Ball security is, and always has been, the name of the game in Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots locker room.
Hold onto the rock (and break tackles), and you’ll be rewarded as an every-down back. Fumble the bag? You might just get Jonas Gray’ed out of the picture.
Of course, there’s always some wiggle room. Damien Harris, whose critical fumble allowed the Miami Dolphins to salt away a hard-fought victory that looked like a loss only seconds earlier, was always going to remain the leader of the Patriots’ backfield. The error was devastating, but allowing it to alter a season’s worth of game plans would be foolish.