Harris hopes hard work does the talking for him

Patriots second-year back wants everyone to know he’s doing everything possible to improve and everything after that is out of his hands

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Heading into his second NFL season, we don’t know if Damien Harris is good enough to be a starting running back for the New England Patriots.

After barely seeing the field in 2019, we don’t even know if he’s good and Harris isn’t about to confirm it either way.

"I’m not here to self-assess. I’m just here to improve and get better so that the coaches will think those kinds of things and they can evaluate that," Harris said. "My job is not to evaluate myself or anyone else on the team, my job is to go out there and work as hard as I can to be a better football player."

At least we know he won’t talk himself off the field.

Harris was a fan and pundit favorite in 2019 despite playing all of two games and getting a grand total of four carries for 12 yards his rookie season. The pining for the University of Alabama star had a lot to do with the inefficiency the Patriots had from their backfield and why there’s some considering hype about what he can bring in 2020.

With Sony Michel struggling last year, curiosity surrounding Harris built all season. Why not play him? Is he not ready? He can’t be worse that what they’ve got, right?

So why didn’t Harris play? Perhaps he wasn’t ready. Perhaps he was worse than what they had. Whatever the reason, Harris wasn’t about to risk any chance he has of contributing in 2020 by opening his mouth and complaining about a season that can’t be changed.

"That was last year. I’m not really focused on that," Harris said. "I’m just focused on how I can improve leading up to my second year, be more productive and be more dependable for this team."

Despite human jackknife Brandon Bolden opting out for the season, the Patriots still have a backfield loaded with depth. That pool only got deeper with addition of Lamar Miller.

But with Michel currently on the PUP list – joined by Miller, who’s been in the league since 2012 – there should be opportunity for Harris to see the field in Foxboro this fall, or at least it looks that way with the heavy workload he’s been handed so far in camp.

"It’s given me an opportunity to improve. That’s what I think is most important – coming in and showing that I can be dependable, I can be competitive, I can play the game at a high level," Harris said. "I just want to come in here and improve every single day, no matter what is asked of me. Whatever the coaches need me to do I’m going to go out there and do it to the best of my ability."

So what does he do well, other than give Patriot-perfect answers to every question?

Harris was a beast of a runner at Bama. He was stuck behind current Arizona Cardinals’ running back Kenyan Drake as well as Derrick Henry, who ran the Patriots’ 2019 season right off the road.

But Harris ran for over 1,000 yards rushing in each of his sophomore and junior years before finishing with 876 as a senior splitting carries with current Las Vegas Raiders’ star back Joshua Jacobs.

The knock on Harris heading to the NFL was pass protection, something the Patriots and then-QB Tom Brady needed to know he could do if he wanted to think about stepping on the field.

If that was why Harris didn’t step on the field last year, it makes sense. It’s something he’s improving on, but he’s quick to point out it’s definitely not the only thing he’s working on and there’s no way he would ever single just that out, OK coaches?

"There’s a lot of things, whether it’s working on the physical side of it at practice or taking the mental reps when you see other guys out there or watching tape and seeing how guys play and seeing how you need to fit, how you need to block, and taking the coaching there," Harris said. "There’s a lot of different ways you can improve on that and I’m just excited to have the chance to get better and improve."

He wouldn’t say how he’s improved or what he’s improved on or really anything else other than he’s working on getting better. His position coach, Ivan Fears, did.

"You just need to know that Damien is a doggone good runner. He’s done a hell of a job improving his all-around game," Fears said earlier in camp. "When he came out of Alabama he was an excellent runner and he is an excellent runner. I think that’s what he’s going to show you when he gets a chance to play.

"I think you’re going to like what you see and I think combing him with the other SEC runner that we have in Sony, we should have a hell of a pack there."

Harris is excited for the opportunity, or at least excited to keep working in hopes that he gets an opportunity.

"Football is more than just one good play. Every single day we want to go out there and string as many good days as possible and develop some consistency as a team. That’s just kind of our mindset," Harris said. "Every day I want to do everything I can to improve to make myself a better player for this team. It’s not about one play, it’s about play after play after play, being dependable and developing that consistency than can hopefully show up on Sundays."

erueb@providencejournal.com

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On Twitter: @EricRueb