Around the NFL

March 27, 2019

Spell Bell?

Gase says he'll monitor LeVeon's workload

At the league meetings in Arizona, Adam Gase says he intends to keep an eye on LeVeon Bell’s touches. That’s notable, I think, with Bell having been overworked in Pittsburgh, and Gase having a history of rotating backs and at times forgetting about the running game.

"You can wear a guy out with too many rushes, too many touches, too many snaps and too many practice snaps," Gase told reporters on Tuesday. "We'll keep an eye on that. This is not going to be where we burn him out in the first six months. We're aware of that."

Gase used a one-touch punch of Frank Gore and Kenyan Drake at tailback last year. In only one game did a running back have more than 17 touches (combined rushing attempts and catches).

Gase at least at times in his first two seasons in Miami was more willing to feed one running back the ball. In 13 of those 32 games, a running back got at least 20 touches. That’s six times in 2016, when Jay Ajayi had some big games, and seven times in 2017, when Ajayi had some busy games early and Drake had a three-game burst late in the year.

Gase spent 48 games running Miami’s offense. Some running back got 20 touches in 14 of those games (about a third of the time). Said backs are flagged with black dots.

ADAM GASE'S LEADING RUNNING BACKS (chronological)
Year	Opp	Result	Player	Att	Yds	Rec	Yds	Tot	TD
2016	at Sea.	L 10-12	A.Foster	13	38	3	62	100	0
2016	at N.E.	L 24-31	J.Ajayi	5	14	4	31	45	0
2016	Cle.	W 30-24	K.Drake	9	37	2	11	48	0
2016	at Cin.	L 7-22	J.Ajayi	6	33	2	13	46	0
2016	Ten.	L 17-30	J.Ajayi	13	42	0	0	42	1
2016	Pit.	W 30-15	• J.Ajayi	25	204	1	3	207	2
2016	Buf.	W 28-25	• J.Ajayi	28	214	1	2	216	1
2016	NYJ	W 27-23	• J.Ajayi	24	111	3	19	130	1
2016	at S.D.	W 31-24	• J.Ajayi	19	79	1	1	80	0
2016	at LAR	W 14-10	J.Ajayi	16	77	3	7	84	0
2016	S.F.	W 31-24	J.Ajayi	18	45	1	11	56	1
2016	at Bal.	L 6-38	J.Ajayi	12	61	6	26	87	0
2016	Ari.	W 26-23	• J.Ajayi	20	48	1	15	63	0
2016	at NYJ	W 34-13	J.Ajayi	19	51	0	0	51	0
2016	at Buf.	W 34-31	• J.Ajayi	32	206	1	3	209	1
2016	N.E.	L 14-35	J.Ajayi	16	59	3	20	79	0
2017	at LAC	W 19-17	• J.Ajayi	28	122	2	4	126	0
2017	at NYJ	L 6-20	J.Ajayi	11	16	2	9	25	0
2017	N.O.	L 0-20	J.Ajayi	12	46	1	8	54	0
2017	Ten.	W 16-10	• J.Ajayi	25	77	2	2	79	0
2017	at Atl.	W 20-17	• J.Ajayi	26	130	0	0	130	0
2017	NYJ	W 31-28	• J.Ajayi	23	51	3	26	77	0
2017	at Bal.	L 0-40	J.Ajayi	13	23	4	18	41	0
2017	Oak.	L 24-27	K.Drake	9	69	6	35	104	0
2017	at Car.	L 21-45	D.Williams	9	19	2	20	39	0
2017	T.B.	L 20-30	D.Williams	10	78	1	24	102	0
2017	at N.E.	L 17-35	K.Drake	9	20	3	27	47	1
2017	Den.	W 35-9	• K.Drake	23	120	3	21	141	1
2017	N.E.	W 27-20	• K.Drake	25	114	5	79	193	0
2017	at Buf.	L 16-24	• K.Drake	16	78	6	35	113	1
2017	at K.C.	L 13-29	K.Drake	13	57	0	0	57	0
2017	Buf.	L 16-22	K.Drake	14	75	3	15	90	0
2018	Ten.	W 27-20	K.Drake	14	48	3	18	66	0
2018	at NYJ	W 20-12	K.Drake	11	53	4	17	70	1
2018	Oak.	W 28-20	K.Drake	5	3	2	7	10	0
2018	at N.E.	L 7-38	F.Gore	11	41	2	16	57	1
2018	at Cin.	L 17-27	K.Drake	6	46	7	69	115	1
2018	Chi.	W 31-28	K.Drake	13	57	4	21	78	0
2018	Det.	L 21-32	F.Gore	10	29	1	4	33	0
2018	at Hou.	L 23-42	K.Drake	12	58	2	37	95	2
2018	NYJ	W 13-6	• F.Gore	20	53	1	6	59	0
2018	at G.B.	L 12-31	F.Gore	13	90	2	12	102	0
2018	at Ind.	L 24-27	F.Gore	14	67	1	10	77	0
2018	Buf.	W 21-17	K.Drake	7	31	2	13	44	1
2018	N.E.	W 34-33	F.Gore	12	92	1	24	116	0
2018	at Min.	L 17-41	K.Ballage	12	123	1	-2	121	1
2018	Jac.	L 7-17	K.Drake	6	23	4	31	54	0
2018	at Buf.	L 17-42	K.Drake	11	43	5	52	95	0

While I’ve got the numbers in front of me, I will also display the 48 running backs who had the 2nd-most touches in those games. I see 10 games in which Miami had two running backs with double-digit touches. Eight of those 10 came last year.

I expect Bell will be spelled more than he was in Pittsburgh. He won’t carry that kind of workload. But unless he gets hurt, I don’t think there will be more than maybe one game where some other New York running back gets double-digit touches.

ADAM GASE'S SECOND RUNNING BACKS
Year	Opp	Result	Player	Att	Yds	Rec	Yds	Tot	TD
2016	at Sea.	L 10-12	D.Williams	2	9	1	29	38	0
2016	at N.E.	L 24-31	K.Drake	2	12	2	6	18	1
2016	Cle.	W 30-24	J.Ajayi	7	28	0	0	28	1
2016	at Cin.	L 7-22	I.Pead	3	5	1	6	11	0
2016	Ten.	L 17-30	K.Drake	2	4	2	16	20	0
2016	Pit.	W 30-15	D.Williams	6	12	2	5	17	1
2016	Buf.	W 28-25	D.Williams	4	16	0	0	16	1
2016	NYJ	W 27-23	D.Williams	5	29	2	20	49	0
2016	at S.D.	W 31-24	D.Williams	2	2	1	18	20	2
2016	at LAR	W 14-10	K.Drake	1	2	0	0	2	0
2016	S.F.	W 31-24	D.Williams	1	7	2	11	18	0
2016	at Bal.	L 6-38	D.Williams	1	1	2	8	9	0
2016	Ari.	W 26-23	D.Williams	5	7	2	1	8	1
2016	at NYJ	W 34-13	K.Drake	5	16	0	0	16	0
2016	at Buf.	W 34-31	K.Drake	4	56	0	0	56	1
2016	N.E.	L 14-35	D.Williams	2	5	3	23	28	0
2017	at LAC	W 19-17	K.Drake	1	-3	0	0	-3	0
2017	at NYJ	L 6-20	D.Williams	2	5	1	6	11	0
2017	N.O.	L 0-20	K.Drake	1	6	2	5	11	0
2017	Ten.	W 16-10	D.Williams	3	15	1	13	28	0
2017	at Atl.	W 20-17	D.Williams	4	9	3	14	23	0
2017	NYJ	W 31-28	D.Williams	2	2	2	18	20	0
2017	at Bal.	L 0-40	K.Drake	6	22	0	0	22	0
2017	Oak.	L 24-27	• D.Williams	7	14	6	47	61	1
2017	at Car.	L 21-45	K.Drake	7	82	2	10	92	1
2017	T.B.	L 20-30	K.Drake	7	4	1	10	14	0
2017	at N.E.	L 17-35	• D.Williams	8	38	3	14	52	0
2017	Den.	W 35-9	S.Perry	5	22	0	0	22	0
2017	N.E.	W 27-20	S.Perry	0	0	0	0	0	0
2017	at Buf.	L 16-24	S.Perry	0	0	0	0	0	0
2017	at K.C.	L 13-29	S.Perry	0	0	0	0	0	0
2017	Buf.	L 16-22	S.Perry	3	8	1	3	11	0
2018	Ten.	W 27-20	F.Gore	9	61	0	0	61	0
2018	at NYJ	W 20-12	• F.Gore	9	25	1	19	44	0
2018	Oak.	W 28-20	F.Gore	6	12	0	0	12	0
2018	at N.E.	L 7-38	K.Drake	3	3	1	13	16	0
2018	at Cin.	L 17-27	• F.Gore	12	63	0	0	63	0
2018	Chi.	W 31-28	• F.Gore	15	101	1	18	119	0
2018	Det.	L 21-32	• K.Drake	6	72	4	15	87	1
2018	at Hou.	L 23-42	• F.Gore	12	53	1	5	58	0
2018	NYJ	W 13-6	K.Drake	3	9	4	26	35	0
2018	at G.B.	L 12-31	• K.Drake	8	27	2	11	38	0
2018	at Ind.	L 24-27	• K.Drake	8	32	5	64	96	2
2018	Buf.	W 21-17	F.Gore	8	21	1	10	31	0
2018	N.E.	W 34-33	K.Drake	6	24	1	55	79	1
2018	at Min.	L 17-41	F.Gore	5	14	0	0	14	0
2018	Jac.	L 7-17	K.Ballage	4	10	2	39	49	0
2018	at Buf.	L 17-42	• K.Ballage	12	47	1	1	48	0

—Ian Allan

LeVeon Bell

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