary in the NFL that will be decent. 

We need an edge rusher to put pressure on the opposing teams QB. 

 

[T0mShane]

2 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

If any opposing teams QB has all day to throw the ball there IS no secondary in the NFL that will be decent. 

We need an edge rusher to put pressure on the opposing teams QB. 

 

I just heard from @Larz that Jamal Adams is an edge rusher as well as an accomplished “slot cornerback.”

[joewilly12]

8 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

I just heard from @Larz that Jamal Adams is an edge rusher as well as an accomplished “slot cornerback.”

Is @Larz aka Kacy Rodgers or George Adams?

[The Crusher]

8 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

I just heard from @Larz that Jamal Adams is an edge rusher as well as an accomplished “slot cornerback.”

Somewhere on Twitter 

Jamaal: Happy Fathersday pops, from the best damn son ever!

Dad: Uh? What you get me?

Jamaal: Get you? I’m the best damn son ever Pop! What do you think of that? 

Dad: Overated! 

 

 

[Fantasy Island]

9 hours ago, Grandy said:

Most TFLs and run stops of any DB in the NFL in his rookie season

Our fanbase continues to puzzle me. 

No Int's

[Fantasy Island]

8 hours ago, JoJoTownsell1 said:

 

Your first mistake was thinking he was part of the FANbase. 

LOL

[GreenFish]

4 minutes ago, The Crusher said:

Somewhere on Twitter 

Jamaal: Happy Fathersday pops, from the best damn son ever!

Dad: Uh? What you get me?

Jamaal: Get you? I’m the best damn son ever Pop! What do you think of that? 

Dad: Overated! 

 

 

This had me on the floor laughing. And I’m a fan of Jamal who doesn’t mind the trash talking. 

[Patriot Killa]

3 minutes ago, Fantasy Island said:

No Int's

As if interceptions are the only thing that makes a Safety good. 

 

A box safety at that.

The fact that you handful of people are calling a player a “bust” after a measly 16 games that he accumulated very good numbers in despite his interception total is laughable at best 

[Fantasy Island]

Just now, Patriot Killa said:

As if interceptions are the only thing that makes a Safety good. 

 

A box safety at that.

The fact that you handful of people are calling a player a “bust” after a measly 16 games that he accumulated very good numbers in despite his interception total is laughable at best 

He isn't a bust but he was overdrafted by 2 rounds.  Maye is a better safety.

[BigO]

27 minutes ago, Fantasy Island said:

No Int's

Well he did get his hands on one that he dropped so let’s not get picky. ?

[BigO]

21 minutes ago, Fantasy Island said:

He isn't a bust but he was overdrafted by 2 rounds.  Maye is a better safety.

Definitely. Maye has way better instincts for manning the position. He breaks on the ball better, has better cover skills.  Adams looks lost in coverage but he is on the all trash talk rookie team.