Bell’s relationship with offensive line a key to Gang success

The five most important people in Le’Veon Bell’s life for the next five months are large, unassuming guys paid to make him look good. Nobody knows an offensive lineman’s value better than a running back, whose prosperity depends on open spaces created by these behemoths.

Bell’s ability to get in sync with the guys in the trenches will be one of the most crucial elements to a season with so much promise. How will the perennial Pro Bowler work off his blocks? How will the linemen adjust to one of the most patient ball carriers of this generation?

Will there be a significant learning curve or seamless union?

“I want to run the plays that the o-line’s more comfortable with,” said Bell, who will go through pre-game warmups — but not play — in the preseason opener against the Giants on Thursday. “I’ll obviously get on the same page with those guys. They’re the most important. They’re the ones that make everything run. I want to work with those guys and continue to try to get better.”

Bell is fully aware that his success will hinge on a shared understanding with Kelvin Beachum, Kelechi Osemele, Ryan Kalil, Brian Winters and Brandon Shell. When last we saw him in action in 2017, he was buying ridiculously expensive Hublot watches for the Steelers offensive linemen.

The teams with the most effective rushing attacks are the ones with the best chemistry between ball carrier and line. It’s not rocket science. You can’t sustain a formidable ground game if the guy with the ball isn’t working in tandem with the guys up front.

Although Winters maintained that Bell runs with “a whole different style for us” and that his patience will require linemen to “stay on your blocks longer, fight your blocks longer,” there’s also a comfort level knowing that the veteran is one of the smartest and most instinctive players in the game.

“He’s a guy that just reads and reacts,” Osemele said. “If a guy doesn’t like the way things are being done, he’s going to tell you or ask you questions about a play. It makes your job a heck of a lot easier.”

Bell appears in terrific shape after rededicating himself in the wake of his year-long hiatus. He looks refreshed. He appears flexible and open to new concepts, which should benefit everyone on offense. He seems to be enjoying the process of learning which runs make the most sense for Adam Gase & Co.

“We’re getting in that rhythm right now,” Bell said of his relationship with the offensive line. “We’re already working. When we go in and watch the film off… practice, we’re going to see if there was a time when I missed a hole or I could quicker or have hit a different hole run plays.”

The

Jets made the smart move signing Bell to a multi-year deal with a two-year window of guaranteed money. He’ll surely be motivated to prove critics wrong after his decision to sit out last year rather than play on the $14.5 million franchise tag.

Bell’s arrival should jumpstart a rushing attack that ranked 26th in the league last year. Osemele and Kalil are upgrades for a line that struggled in run blocking last season. Gang Green’s backs were stopped for no gain or lost yardage on a league-high 26.1 percent of their carries last season.

That should change in 2019 thanks to one of the NFL’s most dynamics running backs.

“I think I’ll still be able to do what I’ve been able to do,” Bell said. “I go out in practice the same way I was practicing two, three years ago. It feels the same. It actually feels slower now for whatever reason because I think I understand the game better. Once I actually get in a game — yeah, the first series or two when I get in there — it might feel a little different because the game’s going to be faster (than practice), but I’ll adjust and get right to it.”

Bell will be a pivotal piece to Gase’s puzzle even if he doesn’t get the same volume of touches as he was accustomed to in Pittsburgh. The greatest unknown will be how long it will take for him to get rolling with the new guys in front of him.

“You can’t put a measure on having reps together,” Beachum said. “So, I think that is going to be necessary… At the end of the day, if you provide a crease and you provide a hole and you move people in the fashion that we need to move people, he’ll find a way to make it happen.”

The success of the Jets offense

depends on it.