Jamal thinks he’ll set season mark for D-back sacks

Jamal Adams left little doubt what he thinks about chasing the NFL single-season record for sacks by a defensive back.

“If you’re asking, am I going to beat the record?” Adams said Wednesday. “Yes, I will beat the record. That’s something that I will get.”

Adams has been a one-man wrecking crew during the Jets back-to-back wins, racking up five of his six sacks with a ferociousness that should frighten others. He needs three more sacks to break former Cardinals’ standout Adrian Wilson’s record of eight set in 2005.

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has turned his Pro Bowl safety loose in recent weeks, giving him more opportunities to blitz off the edge. Adams leads the Jets in solo tackles, tackles for loss, total tackles, sacks, quarterback hits, passes defensed and forced fumbles

“A lot of times, believe it or not, I’m doing things on my own that I see,” Adams said. “But I am being put in some great positions… I give my coaches credit.”

Adams cracked that he’s “just taking an educated guess” on many of his big plays in recent weeks. Adams had the signature play of Gang Green’s season on his strip-sack thievery of Daniel Jones two weeks that resulted in a touchdown. He racked up three more sacks against Washington last week.

“Sometimes, I anticipate right,” Adams said in the run-up to this weekend against the Raiders. “And sometimes I don’t. But lately I have. So, I’ve been getting lucky.”

Adams’ success hasn’t been about luck. It’s been about skill, desire and effort. Jon Gruden is fully aware that Adams

could ruin Oakland’s Sunday if they’re not careful.

“He’s a real problem for us,” Gruden said Wednesday. “He is a great blitzer. He plays with a linebacker mentality. He is a train wreck. He is a guy that’s a hard man to pick up in blitzes. He has great range. He’s a very good tackler. He can cover when you ask him to.”

Gruden fawned over Adams tracking down Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette on a 66-yard run in Week 8.

“He looks like he’s one of the premier effort players in all of football,” Gruden said. “I saw him run down Fournette. Maybe the most impressive effort play I saw this year. I admire him a lot. I wish I had six of those.”

Gruden isn’t alone. It’s no coincidence why opposing coaches have praised Adams week after week. He’s a force.

“I don’t play this game to be careful,” Adams said. “I got to be smart…. I’m focused on winning ball games.

If he continues playing at this level, the wins will keep coming.

INJURY UPDATES

Right tackle Chuma Edoga (ankle) and cornerback Darryl Roberts (calf ) didn’t practice.

Left tackle Kelvin Beachum, who reaggravated an ankle injury Sunday that previously kept him out of three games, was limited. Gase praised the veteran lineman for his toughness.

“Our respect level for him is extremely high,” Gase said. “It’s just from what I’ve witnessed this year of him playing through a lot of the things he’s endured through a game. (He) refused to come out of the game and kept fighting through everything. Just things like him refusing to be held out of practice, wanting to be out there, wanting to see how much he can do. He’s stepped up for us big time.”

“I felt that way (when) he’s pushed himself to get back when he injured it the first time,” Gase continued. “The fact that he was constantly pushing to get back to the practice field was impressive. I think it sends a positive message in the locker room of how much he wants to be out there.”