'Polamalu Plan!' Will Seahawks Reveal Way to Free Jamal Adams?

Since signing with the Seattle Seahawks, injuries have held former All-Pro safety Jamal Adams back. The former New York Jets star, who was traded to Seattle before the 2020 season, has played in just 25 games since arriving due to a barrage of injuries.

The latest of the long list of injuries is a torn quad which Adams suffered in the Seahawks' season opener last fall. As the old coach-speak goes, "availability is the best ability," and for the 27-year-old, he hasn't had that in Seattle.

Yet, despite that recent injury record, NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks revealed his confidence that the Seahawks can get the best out of Adams this season. In a recent interview with Seattle Sports' Brock and Salk, Brooks believes if Adams can stay healthy, he will be put in a spot for success.

“I think they’ve already started taking steps to make that happen, right?” Brooks said. “Quandre Diggs played at a high level last year, and he’s played at a high level since he’s come over to Seattle. And now you bring Julian Love over, you have two safeties that can play in the deep part of the field, so you can drop Jamal Adams in the box and really use him almost like a nickel-safety-linebacker.”

In the opinion of Brooks and many others, Adams' best role is playing in and around the box. As Pro Football Focus cited in their safety rankings, Adams was considered the best "box safety" in the NFL.

The Seahawks have seen flashes of what Adams will look like in the role described by Brooks. In his first season (2020) in Seattle, Adams recorded a career-high 9.5 sacks to go along with 11 tackles for a loss and 14 quarterback hits.

Although talking about Adams having a big season is one thing, a comparison to a Hall of Fame player is another. Brooks didn't stop at predicting how Adams could thrive in the Seahawks' defense. Brooks even went as far as to compare Adams to Troy Polamalu.

“If you go back to what Pete Carroll had at USC when he had Troy Polamalu, he used him near the line of scrimmage and let him rush off the edge and do those things," Brooks said. "Jamal Adams is at his best when he’s played in a role like that. This year, he will have an opportunity to play in a role like that, and I think you will see him play at a high level. ..."

The image of Adams painted by Brooks is very different from what others in the media have done this offseason, as they've gone as far as to list him as a trade candidate due to his expensive contract and the signing of Julian Love. Yet, as Brooks revealed in his analysis of Adams' role this season, the addition of Love can all part of the master plan to unlock the a healthy Jamal Adams' full potential.

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