Le'Veon Bell had one of the most highly anticipated free agencies of any player in NFL history, and he ended up signing with the New York Jets. There was a lot of buzz surrounding this new-look Jets offense this offseason, but they didn't look too sharp in the opener.
The Jets fell flat and collapsed in the second half against the Bills in Week 1, losing 17-16. Bell is a seasoned pro who has played in plenty of big games with Pittsburgh, but even he isn't immune to some jitters. A few days after the game, Bell admitted he had some nerves leading up to the opener.
“I woke up at 5 a.m. Isn’t that unbelievable though? Like, I literally couldn’t sleep,” Bell said on The Official Jets Podcast, via Anthony Talarico of the Jets Wire. “It felt like I was getting ready for Christmas.”
Interestingly, Bell said he started watching highlights of other elite backs to help get him prepared.
“I watched highlights of myself the night before. But that morning? No, I didn’t,” Bell said. “I watched Saquon Barkley, I watched Barry Sanders and I watched LaDainian Tomlinson.”
New York's passing game really struggled as Sam Darnold averaged less than five yards per attempt, which clogged up running lanes for Bell. The Michigan State product showed flashes but overall couldn't get anything consistent going on the ground.
For the game, he finished with just 60 yards on 17 rushes, an average of 3.5 yards per carry. He'll have a tough matchup on Monday night as he looks to bounce back against a strong Cleveland defensive front.
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