FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The way Todd Downing sees it, Davante Adams' arrival means he'll be able to cook up even more for the New York Jets' offense.
With a heaping helping of Adams catching passes from Aaron Rodgers, of course.
“As a chef, you would want a bunch of ingredients, right?” said Downing, who replaced Nathaniel Hackett last week as the Jets' offensive play caller. “You wouldn’t want to stand in a kitchen and be looking for something in the cupboard. So it’s a good problem to have that we have all these really cool ingredients.”
Adams was acquired from Las Vegas on Tuesday and expects to play Sunday night at Pittsburgh, renewing his on-field connection with Rodgers. The two were teammates in Green Bay for eight seasons, with Adams catching 615 passes for 7,517 yards and 68 touchdowns from Rodgers during that time.
That pre-existing rapport should give Adams an advantage in quickly getting up to speed with the Jets' offense.
“Yeah, certainly ahead of the curve,” said Downing, New York's pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. “Being able to do that Spanish-to-English with Aaron, I think is something that is really going to benefit him. They can even go back to old signals they had together to help remind them of things, so they have that connection and that chemistry.”
The challenge now for Downing is trying to fully maximize the talent he has on the roster, which also includes wide receivers Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard and Mike Williams, running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen and tight end Tyler Conklin.
“Just tell Aaron to throw to the open guy,” Downing said with a smile. “That's the easy part.”
He was joking, but the Jets' offense — ranked No. 22 overall — should get a considerable boost from Adams. It also clouds the role of some of the playmakers already on the roster.
While Wilson should be the primary beneficiary of Adams' presence because he'll likely see fewer double teams, Williams could see fewer snaps and might now be expendable. An offseason free agent signing, Williams was having trouble connecting with Rodgers, who has been intercepted on the Jets' final offensive series in the past two games on throws to the former Chargers wide receiver.
On Monday night against Buffalo, Rodgers appeared to slightly underthrow Williams and his toss was intercepted by a diving Taron Johnson. The quarterback later said Williams was not in the right spot.
Williams sat out the team's walkthrough Wednesday and practice Thursday for what the Jets said was for personal reasons, fueling speculation he could be on his way out in a potential trade. Downing said he has no concerns about Williams’ focus.
“Mike’s a pro,” he said.
Williams was with the team during the initial stretching period Thursday and then moved to the trainers area.
“We use different personnel groupings and we find different ways to tag guys to get different combinations of receivers in there and that,” said Downing, who has spoken to Williams in the past about his role. "So I know that he’s seen that and felt that. That’s, again, a part of the ingredients, right?
“We have an accomplished wide receivers room right now and you hope everybody feels that there’s been some intentionality and purpose in how we’re putting the plan together.”
Downing said he and the Jets would see how the week played out before determining how much Adams would play Sunday. The star receiver is coming off a hamstring injury that sidelined him for three games before the trade. Adams was a full participant during the team's first full practice Thursday.
“Obviously, he’s dynamic with the ball in his hands, right?” Downing said. “And so finding ways to get him the football is going to be fun to do. I think his understanding of the game, his savviness, his football IQ, knowing where he fits in zones, knowing how to attack defenses, diagnosing coverages — I think that’s all a premium.”
Rodgers was a full participant, as expected, after sitting out the walkthrough on Wednesday. ... CBs D.J. Reed (groin), and Michael Carter II (ankle) didn't practice and could miss the game. ... TE Tyler Conklin (hip), DE Will McDonald (shoulder), RT Morgan Moses (knee) and LT Tyron Smith (veteran rest day) were limited. ... LB Chazz Surratt (heel) fully practiced a day after being listed as limited.
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FILE - New York Jets passing game coordinator Todd Downing walks the field before an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson, right, intercepts a pass intended for New York Jets wide receiver Mike Williams (18) during the second half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
New York Jets wide receiver Davante Adams speaks to reporters at the team's facility in Florham Park, N.J., on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Dennis Waszak Jr.)
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Turnout for early in-person voting started strong Thursday in the presidential battleground of North Carolina, including in mountainous areas where Hurricane Helene destroyed property and upended lives but apparently did not dampen a fierce desire to participate in elections.
More than 400 early voting sites opened as scheduled for the 17-day period, including all but four of the 80 sites previously anticipated for the 25 western counties hardest hit by the storm, said State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell. She credited election workers — including volunteers impacted by the severe weather — emergency management officials and utility crews.
“I know that thousands of North Carolinians lost so much in this storm. Their lives will never be the same after this tragedy,” Brinson Bell told reporters in Asheville, the region's population center and a city devastated by the historic rainfall. “But one thing Helene did not take from western North Carolinians is the right to vote in this important election.”
Helene’s arrival in the Southeast decimated remote towns throughout Appalachia and killed at least 246 people, with a little over half of the storm-related deaths in North Carolina. It was the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005.
Several dozen who died were from Buncombe County, where Asheville is located. Thousands in western North Carolina still lack power and more without clean running water.
But that didn't stop many from voting. About 60 people — most bundled up in jackets, hats and gloves for the chilly weather — lined up to cast a ballot at the South Buncombe Library in Asheville before the polls even opened at 9 a.m.
Among them was 77-year-old Joyce Rich, who said Helene made early voting more urgent for her. Rich said while her house was largely spared by the storm, she and her husband still need to do some work on it. Meanwhile, family members who don’t have power or water access are coming over to take showers.
“We decided, let’s just get it finished,” Rich said. “You never know what’s going to happen.”
In Polk County, an area along the South Carolina border that was also hit by Helene, the parking lot of the county elections board was so packed with early voters that an election worker was forced to direct traffic. To access the site, some people parked blocks away and walked down sidewalks still covered with small branches and other storm debris.
Voter Joanne Hemmingway, who spent 10 days without power in her home near Tryon, had always planned to vote early, and was thankful that election officials were able to still pull it off after Helene struck.
“Not having it? That never crossed my mind,” Hemmingway said.
Thursday's sunny weather also likely helped to make turnout “terrific” statewide, according to Brinson Bell, who suggested that the state could break a record for first-day early voting in all 100 counties.
Early in-person voting continues through Nov. 2. More than 3.6 million ballots — 65% of all cast ballots — were cast this way in the 2020 general election. In the 2016 election, 62% of all cast ballots were cast during early in-person voting.
Officials in the 25 counties affected by the storm were still evaluating Election Day polling locations, with the “vast majority” expected to be available to voters, Brinson Bell said. So far, officials have requested temporary structures like tents in for about a dozen sites, she added.
Traditional absentee voting in North Carolina began a few weeks ago, with over 67,000 completed ballots turned in so far, election officials said. People displaced by Helene are being allowed to drop off their absentee ballot at any early voting site in the state.
The importance of early voting wasn’t lost upon the presidential campaigns of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
On Thursday, Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz campaigned in the state, including an event in Durham with former President Bill Clinton. And South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley and others appeared on the “Team Trump Bus Tour” when it resumed Thursday in Rutherford County, which was among the hardest-hit areas.
The North Carolina ballot also includes races for governor, attorney general and several other statewide positions. All U.S. House and General Assembly seats also are up for reelection.
Collins reported from Columbus, North Carolina. Associated Press writers Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina; Christina A. Cassidy in Atlanta; and Christine Fernando in Chicago contributed to this report.
"I voted!" stickers designed by a young student are seen during early in-person voting, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Asheville, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Voters discuss sample ballots while waiting in line to cast their early in-person vote, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Asheville, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
A voter marks their ballot during early in-person voting, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Asheville, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
People wait in line for early in-person voting, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Asheville, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Voters discuss sample ballots while waiting in line to cast their early in-person vote, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Asheville, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Voters mark their ballots during early in-person voting, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Asheville, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
People wait in line for early in-person voting, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Asheville, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Voters mark their ballots during early in-person voting, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Asheville, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
A poll worker hangs up signs at an early in-person voting site at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Marshall, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Poll workers set up ballot-marking machines at an early in-person voting site at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Marshall, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Poll workers set up ballot-marking machines at an early in-person voting site at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Marshall, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
A ballot-marking machine is seen at an early in-person voting site at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Marshall, N.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
