Bill O’Brien raves about Jets’ Jamal Adams: He does everything
Jets safety Jamal Adams is getting the attention of coaches around the NFL.
Texans coach Bill O’Brien, whose team faces the Jets on Saturday, had high praise for the second-year Jets safety.
“I would say that Jamal Adams is one of the best players we’ve played against all year,” O’Brien told The Post on Monday. “I’ve been watching him now all morning and started watching him last week. He’s a great football player.”
What makes him say that?
“I think he’s got the combination of size, speed, contact speed, instincts,” O’Brien said. “He’s a great tackler. He’s a really good blitzer. He can play man-to-man coverage on tight ends. He plays man-to-man on receivers, backs. He can do it all.”
Adams is not the only young Jets player who O’Brien thinks has a bright future. O’Brien, who is known for his work with quarterbacks, has been impressed with Jets rookie Sam Darnold.
“I really like Sam,” O’Brien said. “I liked him coming out in the draft. I think he’s got good poise. He’s got a really good arm. He’s accurate. He’s smart. I think he can extend plays. I think he’s an excellent young quarterback. I think the young quarterbacks in the league right now, it’s really an exciting time. Sam’s definitely a part of that.”
The Texans have a young star quarterback of their own in Deshaun Watson. O’Brien has seen the leap that quarterbacks make from Year 1 to Year 2. It is a leap the Jets hope Darnold can make.
“I think the big thing young guys, really smart guys like Deshaun, like Sam, like all these guys, they pick up your system pretty quickly,” O’Brien said. “Then, it becomes how fast can they pick up defensive football in this league. Defensive football in this league is a lot different than college. There’s a lot tighter coverage and a lot more scheme. That’s just the way it is. I think that’s the biggest jump you see guys make, is their knowledge of defensive football from their first year to their second year.”
Return man Andre Roberts continued his Pro Bowl push Sunday with a few more monster kickoff returns. Roberts is first in the NFL in punt returns and fourth in kickoff returns.
“He’s been great from a leadership standpoint,” Todd Bowles said. “Even without all the returns and the big plays that he’s gotten, which have been outstanding, from a leadership and determination standpoint, one of the leaders of our special teams. He comes to work every day, the ultimate professional. You can’t say enough about the guy. He’s ready all the time, he’s durable, he’s tough and he gets nicked up and he keeps going. You just don’t notice him until he makes a play, but he does that every single day.”
There were two plays involving OLB Jordan Jenkins in Sunday’s game that did not make the Jets happy. One was a chop block by Bills tackle Dion Dawkins that ended up with Jenkins injuring his ankle. The other was an unnecessary-roughness penalty on Jenkins after he hit Bills QB Josh Allen on a play where Buffalo ran a direct snap to another player and Allen ran at Jenkins.
“We’re going to send to that one in [to the NFL],” Bowles said. “Normally when they carry out a fake, you know they become ball carriers and under the interpretation that should not be called, but we’ll see what they say.”
RB Isaiah Crowell left the game in the first quarter with a foot injury. Bowles did not have much of an update Monday.
“He’s pretty sore and nicked up,” Bowles said. “As the week goes we’ll see what his availability looks like.”
