Costello: Jets must get rid of disgruntled Le'Veon Bell immediately

[joewilly12]

Jets must get rid of disgruntled Le’Veon Bell immediately

By Brian Costello

October 12, 2020 | 6:41pm

 

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BRIAN COSTELLO

Le’Veon Bell feels like that impulse buy you make after a few too many drinks when you’re cruising around Amazon, hit the purchase button and then immediately realize it was a bad idea.

The Jets made their impulse purchase in March 2019 when former general manager Mike Maccagnan gave Bell a four-year, $52.5 million contract despite the objections of coach Adam Gase, who wanted to allocate that money toward offensive linemen. Since the signing, the decision has looked worse and worse as Bell has been a bad fit, ineffective and at times a distraction.

The last category reared up again after Sunday’s 30-10 loss to the Cardinals when Bell took to Twitter, his favorite outlet, to take passive-aggressive shots at the team and Gase. He liked tweets about how poorly the Jets are using him in the passing game and one about how the Jets should trade him.

If only Bell’s feet moved as fast as his thumbs these days.

This is the second time in the last two months he had a Twitter tantrum. Bell whined about being removed from a scrimmage on the social media platform in August, claiming Gase lied about his hamstring tightening up. Bell then injured his hamstring in Week 1 against the Bills and missed the next three games.

Gase said he had yet to speak with Bell about his social media pity party, but said he understood why players get frustrated, especially at 0-5. It is the way Bell chose to deliver the message that chafed Gase.

“I hate that that’s the route that we go with all this instead of just talking to me about it,” Gase said. “It seems that’s the way guys want to do it nowadays.

 

Here is what GM Joe Douglas should do: Grant Bell his wish. Douglas should put the “For Sale” sign on this bad purchase. Go to the NFL version of eBay and call up his 31 counterparts, asking for their best offer for Bell.

It is not an easy sell. This is no longer the player we watched with the Steelers who looked like he was on track for the Hall of Fame. Watch him on the third-and-1 pitch on Sunday and see how slow he looks hitting the edge. Maybe it was overuse in Pittsburgh or his year off in 2018 or just being a 28-year-old back instead of a 25-year-old one, but Bell is not what he was.

The Jets have two weeks remaining before the Oct. 29 trade deadline. He will be owed a little more than $5 million of his $8.5 million salary at that time. No team is going to take on $5 million for Bell, but the Jets should eat a portion of that and take whatever they can get for him. If that is a seventh-round pick, sold.

Right now, Bell is a better blocker than a runner … as in he is blocking rookie La’Mical Perine from getting on the field. Perine played zero offensive snaps Sunday. Bell played 45, rushing for 60 yards on 13 carries. He was upset because he got only one pass thrown his way. He also committed a holding penalty and failed to run a strong rub route on a third-and-1 pass to the end zone by Joe Flacco.

The Jets need to get Perine on the field. He is one of the few explosive players they have, and the rest of this season needs to be about figuring out who is part of the foundation of the rebuild going forward and who is not. Bell and 37-year-old Frank Gore are not. We’ve seen enough of them.

 

Gase hinted that he does not completely trust Perine yet.

“We want to make sure that he’s put in a good position to where he can grow,” he said. “We just don’t want to put too much on his plate too fast and kind of really stunt his growth at all.”

Hooey. This is not a rookie quarterback who needs time to learn. Running backs excel as rookies all the time. Play the kid.

And when it comes to Bell, it reminds me of a line former Jets special teams coach Mike Westhoff used, “I would trade him for a night off.”

You get the sense that is where the Jets are getting with Bell.

Eventually after you make a bad purchase, you realize there comes a time you just put it on the curb and maybe someone will take it.

[static14]

What a terrible take. 

[joewilly12]

I purposely copied and pasted this article even though I am a fan of Le'Veon Bell.  

JD needs to come under fire for signing Frank Gore this was a bad signing as were others he is responsible for. 

The NY Jets  RB's when healthy should be Bell and Perine. 

Not a 37 yr old Frank Gore who I give all the credit in the world for trying to play at 37. 

TIME TO MOVE ON FROM FRANK GORE would have been a better article for Brian Costello to write. 

[BROOKLYN JET]

[munchmemory]

Should never have been signed.   

 

[joewilly12]

2 minutes ago, BROOKLYN JET said:

The NY Jets will NEVER trade Le'Veon Bell to the NE Patriots let alone let him wear #12 have you lost your mind. 

[pointman]

8 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

I purposely copied and pasted this article even though I am a fan of Le'Veon Bell.  

JD needs to come under fire for signing Frank Gore this was a bad signing as were others he is responsible for. 

The NY Jets  RB's when healthy should be Bell and Perine. 

Not a 37 yr old Frank Gore who I give all the credit in the world for trying to play at 37. 

TIME TO MOVE ON FROM FRANK GORE would have been a better article for Brian Costello to write. 

 

There really was no reason for Gore to be brought in. All he did was step on toes and get in the way. 

[FidelioJet]

5 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

I purposely copied and pasted this article even though I am a fan of Le'Veon Bell.  

JD needs to come under fire for signing Frank Gore this was a bad signing as were others he is responsible for. 

The NY Jets  RB's when healthy should be Bell and Perine. 

Not a 37 yr old Frank Gore who I give all the credit in the world for trying to play at 37. 

TIME TO MOVE ON FROM FRANK GORE would have been a better article for Brian Costello to write. 

Gore is better than Bell. And Faster. Bell’s done. It was clear last year too.  

the play Costello referenced, the MLB that tackled him was obviously faster.  That should never be the case. 

he has no trade value. cutting him would be fine by.me. 

[bealeb319]

Should be easy to trade a stud like bell who has a whopping 74 yards on the season and is getting paid top dollar. I don't even think someone would claim him off waivers.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using JetNation.com mobile app

[pointman]

Just now, FidelioJet said:

Gore is better than Bell. And Faster. Bell’s done. It was clear last year too.  

the play Costello referenced, the MLB that tackled him was obviously faster.  That should never be the case. 

he has no trade value. cutting him would be fine by.me. 

He will get us something. The rest of the league knows we are a terrible franchise and that with a better roster (that any college team could even provide), Bell will be more productive than he was here. 

[Sperm Edwards]

On the heels of Adams’s behavior this past offseason, JD should tell his players if you want off the team you just need to badmouth the Jets & then we’ll find you a new home. 

Absent someone else rescuing us by offering up a draft pick, without the Jets having to eat most of Bell’s $ like with Leo, really there is no good solution. Not even benching him outright, because it’ll come across as spiteful (because it will be purely spiteful). 

The season’s in the crapper anyway. Absent a serious trade offer involving a valuable pick or recovering cap room, the only way he’s going to get through this without making the team’s decision-makers  look worse than it already does is if Perine gets carries & is outgaining Bell. Otherwise you play him and hold your nose if he still not gaining yards. Oh, and it wouldn’t help to use a dual-threat RB as a dual-threat RB and not like he’s a 1-dimensional up the gut bruiser. 

Other problem is if he’s semi-tanking/saving himself and he starts performing again for another team it’s going to take outbidding others’ guaranteed money by 80% to attract UFAs here in 2021. 

[SAR I]

5 minutes ago, munchmemory said:

Should never have been signed.   

 

The Jets made their impulse purchase in March 2019 when former general manager Mike Maccagnan gave Bell a four-year, $52.5 million contract despite the objections of coach Adam Gase, who wanted to allocate that money toward offensive linemen. 

[Coach Gase being right.  Again.]

SAR I

[Prodigal Syndicate]

2 minutes ago, SAR I said:

The Jets made their impulse purchase in March 2019 when former general manager Mike Maccagnan gave Bell a four-year, $52.5 million contract despite the objections of coach Adam Gase, who wanted to allocate that money toward offensive linemen. 

[Coach Gase being right.  Again.]

SAR I

Gase just does not know how to use him. He doesnt adjust to his players he tries to force them to do what he wants.

 

Bell should be lining up as a receiver constantly. 

[joewilly12]

8 minutes ago, FidelioJet said:

Gore is better than Bell.

No way in  hell.

Adam Gase is this you. 

[munchmemory]

Just now, joewilly12 said:

No way in  hell.

Adam Gase is this you. 

Bell hits the hole like he's pulling a wagon of cement.    

[joewilly12]

Just now, munchmemory said:

Bell hits the hole like he's pulling a wagon of cement.    

What hole it seems the OL isn't opening any holes for any of our RB's. 

[BROOKLYN JET]

13 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

The NY Jets will NEVER trade Le'Veon Bell to the NE Patriots let alone let him wear #12 have you lost your mind. 

[Spoot-Face]

[munchmemory]

3 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

What hole it seems the OL isn't opening any holes for any of our RB's. 

Come on, JW.  You see Bell has lost his burst.  POS O line or not, Bell is done. 

[joewilly12]

1 minute ago, BROOKLYN JET said:

So i'm the guy with all the shirtless men pics in my hard drive.....................................

Dude EPIC FAIL you drunk. 

[joewilly12]

Just now, munchmemory said:

Come on JW.  You see Bell has lost his burst.  POS O line or not, Bell is done. 

Nope I see a HC who doesn't know how to use his personnel the right way. 

[Francis Sawyer 37]

AB and Bell are 2 of the biggest axxholes in the NFL.

They got their money and still were not happy.

[BROOKLYN JET]

Just now, joewilly12 said:

So i'm the guy with all the shirtless men pics in my hard drive.....................................

Dude EPIC FAIL you drunk. 

I hacked your computer willyjoe.

[joewilly12]

Just now, BROOKLYN JET said:

I hacked your computer willyjoe.

You hacked something but certainly not my computer. 

[Creepy Lurker]

4 minutes ago, BROOKLYN JET said:

He chose “stink” when he signed with the steaming pile of sh*t that is the Jets. 

[Francis Sawyer 37]

1 minute ago, munchmemory said:

Come on, JW.  You see Bell has lost his burst.  POS O line or not, Bell is done. 

He got his payday.

The Jets fvcked up because they trusted him.

[docdhc]

I’ve got an idea, why doesn’t gase use Bell correctly?  Maybe then they’ll get some production. Target him in the passing game by using him in the slot like in Pittsburgh. Don’t just run him into the line on 2nd and 10. Call a good game now and then before deciding Bell is washed up. 

[JustEndTheSuffering]

Sick of Bell. Being frustrated on an 0-5 team is to be expected but going on social media and being a bitch is not. When you do things like that you turn your back on teammates and that's never the right thing to do. This Jets team needs to stick together to keep it to only on field issues. No extracurricular's. 

[joewilly12]

Just now, docdhc said:

I’ve got an idea, why doesn’t gase use Bell correctly?  Maybe then they’ll get some production. Target him in the passing game by using him in the slot like in Pittsburgh. Don’t just run him into the line on 2nd and 10. Call a good game now and then before deciding Bell is washed up. 

This guy gets it. 

[munchmemory]

1 minute ago, Francis Sawyer 37 said:

He got his payday.

The Jets fvcked up because they trusted him.

Hey, remember all those "trust Mccagnan" folks?

[Francis Sawyer 37]

Keep Bell now. He can piss everybody off on the team.

0 - 16 should be the goal. Trevor Lawrence and then begin from scorched earth. New HC and GM.

[Larz]

He’s not good enough the Jets to get rid of lol

[jgb]

Yeah keep cutting away cancers until there’s no body left.

[Beerfish]

3 minutes ago, docdhc said:

I’ve got an idea, why doesn’t gase use {insert name of any player} correctly?  Maybe then they’ll get some production. Target him in the passing game by using him in the slot like in Pittsburgh. Don’t just run him into the line on 2nd and 10. Call a good game now and then before deciding Bell is washed up. 

The hitch in your argument.

[Francis Sawyer 37]

2 minutes ago, munchmemory said:

Hey, remember all those "trust Mccagnan" folks?

Yes vaguely.