I don't, not even for the briefest of moments, think Adams is the head of the organization. Adams is a sycophant who opted to buy-in to the Pegula business model. He accepted being the one having to talk to the media and defend the actions of his boss.
Adams can spin any diatribe he would like but after continued failing of the front office across multiple people it's clear that the way he sees fit to run the ship is in accordance to what Admiral Pegula dictates and that he definitely has all the resources to make sure it happens.
Adams is not innocent nor would I even try to defend him. But Pegula is who has made this franchise the joke of the sports world and those who sign on to be part of it are just willing accomplices.