On Monday, the NFL All-Decade Team was released and, of course, arguments about the list then followed. There are many debates about who shouldn’t be on the list and which players were wrongfully snubbed. In my opinion, Le’Veon Bell is one of those players that were snubbed.
Whether you love him or hate him, it’s tough to discredit what Bell has done since being drafted into the NFL in 2013. Let’s take a closer look into his accolades and see why he was among the NFL All-Decade Team snubs.
If you need to a refresher of who exactly was voted to the team, you can CLICK HERE.
Le’Veon Bell NFL All-Decade Team Snub
Much of the debates around the NFL All-Decade Team are about the running backs, which were Frank Gore, Marshawn Lynch, LeSean McCoy and Adrian Peterson. Running back Darren Sproles was actually voted as the offensive flex player, meaning he filled multiple offensive roles. I believe this should have been Bell.
During the past decade, Sproles has been voted to the Pro Bowl three times, first-team All-Pro twice and he won the Super Bowl with the Eagles. He has played in 121 games, totaling 2,665 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. Sproles also added 3,960 yards and 23 touchdowns as a receiver, which is why he was voted as the NFL All-Decade team flex player.
Bell has played six seasons and 77 games over the past decade, being a three-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro selection. He has totaled 6,125 yards and 38 touchdowns on the ground to go along with 3,121 yards and eight touchdowns as a receiver.
This means he has totaled 2,621 more yards and six more touchdowns than Sproles in less time. Obviously, the receiving yards for the two were close, showing Bell also fills the role of both a rusher and receiver.
He’s Played Longer Than Some Selections
The only reason I could think of for Bell’s snub from the NFL All-Decade Team was that he had played in just six seasons over the past decade. The NFL did not say there was a minimum amount of seasons needed to make the list, and Bell has played longer than some other players making the team, so this is not the case.
Dallas Cowboys offensive guard Zack Martin made the team with six seasons played. Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs was voted to the NFL All-Decade Team as a punt returner despite playing only four seasons and returning just one punt last season (zero yards). Finally, Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams was a unanimous selection, despite playing just six seasons.
So, Le’Veon Bell has played enough time to make the team. He has better stats that some that made the team. It’s clear, to me, that the NFL does not want to reward a player that has chosen to sit out for a full season, which gave the league some negative press.
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