BELL-GASE RIFT RETURNS
RB DISPUTES INJURY AFTER LIMITED USAGE
The Jets could not even get to the regular season before Le’Veon Bell’s carries became an issue.
The running back took to Twitter to gripe about his role in an intrasquad scrimmage on Wednesday. Bell played two series then watched the rest of the scrimmage from the sideline. Coach Adam Gase said Bell was pulled out by the trainers as a precaution because he had hamstring tightness.
Shortly after Gase said that to the media, Bell took to Twitter and basically said Gase was lying.
“Ain’t nothin wrong with my hamstring,” Bell wrote.
He followed that up with, “its tough to stay loose when you do a bunch of standing around ...... & I’m used to GOINGGG.”
When someone replied that it was just practice, Bell said, “exactly...I PRACTICE for a GAME!!! I need to PRACTICE to be great in GAMES!!! Duh.”
The Gase-Bell relationship has been a source of drama and fascination since former GM Mike Maccagnan signed Bell to a four-year, $52.5 million contract in 2019. After Maccagnan was fired, it was revealed that the Bell signing was a major disagreement between Maccagnan and Gase. The coach did not feel the Jets should sign a running back for that much money.
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Bell struggled in his first year as a Jet, many put the blame on Gase, who calls the plays. Bell ran for 789 yards and three touchdowns last year and averaged a careerworst 3.2 yards per carry. Bell has supported Gase publicly as recently as two weeks ago. But he was unhappy Wednesday.
The Jets held their first real scrimmage of training camp. Bell was in with the starting offense on the first series. He had one carry for no yards then caught a short swing pass. The offense went three-and-out. Frank Gore was in on the second series. Bell came back for the third series. Quarterback Sam Darnold threw a deep pass down the sideline to Bell but it fell incomplete. That was his final play of the scrimmage.
Gase indicated that Bell had to be forced out of practice.
“I just know right now we were being precautionary,” Gase said. “He hasn’t been somebody who really comes out of practice. I’ll always have to hold him and be like, ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go.’ He’ll try to go back out there. That’s why we pulled him out. He won’t do it on his own. He’ll keep going out there until someone else pulls him out.” The odd thing about Bell’s protests is that he just said he usually does not play preseason games. He said he had not played in a preseason game since his second year in the league in 2014 with the Steelers. Wednesday’s scrimmage was basically in lieu of preseason games. So why would Bell get upset? Though this will be viewed as another rift between Gase and Bell, the trainers are the ones who pulled him out of practice with hamstring tightness. Bell, 28, reported to training camp in great shape, according to Gase and everyone you talk to with the Jets. He said he weighs between 210-215 pounds. Still, Bell has not looked explosive in practice. It has to be troubling for the Jets to not see him making plays during camp. Gore, who the Jets signed in May, has looked like the better back during training camp. Even though this marriage has been rocky from the start, there is no easy way out for the Jets and Bell. The Jets owe him $13 million this season, making him virtually untradeable. The Jets talked to teams at the trade deadline last year but found no takers. Unless the Jets eat a significant portion of his salary, Bell is not going anywhere. It will be on Gase to make it work this season. That looks less likely after Wednesday’s dustup.