If Le’Veon Bell was in the dark when it came to grasping the Jets offense in 2019, he’s now seeing things bright and clear.
The running back said his knowledge of Adam Gase’s scheme is “night and day” compared to last season and that he “understands the offense so much better” entering his second year with the Jets. Whether that will translate to the field remains to be seen, but it’s an encouraging sign for an All-Pro back that’s coming off the worst statistical season of his career.
Bell knows he can’t be the only one to put it all together, though.
“We have a good team, we just have to put it all together,” he said Thursday. “We can be special.”
The Jets will need a lot more out of Bell this season. While Sam Darnold’s continued development is integral to the team’s offensive success, they can’t afford another lackluster season from their top rusher.
Over the course of the summer, Bell admitted that picking up the offense was difficult last year. Meanwhile, Gase bluntly said that he didn’t use his running back correctly.
Bell’s lackluster 2019 was not exactly his fault. Between Gase’s errors and being plagued by a porous offensive line, he stood no chance at succeeding in his first season in green and white.
Still, Bell made it his objective this offseason to demonstrate that last season wasn’t him losing a step. Between getting the offense down and showing up to training camp in what he proclaims to be the best shape of his life, Bell is setting himself up for success.
Joe Douglas made a commitment to improving the offensive line that hindered Bell’s ability to make plays and the Jets general manager followed through on his promise. When Bell lines up in the backfield on Sunday, there will be four new faces in front of him. While the line will need to get up to speed quickly, it’s an improvement over last year’s unit.
There’s a general sense around the Jets that the team, not just Bell, has a better understanding of Gase’s offense. That should certainly help elevate a unit that Gase referred to as being “atrocious” last season.
“Their knowledge now compared to what it was when we were playing last year, especially the beginning of the year, it’s so much different,” Gase said earlier this summer. “That’s part of the growth.”
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