In this photo, Arizona Cardinals running back Tim Hightower fumbles the ball during the Cardinals opening drive of Sunday's game at the St. Louis Rams. Hightower's history of fumbling has haunted the Cardinals. At the time, the offense was driving into Rams territory. The fumble swung the momentum heavily in the Rams favor.
Hightower fumbled again late in the fourth quarter after Kerry Rhodes intercepted a Sam Bradford pass. The fumble came when the Cardinals desperately needed to drain the clock and force the Rams to use their three remaining timeouts.
In Tim Hightower's career, he's fumbled the ball nine times. He's already on a thin leash with Beanie Wells breathing down his neck. If Beanie can suit up this week against the Falcons, you'd have to expect that he'd get strong consideration for at least the majority of the carries. As we all know, Wells also has had issues putting the ball on the field. The coaching staff may need to use an unorthodox method to improve the running back's ball security.
Should Hightower continue to get the nod as the Cardinals starting running back? If so, how many more times can he afford to fumble the football?