There will be no chances taken when the New York Jets start the real work at training camp with star running back Le’Veon Bell. Their new $52.5 million dollar running back will be carefully placed in the garage under a protective tarp through most of the preseason.
“We’ll be smart,” head coach Adam Gase told reporters. “He (Bell) is not going to walk out of this camp with the most reps he’s ever had. We’ll find that line, find what the balance is. It’s going to be a communication a lot of the time. We have an idea going in, then if we have to adjust that plan, we will.”
Will Adam Gase limit Le’Veon Bell’s reps in training camp and the preseason? https://t.co/Eg4Sdtiigy pic.twitter.com/03Xk6c3btt
— NY Daily News Sports (@NYDNSports) July 24, 2019
Bell didn’t attend any workouts this offseason that weren’t mandatory with the Jets and, in those that were, his workload was light. There’s no real concern for Bell’s shape when the season starts. The concern is keeping him healthy and on the field. Last season, the Los Angeles Rams did this exact thing in the preseason and made it all the way to the Super Bowl, though their own star running back, Todd Gurley, got banged up anyway. At least it didn’t happen in the preseason.
“He (Bell) will be fine, he’ll jump right in there,” Gase said. “He’s in good condition, so he’ll be all right. He’s a football player, he’s done this for a long time. He’s been training all spring and all summer in a very hot climate.”
Panthers being very careful with Cam Newton’s shoulder
Like Bell, the Carolina Panthers are limiting star quarterback Cam Newton’s work in training camp in an effort to keep him as healthy as possible for the regular season.
From Inside Training Camp: #Panthers QB Cam Newton won't be on the PUP list after offseason shoulder surgery, but the team will be cautious. pic.twitter.com/SbfcNUim2U
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 24, 2019
“Well, we have a plan,” Panthers head coach Ron Rivera told reporters. “Obviously it’s going to be structured around our installation, so based on the things that we have as far as going in with our install, will dictate what he does. All of his reps will be monitored, they’ll be scripted out and we’ll just follow that pattern as we go through,” Rivera said. “We believe he’ll be ready to roll. He had a good offseason, he had a good break from what we were told. Again, the proof will be in the pudding and we’ll see tomorrow exactly.”
Newton missed the final two games of the 2018 season with shoulder issues.
