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Sam Adams (American football)

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For his father and offensive lineman, see Sam Adams Sr. For the end in Canadian football, see Sam Adams (Canadian football).

Sam Adams
No. 98, 95
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1973-06-13) June 13, 1973 (age 51)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:350 lb (159 kg)
Career information
High school:Cypress Creek (Houston, Texas)
College:Texas A&M
NFL draft:1994 / round: 1 / pick: 8
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:398
Sacks:44.0
Forced fumbles:6
Fumble recoveries:5
Interceptions:3
Defensive touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Sam Adams (born June 13, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies, earning consensus All-American honors, and was selected eighth overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1994 NFL draft. Following six seasons as a member of the Seahawks, he earned consecutive Pro Bowl selections and All-Pro honors during his two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Adams was also part of the team that won a Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXV and made another championship appearance in his one season for the Oakland Raiders in 2002. As a member of the Buffalo Bills from 2003 to 2004, Adams was named to a third Pro Bowl. He spent his last two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Denver Broncos.

Early life

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Adams was born in Houston, Texas to former NFL offensive guard Sam Adams Sr.[1][2] He attended Cypress Creek High School in Houston,[3] and he was part of the Cypress Creek Cougars defense that included fellow future NFL player Dan Neil. At Cy-Creek, Adams was not only the Prep Southwest Defensive Player of the Year in football, but a state champion in the shot put, placing second in the nation among high school track and field athletes.

College career

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Adams attended Texas A&M University, where he was a starter for the Texas A&M Aggies football team for three years. He was the Southwest Conference (SWC) Newcomer of the Year as a freshman in 1991 and a first-team freshman All-American. He was a first-team All-SWC selection in 1992 after making 56 tackles, including 4.5 quarterback sacks.

In his junior year, 1993, he led the team in tackles for loss (13), sacks (10.5), forced fumbles (5), and fumble recoveries (3), while making 78 tackles. He was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, and was named national defensive player of the year by Sports Illustrated. He was also the Southwest Conference defensive player of the year, as well as the runner-up for the Lombardi Award. He finished his Texas A&M football career with 169 total tackles, 23 tackles for a loss, 20.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and two interceptions.

He was also a member of the Texas A&M track team, throwing the shot and discus and for his accomplishments on the track and on the gridiron, Adams was inducted into the Texas A&M Hall of Fame in 2001.

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump
6 ft 2+1⁄4 in
(1.89 m) 		292 lb
(132 kg) 		33+1⁄4 in
(0.84 m) 		8+1⁄2 in
(0.22 m)		 4.57 s 29.5 in
(0.75 m)
All values from NFL Combine[4]

Adams was selected in the first round (eighth overall) by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1994 NFL draft.[5] He played for the Seahawks from 1994 to 1999.[6] He made several starts during his rookie year, splitting time between defensive tackle and defensive end. In his second season, he sacked Mark Brunell of the Jacksonville Jaguars for a safety, scoring his first points of his professional career. He also blocked a field goal in overtime against the Arizona Cardinals. He played several more years for Seattle, making the AFC Pro Bowl team as an alternate in 1997. In 2000, he signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Ravens, and was a crucial piece in helping lead the most dominant defense in the league to a victory in Super Bowl XXXV. That season, he was also named as a starter in the Pro Bowl for the first time, a feat he would repeat the following season.

In 2002, he was a free agent once again, and signed with the Oakland Raiders. He started 14 of 16 games that season, playing in 15 of those 16 games; one was missed due to injury. He was on the team that went to Super Bowl XXXVII.

In 2003, Adams signed with the Buffalo Bills as a free agent and helped anchor the defensive line there. His first game for Buffalo was a memorable one, as he registered a sack, two tackles, and an interception against Tom Brady which was returned for his second career touchdown. He was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2003 for the second time in his career.

On March 1, 2006, Adams was released by the Bills due to salary cap issues.[7] On March 30, Adams signed a three-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.[8] As a Bengal, he was reunited with head coach Marvin Lewis, who was the defensive coordinator for the Ravens when Adams played for them.

Adams signed with the Denver Broncos on June 4, 2007. He was released on December 4.

NFL statistics

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Year Team GP COMB TOTAL AST SACK FF FR YDS INT YDS AVG LNG TD PD
1994 SEA 12 27 20 7 4.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
1995 SEA 16 26 16 10 3.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
1996 SEA 16 40 34 6 5.5 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
1997 SEA 16 51 36 15 7.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
1998 SEA 16 29 26 3 2.0 0 1 0 1 25 25 25 1 4
1999 SEA 13 38 31 7 1.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2000 BAL 16 27 23 4 2.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
2001 BAL 14 23 19 4 2.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2002 OAK 15 21 17 4 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2003 BUF 15 33 24 9 5.0 0 1 0 1 37 37 37 1 3
2004 BUF 16 41 26 15 5.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3
2005 BUF 14 19 15 4 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2006 CIN 16 14 10 4 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2007 DEN 11 9 5 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Career 206 398 302 96 44.0 6 5 0 3 62 21 37 2 36

[9]

Key

  • GP: games played
  • COMB: combined tackles
  • TOTAL: total tackles
  • AST: assisted tackles
  • SACK: sacks
  • FF: forced fumbles
  • FR: fumble recoveries
  • FR YDS: fumble return yards
  • INT: interceptions
  • IR YDS: interception return yards
  • AVG IR: average interception return
  • LNG: longest interception return
  • TD: interceptions returned for touchdown
  • PD: passes defensed

References

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  1. ^ Stewart, Steve W. "Jasper native and NFL standout Sam Adams, Sr. has died". KJAS.COM. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  2. ^ National Football League, Historical Players, Sam Adams. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
  3. ^ databaseFootball.com, Players, Sam Adams Archived March 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
  4. ^ "Sam Adams, Combine Results, DT - Texas A&M". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "1994 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  6. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Sam Adams. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
  7. ^ "Bills release veterans Adams, Milloy, Campbell". www.patriots.com. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  8. ^ Pasquarelli, Len (March 31, 2006). "Bengals sign ex-Bill Adams to three-year deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  9. ^ "Sam Adams Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
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