Minus-1 Jets Drive
No-show Bell didn’t break any rules, but he shoulda been at minicamp
Le’Veon Bell’s no-show at the start of the Jets’ three-day voluntary veteran minicamp Tuesday can be summed up in one word: Disappointing.
Bell’s absence isn’t going to affect his production adversely, but there’s real value in being on One Jets Drive with the rest of his new teammates and coaches this week. Adam Gase is trying to establish a new culture, a new mindset, a new belief – a new everything – for a star-crossed franchise pushed to the margins for the past eight years.
Bell, the marquee free-agent acquisition this offseason, will be the centerpiece of Gase’s offense, the weapon that will most help Sam Darnold. So, while it’s unfair to lambaste Bell for skipping the start of an optional workout that didn’t actually include offense vs. defense drills, there’s a larger point that shouldn’t be dismissed.
Being here in April matters.
It mattered enough to everyone not named Dar- ron Lee. It mattered enough to leaders Jamal Adams and Darnold. It mattered enough to Leonard Williams, who called Tuesday the “first day of school.” It mattered enough to newcomers C.J. Mosley and Jamison Crowder.
“It’s voluntary,” Gase said of Bell’s absence. “That’s what it is. That’s the CBA. That’s the rules. He was here that first week (of workouts). (We) got a lot of good information that week to him. The good things is having the iPads and things like that helps you. If a guy’s not here, he can keep up on what we’re doing as far as playbook goes.”
This is all true. Gase took the high road, but it’s impossible to believe that he didn’t want his new perennial Pro Bowl running back out there when he got a first chance to work with his players on the field since he was hired three months ago.
“Really, for him, he has a pretty good training regimen that he goes through,” Gase said of Bell. “I don’t even remember the last time he had an offseason (like this). It’s been a few years (since) he was going through this kind of stuff. So, he knows how to get his body ready for training camp and the regular season. He’s been doing this for a minute.”
This is also all true. Former Steelers teammates Steve McLendon and Kelvin Beachum told me several months ago that Bell has a terrific in-season work ethic. Save
for an admitted workout hiatus during portions of his year away from the NFL, I have no doubt that Bell has re-committed to getting his body right.
I also have little doubt that Bell is training in Florida with a focus to return to superstardom, but that’s not really in question now. The important piece to this discussion is meshing with your teammates and coaches.
Players and coaches often talk about this all being a family. Darnold admitted Tuesday that discussions with Gase right now include more than simply the new playbook. They talk about each other’s families and personal matters that will ultimately strengthen their level of trust.
Nobody, of course, can demand Bell’s participation at this time on the NFL calendar. It’s voluntary, after all. Nothing this offseason is mandatory except for the team’s three-day minicamp in early June, but you’d have to believe that Bell would participate in Organized Team Activities (when there are actual 11-on-11 drills) starting next month.
Bell is a special player who should jolt this offense.
“I think he causes a ton of matchup problems, honestly,” Beachum said. “You can put him in the backfield. He has to be accounted for. You can split him out. He has to be accounted for. Overall, he’s somebody that can cause some matchup problems across the board.”
He’ll do just that when the time comes, but he could have set the exact right message to everyone – players, coaches and owner (who doled out a 4-year, $52.5 million contract for his services) – if he committed to this minicamp.
“It was fun to get out there because we’ve been in meetings the whole time,” Gase said about the first day on the field. “Just getting out there and running around and seeing guys put things together that we’ve been talking about on tape (and) in playbooks. To see them try to execute some of this stuff, it was kind of fun to know that our process has started and we’ll just keep getting better from here.”
You shouldn’t be mad at Bell for not showing up. But it’s fair to be disappointed.