Kenny Clark and Mike Pettine agree that defensive lineman Montravius Adams is the Green Bay Packers’ most improved defender to begin training camp.
Clark backed up Pettine’s recent assessment of Adams and his rapid development.
“I really think so. Mentally, he took a lot of steps. We already knew he had the ability,” Clark said Tuesday after practice. “His get-off is better than all of ours. He’s quick off the ball. He’s strong, country strong, it’s crazy. We wanted him to get the mental part down, really take the offseason serious, come back in shape and he did all of those things. I’m really excited to see how he does this year.”
Adams will enter his third NFL season in an ideal position to break out as a legitimate contributor next to Clark along the Packers defensive line. Not only is he improved both mentally and physically, but he’ll have a golden opportunity to take over the snaps left behind by veteran Mike Daniels, who was released before the start of training camp.
The Packers are banking on him to play an important role in 2019. Early on at camp, he’s been a first-team player in some base looks.
GM Brian Gutekunst probably wouldn’t have cut Daniels if he and Pettine didn’t think Adams and several others up front were ready to play, and play well.
On Monday, Pettine was honest and insightful about Adams’ improvement over the last two years.
“When I first got here (last year), my opinion wasn’t real high. And he knows that,” Pettine said. “We challenged him, and (defensive line coach) Jerry Montgomery has done an outstanding job with Mon. And Mon has taken the challenge. He came back from the offseason, he lost a bunch of weight. By the end of last year, he was playing some quality minutes for us and made some plays. I wouldn’t have predicted that. He’s a guy we’re going to depend on.”
Some players take a little longer to figure out how to be a professional. Understanding how to combine physical talent with work ethic, mental prep and a commitment to the game can be the difference between a bust and a player. If Clark and Pettine are right, Adams is trending in the right direction for the Packers to start 2019.
