Eric Mangini on Gregg Williams support of Jamal Adams: 'I don’t think these comments are that bad'
The fact that New York Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams apparently supports star safety Jamal Adams in his quest for a new contract is really not much of a big deal according to former Jets head coach Eric Mangini.
On Thursday, Williams told reporters via a conference call that with regards to Adams wanting a long-term deal that "You never, ever mess with a guy's contract, but I've got his back on those types of things.” Adams has recently requested a trade from the Jets over his frustration of a lack of a new contract from the team.
Mangini, who spent three years as head coach of the Jets, didn’t see Williams’ comments as any shots taken at the Jets organization. Williams is entering his second year with the Jets and earned rave reviews for his defense last year.
“I felt like I was watching one of my old press conferences,” Mangini said Friday on Colin Cowherd’s show. 'The Herd' appears on FS1 and is nationally syndicated via Fox Sports Radio.
“It doesn’t always play well when you answer questions like that. New England gets criticized all the time because they try to protect proprietary information, they try to make sure that they’re not creating distractions but it’s not entertaining. A lot of people get frustrated by the fact that the answers just don’t flow out of there. And it can be a pretty big negative thing, you just need to deal with negative press that goes with that.
“With that being said, I don’t think these comments are that bad, Colin, at all. One of the nice things about being a defensive coordinator, an offensive coordinator or a position coach, you don’t have to be the bad guy. You don’t have to play that role. What you do have to do is whether Jamal gets a new contract or doesn’t get a new contract, you have to get him to play at the highest possible level. That’s why these guys are going to try and promote the relationship as much as possible. As a head coach, you’re fine with it – you’re fine with being the bad guy. Or the GM is fine with playing that role.
“The position coaches and the coordinators have a different luxury then you have. And they need that relationship to be as strong as possible to maximize the player’s performance.”
Adams is seeking a deal that would make him the highest paid safety in the NFL. He was the Jets only Pro Bowl selection in 2020.
The comments by Williams were spun in some circles as being overtly pro-Adams, a bit of a surprise given how the player has taken a couple of soft swipes at the team and management in recent weeks.
