Its hard to make any concrete assessments of what anyone on that defense last year is/was capable of when you pull back the curtain and see the level of disfunction, confusion and disinterest that was pervasive over the last half of the year. I guarantee you that the players knew that the system and its coaches weren't going to get them anywhere. And in THAT climate, regarldess of how much money you make, you can lose your edge and your desire to commit to the scheme or th eplay the way you should. Failure breeds failure if there's no discernable way to fix things.
As for Jamal, i dont understand what the gripe is with bringing him back if the deal is team friendly. Its not like there's a long list of available FAs who could come in who have remotely the ceiling that Jamal has in terms of instinct and sheer talent. Was KJ ever as fast in his prime as post injury Jamal? I'd say that Jamal now is what KJ was at the combine (4.71). Jamal was 4.51. Jamal with a bum quad has 2 tenths to give up to be as fast as KJ was coming out of college.. So its not like the dude is unserviceable.
And playing coverage at safety in space isnt remotely the same as playing it from the Will position. Not close. Half the coverage busts he was involved in didnt look a whole lot different from the busts every other player in our secondary over the last 2 years have had. There isnt a guy, with the exception of Love and Spoon, who was routinley in the right place.
As to his unwillingness to hit? I dont see that either as much as i saw a guy likely not 100% from a catastrophic leg injury. If anything, he was trying TOO hard at times to make the hit early in his comeback last year and then at some point, like Diggs, Riq, Burns... again, like MOST of the D, he seemed out of sync. But is that a statement on his desire to play the game the way he always has? I dont think so. But that's my opinion.
If the coaches see him as a good fit, get him on a reasonable 'prove it' type deal and see what he can do in Mike's scheme.
Seattle Seahawks SS Jamal Adams seeks out Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow's check down for a tackle for loss in Week 6.
www.seahawks.com
Seattle Seahawks SS Jamal Adams makes a big hit on New York Giants WR Parris Campbell in Week 4 on Monday Night Football.
www.seahawks.com
Safety Jamal Adams continues to shine since returning from injury, and he and the Seahawks defense played a big role in Sunday’s 24-20 comeback win over Cleveland Browns.
www.seahawks.com
Its Jamal Adams vs THESE guys. Jamal is 28, BTW
Bud Dupree, OLB, Falcons. Age: 31.
Marquis Haynes, OLB, Panthers. Age: 30.
Markus Golden, OLB, Steelers. Age: 33.
Tyus Bowser, OLB, Ravens. Age: 29.
Anthony Barr, OLB, Vikings. Age: 32.
Bruce Irvin, OLB, Dolphins. Age: 36.
Of that list, Dupree is the best option, but the dude is way beyond peak. Granted, its not a complete list of EVERYONE the team can get, but they were considered the best of the rest after FA this year.