With two weeks remaining in the 2019 season, New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell held a brief pre-game presser. He looked defeated, downcast — the amount of eight-man boxes he faced last year will do that to you. And with a somewhat-shallow voice that matched his eye level, he provided a quote that essentially summed up his season.
“People look at stats, and they just go off of the stats, which is okay, it’s not their fault. I think people who understand football and break down the film, and watch it, they know exactly what’s going on, and what type of player I am, and how I’ve been performing. So, stats don’t really show how well I’ve been playing.”
The numbers painted the picture of a once All-Pro running back with his best days in his rearview. In 2019, Bell averaged a paltry 3.2 yards per carry, which, among ball carriers with at least 100 attempts, ranked second-worst in the NFL.
Collectively, the Jets weren’t much better. Heading into Week 6, the Jets had scored just 39 points. For reference, the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and Tennessee Titans amassed that in Week 1 alone.
As is usually the case with losing, the first seeds of doubt in the Bell-Gase marriage were planted. Reports surfaced around Gase’s preference, a running-back-by-committee instead of one dominant back, and soon thereafter, “leaks” got out of Bell’s weight gain that played into his demise. In short, there was nothing under the radar or “in-house” about the drama of this 7-9 club.
That makes it difficult to project a resurgent season for Le’Veon Bell. But, there are more than a few factors that give way to optimism that 2020 could be a bounceback campaign for Bell. Here are three to consider.
