The Le’Veon 500

Bell says he’s up for .5K in touches, but don’t count on it

“Any time that we can get him the ball and find as many different ways as possible to get him the ball,” Gase said, “That's what we're going to try to do. At the same time, we know teams are going to be paying attention to him. We're going to need the other guys. That's why you're trying to get five guys out there in the skill positions to try to help you in the passing game and the run game and make sure everybody's a viable option. You don't want to have the one guy where they say, ‘Don't worry about him. He can't do anything.'”

Make no mistake: Gase likes to diversify his portfolio. He wants an unpredictable, share-the-wealth offense. You can bet the farm that he isn't going to turn this into a one-man show. Consider his 2013 AFC champion Broncos team that included a running back by committee and six players with at least 60 receptions. Three players had more than 100 targets.

Gase prefers that division of labor. Sure, there might be a few games when it's all Bell all the time if he's riding hot, but that won't be the norm. Gase's plan will call for Bell to be a decoy more times than you might think. It'll keep the player fresh throughout the season. It'll also be maddening if the wins don't pile up.

You would think that the Jets doled out $26 million in guarantees to maximize Bell's skillset. The best way to do that is to devise as many ways to take advantage of those special gifts. “It doesn't matter how many touches I get. I'm just trying to win games,” Bell said. “If I have 19 touches and we win a Super Bowl, do you think I care? No, I don't.”

The best way for the Jets to break their eight-year playoff drought is to have the ball in their most dynamic playmaker's hands as much as possible.