“We Need Him”: The Seahawks anticipate Jamal Adams’ return against the Titans.
The Seattle Seahawks are excited to get Jamal Adams back on the field for the final stretch run and next week in Tennessee, even though he was unable to attend Monday’s game to watch his team upset the Philadelphia Eagles due to a sore knee.
On Monday Night Football at Lumen Field, the Seattle Seahawks upset the Philadelphia Eagles 20–17, but they did so without safety Jamal Adams, who was not only not in uniform but also not present at the stadium.
After Adams was given a dubious designation on Saturday’s final injury report, Seattle decided to sit him 90 minutes before kickoff. As a result, the seasoned defender was not present to support his teammates. On his weekly radio program on Seattle Sports 710, coach Pete Carroll stated that the team was fine with him not being at the stadium.
Regarding Adams’ absence, Carroll remarked, “I think he was at home.” He had a difficult time. We discussed it and his plans for handling it. He wasn’t required to be there, either.
Despite having started nine games since coming off the PUP list in October, Adams’ knee soreness from a torn quad tendon, which sidelined him for all but one game of the 2022 season, has forced the Seahawks to closely monitor his workload. He has been on the injury report every week, frequently with limited practice or not at all, as he did not practice last week.
Adams has missed two games since being activated in Week 4 due to the team’s maintenance plan, which included Monday’s victory over Philadelphia. In addition, he did not play in a Week 11 road defeat against Los Angeles. A few days later, he would play again against San Francisco.
Due to his injury on Monday night, Julian Love joined Quandre Diggs for all 69 defensive snaps. He had a career-high performance, intercepting Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts twice in the fourth quarter. In the last fortnight, the former standout player for Notre Dame has intercepted three passes and caused a fumble, transforming into a one-man turnover generator.
In an open discussion about Adams’ circumstances on Tuesday morning, Carroll said those choices were intentional in an effort to see Adams through the season and, should Seattle secure a wild card spot in the final three weeks, to have him available for the postseason.
Regarding Christmas Eve of the following week, Carroll anticipates Adams will return to action against Tennessee to help the cause in a game where his strengths could make a big difference. Seattle will be trying to slow down bruising running back Derrick Henry on the road.
“Him is needed,” Carroll stated. “I think this is going to maximize his chance of finishing the season.”
It will be interesting to watch how the Seahawks decide to use Adams in addition to Love and Diggs once he returns to the field. In a Week 14 road loss to the 49ers, the trio played 38 snaps together, but the majority of that increased use of three-safety looks was probably caused by Devon Witherspoon’s hip injury sustained in the first quarter. Carroll and defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt might not be as inclined to use such packages as frequently in upcoming games, depending on the rookie’s availability the following weekend.
Seattle would be foolish to keep Love off the field given how well he has performed lately, which includes grabbing a highlight-worthy game-ending interception against Hurts on Monday night. This raises the possibility that Adams will have to settle for a smaller role in sub packages for the duration of the season, especially given that his recent performance has fallen short of his high expectations.
Adams gave up a game-winning touchdown to Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson while playing coverage in his previous two games. He also gave up a 54-yard touchdown to 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel, although he was caught off guard on the latter play. In those two games, he also missed a lot of tackles and had trouble getting ball carriers to the ground as the Seahawks gave up over 70 points in those two defeats.
Unusually, after the loss in Santa Clara, Carroll criticized Adams for playing “bad ball” on his radio show, claiming that he hadn’t performed well because he had been coached against some of the 49ers’ most popular ideas.
Adams might not have been pleased with these remarks because he has a history of poorly handling criticism, especially on social media. He posted a picture of the reporter’s wife earlier this month and used the same “yikes” comment as when he re-posted a video of the safety being beat by Ferguson for a touchdown in coverage earlier in the month.
Carroll met with Adams to discuss the matter, as was reportedly the case this week, and the coach thought the matter had been resolved. However, the player showed no regret for his actions, telling reporters, “when others go low, I go lower,” instead of offering an apology and moving on.
Carroll’s most recent remarks, though, suggest that the player and coach are not at odds. They appear to be in agreement, in fact. Carroll provided more details on Tuesday regarding Adams’ struggles to manage persistent knee pain, which was to be expected following a very challenging injury to recover from. The defender has acknowledged that the process has been very taxing on him this season.
Carroll, who is sympathetic to Adams’ plight and cognizant of his intense desire to play, has been making every effort to assist Adams in overcoming difficult circumstances. In light of that, he didn’t mind that the player chose to spend Monday night at home, and he’s looking
“It’s been really hard for him. He hasn’t been able to reach the point where everything feels perfect for him. We’ve been working on his recovery rather than his preparation throughout the season, and it’s been challenging. He is making every effort to treat this extremely challenging injury. He had an incredible offseason to accomplish this and reach this point. Our goal is to match him with the [game] plan while assisting him in becoming as strong and powerful as possible.”
