Former NY Jets RB Le'Veon Bell slams Adam Gase in tell-all interview

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Adam Gase, Le'Veon Bell / Scott Taetsch/GettyImages

The 2019-2020 NY Jets feel like a fever dream at this point. It's easy to forget (or at least try to forget) the absolute unmitigated disaster that was that era of the Jets, but it bears rehashing every once in a while.

Former Jets running back Le'Veon Bell helped Jets fans relive those "glory days" in a recent tell-all appearance on the "Steel Here" podcast. Bell did not hold back when discussing his playing days, specifically when he was asked about his time with the Jets.

Bell ripped his former head coach, Adam Gase, insisting that the Jets could have won nine games in 2019 had Mike Tomlin been their coach. Instead, the Jets finished 7-10, although the season was essentially over following their dreadful 1-7 start.

Bell continued on by saying that Gase "confused" quarterback Sam Darnold and that Darnold "don't even know like the actual line's protections." The three-time Pro Bowl running back also referred to Gase as a "terrible" play-caller.

"Bro, we get to New York, and that's when you instantly find out that head coaches make a huge difference. As soon as I get to New York I find that out like the first week. ... Bro, the team wasn't that great, don't get me wrong, but I feel like if Coach [Mike] Tomlin was coaching that team, we win nine games at least. It's to the point where Sam Darnold don't even know like the actual line's protections because he's so confused about our offense because the coach [Adam Gase] is confusing him."
Le'Veon Bell

The NY Jets are happy to move on from the Adam Gase/Le'Veon Bell era

The Jets signed Bell to a four-year, $52.5 million contract prior to the 2019 offseason in what was seen as a massive coup for the organization. Bell would play just 17 games for the Jets before being released in October of the following year.

In those 17 games, Bell averaged a dreadful 3.3 yards per carry while totaling 863 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. A few years later, he's widely considered to be one of the biggest free-agent busts in franchise history.

Of course, as Bell notes, Gase didn't help the situation. Gase was heavily criticized for misusing Bell, and it seems as though Bell believes that Gase is at least partially responsible for Darnold's shortcomings in New York.

From Bell's frustrations to Darnold's failures to the entire Gase fiasco, 2019-2020 is a dark period in the history of the New York Jets organization.

With brighter days hopefully ahead, it's not a time Jets fans want to reflect on often.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.