Le'Veon Bell is ready to move on from the bowling fiasco that became one of the most interesting stories surrounding the Jets this year.
Bell was sent home on Friday and ruled out for the Jets' 22-21 win over the Dolphins after dealing with a contagious bout of the flu and ended up being seen at a bowling alley on Saturday night. Head coach Adam Gase said that Bell didn't violate any rules, but he would have preferred that Bell stayed at home and gotten rest while he was sick.
Bell seems to have recovered from his illness and was a full participant in Tuesday's practice.
Bell hitting the bowling alley doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but the optics of him being out and about while ruled out for a game the following day aren't great.
"(The doctors) advised me to get out of the house and move a little bit." Bell said. "I had a lot of family and friends there because they were expecting me to play." Bell also said that he was surprised that his bowling adventure turned out to be such a huge story.
"Oh yeah, yeah, I am (surprised), for real." Bell exclaimed. "The bigger surprise is I bowled a 251 off the flu. That's the bigger surprise. A career high." For what it's worth, Bell added that his previous career high was 238.
Now, Bell has his sights focused on Thursday night's game against a Baltimore defense that has rapidly improved this season and has firmly cemented themselves as one of the league's best defenses. He claims he lost eight or nine pounds, and isn't sure how much he's gained back, but he should play on Thursday.
Bell has three games left in his first season with the Jets, and it's largely been a forgettable season outside of a career high in bowling. Bell is averaging just 3.2 yards per carry, which is by far a career low for him.
Bell stressed that he hasn't been given the opportunity to be the best he can be during this season. "I think that's just being in a new system, with new guys up front, a new coaching staff, and with a new organization." Bell said about his lackluster opportunities this year. "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 (get the opportunities), I'll be back to what people are used to seeing."
These final three games could have a huge impact on the rest of Bell's career. Bell may get traded in the offseason, so the end of this season is also acting as an audition to the rest of the league.
