Patriots RBs coach rips Damien Harris for game-altering fumble vs Dolphins
By Jerry Trotta
The New England Patriots needed to play a clean brand of football if they were going to walk away with a win against the fundamentally-sound Miami Dolphins.
Amazingly enough, the Patriots’ biggest mistake didn’t come at the hands of rookie quarterback Mac Jones, who fared extremely well in his NFL debut, completing 74.3% of his passes for 281 yards and a touchdown.
Rather, it came from Damien Harris, who fumbled with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter on Sunday, allowing the Dolphins to milk the clock with a couple first downs after the Patriots burned their remaining timeouts.
Harris has already taken his fair share of heat from fans and the media, and his public evisceration continued into Tuesday, as Patriots RBs coach Ivan Fears laid into the 24-year-old while addressing the media.
Leave it to #Patriots RB coach Ivan Fears to tell you how he feels. On the fumbling Sunday, "That’s something we preach. It is the classic thing you wouldn’t expect, giving the god damn game away. It’s hard to accept. For Damien, that stings like a son of a gun.”
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) September 14, 2021
Patriots RBs coach Ivan Fears eviscerated Damien Harris after his costly fumble on Sunday.
Talk about some tough love for the young running back.
In Harris’ defense, New England didn’t exactly put him in a great position down the stretch. After Rhamondre Stevenson was benched for his own fumble and a blown assignment in pass protection, Harris handled the bulk of the RB snaps (40 to Stevenson’s five) and looked absolutely gassed at the time of his fumble.
However, that narrative won’t be enough to save Harris, as the Patriots have a zero-tolerance policy for back-breaking turnovers.
It didn’t take long for drama to ensue afterwards, as ESPN’s MIke Reiss understands that Harris could be in for a reduced role against the Jets on Sunday. That seems like the perfect chance for the 2019 third-rounder to restore his confidence before a big Week 3 game vs the Saints, but what do we know?
Story: Damien Harris looked a bit fatigued shortly before his late fumble, perhaps a result of a lopsided workload (40 snaps vs. 5 for Rhamondre Stevenson). Now Bill Belichick must assess how much to reduce Harris' load in Sunday's game against the Jets. https://t.co/t4WrTWbZfy
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 13, 2021
The good news is that Fears later expressed confidence that Harris will rebound from the first game-altering error of his young career.
“I feel confident Damien will step up to the plate with this. I really do. We have not had a problem with him,” said Fears.
That’s encouraging … so maybe Harris’ workload won’t be scaled back this weekend? Who knows? At least it seems like Fears and the Patriots are in a forgiving mood and still view Harris as their workhorse in the backfield.
One fumble — as deflating as it was — shouldn’t change that. After all, Harris took 23 carries for 100 yards (4.4 YPC) against a tough Dolphins defense. He was one of just five RBs to break the 100-yard mark in Week 1.
Having said that, if Harris puts the ball on the ground in another big spot, expect one of Stevenson or JJ Taylor to start eating into his workload.
