Le'Veon Bell: Jets' Adam Gase Ruined Sam Darnold's Career; Steelers' Mike Tomlin Would've Found Success With At least '9 wins'

There's no doubt that Le'Veon Bell was a key component of one of the most talented Pittsburgh Steelers teams of all time. The 21-year old running back out of Michigan State University was drafted by the black and gold with the 48th overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft. The Steelers were looking for their first prominent running back since Willie Parker. Little did they know, Bell would single-handedly dominate the NFL and change the game for running backs.

Bell made his NFL debut against the Minnesota Vikings during a Week 4 matchup back in 2013. He made his presence known with 16 carries going for 57 yards and two touchdowns. He never looked back. The running back went on to have a standout rookie season with 244 carries, 860 yards and eight touchdowns in 13 games. This was only the beginning as Bell went on to become indisputably the best running back in the league. 

He wasn't just a threat in the backfield, but he put up numbers that would've been solid for a top wide-receiver as well. With Bell at running back, Antonio Brown at receiver, Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback and a top-notch offensive line, the Steelers offense was unstoppable. 

Steelers And Bell's Good Thing Couldn't Last Forever

Time and time again, we've seen good things come to an end when business takes priority over football. The glory days came to a screeching halt when Bell reasonably asked to be compensated for his worth. Unfortunately, the two parties couldn't reach an agreement on what exactly his worth was. It's an era that all Yinzers associate with heartbreak, as the three time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro held out week after week during the 2018 season. Despite a five-year, $70 million offer, it became abundantly clear that Bell was not going to be returning to Pittsburgh.

After holding out for the entirety of the 2018 season, Bell reached an agreement with the New York Jets in March of 2019. Oddly enough, the Jets highly underutilized Bell, who quickly started to gain a reputation that he wasted a year of his prime during the holdout. After requesting a trade during his second season, Bell jumped around from the Kansas City Chiefs, to the Baltimore Ravens and he played his last NFL games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Friday, Bell made an appearance on the Steel Here podcast hosted by Jersey Jerry and Kevin Adams. Bell, who kept to himself throughout the highs and lows of his career, finally detailed some burning questions. Of course, everyone wants to know if Bell regrets his decision to leave what was a Hall Of Fame career in the making in Pittsburgh. While the former standout will never explicitly say yes, he did detail one big mistake.

"Coach Tomlin, that Head Coach, he's like a legitimate honest man. He's a guy who will look you in your face, whether you like what he says or not, he's going to tell you the truth." 

Unfortunately, hindsight isn't always 20/20. Between his experience with Tomlin and Head Coach, Mark Dantonio of Michigan State, Bell was under the impression that all coaches were honest and straight forward. Upon arrival in New York, that expectation was flipped upside down.

"When we get to New York, and that's when I instantly find out, head coaches make a huge difference. As soon as I get to New York, I find that out like the first week. I knew it was going to be a battle."

It didn't take long for Bell to realize that playing for Adam Gase was in an entirely different ballpark than what he was accustomed to with Tomlin. Bell was determined to make up for lost time in New York, but it became near impossible to do so with the play-calling and lack of touches. Now, Bell isn't holding back about what went wrong.

“The team wasn’t that great, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like if Coach Tomlin was coaching that team, we'd win nine games at least,” Bell said. “But it’s to like the point where Sam Darnold don’t even know the actual protection or what the line’s protecting because he’s confused about our offense because the coach is confusing him.”

The running back was patient for a year, but after a losing season where he felt highly underutilized, he had a different mentality going into year two. Bell realized that Gase wasn't going to make a change, and he wanted nothing to do with the Jets just five games into the 2020 season. Although he lost value, the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Chiefs all expressed interest in the running back.

With Andy Reid promising plays especially for Bell, the decision became easy. Bell wanted a ring and ended up going to the Chiefs. Once again, he felt misled when he got limited touches in Kansas City. Looking back, Bell realized that there's only one Mike Tomlin, and he wouldn't be opposed to playing for him again. It's interesting to think about what his career would've looked like if Bell had stuck with Tomlin. What are your thoughts, Steeler Nation?