Bell and Darnold:
Goal is taking pressure off young QB
The Jets’ newest star and its second-year QB could be magic together. How long will it take?
Jets fans are excited about the potential of Sam Darnold. And the team’s newest star is, too.
Running back Le’Veon Bell, who signed with the team last week, gives the Jets the offensive option they sought for their young quarterback. Bell explained that Darnold was a big factor in his decision to join the team.
“Absolutely,” he said on a conference call. “That’s a part of it. Seeing a guy like him, so young and so talented, and knowing maybe he needs another weapon — you never know what he can do with another weapon. He’s such a talented young guy. So he definitely was a valuable reason that I chose to come here.”
Bell signed a four-year, $52.5 million contract that will make him one of the centerpieces of the offense. He said that while Darnold was a big factor, he wasn’t the only factor.
“In all reality, the Jets were the team that I had in the back of my mind, where I wanted to go,” Bell said. “So once the numbers made sense to me, it wasn’t really a hard decision. And I made the decision and I’m happy with the decision I made.”
Bell joins the Jets after sitting out the entire 2018 season because of a contract dispute with the Steelers — he refused to play on a $14.5 million franchise tag. Bell has been widely criticized for the decision, even by some of his former teammates in Pittsburgh. But he said he’s comfortable the way he handled it.
“The decision I made is the decision I would do all over again,” Bell said. “I don’t regret anything that happened. Everything has happened for a reason up until this point. Who’s to say if I played last year, if I do go out and play on a one-year franchise tag, if I do get hurt, do I end up in this position today, being with the New York Jets on a beautiful deal?
“On the other side of it, if I go out there and play on the franchise tag and I get another 400 (touches) ... and I come out of the season healthy, who’s to say what team is going to take me after another 400 (touches)? So, like I said, I’ve contemplated on everything I’ve done . ... I don’t regret one thing. I’m happy where I’m at and the decision I made.”
Bell grew up as a fan of the Jets and running back Curtis Martin. And he said playing in green and white was something he hoped would happen.
“Growing up, my whole family was literally Pittsburgh Steelers fans,” said Bell, who was born and raised in central Ohio. “And I was literally the only one who grew up a Curtis Martin fan, running with the the New York Jets. And I was the only one, by myself. So the opportunity — when the season ended, it was kind of like all the stars aligned for the Jets.
“It was like, that’s my favorite team growing up. They had, obviously, a need for a running back. (They were) a player in free agency, everybody was talking about it the whole season just about. So I feel like the stars aligned. And in my head, that’s where I wanted to go. Unless something crazy happened that forced me not to go. But that’s where I wanted to be, and I’m glad we made it happen.”
Yes, the roster still has many holes. And no, Bell can’t singlehandedly turn this franchise around. But his arrival provides many reasons for a long-suffering franchise and fan base to feel good. And perhaps the biggest reason of all is what Bell should mean for Darnold.
Bell’s mere presence should allow the Jets’ second-year quarterback to maximize his potential more quickly than otherwise would have been possible. And as Bell gets ready to partner with Darnold, it’s with the knowledge that one of his most important jobs is to make his quarterback’s life easier.
“Obviously, I’ve watched and heard about him last year,” Bell said of Darnold. “I know he has a lot of potential. He’s a young guy. I’m just looking forward to coming in and being his, sort of, security blanket. A guy he can rely on, me and him can build our chemistry up in the backfield and he can be a guy that I can rely on — and vice versa. I think the more time (I spend) around him and the more practice ... we get together, the better our relationship will be.”
Bell has been an elite player, by any definition, for the first five seasons of his career. He has been a first-team all-pro twice and selected to three Pro Bowls. His 129 yards per game from scrimmage are the most of any player in league history who has played at least 50 games. At 27, he’s in the heart of his prime. And if he wanted the offense to revolve around him, that would be understandable.
But Bell says his primary concern in the coming months is to figure out what’s going to work for Darnold, whose job it is to keep the overall offense humming efficiently.
“The only thing I can really do for Sam right now is ... just take him under my wing and try to pick his mind a little bit to see what he likes to do, what he’s comfortable with,” Bell said, “because I’ve been in the league a little longer and I’ve played football longer. So I feel like I can adjust a little better and I can do the things to make his job easier. He’s got a lot of things to do, so I’m just going to try to do everything in my power to try to make his job as easy as possible.”
When Bell’s on the field, defenses will have to know where he is and adjust their coverage accordingly. He believes that will allow the quarterback to better see the field.
“I can help dictate coverages,” Bell said. “So if it’s firstdown or second-and-1, there’s a certain coverage that we can dictate just by me being on the field, or our formation or our package. And that’s something that can help him out because when we’re breaking the huddle, he’ll know what kind of coverage the defense is going to come out in ... or what check to make.”