What's a stretch about it? His last game before signing with us was 1/14/2018. 20 months in between games, sorry. I don't think he's deliberately running into the first defender he sees. But he's not hitting a hole at all. He's just waiting and then running right into the teeth of the defense when he doesn't find a gaping hole waiting for him.
Yes, 20 months but it is still just one missed season, every other player also didn't play those extra months, it semantics to use it to your own advantage, but in all of this I am still agreeing with you that he has been disappointing. Well, he isn't hitting a hole because there isn't a hole there to hit 99% of the time unfortunately and yes that again looks like an excuse but it is true all the same. Bell along with most other things Jets has been a disappointment, not even sure why we are still shocked at this.
He’s either A-lost a step or B-playing hurt. It was amazing how once Powell got in the game, we saw a RB that hit a hole and took off. This isn’t just a fan opinion but I’ve heard the same opinion from analysts and many former NFL players. After watching him in Pitt, he looks like a shell of himself. Let’s hope it’s all due to injury.
I would still say that this is the same Bell we saw in Pitt. He didn't hit the hole there either. That's never been his style imo. His style just won't work behind this line and that's why he's not being as effective, but that's not the same as saying he's been bad. Powell is used to having to hit the hole hard because there's never been one there for him, but he can't keep it up as a feature back. I was never a huge fan of Bell's signing for exactly this reason and never expected him to tear it up behind the Jets line.
He's not going to get himself suspended and lose millions, he's just going to try to get the NFLPA to fight on his behalf.
I think it's a mix of his running style not meshing with our offensive line and being injured. He just doesn't have that explosiveness when he does make a decision, which leads me to believe his injuries are bothering him. His vision is his best skill. Gase needs to do a better job of setting Bell up in space on screens, get him out there with a couple blockers and let him go to work. Stop pounding him into the A gap every time he touches the rock.
Where's Chris Ivory when you need him.. That's the type of runner we need with this OLine. If he can't find a hole, he'll make one even if he has to crush his OT or OG to do it.
He looks done to me but he's paying his dues here. The dude is still out there battling when he could've easily shut it down like some of the other mercs the Jets signed. If people wanna see how he looks with a better o-line in the future that's fine. I have no problem with it.
I hate to say I told you so, but in March I posted the following: Bell is a product of playing in one of the best offenses in the NFL in recent seasons behind one of the best OLs. He won't have that next year on the Jets. I don't care how much money the Jets have. It is just plain stupid to massively overpay for a RB. RBs are not worth it. Their careers are short, they are injury prone, and they are dependent on the offensive system. Case in point is David Johnson. Did he become an average running back this season? Doubtful. But he played behind a bad OL on a bad offense and became an ordinary back. Bell will be ordinary on the Jets unless and until the OL is upgraded and their are more weapons. With Bell as the focal point of the offense, teams will stack the box and his ypc will drop below 4, he will get fewer red zone opportunities, and fewer receptions. Would you pay $15 million for 250 carries, 950 yards, 6 rushing TDs, 50 receptions for 400 yards and 1-2 receiving TDs???? That's what he'll do on the Jets next year without significant OL additions and upgrades and some top WRs to throw to (like Brown and JJSS). Bell is fool's gold. He was not a fit for a rebuilding team. It was a stupid signing and a complete waste of money. The OL needed to and still needs to be addressed first. Any quality NFL RB can gain yards behind a good OL. No RB can gain yards behind the current Jets OL.
Ugly because it's true. And he also isn't a zone runner. The Steelers pulled and still pull a ton of guards and tackles with kick out blocks with the tackle following up the hole to the linebacker. LeVeon is a patient enough runner to wait for that to develop whereas a lot of runners beat the guard to the hole and the end doesn't get kicked out. It makes me wonder if Gase and Maccagnan even spoke and provides a lot of clarity to why there were rumored reports that he didn't want Bell and he then got Maccagnan fired. Talk about round peg square hole. It's a lot more subtle because it's tougher to see the effects. But it's like trying to run Lamar Jackson's offense with Sam Darnold. Terrible fit.
You can’t discuss bells lackluster season without starting with the coach. I understand what kind of runner Bell is and I understand that our offensive line is not anywhere near what he had in Pittsburgh. That’s absolutely no excuse for not lining this guy up at receiver, which he does extraordinarily well, and letting him create mismatches for himself and others. There’s no reason why we can’t run a goddamn screen or two to get this guy some room to make a move. Is he a perfect fit? Of course not. And our coach is too dumb to adjust. But there’s no reason whatsoever for this guy to be having as mediocre season as he is.
He's looked slow asf. Gase has nothing to do with that. The guy didn't play football for almost two years. Who knows maybe the rumors that his training was lacking during the time off were true? Perhaps he lost a step or two during the layoff? Or perhaps it is all the Jets o-line's fault which I doubt. Time will tell. Tough guy, he's able to carry the load no doubt about that.
It's not like he doesn't line him up at receiver though. He does and he likely needs to do it more, but that has nothing to do with Bell's deficiencies as a runner. He's caught a couple of screen passes with a good amount of green in front of him and got chased down by a defensive tackle after a 7 yard gain. The line sucks argument only goes so far. 3.2 yards per carry is absolutely abysmal. Old man AP is averaging 4.2 YPC working with the leagues worst passing attack. Joe Mixon 3.6 YPC. Sometimes the player needs to adjust their own game to the circumstances and he needs to put his head down and get what's there and show some burst into the hole rather than pussy footing around it like LenDale White used to do.
For sure. One of the greatest pass catching RBs of All-Time. The answer to this thread. What to do with Bell? Simple. Joe Douglas. Build both of Darnold and Bell an O-Line and watch Bell dominate as he did with Pittsburgh, watch Darnold become elite and watch Darnold/Bell become a deadly QB/RB 1-2 punch of a dynamic duo for the next 3-5 years. And it'll be fun to watch too. I'm so willing to go LT 1st round, Center 2nd round, LG during the 3rd round and a prized free agent O-Lineman come free agency in other words focus on O-Line this off-season because Darnold and Bell will become the beneficiaries moving forward.
Bell was used much better today when compared to past weeks. Line him up in the backfield, motion him out to help ID coverage, and let him smoke the LB that's inevitably matched up against him. The one play that stood out to me besides the catch to open up the game was the checkdown Sam threw to him when we were backed up inside our own 5. He's finding ways to get in Sam's vision and Sam is taking those simple check downs that turn into big plays.
That was a really nice play by Sam getting that ball out to Bell. Two weeks ago Sam would have been sacked for the safety. He is finally looking, moving and extending plays like he did last year. I don't think he is 100 percent recovered yet from the beating he took against NE and Jax but he looks close. It is so good to see his confidence back.
Yes, Sam is hanging in there, or moving to extend plays, unlike earlier when he seemed to hear footsteps and bail out of plays before they developed. Much of that was because of absolute shit blocking, but in the past 3 games he's showing more confidence. I don't know if it will hold up against the kind of defenses he saw earlier, but it's a good sign.
Need Bell or Gase to utilize the angle route out the backfield. Or just a late leak out ...things he did in Pittsburgh that gave Ben an outlet when the downfield pass wasn’t there.
