Steve McLendon expects new Jets Le’Veon Bell, C.J. Mosley to ‘make everybody around them better’

Defensive tackle Steve McLendon thinks the New York Jets hit the jackpot in NFL free agency by signing two players with whom he has a good deal of familiarity — running back Le’Veon Bell, a former teammate with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and linebacker C.J. Mosley, against whom McClendon once competed in the AFC North.

McLendon expects both players to have a major impact on a Jets team for which he has high expectations this year.

‘We have watched this man for many years put on a show’

“I mean, everybody knows what (Bell’s) going to bring to the Jets, man,” McLendon told Vic Carucci and Dan Leberfeld on Press Coverage. “We have watched this man for many years put on a show. Not only that, but he plays at a level that is extremely high. He’s going to make everybody around him better. And that’s the same thing with C.J. By both of those guys coming in, it’s going to make everybody around them better.”

”I think what’s really going to help us is how smart (Mosley) is, how he will be able to come in and adapt, not just to his role, not just to a new coaching staff, but how he will adapt to the defense … (and) to the whole team.”

After admiring Mosley’s work from afar, McLendon can’t wait to join forces with him on the same defense. “I think what’s really going to help us is how smart he is, how he will be able to come in and adapt, not just to his role, not just to a new coaching staff, but how he will adapt to the defense … (and) to the whole team.”

‘My thing is don’t look in the past’

Regarding Bell’s recent comments that were critical of the Steelers, McLendon said, “My thing is let that be behind you. You’re in a new place, you’re in a new organization. And you get to establish yourself somewhere else and you get to do something special somewhere else. My thing is don’t look in the past. I tell my kids all the time. If you start driving reverse, you risk the chance of getting in a wreck. … Stay singularly focused on the path ahead, just focus on the traffic and focus on going forward.

“Whatever happened between (Bell) and Ben (Roethlisberger) or the organization in Pittsburgh, that’s behind you. Just push forward and try to make yourself better, try to make the team that you’re with now better. Just try to help them win a championship.”