Jamal Adams forced his way off the Jets, but he may think of them fondly now that they helped him make history Sunday.
The Seahawks safety entered the NFL record books Sunday when he was credited with a sack of Sam Darnold, breaking the single-season record for a defensive back and putting the cherry on top of Seattle’s 40-3 win over the Jets at Lumen Field.
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“It’s a pretty cool feeling when you put your mind to something,” said Adams, who fell short of the record last year when he finished with 6.5 sacks for the Jets. “I told myself and I told everybody last year, when I did fail … I was going to break the record. Some people thought I was crazy. Some people believed in me. But the only thing that mattered is that I believed in myself.”
Adams’ second-quarter sack of Darnold — which came when he forced Darnold out of bounds on a scramble behind the line of scrimmage — gave him 8.5 sacks on the season, passing the Cardinals’ Adrian Wilson, who recorded eight in 2005. Adams broke the record in just nine games after missing four games earlier this season with shoulder issues.
The rest of Adams’ day was largely reminiscent of his time with the Jets — except, of course, the end result.
Darnold tried to gift him an interception when he threw it right at him in the first quarter, but Adams dropped it, which may have given Jets fans flashbacks from his time in New York. He had just two interceptions in three seasons with the Jets, leaving a handful more on the field.
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“Golly, I suck,” Adams said jokingly. “That was horrible.”
But Adams was in the backfield early and often on blitzes and finished with five tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and one pass defended. He was also in on a tackle of Frank Gore before former Jets and Giants defensive lineman Damon “Snacks” Harrison forced the fumble, which the Seahawks recovered and turned into another scoring drive.
Adams’ performance was worthy of a game ball from the Seahawks. Coach Pete Carroll said they usually don’t give ones out, but considering he broke the sacks record for a defensive back, thought it was justified Sunday.
Adam Gase, whom Adams ripped on the way out of town, said he hugged his former safety after the game and told him “go try to get one,” meaning a Super Bowl.
“At the end of the day, I don’t have any hate towards — not even just Gase, toward the organization,” Adams said of the franchise that drafted him sixth overall in 2017 before trading him this summer. “Everybody just had different views. We had to move different. We had to take a different leap. Obviously the trade happened and I’m happy to be here.
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“I wish those guys nothing but the best, I really do. I mean that. I know a lot of Jets fans don’t really think I’m coming from the heart, but I really am. I’m thankful for my time over there because I don’t take it for granted.”