Jamal Adams says he'll have a little extra motivation when the Seattle Seahawks host the Dallas Cowboys Sunday at CenturyLink Field. It isn't because the All-Pro safety will be playing his hometown team for only the second time in his career. It's because of something he has heard through the grapevine back home. "I've seen a couple things, they said I struggle in coverage, so I can't wait," a smiling Adams told reporters Thursday. "I got a little text from one of my buddies back home. He has the inside scoop on that. So, looking forward to it." Adams wouldn't specify which Cowboys player or players said that or who relayed it to him. "I can't tell you that, man," he said. "C'mon. I can't give you the nuggets like that, man. I grew up with a couple guys who are still my brothers, best friends to this day. We talk every day, group messaging. What goes on in Dallas, it always comes back to me. I always find out the scoops. So just a little edge, a little chip on my shoulder to go out there and continue to do what I'm doing. Obviously, things happen. It's part of the game. And hey, just looking forward to the matchup." Acquired in a blockbuster trade with the New York Jets this summer, Adams has been one of the Seahawks' most active defenders through two games. He leads the team in tackles (22), sacks (2.0) and tackles for loss (3.5). But he hasn't been perfect. Adams collided with cornerback Shaquill Griffin on one play in Week 1, leading to an easy touchdown for the Atlanta Falcons. He took the blame for one of the long completions from Cam Newton to Julian Edelman in Seattle's win over the New England Patriots Sunday night. While Adams has never been known as a ball hawk -- he has two interceptions since entering the league in 2017 -- he has been good enough in coverage over his first three seasons to allow the fourth-lowest completion percentage (50.4%) among safeties as the nearest defender, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Adams is from the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Lewisville, Texas, and attended Hebron High School, which is 31 miles from AT&T Stadium. He was a New York Giants fan growing up because his father, George, spent his first four NFL seasons with the team. But the Cowboys were one of seven teams Adams would have welcomed a trade to while his future with the Jets was in limbo, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Adams made the comment about the text he received from his friend while praising the Cowboys' wide receiver corps of Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and rookie first-round pick CeeDee Lamb. Adams described Lamb as being "like a little brother to me." "We've got our hands full," he said. "It's going to be exciting. It reminds me of Atlanta in a sense of what type of explosion they have at receiver, if that makes sense. Not comparing them, but just saying that they have some explosive guys on their side that can make a lot of plays. So we have to do a good job of doing our thing and plastering them and covering them."
|