Tag: Leveon Bell

Best of the AFC East: Close race for top RB group

2020 Best of the AFC East: tight competition ahead for top RBs in division

The AFC East is home to some impressive running backs. The NFL has trended toward running back duos over the bell-cow backs in recent years, so really your No. 2 running back is more of a No. 1B at times.

Ranking the backfields of AFC East teams is quite a challenge. There’s no overall studs like Saquon Barkley or Ezekiel Elliott. But these guys ca play.

Le’Veon Bell, who signed a massive four-year deal with the Jets, is arguably the most talented back. The Patriots have a good complementary system. The Bills have an explosive young, talent in the backfield. The Dolphins, for their part, have used free agency to rebuild their running back corps this offseason.

For the backfield strength of each team, though, a question lingers in each.

On any given day, one of these units can take the top spot. But as of now, how do we see it heading into 2020 season?

Here’s our the ranking of the AFC East’s backfields:

Patriots running back Sony Michel. Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

1. New England Patriots

The Patriots strike an ideal balance with their backfield. Sony Michel is the primary runner, while James White is a matchup nightmare in the receiving game. Michel led the AFC East with 912 rushing yards, while White led all running backs in the division with 72 receptions. Rex Burkhead restructured his contract this offseason to also return in 2020 to help the Pats feature a trio-attack of experience.

Michel averaged 3.8 yards per carry last year, which was not stellar. However, he did carry the load during times when Tom Brady was showing his age. White, while not putting up the catch totals of his breakout 2018 season (87 receptions), is still a prominent part of the team’s short and intermediate passing attack. Michel had foot surgery in May and is currently on the PUP list. However, he should be back to form for the season.

The duo may benefit (gasp!) from having Cam Newton as the quarterback. Newton, while banged up at times over the past few seasons, will still work to run the ball. This option will force defenses to consider a more agile quarterback. Center David Andrews also returns from injury, but right tackle Marcus Cannon did opt out. Still it’s an overall strong O-line and even though the Patriots running backs aren’t high on your fantasy football charts, as an overall, experiences group, it’s a talented one.

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Le’Veon Bell calls out Jamal Adams for lying about the Jets

It seems Le’Veon Bell feels betrayed.

Jamal Adams’ exit from the New York Jets drew the attention and ire of Le’Veon Bell. Apparently, Bell felt somewhat betrayed.

At first, Bell tweeted criticisms toward Adams without actually naming names. Bell wrote: “Ppl do all the hootin & hollerin to get you brought in, just to leave. … The internet got these dudes doin whatever for attention, even when they tell you sh*t they don’t believe themselves.”

After Adams responded — clearly identifying himself as the target of the subtweet — Bell’s frustrations escalated, with the running back accusing Adams of lying. It sounds like Adams played a big part in recruiting Bell to the Jets in free agency last offseason — only to bail on Bell and New York this offseason.

That’s clearly not sitting well with the running back.

The NFL is a tough business. And Bell, who held out the entire 2018 season only to land a so-so deal with the Jets in 2019, hasn’t necessarily had an easy path over the last few years.

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Le’Veon Bell had a perfect response to Adam Gase’s angry take on the RB’s future

Le’Veon Bell was not impressed.

Le’Veon Bell’s first season with the New York Jets… wasn’t great. At all.

The former Pittsburgh Steeler, who sat out all of last season while waiting for a big payday, rushed for only 789 yards and three touchdowns and never made the type of impact that the Jets were hoping to see when they signed him to a 4-year, $52 million deal last offseason.

Bell closed out the season by getting just four touches in the second half of the Jets win over the Bills in Buffalo.

There’s been speculation that the Jets might try to trade him during the offseason and earlier this year there was a report that Gase never wanted the Jets to sign him.

The Jets would be absolutely crazy to keep Gase and lose Bell, but these are the Jets we are talking about.

Gase was asked about Bell on Monday and didn’t exactly offer any support to bringing him back next year:

To which Bell responded with a classic gif from ‘The Office”:

So yeah, good times with the Jets.

Twitter, by the way, seems to be Team Bell on this one, and rightfully so:

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Le’Veon Bell hints he might refuse an NFL-mandated HGH test

Will he really follow through with his threat?

New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell seemed to make it clear back in November: he claimed he did five random HGH blood tests in the span of 10 weeks and declared he wouldn’t take part on a test again.

On Friday, he tweeted a photo of a note he received telling him he had been randomly selected once again to complete an HGH blood test. His response? “@NFL I bet I don’t.”

As many people are pointing out, a refusal to take a drug test is considered failing it and could result in a suspension. So it’s possible he could give in and take the test anyway.

Here’s the tweet:

And his original tweets from November:

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Lamar Jackson had to bring extra uniforms to trade because so many players want his jersey

Lamar Jackson can’t have enough jerseys for postgame trades.

Even after losing in a blowout to Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night, the New York Jets appeared to be among Jackson’s super-fans. The Ravens quarterback resorted to bringing out extra jerseys to make sure he had enough to go around for the postgame trade.

No one is immune to the hype (except maybe Doug Gottlieb, but he’s probably pretending).

Jackson lingered on the field long after his win to make sure he doled out jerseys to the players that wanted them. As far as we could see in an NFL Twitter video (below), those Jets included running back Le’Veon Bell, receiver Robby Anderson and linebacker James Burgess, a fellow Louisville product like Jackson. Here’s a look at how the conga line played out.

Maybe the Jets adore Jackson. But no one appreciates him more than his teammate, Mark Ingram, who has served as Jackson’s No. 1 hype man since the start of the season.

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2019 Bills opponents: Jets, Le’Veon Bell frustrations growing

The Buffalo Bills’ 2019 opponent, the New York Jets, have a growing problem with running back Le’Veon Bell.

The Bills need a win and they’re in the 2019 playoffs, one way or another.

With three games left, the Buffalo will have a chance to defeat the Steelers, Patriots, and another AFC East rival, the Jets, to clinch that postseason berth.

If it comes down to the Jets in their season finale, they’ll be facing a team that has had continual growing levels of frustration from one of their most talented players, running back Le’Veon Bell.

Up until recently, Bell’s frustrations were known, but he hasn’t been a distraction. Now he is.

As Jets Wire reports, Bell, who missed Week 14 due to the flu, was actually spotted bowling the same weekend he sat out, just a few days ago.

Now the Jets running back got behind the microphones and spoke his mind. He doesn’t think he’s getting his touches, something everyone has known to be true.

“Honestly, no. I think that’s just being in a new system, with new guys up front, a new coaching staff,” Bell told reporters on Tuesday. “I’m with a new organization. Everything kind of takes time, I understand that. That’s why I’ve always been patient.

“But to be honest with you, no. I feel like when I do, I’ll be back to what people are used to seeing.”

With his comments, Bell appears to be walking the line with the Jets. Could the former All-Pro be one-and-done in New York? It seems so. While he complained about touches in a calm tone, those are still complaints.

Per various reports, New York head coach Adam Gase never wanted to sign him, that was the work of former GM Mike Maccagnan. At this year’s trade deadline, other rumors suggested the Jets were trying to trade Bell.

But with the Bills in mind, how will Bell’s temperament be in three weeks when his team rounds out the regular season in Buffalo? Could his distraction lead to an easy win for the Bills, in a potential must-win scenario for the Bills?

Most in the western New York region will hope that’s not the case for the Bills, but if it is, those same folks will welcome any pending distractions for the Jets in that one.

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Le’Veon Bell was very happy about bowling a career high after being ruled out of Jets game

“I rolled a 251 off the flu.”

Le’Veon Bell was ruled out of last Sunday’s Dolphins-Jets game after missing practice Thursday and Friday because of the flu. So how’d he spend his Saturday night before that game?

He went bowling for a few hours, which didn’t go over all that well with fans of the team.

It’s just not a great look for a star player who’s getting paid millions of dollars, even if the Jets are basically done for the season.

The running back talked to the media on Tuesday (the Jets play the Ravens on Thursday) and said he was surprised that this bowling night became a thing. But he was also happy that he bowled a career-high 251 while coming off the flu:

I’m sure Jets fans just love that. I’m sure Steelers fans definitely do love that.

Bell also talked about how he hasn’t been used correctly this year:

Good times for the Jets!

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Le’Veon Bell went bowling into the early morning after Jets ruled him out with the flu

He went bowling in orange pants. Subtle.

Le’Veon Bell probably didn’t follow the doctor’s orders on Saturday night.

The New York Jets running back missed practice on Thursday and Friday with the flu. The team sent him home early on Friday and eventually ruled him out for their Week 14 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, which (shockingly) was a Jets’ win. While the Jets prepared for their home game at a hotel on Saturday night, Bell went out bowling early into the morning.

Here’s what the New York Daily News reported about Bell’s night out.

“Apparently he felt well enough to bowl a few frames on Saturday, though. Sources said he was at Boonton Lanes, which is not far from where the Jets train in New Jersey, from around 10:30 p.m. to close to 1 a.m. when the bowling alley closed. Bell was easy to spot in orange leather pants.”

Orange pants? Clearly, Bell couldn’t have cared less about subtly while he channeled Ferris Bueller.

It has been a tough season for the Jets and Bell, who is averaging 3.2 yards per carry with 183 carries for 589 yards and three rushing touchdowns. New York signed him this offseason with hopes of having him serve as a complement to quarterback Sam Darnold. Instead, Bell is putting up bigger numbers at Boonton Lanes than at MetLife Stadium.

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WATCH: Le’Veon Bell says he won’t take another drug test after having so many

Jets running back Le’Veon Bell says that he is not taking another drug test after this week.

Jets running back Le’Veon Bell says that he is not taking another drug test after this week.

Bell tweeted his frustration with the NFL’s random drug testing policy Wednesday, explaining that he has been asked to take five “‘random’ HGH [humane Growth Hormone] blood test(s)” in the last 10 weeks.

Bell’s full tweet Wednesday reads: “@NFL I’m not doing another after today, whatever y’all lookin for it obviously ain’t their & I’m not about to keep allowing y’all to stick me with those dirty ass needles..find the players who really do that HGH (expletive) & get off me..”

Bell declined a drug test in 2016 while with the Steelers and was issued a four-game suspension, which was reduced to three games, for the decision not to cooperate and not appearing for a mandatory drug test.

The 27-year-old was pulled out of the first two days of Jets training camp this summer and asked to take drug tests.

In his 10 games with the Jets (3-7) this season, Bell has 508 rushing yards on 161 carries and three touchdowns.

Le’Veon Bell calls out NFL over repeated ‘random’ drug tests

Le’Veon Bell says he won’t let the NFL stick him with “dirty [expletive] needles” again.

New York Jets star Le’Veon Bell blasted the NFL on Twitter on Wednesday morning after what he says was his fifth “random” HGH test in the last 10 weeks. Players are selected at random by a computer for testing each week, and players with no prior violations cannot be tested more than six times in a 12-month period. According to Bell, he’ll refuse another test if he’s randomly selected again.

Bell has had his share of issues with NFL-mandated testing over the course of his career. In 2016, Bell was suspended for four games for missing a drug test, though the penalty was later reduced to three games. In 2015, Bell missed two games after being arrested due to marijuana possession and driving under the influence the previous year. Bell responded to the many people in his mentions bringing up his history of marijuana use.

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