Jamal Adams is objectively one of the worst safeties in all of football when it comes to pass coverage. Pro Football Focus has Adams rated 82nd out of 93 qualifying players. Not that their grades are the end-all, be-all. It’s just that it’s unlikely Adams is even average in coverage when he’s that far down the rankings.
Look at the Seattle Seahawks get smoked on this long TD from Brock Purdy to Deebo Samuel from Sunday… you can guess who was tasked with taking away Deebo:
First of all, let’s hear the play from Purdy’s perspective, and how Adams’ lack of attention to detail helped the 49ers connect on that pivotal play that helped San Francisco coast to a 28-16 victory.
Now let’s look at how Deebo broke it down.
“As we worked that play at practice, that was like the last option to be thrown. […] Brock just being the quarterback that he is, whenever he sees something he’s just gonna let it go.
As you can see, I wasn’t really running 100 miles per hour, but once I looked back and seen Brock getting ready to cock it and throw it, I had to speed up!”
For those who watch film, it’s known that Deebo doesn’t go full-tilt on every play. I guess I don’t blame him, since Kyle Shanahan asks a lot out of Deebo as a receiver, runner and even as a blocker. Nevertheless, Deebo admits to dogging it here, since he wasn’t expecting to get the ball.
Think about that for a second. Adams was so obvious with his pre-snap tell, and so lazy technique-wise once Purdy got the ball in his hands, that Deebo didn’t have to run full speed for a good chunk of his route, still got behind Adams and burned his a** for a touchdown. Wasn’t a fantastic afternoon overall for Adams.
I’m on Adams’ case a little bit because he recently doubled down on making fun of a reporter’s wife by saying, “When others go low, I go lower.” The reason he dished out that insult in the first place was because the reporter made fun of him for getting cooked for a TD by Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson. The reporter said, “Yikes.” Fittingly so.
Jamal Adams is now reaping what he’s sown. Don’t be surprised if Pete Carroll benches him here soon. The Seahawks need to shake something up in the midst of a four-game losing streak that will likely cost them a playoff spot, barring a miraculous turnaround.
