Tony Adams is ready for liftoff. The young safety's often eruptive play on the practice field, the way he attacks news conference questions with his rapid-fire responses all indicate he's on the launchpad and the countdown has begun.
"Let's do it, let's do it," Adams said to no one and to everyone as he took the podium for his first news conference of summer following Friday's third training camp practice.
"I think I have a lot more confidence," he said about the potential differences between last season's emergence as a starter in the Jets' deep middle and what's ahead for him in 2024. "I feel like confidence comes from preparation, and the best thing you can have is experience, and I've got it now. I played a full season as a starter, this is year three for me, and I trust everybody around me. So the best is yet to come."
That self-scout is in keeping with head coach Robert Saleh's rule for young players in general and Adams in particular.
"Year three for him, he's expected to take another step from a vocal leadership standpoint," Saleh said. "You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who's going to work as hard and puts as much into his job as he does. But as far as the leadership aspect, that's going to come naturally. The balance of life, fame, social media, money and football just kind of flatlines, and those guys all just find their voice and they find their leadership qualities."
Yet a lot of gridiron leadership comes from production, and Adams put up some intriguing numbers as the fourth or fifth member of the Jets' dynamic secondary that included Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed and Michael Carter at corner and veteran Jordan Whitehead at safety.
"Definitely, I think you can always improve your game. You stop growing, that's when you die," Adams said. "I've got a lot I wanted to work on, definitely getting the ball more. I went back and watched film to see how many plays I left on the table, and I feel like I left a lot on the table. So that's why I definitely feel the best is yet to come. I'm going to be in the right places at the right time, you feel what I'm saying? You're going to see my hand on the ball a lot more this year."
Adams' first two seasons showed geometric progressions not just in getting his hands on opposing QBs' passes but in bringing opposing backs to the turf:
| Season | GP/S | DefSnaps | INTs/PDs | Tackles | TFL-Yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 11 / 1 | 118 | 0 / 1 | 15 | 0.0 - 0.0 |
| 2023 | 15 / 15 | 879 | 3 / 5 | 82 | 5.0 - 7.0 |
| Totals | 26 / 16 | 997 | 3 / 6 | 97 | 5.0 - 7.0 |
Adams' positivity is spurred on by his teammates. He's playing alongside new/old S Chuck Clark, who lost all last season to a camp ACL injury. "Chuck is proven in this league," he said. "He brings me experience and he's going to teach me as well."
Then there is TA's admiration for and competitiveness with a player who's not even in his position room or on his side of the ball: QB Aaron Rodgers.
"I feel like he's ... different," Adams said. "I call him a wizard, but I'm going to get him this training camp. I got him last training camp but last year don't matter. This is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world and I've got to get him, know what I mean? He's pushing us every day, so a shoutout to No. 8, to A-Rod. He's one of the best to ever do it. ... When you step on the field with a guy like that, you know you'd better bring it every play."
And to punctuate his point on Rodgers, when he said "a guy like that," he audibly rapped the podium with each word.
Adams is a fun guy to listen to as he talks football, but he admits he wasn't always that way. The 5-11, 203-pounder spent a solid five seasons at Illinois but went undrafted before signing with the Jets in May 2022. He was understated as a rookie because, he said, "You know if you have a bad practice, your locker might not be there tomorrow."
"I think it was playing and growing as a man," Adams said of his metamorphosis. "I've been through a lot in my past that kept me kind of reserved. But the closer I get to people and the more I felt comfortable and learned about myself more and got closer to God, I feel like I was able to grow into my personality, knock some of that mud off and show that gold that's inside my heart.
"So a shoutout to the Jets organization and to everybody in this building because I feel comfortable so I can be my true self around here."
