Texans vs. Chargers: Houston to use Foster, Tate rotation

Aug 25, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans running back Arian Foster (center) congratulates center Chris Myers (55) and running back Ben Tate (44) after a Texans touchdown against the New Orleans Saints at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Texans are one day away from kicking off their 2013 season, but there is still a tad bit of uncertainly with the running back situation, as head coach Gary Kubiak spoke about how he wants to rotate backs in the season opener.

Kubiak told the Houston media this weekend how he wants to rotate both Arian Foster and Ben Tate Monday night against the San Diego Chargers. The game will kickoff at 10:15 p.m. EST on ESPN.

“We’re going to rotate. First off, I think Arian’s conditioning is excellent. His practice this week has been just excellent. He’s a worker,” Kubiak said. “I’ve been impressed with how he’s held up, but obviously it’s early in the season.

“I don’t know how warm it’s going to be up there, but I think we’re smart in playing them both. Obviously, we’ll see how Arian holds up from that standpoint. I don’t think we’re looking at the majority load that we normally look at when he’s rolling. We’ll see how does, but he’s been good.”

Foster didn’t play a single snap in the preseason, and has only been cleared for practice for a handful of days.

Last season, Foster led the Texans in rushing with 1,424 yards on 351 carries. He averaged 4.1 yards per carry and had 15 touchdowns, so not having Foster in his usual amount of plays could be a cause for concern.

Tate played in 11 games in ’12 before being injured one season ago. He did have 65 carried for 279 yards and two touchdowns.

In limited time this preseason Tate had 15 carried for 86 yards, averaging 5.7 ypc. His longest run was for 39 yards and he scored one touchdown.