One play shows Le’Veon’s value clear as a Bell
It was just one play in the second week of training camp. But it was a play that could serve as a preview of big things to come for the Jets running game.
Le’Veon Bell, taking a handoff from second-year quarterback Sam Darnold at the 1-yard line on an offense-backed-up series in team drills, burst through the line of a scrimmage like a rocket and gained a minimum of 20 to 30 yards.
Because it was just a practice where there is no tackling to the ground, it’s difficult to know just how far that Bell run might have gone — possibly 99 yards to the house — if it were a real game, but the point was made.
“You don’t know unless you play it all the way out,’’ Jets coach Adam Gase said. “But I’ll take that all day long. It looked like there was a pretty good crease and he hit it nice. He got out there pretty good.’’
Bell in the open field is going to mean significant offensive production for the Jets. It’s going to make Sam Darnold a better quarterback and the receivers better receivers.
The offensive success of the Jets’ 2019 season is predicated on Bell becoming the same dynamic player he was before he opted to sit out 2018 in a contract dispute with the Steelers, his former team.
And how Bell performs will be predicated on how quickly he meshes with his new offensive line. His unique running style is all about patiently waiting for holes to be opened by his line, and that’s what this training camp is about. It’s what Thursday’s practice — and that long run from the goal line — was about.
“I think [Thursday] was really the first day I went out there and was trying to get tackled,’’ Bell said. “I was running a little more game-like today. We had a little more short-yardage situations, so I was trying to [run] with a little more power. If they take me to the ground, I’m fine with it, because I wanted to get some popping going a little bit.’’
Jets safety Jamal Adams said Bell “brings a different type of swagger to the offense side of the ball.’’
Adams, who openly lobbied for the team to sign Bell, then joked, “I’m like LeBron James when it comes to recruiting. I definitely had a word for him and he was reaching out, asking questions. All I could do was sell this organization and tell him that it’s moving in the right direction.’’
Saturday’s practice will resemble a scrimmage.
“It’s kind of like our walkthrough for our first preseason game,’’ Gase said. “So, we’ll kind of do our normal time frame as far as how we’re coming out and warming up and things like that. Then we’ll go ones versus twos, twos on both sides, offense and defense, and then we’ll have our twos and threes go against each other.’’