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Le'eon Bell agreed to be a pilot plane shortly after midnight on March 13th. Nearly three months later, he will be on the field in Jets uniform for the first time.
Bell will be training for the first time with the Jets on Tuesday as the team opens its mandatory three-day mini-camp. Bell has been away for most of the off-season program, including the team activity practices held over the past two weeks.
This will be the first time Bell has been involved in football since January 14, 2018, when his Steelers were beaten by the Jaguars in the playoffs. The 27-year-old was absent last season in a contract dispute with Pittsburgh.
There may be some rust for Bell, but Jets nose-tackle Steve McLendon, who played three years with Bell in Pittsburgh, said Bell would be ready to leave.
"One thing I can say about Le'Veon is that he's going to be extremely fit," said McLendon, "He's always been and I do not see that changing." His fitness precedes anything else I know it, he trains hard.
Bell trains in South Florida with the personal trainer he's been using since leaving the state of Michigan in 2013. He regularly posts articles from his media training. Social and Jets are not worried about his physical condition.
Jets coach Adam Gase had frequent contact with Bell and said that Bell sent him his training videos. Gase stated that the fact that Bell does not move away from voluntary training does not pose a problem for him. Bell was also able to keep abreast of the shelves issued by the team, which contain all the information from meetings and practice films.
"I thought he was going to do the same routine that he had practiced over the last two, three years, I think," Gase said. "I knew he was in the Boca / Fort Lauderdale / Miami area and was working with the same guy for a while. I know he feels comfortable with that, which suits me well. Once the training camp is over, he will be ready to leave. This is what we need.
The relationship between Bell and Gase will be under the microscope because after Mike Maccagnan's dismissal, Gase thought the Jets had paid too much for Bell as an independent player. The Jets interviewed Monday their fourth candidate, Executive Bears, Kelly, for the vacant Maccagnan General Manager position. Gase said there was no problem between him and Bell, and they texted throughout the spring. Still, it will be a story this season.
While Gase said there was no problem with Bell missing the free practice session, McLendon admitted trying to convince Bell to participate.
"I told him, you understand, this place is different from Pittsburgh. You really have to come back to understand the quarter and the situation, "said McLendon. "He told me," I talked to him. "So, I said to myself:" It's not my business, you're taking care of it. "
McLendon said it would be important for Bell and quarterback Sam Darnold to start building chemistry.
"You just want to get to know your teammates, especially when you have a young quarterback," said McLendon. "He needs to know your rhythms. He needs to know how patient you are. It's easy to see on the field, but it's so hard to prepare because it's very dynamic in what it's doing in the backfield, in the backfield, lining up at the wide receiver. He can do a lot of special things.
McLendon said everyone would forget Bell's lost time once the season arrived and see him through the Jets' opponents.
"I know a lot of people have said," Why is not he here because he was paid? Said McLendon, "Look, man, he's not an All-Pro or a Pro Bowl running for no reason, sometimes people are preparing differently." Yes, but when he comes here and we move, he'll help us get where we want to go. "
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