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At the end of last season, having missed the Pro Bowl, then-rookie safety Jamal Adams vowed never to miss another one.

He made good on that promise earlier this month when it was announced he had made this season's Pro Bowl.This week, Adams was the recipient of another honor when his teammates voted him as the team's most valuable player.

Ever since being drafted with the sixth pick of the 2017 draft, Adams has been backing up the talk - and there's been a lot of it from the energetic and outspoken 23-year old. He's made tangible improvements to his game across the board, made fewer mistakes and has become statistically more productive. In fact, he's been so good this year, that one wonders how the defense ever would have coped without him.

Most valuable? No question.

One of many categories in which Adams leads the team this year is in terms of defensive snaps. The second-year safety has missed just one snap all season and, tellingly, the Jets gave up a long run on that play. Adams has been even more of a mainstay than in his rookie year, where he missed 15 snaps.

Adams' increase in statistical production speaks for itself. He has 104 total tackles, an increase of more than 20 on last year's total, and leads the team with 79 solo tackles. He's also posted 3.5 sacks and 12 passes defensed having had just two sacks and six passes defensed last season.

His production as a pass rusher goes beyond the sack total, as he also has eight quarterback hits - four times as many as last season - and has generated twice as much pressure. That's despite the fact he hasn't been blitzing significantly more often than last year.

Also, fulfilling another promise from last season, he's been involved in more turnovers as he has a team-leading three forced fumbles and the first interception of his career.

This isn't simply a matter of Adams padding his stats though, nor is it a symptom of him being in position to make more tackles down the field because of players breaking through the front seven.

Adams is tied for the team lead in tackles for loss and, on film, you can see how well he diagnoses plays and avoids traffic to pursue ball carriers.

These improvements have had a significant effect on Adams' efficiency. He's missed five fewer tackles than last year, isn't getting blocked out of as many plays and rarely takes a bad angle or over pursues.

This has translated to his performance grades on sites like Pro Football Focus, which currently has him rated as their second-best safety. Only Eddie Jackson of the Bears - who has six interceptions, including three pick-sixes - is ranked ahead of him.

The top two safeties in the NFL so far this season. pic.twitter.com/tPHE724wum
- Pro Football Focus (@PFF) December 18, 2018

The area where Adams has shown the most growth and shows signs of being a true difference maker is in coverage.

He's allowed a reception less than half of the time when targeted, reduced the average yards per catch on the receptions he's given up and only surrendered one touchdown after having given up six as a rookie.

In particular, he shut down Rob Gronkowski in the loss to the Patriots, despite being isolated in coverage against him several times. Even the one touchdown he surrendered was a coverage mix-up which might not even have been his fault - and it wouldn't have been a touchdown if not for Darryl Roberts badly missing his tackle on the back end.

Adams has also showed great on-field discipline, especially since he's playing on a defense where everyone else seems to be struggling with that. He has had just two penalties which is half as many as last year. One of those was a controversial pass interference call on Jimmy Graham in the end zone, which several analysts have agreed was a bad call.

Off the field is where Adams' contributions perhaps haven't started to pay dividends yet, but surely will in due time.

His enthusiasm, work ethic and desire to improve make him a perfect example to his young teammates. He's also well-respected around the league which helps prevent the Jets from continuing to be widely perceived as a laughing stock.

A true honor to be recognized by my teammates in this way. Their vote means more than any award I could receive! I take a lot of pride in leading this team, we will right the ship! #President pic.twitter.com/yMshpZxtvy
- Jamal Adams (@TheAdamsEra) December 29, 2018

Ultimately, this could help make the Jets a more desirable destination for free agents and Adams is constantly campaigning to recruit talented players to the team.

The only promise Adams has yet to deliver on is for the Jets to enjoy more success as a team.

However, that remains his primary goal and he has been vocal about his desire to help change things for the better. Given the progress he made this season, it's hard to bet against him.

It could be that this long-awaited team-based success is just around the corner.

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