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What was my reaction?
What was my reaction to the New York Post announcing that Le’Veon Bell went bowling Saturday night after being ruled out of the Miami-Jets game?
My reactions was I didn’t know Boonton had a bowling center, and I need to check it out.
But seriously, I think Rich Cimini’s take was the best.
“My take on the Le’Veon Bell bowling brouhaha: Bad optic, but not a huge deal,” tweeted Cimini.
A much bigger issue, something that was a much larger problem than the bowling, was Bell not attending most of the Jets’ off-season program in his first year with the team.
That is much bigger deal than him going bowling after being declared inactive and getting over his illness.
A guy signs with a brand new team, gets incredible money, is going to be the centerpiece of the offense, and isn’t there for most of the first off-season program with the new club, to learn the offense and develop chemistry with his teammates on- and off-the-field.
And that impacted the Jets’ early in the season. There is doubt about it.
Look how slowly they got out of the gate.
Look, if a veteran player, who has been with a certain team for a long time, and has a wife and kids somewhere else, and his been in the same playbook/system forever, wants to skip the off-season, I get that. It’s not ideal, but I get it.
But for a player, who got 4-year deal for $52.5 million with $27 million guaranteed, to not show up, aside for the mandatory camp, which you get fined for blowing off, is border line unconscionable.
And this is a player who sat out of the league last year in a contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers, so maybe a spring camp would be helpful to get back in the football groove.
But more important than that, you have a young QB, who needs to get comfortable with his new bell cow back. And remember, we aren’t just talking about handing the ball off to him, but Bell is a very good receiving back, so Darnold and Bell could have worked on passing game timing in the spring.
And while there is limited contact in the spring, Bell could have worked with his offensive line on timing, chemistry, what he likes from his blockers, what he doesn’t like, and so forth.
So as far as I’m concerned, the bowling story is silly and will have little impact on the Jets.
But the centerpiece weapon of an NFL offense, who just joined the new team to not show up for the first off-season program, flies in the face of my sensibilities.
I don’t get that at all.
And is he going to do that again this off-season, if he’s not traded? There is a very good chance.
Remember, it could be tax related. He lives in Florida, a state that has no income tax. You need to be there six months and one day to benefit from that.
No off-season program was a much bigger issue than the bowling.
So spare me with all this bowling talk.
December 11, 2019
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