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As Chris Russo likes to say, “You can’t be doing that.”
Bill Belichick has a catch phrase you often hear him yelling on the sideline, “Do your job!”
Jamal Adams job is to play safety for the New York Jets, and he’s doing a terrific job at that.
But he seems to think that he also should have at seat at the table when it comes to Jets’ player personnel decisions.
If a New England player did this, they would likely be playing elsewhere.
I’m not saying that everything New England does is right, but they are very big on players just focusing on their own job.
WFAN reporter Brian Costello tweeted something today from Atlanta that caught some people by surprise.
“Just spoke to Jamal Adams on radio row. He had lunch with Le’Veon Bell’s agent at the Pro Bowl. The recruitment has begun.”
A player meeting with the agent of a free agent? You just don’t hear that very often. I’ve never heard of it.
Do the Jets want to sign Bell?
I know a lot of their fans do, but do the Jets?
I have no idea.
If you asked on twitter if the Jets want to sign Bell people would question your sanity and say, “Of course they want him, they need weapons, and he might be the best running back in the NFL.”
But he will be 27 next season, has taken a lot of hits in high school in Ohio, at Michigan State and in the NFL. He’s already blown his knee out, and has been suspended by the league a couple of times.
So I don’t view this as a slam dunk move.
Adams also has recruited Antonio Brown and Dez Bryant to the Jets on twitter.
Recently Adams went on twitter to lobby for Antonio Brown, “Yo @AB84 NYC will appreciate you!! #JETS.”
Last year he lobbied for Dez Bryant after Dallas released him.
“88 You know where to come!,” Adams tweeted.
This is somewhat out of line.
Players play, coaches coach and GM’s find the players.
Adams had no idea if Mike Maccagnan wants any of these players, and here in lies the problem.
Hey, once a team makes it clear in free agency they are targeting certain players and clearly want them, there is nothing wrong with a player taking to social media and recruiting.
But to recruit players to your team, when you have no idea if your GM, coach or owner want them, is somewhat presumptuous.
Adams making some assumptions here, assuming that of course the Jets would want Brown, Bryant and Bell.
Brown and Bryant haven’t exactly behaved that great in recent years, so why would it be a slam dunk the Jets would want them?
And here is the other problem. When a player lobbies for his team to sign certain players, he’s indirectly dissing teammates at those positions.
What do you think Jets wide receivers Robby Anderson and Quincy Enunwa think of their teammate openingly stating the team needs Brown and Bryant? What do running backs like Isaiah Crowell, Bilal Powell and Eli McGuire think of Adams lobbying for Bell? It’s disrespectful. It’s bad for the locker room.
Adams clearly needs to let Maccagnan and Gase decide who they want, and once it’s clear the team is targeting a player, once Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport announce it, then get involved in recruiting the player.
But a player should not decide, independently, who his team needs to sign. That’s not his job.
This isn’t controversial take from me. It’s just common sense.
January 30, 2019
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