Davante Adams might have only been a New York Jet for over a week, but he is already stepping up and holding others accountable. With the Jets’ season hanging by a thread prior to the Pittsburgh Steelers game, some saw it as a last chance to get the season back on track, and New York stumbled…badly. A 37-15 loss in which the offense got shutout in the second half sees the Jets drop to 2-5 on the year. Post-game, the other riding thoughts were that the Jets simply didn’t have the energy to compete and that the team was “flat.” Now it has been revealed that Adams spoke to the team after the poor loss and didn’t mince words with his new teammates.
“Being so talented roster-wise, it’s just a waste to have everybody out there and to have a dead sideline like that,” Adams said. “Breece [Hall] catch a ball and go 60, and we can’t feed off none of the energy. Those type of plays are supposed to be contagious for the rest of the team. So that’s what I saw and what I told them, I’m not here to be the savior, I’m here to help shift this culture more than anything. To come out flat like that and essentially give away a game, that’s unacceptable.” It is troubling for a team that knew its season was on the line, and it is concerning that it came out and did not have the energy to be up for the fight. While the Jets did lead 15-6 nearing halftime, an Aaron Rodgers interception shifted the momentum, and the Steelers would then score 31 answered points as the Jets rolled over and waived the white flag.
Adams’ words will sting players’ egos, and there should be a response against the New England Patriots, right? Although many expected an uptick in improvement against Pittsburgh, yet New York delivered what it did. There’s only so much time for talking before actions take precedence, and for the Jets, their actions against the Patriots must be far louder than Davante’s locker room speech. It’s put up or shut up time in New York.
