N.Y. Jets: The Bell Tolling for Le'Veon

From the desk of: WALT MICHAELS REVENGE

WEEK EIGHT

Jets         15

Jaguars  29

FINAL

In a 2015 regular season compromised by suspension and injury Le'Veon Bell rushes 113 times for  556 yards, averaging a career high 4.9 yards per rush with three touchdowns.  He also makes 24 receptions for 136 yards for a grand total 692 yards from scrimmage.  It's his lowest output as a member of the Steelers.  But in his return to full time duty the following season Bell accounts for 1,884 total yards from scrimmage with nine touchdowns, and in 2017 amasses 1,946 total yards with eleven touchdowns.

In a sport and league wherein career expectancy is astonishingly low to begin with, Le'Veon Bell takes a very calculated risk in electing to sit out the entirety of what would have been his sixth NFL season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.  But while his former team has since been faced with more problems than a math book, there's no way Le'Veon upon signing a four year pact with the New York Jets could have anticipated stepping into this extreme level of organizational ineptness.

Through seven games to date as a member of the Jets Le'Veon has rushed 109 times for just 349 yards, while averaging 3.2 yards per rush with one touchdown.  He also has 32 receptions for 187 yards giving him a grand total of 536 yards from scrimmage.  Said another way the man is in the midst of the least productive season of his career.  One could argue he is being carefully managed back into NFL action after sitting out a season.  Bell averaged 18.5 rushes through his first three seasons, and 21.5 rushes through his final two seasons with Pittsburgh.  This season his averaging 15.5 rushes per game.

That's fine and well except that Bell's career low 3.2 yards per rush is largely because the Jets are among football's worst teams.  Look no further than an utterly ineffective offensive line which Coach Gase is continually having to shield from scrutiny.  Coach is so far play calling 60% passes and 40% run.  It's a fair ratio (but Gase needs a separate narrative).  However, the Jets rank second to last in the NFL in both total rushing yards and average rushing yards per game.  Only the moribund Miami Dolphins runs for less.  Secondly, the Jets have so far yielded 34 quarterback sacks which obviously is untenable.

I'd remiss not to mention what an outstanding team mate Le'Veon Bell has been throughout the Jets lugubrious 1-6 start.

May daylight come his way.