Nick Bellore Impresses on Special Teams for Jets

One thing that Nick Bellore admits to finding challenging about his rookie season in the NFL is the length of the season — a preseason that lasted a month, followed by, so far, 14 games over 15 griding weeks.

And he’s not seen anything yet.

A native of Whitefish Bay, Bellore is a standout performer on special teams for the New York Jets as they fight for the last playoff berth in the AFC in the last two weeks of the season.

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The Jets are 8-6 and if the season ended today, they would be the sixth and final seed. Remaining on the regular season schedule is a game against the New York Giants, with whom they share a stadium in New Jersey, and a road game at Miami.

Bellore was a guest on a video chat at NewYorkJets.com at the end of November, and said then that a bye-week trip back to Central Michigan, where the season was ending, reminded him just how much longer the NFL season is.

But he’s managed to meet the extra demands, at least as much as can be expected for an undrafted rookie free agent. Bellore has been one of the top special teams players for the Jets and is a candidate for the Pro Bowl, for which fans can vote through Monday.

Mike Westhoff, the Jets’ special teams coach, told reporters last week that he “couldn’t be happier” with Bellore as a special teams player, according to CBS Sports.

He has 16 tackles so far, mostly on special teams. He’s listed as the backup middle linebacker to David Harris on defense, though his action is limited primarily to special teams.

Bellore was a four-year starter at Central Michigan University and expected to be drafted; when he wasn’t, he had to wait for the summer-long lockout to be lifted before he could join an NFL team.