Foster . . .out for the year?

[nunusguy]

I worry about us upgrading our OLine, our DLine, our LBs, our secondary but when it comes to running back I don't worry for a moment because they are
able to pick up these backs any year, anytime they want.
For example, if you saw last nights game on the NFL channel between the Redskins (love that name !) and the Vikings, you watched some back named Alfred Morris, a 6th round pick last year who I've never heard of, out perform the future HOFamer Adrian Peterson and become the new leading rusher in the NFL this week stat speaking. I'm telling you, these running backs are a dime a dozen, it's the last position I worry about the Texans finding a talented replacement for in the event that UNDRAFTED Arian Foster can't play for the team in the future.

[barrett]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

I worry about us upgrading our OLine, our DLine, our LBs, our secondary but when it comes to running back I don't worry for a moment because they are
able to pick up these backs any year, anytime they want.
For example, if you saw last nights game on the NFL channel between the Redskins (love that name !) and the Vikings, you watched some back named Alfred Morris, a 6th round pick last year who I've never heard of, out perform the future HOFamer Adrian Peterson and become the new leading rusher in the NFL this week stat speaking. I'm telling you, these running backs are a dime a dozen, it's the last position I worry about the Texans finding a talented replacement for in the event that UNDRAFTED Arian Foster can't play for the team in the future.

Have you ever watched our team in the Redzone when Foster plays vs when he doesn't. It's like our tackling with Cushing vs without. You can get 80% of Foster from pretty much any guy off the street (heck you can get %80 of Foster from Foster this season), but Foster's short yardage ability changes out whole team when he plays or doesn't. We don't have another great redzone guy or short yardage guy on the whole roster (not sure we have a good one). Of course, if Case can go deep on every short yardage play like he did Sunday night, it might not matter.

[nunusguy]

I dunno Barrett, I remember that one great play vs the Bears last year where Foster caught the short pass from Schaub for a TD. That was an example of
Foster's value in RZ because of his versitility, but I still seem to remember us struggling often to get a TD in the RZ whether or not Foster was in the lineup ?
On a different take, it's funny about Foster, because I see him adjusting just fine if he had to give up his career now because of injury. I see him just walking away and being fine as a civilian, whereas a Brian Cushing would have very serious problems accepting a career-ending injury because the game seems so much more important to him.
Both those guys, virtually the same age and both set for life financially (or should be), would have a different life after adjusting to the loss of their football
career it seems to me but one or both may have to confront that challenge with their injury histories. Sorry, I digress.

[chuck]

I'd like to see more Case/less Kubiak before feeling like I have a full grasp of what Arian brings to the table in the Red Zone that the others don't. Happily/sadly I'll get just that.

In the Schaub era Foster was a critical Red Zone piece. At times it seemed like he was the only weapon. My guess is that in the Red Zone (why am I capitalizing that?) Case presents the defense with problems that Schaub simply doesn't and that in itself will make the offense less predictable and more effective. Which, hopefully, will make Arian's absence easier to overcome.

Foster is a very, very unique player and when healthy he does things that no other Texans back has ever been able to do, certainly not in the combination that Foster provides. But I'd like to think that there's more than enough offensive talent now that losing Foster for a stretch will not be disastrous.

And I'll take a moment to mention something that everyone surely saw but for some reason hasn't really been discussed here - the right side of the line was pretty damn good against Indy.

[HPF Bob]

I thought the red zone offense was diverse enough even while Foster and Schaub were in there but the problem is when they just needed a yard or two and they had nothing else in the playbook besides 'run Foster to the left and just expect him to find a hole and get the first down/touchdown'. Other teams have figured this out and overshifted to that side.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

...but the problem is when they just needed a yard or two and they had nothing else in the playbook besides 'run Foster to the left and just expect him to find a hole and get the first down/touchdown'.

This means that the offense was not diverse.

[barrett]

Against SF, while most of the team was wetting the bed, Foster had two amazing 3rd/4th and short conversions where he was dead to rights behind the LOS and picked up 1st downs (one by running through Patrick Willis I believe). He runs low and that is a big part of it (one of the many things Tate does not understand). Now, somewhere along the line Kubiak removed him from the passing game and I cannot fighure it out to this day, but before that he was the most complete and multi-talented RB in the league.

There are a handful of great goalline runners, a handful of great receiving/pass blocking backs, and a handful of true break away/long TD threats at RB. Those are the unique talents at RB that you cannot get from the guy off the street who does 95% of the same work on 1st and 2nd down between the 20s. I am not sure anyone has combined those elements better than Foster in the last 20 years. Tomlinson is probably the only other similar guy.

I am not sure that Foster is still around today due to overuse and health, but I hope he doesn't carry the ball again this year and is fresher than he's been in years next year so we can find out. I would start his offseason today and not delay on any rehab/surgical option. And then next year is essentially a contract year for him since he is cut with little pain after 2014.

[HPF Bob]

Originally Posted by chuck

This means that the offense was not diverse.

But the issue wasn't whether they were in the red zone. The issue was down and distance. They were unimaginative in third (or fourth) and 1-2 situations *anywhere* on the field, not just the red zone. In third (or fourth) and 4-6, they threw a pass in the flat and expected the receiver to run for the extra amount needed for a first down instead of throwing to somebody beyond the sticks. Again, it wasn't a red zone issue. It was a down-and-distance issue.