a student at Wesleyan University and as an assistant coach for three NFL teams. Adams spent three seasons as the Giants' offensive assistant before moving to their scouting department as pro personnel director. By 1985, he had become frustrated with that job, and took a lucrative job offer as a municipal bonds trader on Wall Street. Cleveland Browns Adams left Wall Street to join the Cleveland Browns in 1991, where Belichick had just been named to his first NFL head coaching position. Adams was again an offensive assistant, working with tight ends and running backs. However, Belichick was fired by the franchise after the Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens in 1996, and Adams returned to Wall Street, starting his own investment business. Second stint with Patriots Belichick got his next head coaching opportunity with the Patriots in 2000. This time, Adams joined the team not as a coach, but as Football Research Director. Adams filled a variety of roles for the team. On gamedays, he assisted the coaching staff from the press box, where his duties included advising Belichick on which plays to issue a replay challenge. He also assisted the scouting department in preparing for the NFL draft in the spring, and built the team's player value chart for the draft. Also, Adams worked on special assignments for the coaching and scouting staffs, which typically involve breaking down game tape. In 2007, as part of Spygate, it was revealed that Adams received tapes from a "third camera" that recorded opponents' defensive signals from a location on the sideline, in violation of a league memo issued by commissioner Roger Goodell. Belichick confirmed this was the case, but said that they were only a small part of the "mosaic" that formed the Patriots' offensive game plans at the time. Adams and Belichick were known to have an interest in mathematical analyses of football; Adams once contacted Rutgers University statistics professor Harold Sackrowitz, asking him to evaluate the Patriots' two-point conversion chart following a study by Sackrowitz on the decision. Adams also presented Belichick with a study concluding teams punt too often on fourth down. With the Patriots and throughout his career, Adams was known for keeping a low profile. Former Browns owner Art Modell notably quipped, "I'll pay anyone here $10,000 if they can tell me what Ernie Adams does." On May 1, 2021, it was announced that