Le’Veon Bell has assured Jets fans that his 2019 season will not define his tenure in New York.
Bell only rushed for 789 yards, three touchdowns and averaged 3.2 yards per carry in his first season with Gang Green. Now, as the 2020 season approaches, he is determined to rectify his numbers and even outperform his production with the Steelers.
“I’ll be so much better, I didn’t give nearly enough… I PROMISE YOU, long as I’m healthy, this will be the best year of my career… & it won’t even be close,” Bell said on Instagram.
Despite not having a strong offensive line in front of him or receiving consistent usage from his head coach, Bell is not making any excuses for his poor play last season. He simply blamed himself.
“Everybody talked about the offensive line and everybody talked about me not getting the ball, but, damn, Le’Veon, were you at your best?” Bell told ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “I can literally look at myself in the eye and say, ‘No. No, I wasn’t.'”
This upcoming season the Jets should have more pieces in place to help Bell. New York will have a completely revamped offensive line that could feature five new starters. The Jets also signed Frank Gore to be Bell’s backup. The Gore signing should take some of the pressure off Bell’s workload.
Ultimately, it’s going to be up to Bell to prove that he still has the legs to be a top running back in the league. The Jets paid him to be one last offseason when they signed him to a four-year, $52.5 million deal. In year one, the Jets didn’t get much for their investment.
If Bell lives up to his promise, that won’t be an issue in 2020.
