In a sense, mandatory minicamps are like the first day of school. Players have been around their teammates during OTAs, but like the summer, you don't necessarily see everyone.
But minicamp brings forth the entire 90-man roster, and for players on the defense like Jamal Adams, they couldn't wait for recess. That's how Adams referred to the team drills on Day 1, as the defense dominated throughout the day.
"It's a lot of fun. It's like recess for us, you know what I mean?" Adams told reporters. "We go out there, we have fun, we're flying around the ball, and we're doing what we love to do. I think that's what it's about."
The defense has a new scheme to master for this season under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Much like Adams' style of play, Williams' system is very aggressive, and it showed this week. It also matches Williams' personality as well -- a very vocal, in-your-face coach that expects perfection on every play.
And Adams loves that about his new leader on defense.
"I love him," Adams said. "It's kind of like an uncle, really. He's coaching us hard, he wants the best out of us, and you can run through a wall for a coach like that, you know what I mean? I think our whole staff is like that. our whole staff has a lot of energy, different backgrounds, they've been with each other obviously in different places, but to have all of them in one spot, I think it could be special for us, and we're excited to have them all."
It may have only been the first day, but seeing the defense come away with turnovers must have gave Williams some satisfaction. His unit was flying around, like Adams said, and the energy was certainly high on that side of the ball. Williams even had the defense break down their huddle this week by saying, "Come get some, b---h."
That is what was expected when Williams took the job on Adam Gase's staff. But the goal for this defense -- being one of the best squads in the league -- has remained the same.
"The attitude and the goal has never changed," Adams said. "We don't want to talk about the past, obviously, but we're moving on. We're excited about this coaching staff. We're excited about Gase, and we're excited to move forward and hopefully bring us some wins."
The defensive performance showcased this week is only a sneak peek at what Williams, Adams, and the rest of the group have in store for this season. Necessary improvements have been made at multiple positions, and the smashmouth style this defense will play all season long will be exciting to watch.