Buffalo Bills first-year coach Joe Brady didn't mince words when asked about running back James Cook's fumbling issues.
Brady went so far as to suggest the Bills could curtail the reigning rushing champs' reps if the fumbles persist.
"Look, he's doing so many good things running the football," Brady said Tuesday, via ESPN. "I don't want to lose sight of how great he is running the ball right now. But putting the ball on the ground, it's negating all the positive. I have all the confidence in him. That's why I put him right back out there. But obviously, at some point there has to be consequences to when we're putting negative stuff out there.
"It's going to cost us football games. It almost cost us one. We can't confuse because we won the game that that's OK. It's got to improve or the carries are going to decrease."
Cook has fumbled four times in five games, losing two. In Monday night's overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams, Cook had two balls punched out: one in the third quarter that the Bills recovered, and another in overtime that nearly cost Buffalo the game. If not for Gregory Rousseau's field-goal-block, Cook's lost OT fumble would have been far more than a footnote.
While it's sometimes difficult to blame a runner, given the pervasiveness and skill with which defenders punch at the ball, four fumbles in five games suggest Cook needs to tweak how he protects the pigskin.
"James understands when you hold the football, you're holding the whole entire organization in his hands," Brady said. "When he's running the football, there's nobody else I want when he's running it. But look, we've got to be able to come up with the football. Right now, he's putting it out there."
When he hasn't fumbled, Cook has been the engine of the Bills offense. He ranks third in the NFL with 532 rushing yards, averaging 5.6 yards per carry, and has added five touchdowns. Given how well he's played, he should get a bit more leash before the team makes any drastic decisions. If Brady does decide to take carries away, both Ray Davis and Ty Johnson are capable backups.
