Michael Nania reviews the vast number of timely plays that Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye made against the Dallas Cowboys.
Just a few days ago, I revisited Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye’s spectacular performance as a duo against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16. Each safety made a bunch of crucial plays – both noticeable and subtle – that helped push the Jets across the finish line in what was a gritty, low-scoring affair.
That was not the duo’s only signature performance against a prominent franchise in 2019. When the Jets picked up their first win of the season against the Cowboys in Week 6, it was Adams and Maye leading the charge.
Let’s take a look back at the best moments from the Jets’ young safeties in their first of two outstanding performances as a tandem.
1ST & 10 AT DAL 25 (Q1, 03:24)
Maye gets things started with a big-time tackle in a 2-on-1 situation against a pair of All-Pros. Dallas carves up a huge hole and Ezekiel Elliott breaks loose with Travis Frederick leading the way. Maye is able to make the diving stop, limiting a potential touchdown to 12 yards.
Here is another angle of that play. Maye does the right thing by taking an outside angle to force Elliott back inside towards traffic. That’s a textbook fundamental decision, but it is the tackle afterward that makes this play impressive. Maye doesn’t count on a teammate to clean up the run. He finishes the job himself, quickly flipping his hips inside and cutting Elliott down at the knees.
Sorry, the content stops here if you’re not a Jet X Member, not currently logged-in, or viewing from an outside source such as Google AMP or an RSS Feed where logged-in status is not possible.
Get Started with the button below to access this Jets X-Factor article and the best damn New York Jets content in the world for free (after becoming a member, search for this article near the bottom of the Membership Confirmation page):
Log In with the button below if you’re already a member:
Connect with the button below if you’d like to create a free account first:
Audio Version available to members only: Learn more here
Good write up. I really appreciate how you guys explain things shown on tape. Thanks. One thing I took from your analysis: Q has the potential to be really good if he can develop his pass rush…
Thanks! The potential is definitely there for Q. He did a pretty nice job against the run as a rookie (some of his best moments were in this Dallas game), while the passing game is where he can definitely improve. But he showed plenty of flashes in that phase. Adams had a similar rookie year – good against the run, below-average against the pass, but he was so close on so many plays and clearly showcased the potential. He figured it all out the next year. I can see Q doing the same.