Rookie corner does his talking on field

Adams tied for league lead in interceptions

By: Ed Tait Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Friday, Jul. 24, 2015

HE'S not just a rookie, he's a rookie cornerback. And in the cutthroat business that is pro football, it essentially means Johnny Adams is such an inviting target to the opposition he might as well be wearing an orange neon helmet and be sporting a bull's-eye smack dab in the middle of his chest.

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This article was published 24/07/2015 (3758 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HE’S not just a rookie, he’s a rookie cornerback. And in the cutthroat business that is pro football, it essentially means Johnny Adams is such an inviting target to the opposition he might as well be wearing an orange neon helmet and be sporting a bull’s-eye smack dab in the middle of his chest.

Yes, to paraphrase that old line — courtesy of Norm from Cheers — if pro football is a dog-eat-dog world, then Johnny Adams is wearing Milk-Bone underwear.

“That’s how it works,” begins teammate Chris Randle, who manned Adams’ spot before being converted to linebacker this season. “If a quarterback or receiver or offensive co-ordinator see a rookie out there, they’re coming after you. But once you prove yourself by consistently making plays, the ball can stop coming your way. And if (Adams) continues with that, you’ll see it happen with him, too.

Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press
Continued impressive play could earn Bombers cornerback Johnny Adams another shot at the NFL. — Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press Continued impressive play could earn Bombers cornerback Johnny Adams another shot at the NFL.

“He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He understands that he’s going to be a target out there right now and it’s like he’s embracing it.”

Here’s the thing about weaving a tale about Adams, discovered Thursday after practice: ask those in the know about his play and the superlatives instantly start flying about the 26-year-old Michigan State product. But ask the man himself about his play, about his adjustment to the three-down game, about playing in Canada, about how the Bombers found him, about NASA’s discovery of a new Earth-like planet and his answers are all, invariably, the same.

Case in point, here’s Adams when asked for his take on his play through his first four games in the CFL:

“I’m just trying to get better every week.”

Here he is weighing in on the CFL game and how he is adjusted to it:

“I’m just trying to work with my teammates and get better every week.”

And, one more… Adams’s answer when told of Randle’s comments that a rookie corner is an inviting target for opposition QBs:

“I just came out here and try to compete with my teammates and get better every week.”

To be fair, Adams had put in an extra 15-20 minutes after practice working on defending a particular route with quarterbacks Robert Marve and Dominique Davis and had to be yanked off a golf cart that was transporting the crew from the Winnipeg Soccer Complex back to the club’s dressing room at the stadium to conduct an interview.

Distracted? Maybe. But, clearly, he’s also not exactly comfortable with talking about himself or thumping his chest.

And yet it’s only four games and already some CFL observers are predicting Adams — who is tied for the CFL lead with two interceptions, including one for a pick six — could get another look in the NFL after previous tryouts with Indianapolis, Buffalo and Cleveland.

We asked him about those prospects, too, for the record. And his response?

“I’m just looking that my time is right here, right now,” he said. “It has to be one day at a time for me.”

Interestingly, the Adams-Randle storylines weave together, in a sense. With the rookie being so impressive since jumping up and stealing reps at their free-agent camp back in Florida, the Bombers felt comfortable with their decision to move Randle to linebacker. They knew there might be risks starting a greenhorn at corner, but there was just something about how Adams carried himself and how intently he worked.

“You’d start by looking at the tape and what his flaws are, what he doesn’t get about the CFL game or route combinations or what our system dictates that puts him in a tough bind,” said Bombers coach Mike O’Shea about attacking a rookie corner. “But right now you’re hard pressed to find a lot of things you can pick on with Johnny. He’s playing pretty well.

“If Johnny couldn’t handle the load (moving Randle back to corner) is something we would consider, that’s for sure. But he’s emerged as a very reliable guy who has made some plays for us in four games.

“He’s certainly made a good impression.”

What makes a good cornerback? It takes a certain skill set, obviously. But it’s also a requires a certain mindset, especially the ability to flush a mistake quickly. Adams has all that and some, even if he apparently prefers to do all his talking between the white stripes.

“He’s already come a long way, I’ll tell you that,” said Randle. “The biggest thing is he’s understanding the concepts needed to play that position… each week he’s upping his level of understanding of the game.

“A good cornerback has to have the ability to come back after every play. It’s playing each play like it’s your last. He does that. He’s only going to get better.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait