Jets Q&A: How did Tony Adams feel after his fourth-quarter interception?
How important was Tony Adams’ interception?
It was the turning point and it meant so much to the safety, who made the team as an undrafted free agent last year. Now he’s starting for the Jets.
“I had a game-winning interception in college, but it was nothing like this,” Adams said. “To do it with these guys in this locker room, with all we went through after the late news this week, it’s an honor to be standing with these guys.”
The Jets found out Saturday that they would be without star cornerback Sauce Gardner because of a concussion. The defense came up big, though, holding the Eagles scoreless in the second half. Adams got the game ball for his big play.
“Yeah,” he said, “that’s going home.”
Robert Saleh believed in Adams last year. He said he’s shown that he deserves to play a big role for the Jets and will for a long time.
“He’s been great,” Saleh said. “He’s young. As excited as we are about him, we know he’s going to have some ups and downs, but the ups are going to continue to come more and more frequent.
“He’s a freak athlete. It’s important to him. He’s a tremendous communicator. He’s got incredible explosiveness. I stand by that: I think he’s going to be a fixture here for a while.”
How concerning is the offense’s red-zone struggles?
It’s concerning, but Zach Wilson said it’s more “frustrating.” The Jets were 1-for-4 in the red zone on Sunday after going 0-for-5 last week. The one conversion was huge, though. It was on the winning touchdown: Breece Hall’s 8-yard run.
“We’re that freaking close offensively,” Saleh said as he held his thumb and index finger together. “I thought we moved the ball well in the second half. We got to finish. We’re that freaking close.”
Sacks, penalties and miscommunications knocked the Jets out of the red zone during the three times they didn’t convert.
“Too many negative plays, too many things kicking us out of having a chance to really have an opportunity to go get a touchdown there,” Wilson said. “Super-frustrating two weeks in a row we’re not scoring touchdowns. We’ve got to find a way. We’re going to do that.”
What happened with Gardner’s concussion?
Saleh said Gardner wasn’t feeling well on Friday, so he was sent home from practice. When the team returned Saturday, he was “still complaining of head pains,” Saleh said.
“That’s when we put him through all the tests,” he added. “We realized he has a concussion and that’s when we ruled him out.”
What injuries did the Jets suffer?
Cornerback Michael Carter II suffered a hamstring injury and didn’t play much in the fourth quarter.
Right guard Joe Tippmann left the game in the first half with a thigh injury and did not return. He was replaced by Wes Schweitzer. Saleh said Tippmann “might be a while” and will be further evaluated.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
