He could have, should have, been coached not to do that by so many repetitions that doing it right would be ingrained by now.
Kyren is certainly coachable. To continue to make the same mistake is on coaching, not the player. but still - inexcusable.
Remember Kurt Warner learning to take the hit when releasing the ball by his high school coack's "kill Kurt" drill? Repetition in practice until the new habit is formed, and then repeating it again, and again, and again - until it become automatic - is how new habits become lmost instinctive. This is basic learning theory.
That's the reason players have drills instead of one-time demos. If Kyren were my player I'd teach him how to hold a football. Then I'd invent drills that he had to repeat until the old bad habit was unlearned, (tough to do, but certainly possible - repetitionis the key) and the new good habit was formed in its place. I'd vary the drill, using no dummys, dummys, live bodies, and have him repeat, and repeat, vary the drill slightly, repeat, repeat, and repeat, until he was sick of it. Then rinse and repeat again.
Then, like the great Lombardi did with a notorious fumbler who came into his camp, I'd have him carry a football everywhere - including cafeteria, lockerroom, meetings, and reward the players who could punch the ball out and penalize the guy if he let it happen.
Result: The Golden Boy from Notre Dame, who was a fumbler when he came into the league, became, in Lombardi's words, the greatest player he ever coached - Paul Hornung. I watched a lot of Green Bay football in the Lombardi era and I never - ever - recall seeing Paul Hornung fumble. He was as sure-handed as they come, but fumbling had to be coached out of him.
And like any skill that one must maintain, it doesn't maintain itself. Great musicians practice familiar passages that were once difficult again and again between performances. Spec ops guys, like my Army Ranger squad leader and sniper nephew, spend their time between missions doing PT and on the range, shooting.
If I were Kyren's position coach I'd have him doing ball security all through camp and extra sets of ball security drills between games every week - not as punishment for having fumbled, but to help and inspire him to achieve and maintain his highest possible level of personal excellence.
It's tough love among other things: I love you too much to watch you go through the agony you did against the Eagles and the 49ers ever again. I want to give you all I can to help you overcome that, take what was once gut wrenching defeat and turn it into game-winning victory that rests on your shoulders.
Cam Akers fumbled, Williams continues to fumble, and in a brief sampling, Corum fumbled. Only Ronnie Rivers didn't fumble as a running back since 2023 whern Ron Gould came on board as running backs coach, and Rivers came into the league having never fumbled in college. Whaty does that tell us?
Maybe it's time top hold Coach Gould's feet to the fire - for HC McVay to demand that he get this aspect of our running game cleaned up. The fundamentals never get outdated.
