• 7 months ago
Sports Illustrated's host Kaitlin O'Toole is joined by Kristian Dyer from Jets Country for insight on New York's decision to release running back Le'Veon Bell.
Transcript
00:00The short-lived Le'Veon Bell era in New York has come to an end.
00:05The team announced late Monday that they would be parting ways with the running back.
00:10Joining me now for more is Christian Dyer from Jets Country.
00:13Christian, Le'Veon Bell's short but tumultuous time in New York is over.
00:18What ultimately led New York to this decision in letting him go?
00:22Yeah, Caitlin, I think this was a marriage that was somewhat of a disaster from the beginning.
00:28Remember that Le'Veon Bell was actually signed by former Jets general manager Mike McAdmin,
00:33who was let go last summer after the NFL draft by the Jets.
00:37And Joe Douglas is now in town here in charge of the Jets.
00:41So this was a head coach that really hasn't historically, in Adam Gase, utilized a big
00:47name running back.
00:49Le'Veon Bell is certainly a big personality.
00:51And in the past, Adam Gase, at his previous stop where he was a head coach of the Miami
00:56Dolphins for three years, never really gravitated towards those big name superstar type of players.
01:02And this ends up being a situation not unlike what we've seen the Jets do in the past with
01:08the trade of Jamal Adams in July.
01:11Le'Veon Bell, with his oversized personality and lack of production here, just really wasn't
01:16a good fit.
01:17Keep in mind, two games this year, hamstring injury that kept him out for three, just 113
01:24yards from scrimmage.
01:25All that for a player who last year signed a four-year, $52.5 million contract.
01:31That's not a good return on investment for the Jets.
01:34Not at all.
01:35I want to go back to something you said about Jamal Adams, because Bell actually criticized
01:39the way Adams used Twitter to kind of get his way out of New York.
01:42But after Sunday's game, Bell kind of did the same thing, trying to use Twitter as an
01:47exit strategy from the Jets.
01:49Well, certainly.
01:50And it seems like if you want to get off the Jets, what you end up doing, you go to Twitter
01:56about it, because within 24 hours, something's going to happen and you're going to be out
02:00of town.
02:01Le'Veon Bell, after a game on Sunday, his first game back from a hamstring injury, 13
02:07carries for 60 yards, not bad production, just one reception for seven yards, so 14
02:13total touches for a player who's a two-time All-Pro, three-time Pro Bowl selection and
02:18one of two real playmakers on the Jets' offense.
02:20And Bell, I think somewhat disgruntled, went on social media after the game, didn't post
02:26anything himself, but he ended up going on there and liking a bunch of comments from
02:30Jets fans about how he's not being utilized properly, about him possibly being trade bait
02:36and how he deserves better, the very same actions that he criticized Jamal Adams for
02:40doing to force his way out of town.
02:43Well, Le'Veon Bell used it to force his way out of town.
02:46All right.
02:47Well, what does this mean from a fantasy football perspective?
02:50Frank Gore is expected to take over duties in the Jets' backfield.
02:54We'll continue to monitor Bell's free agency situation.
02:57Christian, thank you so much for joining me, appreciate your insight.

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