SAFETIES FIRST
Rooks Adams, Maye ready to step to front for Gang Green
IT DIDN’T take Josh McCown very long to decipher what the heart and soul of the Jets was going to be in 2017 and beyond.
When you’re playing for your eighth team in 15 NFL seasons, you have the benefit of seasoned perspective to sniff these things out rather rapidly.
This is why, almost as soon as he met them, the Jets veteran quarterback made it his business to pull rookie safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye, the team’s top two draft picks, aside and have a poignant word with them.
McCown told them to take immediate ownership of this team. He told them not to be afraid to assert themselves regardless of their rookie status.
“I encouraged those guys early on,’’ McCown told The Post on Thursday. “As an older player, over the course of my career I’ve seen younger guys come in and feel their way around. One of the things I did early on was to encourage them to step out and take charge and make it theirs.’’
Adams, the first-round pick out of LSU, and Maye, the second-round pick out of Florida, took immediate heed of McCown’s advice. It was evident in training camp on the practice fields, where they were always involved, encouraging teammates young and old.
And, on a team that travels Sunday to Buffalo for its season opener against the Bills burdened with some historically low expectations from the outside world, Adams and Maye figure to be the two brightest rays of light in an otherwise dark Jets season.
That is exactly what McCown saw in the two youngsters right away, which is why he went out of his way to encourage them to lead like they’ve always done, to be themselves — damn any rookie status stigma.
“It was awesome,’’ Adams told The Post of McCown’s pep talk. “For a guy that’s been in the league for countless years to come up and speak highly of Marcus and I … it was really humbling.’’
Todd Bowles, a former player, recognizes the leadership traits of Adams as genuine, which is one of the reasons the Jets drafted him.
“It’s coming out because that’s who he is, it’s not because he’s trying to be a leader,’’ Bowles said. “He’s a vocal guy, a confident guy. Players know BS, players know other players. Some people around the league just do their job and be themselves and they end up being leaders, and I think [Adams] is one of those guys.’’
It’s always a delicate balance for young, talented rookies coming into a pro locker room for the first time figuring out when the right time to assert leadership without overstepping bounds and stepping on veterans’ toes.
McCown, recognizing his new team desperately needs young, hungry and enthusiastic leaders, wanted to answer that question for Adams and Maye before they asked.
“You don’t know what to expect coming in,’’ Adams said. “You’ve kind of got a little bit of everything running through your mind on what to expect. It’s not just football anymore, like college. It’s a job. But, when you enjoy something so much like I do the game of football, you do what you’ve been doing your whole life — having fun and building relationships.’’ And leading. “That role is t here, and you can’t lose that if it’s a trait you have,’’ Maye told The Post. “Jamal and I are just doing our jobs. The older guys on the team, they listen to us. Even though we’re rookies, they still listen to us, just like we listen to them. You don’t have to change who you are and how you are when the team accepts you.’’
When asked what he’s seen from the 21-year-old Adams, veteran defensive tackle Steve McLendon, whose locker is right next to Adams’ stall, paid his new teammate the ultimate compliment when he said, “The things you expect that a veteran safety would do.’’
“He communicates well, he plays fast, he plays hard, he’s extremely smart,’’ McLendon said. “He’s very determined. Same goes for Maye. These guys are taking it really personal to not only be on the team but make the team better.’’
And they will. How much better? Well, they’re not miracle workers. They can’t block for running backs Matt Forte and Bilal Powell or catch touchdown passes from McCown. But they are the future for a Jets team desperate for some positive glimmers into a better future.