Le’Veon shows an encouraging willingness to accept accountability

AWORD of advice to every player on the Jets’ 2020 roster: Follow Le’Veon Bell. If there’s one player on the Jets who had reason to come away from last season’s disappointment with excuses about why it went wrong, it was

Bell, the seventh-year running back.

He hadn’t played in a year, having sat out

2018 in a contract dispute with the Steelers.

He was playing for a new coach, Adam Gase, in a new system.

He ran behind an offensive line that used 11 different players and nine different starting combinations.

He lost his starting quarterback, Sam Darnold, for three games to mononucleosis, rendering the offense non-competitive for nearly a month.

Pick your excuse, any excuse. Bell won’t.

Despite producing his worst numbers as a pro in 2019 — 52.6 rushing yards per game, a 3.2-yard per carry and 4.0 yards per touch — Bell refused to hide behind excuses last year, and he’ll have none of it this year.

Bell on Wednesday, speaking to reporters for the first time since the end of last season, left this prevailing takeaway: His accountability is inspiring.

That should permeate throughout the team’s locker room and make the Jets a better team than the one that finished 7-9 last season. The Jets are a young team, and accountability is paramount. Bell’s mere presence helps that.

Bell, in his conversation with reporters on Wednesday, was equal parts revealing, transparent, emotional and — above all — accountable, neither offering nor accepting any excuses.

“I wasn’t nearly what I should have been. I understand maybe there were some runs when I didn’t have a chance. But where were some runs when I had chances, and I didn’t make the play. I can’t let that duplicate this year. I can’t let that happen.’’

Bell spent the offseason asking himself this question: “How much better can I be?’’

“The season I had last year, I felt like I left some yards out there,’’ Bell said. “You hear people talk like maybe it’s the O-line or the coach not giving me the ball and it’s like, no, there were holes there [and] coach Gase gave me the ball enough. There were times I could have done more with it. I don’t want that to be a question no more.’’

Bell has been so stoked about his productive offseason that he’s not been shy about posting a few Instagram videos showing the mad shape he’s in. He said he reported to camp at between 210 and 215 pounds, the lightest he’s been since he was playing high school ball.

“This year is going to be a lot different,’’ Bell promised. “The past six or seven years, I’ve worked hard, and that’s why I’ve been successful. But I haven’t worked nearly as hard as I’ve worked the last 6 ¹/2 months.’’

Upon his review of last season, Bell conceded that, as ready as he felt after taking 2018 off, he could have been more ready in 2019.

“Last year when I was coming back off the year off, I feel like I was ready, I felt like I was on good shape for the season,’’ he said. “Even when I was playing, I felt good. But sitting here now and when I look back on it, it’s like. ‘Dang, I wasn’t even close to where I wanted to be.’

“I kind of got complacent in my head.

I’ve always had something to drive me to be great. When I was in college, I wanted to get to the NFL. When I was in the NFL, I wanted to get to be the best running back in the league. Then I started hearing, ‘Le’Veon, you’re the best running back in the league.’ It’s not like I stopped working hard, but I didn’t have that edge to me anymore, that chip.’’

Asked if he has more “edge’’ now than he had last year, Bell said, “It’s not even close.’’

“This year I’m expecting a lot of myself, and I’m ready to show everybody what I’m able to do,’’ Bell said. “I’m ready to show that this is the best Le’Veon Bell that’s ever played in the NFL.’’

Follow Le’Veon.