PITTSBURGH -- As the Pittsburgh Steelers keep giving Le'Veon Bell the ball, they aren't worried about him losing it.
Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Bell's recent fumbling isn't a major concern because of his history of protecting the ball.
After one fumble in his first 38 NFL games, Bell has four in his past six, including a lost fumble converted into a touchdown by the New York Giants in the Steelers' 24-14 win Sunday. Bell's first three fumbles of 2016 did not result in a turnover.
"I'm not overanalyzing at this point," Tomlin said. "Like I mentioned earlier, his large body of work. ... He's done a great job of taking care of the ball over the course of his career. Not only here, but even dating back to college. Aside from the numbers, his approach or his mentality, every time he takes the field, he does so with that in mind: with ball security being the quintessential element to him having a good day. So I'm not overly concerned about it."
With the running game a central focus in the late-season offensive game plan, the Steelers will put the ball in Bell's hands and trust that it stays there.
The fourth-year running back has 124 touches for 659 yards in his past four games, including 80 rushing attempts in the past three weeks. He's flirting with 2,000 yards of total offense despite missing the first three games of the season due to a violation of the league's substance abuse policy.
Bell, who's a free agent in 2017, is 21st in the NFL and second among running backs with 63 receptions.