NFL Defensive Backs Coach Breaks Down Adams vs. Ramsey
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Davante Adams vs. Jalen Ramsey. This All-Pro battle between the Green Bay Packers’ prolific receiver and the Los Angeles Rams’ dominant cornerback is so good, the NFL ought to consider selling it on pay per view.
“These two guys battling at this level? Shoot. With that quarterback? Woo. And with that defense? This is heavyweight stuff,” said a longtime NFL defensive backs coach who’s studied both players this season.
Here are his thoughts on this battle-within-the-battle that might determine the outcome of Saturday’s NFC playoff game at Lambeau Field.
Rams CB Jalen Ramsey
Ramsey is one of the most dominant shutdown corners in today’s NFL. He’s a rare athlete, just in general. He has a unique capability to play inside and outside. A lot of these guys can’t do that. Your footwork is different, the ball is on you faster, you’re involved in the run game more. It’s a totally different world in there. Very few guys can go in there and cover at an elite level. He’s a guy who can do that. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s physical, so that’s one of the things that makes him unique.
A lot of guys, you can’t move inside, so you lose the ability to get your No. 1 on their No. 1. Ramsey can do that. That’s unique. For him to cover at such a high level in the slot, that’s unique. He’s highly, highly competitive. Whether it’s first down, third down, fourth down, whether it’s the first quarter or the fourth quarter, whether they’re up big or down big, it doesn’t matter. He’s the same guy every play. He does not want his guy to catch the ball, no matter what. There aren’t any plays off with this cat.
RELATED: Who will win the matchup?
You match a guy with a physical skill-set that can cover outside, you get a guy that can take that skill-set and go inside and cover, and then you get the guy with the competitive nature that he has, those are rare traits. I definitely don’t say ‘rare’ often because if you say it too much, then it loses it rareness. But he is definitely rare. I don’t think there’s anybody else that can do all of those things, honestly.
Packers WR Davante Adams
I’ve watched him grow from year to year. You could see the talent right away. Now, you can see the maturity. The trust level has paid off. He’s not dropping those things, he’s making those plays, his emotions are under control. He’s a highly competitive guy who plays at a high level. When I hear him talk about Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Rodgers talk about him, I see that. I saw it then, and now you can see the maturation process. Those two dudes really believe in each other in a special way. That’s one of the things that make him dynamic. The belief, the skill-set, the hard work, it’s all coming together.
The other variable I would say is he can go outside and inside. Just like I talked about with Ramsey, that’s a rare thing. The nickel plays you a little bit differently. When you’re outside, there’s more space out there. When you’re in the slot, the nickel’s on you tighter, you’ve got a linebacker right there, the ball’s on you faster. But he’s done those things and is excelling at those things. That’s why this is unique matchup, because these cats can be anywhere.
This is the best against the best. And at the highest stage. The only way it would be different is if it would be in the Super Bowl. But this game is the Super Bowl for these teams. There is no tomorrow for the loser.
