Is Le'Veon Bell a Heisman-worthy candidate?

So we all know who Le’Veon Bell is, but is he worth Heisman consideration this early in the season?

My thoughts are mixed in this discussion, he is a rare back with size and elusiveness and he can put up monster numbers on the drop of a dime. The problem is that the amount of carries he gets every week are inconsistent and sometimes lead to sub-100 yard performances with less than 20 carries in some games.

In the first four games of the season, the junior running back had 44, 18, 19 and 36 carries, respectively. This 26-carry differential from highest to lowest total is something that should concern Michigan State. His yardage totals in the four games are 210, 70, 77 and 253 yards, respectively, becoming the conference’s leading rusher with 610 yards on 117 carries.

One week he is hot and carries the ball 40 times and gets over 200 yards, and the next week he has 18 carries for 70 yards. This could be detrimental to his confidence, especially when he only gets 19 carries in a loss to Notre Dame, leaving him to think he could have done more to help his team, but there was nothing he could have done differently.

He made a promise after the Spartans’ loss to the Fighting Irish:

I just have a bad taste in my mouth about it because I feel like that that team wasn’t better than us, that we lost the game. We didn’t play to our potential, but I’m not allowing it to happen no more. This offense really depends on me, and I didn’t deliver the way I should. I’m not going to allow this to happen again.

This is something that you would expect your leader to say, and that is exactly what Bell is to the Spartans. The Spartans lost their leader and three-year captain Kirk Cousins and they have been frantically searching for someone to lead this team. Quarterback Andrew Maxwell seemed like the popular choice, but his struggles early on in the season left the door open for another candidate.

Bell has been vocal in the first few games, voicing his displeasure in his play and the team’s underachieving offense. This is the sign of a true leader.

What constitutes a Heisman candidate? Leadership? Check. Talent? Check. A hunger for winning? Check.

Yes, Bell has all the intangibles of a Heisman Trophy candidate, but will his team play well enough to keep him in consideration? The offense has struggled due to the receivers lack of experience coupled with Maxwell’s struggle to get on the same page with the young wide outs. If this problem is addressed and fixed, Le’Veon Bell will see his stock in the Heisman race continue to rise.

The Spartans are 3-1 with a tough game coming up this week against Ohio State(4-0) at home and Bell will be sure to keep the offense afloat. Bell is the kind of guy to put the team on his back and make sure everyone follows his lead: the definition of a Heisman-worthy candidate.