Joe Namath Confident in New York Jets' Le'Veon Bell to Play at an All-Pro Level Again
By every measure, last season was a disappointing one for New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell. Those struggles don’t change the opinion of legendary Jets quarterback Joe Namath, who said that he believes that Bell is still an All-Pro caliber running back.
A prize signing of the Jets last offseason, Bell had a poor first season in New York. He had 789 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, posting a career low in yards per carry (3.2), yards per reception (7.0) and yards per touch (4.0). But Bell, twice and All-Pro and three times a Pro Bowl selection, was behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL a season ago, something that impacted his production.
Namath, a Pro Football Hall of Fame selection and still the only quarterback to lead the Jets to the Super Bowl, says Bell is still talented and can make an impact similar to his six standout seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“To me, I watched nearly every [Jets] game I could. Bell is Bell, he can play. He didn’t have many opportunities to show his stuff and enough room. My expectation of Le’Veon hasn’t diminished,” Namath told Sports Illustrated’s Jets Country. “He’s an All-Pro – has been in the past, I have now doubt he can be again. It’s going to depend on the guys in front of him and going to depend on how they handle the defense too.”
Bell signed a four-year, $52.5 million contract with the Jets last offseason. His signing was supposed to catapult the Jets offense to the next level. Instead, the team surrounding him did little to accentuate his skillset.
Namath likened Bell’s struggles last year to Barry Sanders infamous playoff game in 1995 when he had 13 carries for minus-one yard. Sanders is considered to be one of the greatest running backs of all-time and Namath’s point is that if the offensive line isn’t opening holes and creating lanes for Bell, then his talent will be wasted.
“Does that mean Barry Sanders couldn’t run? To me, that confirmed the importance of the guys up front. To hold Barry to that kind of number is mind-bloggling to me,” Namath said.
“It is those fellas up front that allows the offense an opportunity to perform. Those five or six guys – the tight end included – allow others to come in and perform.”
The Jets invested heavily in the offensive line this season with four new projected starters for the season opener this Sunday at the Buffalo Bills. These new additions, headlined by first round pick Mekhi Becton, are expected to be an upgrade over last year’s unit.
SI’s senior fantasy analyst Michael Fabiano projects improvement from Bell this year with the Jets with 863 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
As for Namath, he continues to be in the spotlight. Last year, he released a critically acclaimed book All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters which is available in hardcover and audio book on Amazon. In addition, he is spearheading fundraising for the Joe Namath Foundation, a challenge due to COVID-19.
The foundation helps children’s charities as well as pushing funding for neurological research and the study of brain injuries.
