Adams’ old-school ways made NFL legend cry

Chad Johnson had quite the reaction after watching some Davante Adams practice film.

Davante Adams made a grown man cry.

“I have done it before, yes. But about my routes, no,” Adams said on Sunday.

In this viral video posted by Chad Johnson, the former NFL star is clearly in tears when discussing Adams’ route-running ability.

“Ochocinco is something else,” Adams said. “That was a funny video. I can’t say that I saw that coming. But it was legit, too. I talked to him after. We talked a little bit. I like talking to the old-school greats, especially guys like him who are known for his feet, and that’s something I pride myself on, as well. So chopping it up, learning a few things from him, getting some feedback, and vice-versa. To get that reaction definitely meant something to me. Obviously, it means I’m doing something right. But kind of to pick his brain is really what I was after, so we got a chance to chop it up.”

Adams is coming off a dominant season. He finished sixth in the league with 111 receptions, seventh with 1,386 yards and second with 13 touchdowns. He’s the only player in the league with three consecutive seasons of 70-plus receptions and 10-plus touchdowns. In fact, over the past 10 seasons, he’s one of only 12 players to do it three times.

The football world has taken notice. Adams has made the last two Pro Bowls. This year, he was selected the 35th-best player in the league in the annual player-voted “Top 100 Players” series.

Johnson and Adams share a striking similarity in that they became elite players without elite measureables. The 6-foot-1 Johnson ran his 40 in 4.57 seconds but was named to six Pro Bowls. The 6-foot-1 Adams ran his 40 in 4.56 seconds but is second in the NFL in touchdown receptions the past three seasons.

“I’ve been talking to Chad for a few years now, but we hooked up a few times in Miami, the Pro Bowl in Orlando, so he’s been a big fan of me as a route-runner, but never got a chance (to talk football),” Adams said. “We basically just broke down some practice film and stuff I obviously can’t put out to the world, but just some stuff I don’t think it’d be an issue if one of the old-school greats got his hands on. So, I basically showed him a little bit and from what I showed him, just recent stuff, he was … basically, like, the old-school rappers, like Tupac, them saying rap is dead it was like basically wideout, the position’s still alive, is what he was saying to me. Essentially. He was glad a lot of things, because these guys are fast now and they just take off running, and get into the route, and I spend time and work on the specifics and the small things. So, that’s what brought him to tears, I guess you could say.”