Seattle safety Jamal Adams, who forced the New York Jets to trade him over the offseason, will be the X-factor when the Seahawks face the Falcons at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Seahawks welcomed Adams, the sixth player taken in the 2017 draft out of LSU.
Seattle also received a fourth-round pick, but gave up two first-round picks, a third-round pick and safety Bradley McDougald to land the budding star.
“He’s been a great addition and an incredible competitor,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “That’s come through loud and clear. We love that about him.”
Seattle recorded only 28 sacks last season, which ranked tied for 29th in the NFL, and they didn’t re-sign Jadeveon Clowney. Adams, who also can rush the passer, recorded 6.5 sacks last season.
The Falcons are expecting Adams to move all over the field.
“We don’t know how Seattle is going to use Jamal Adams as a blitzer, but I think that’s a big factor in this game,” Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said. “He is an excellent blitzer.”
Adams, whose dad, George Adams, was a running back in the NFL from 1985-91 with the Giants and Patriots, has 12 sacks in three seasons.
“He’s really studied hard to get caught up to everything,” Carroll said. “He’s just been a really impressive addition.”
After bashing the Jets' front office and trashing coach Adam Gase, Adams has been a model citizen in Seattle.
“He was real grateful to be coming to a new club,” Carroll said. “So, his attitude was great. He was receptive and open. … He has been an absolute joy. He’s been a blast.”
The Falcons also are concerned about Adams shutting down the rushing attack and taking tight end Hayden Hurst out of the passing game.
“We definitely know that’s going to be one of the keys to the game,” Koetter said. “Not only when Adams blitzes, but they pressured us I think nine out of the 15 first snaps in the game when we played them last year. We’re definitely aware of that.”
The Falcons want to make the Seahawks pay for blitzing them.
“You have to remember that it works both ways,” Koetter said. “They have some really good players on their defense. We certainly have some really good players on our offense.”
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