Oct 13, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans running back Arian Foster (23) rushes past St. Louis Rams defensive end William Hayes (95) during the second half at Reliant Stadium. The Rams won 38-13. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports
(Throughout the month of July, the Toro Times will profile players on the offense and defense of the Houston Texans as training camp nears).
My main concern with Houston Texans starting running back Arian Foster for the 2014 season isn’t if he can still produce when he is healthy, because when healthy he can be and is still is a Top 10 running back in the NFL.
What worries me is following a season of injuries, including offseason back surgery, is how well he’ll hold up this season as he lasted just eight games last season.
Foster has played in 59 games the past five seasons, with 51 of those being starts. In that span, he rushed for 5,063 yards and 45 touchdowns. In four of those seasons, he was a full-time starter.
Last season, Foster started just eight games, missing the final eight games of the season with an injury. He finished with his lowest numbers since becoming the Texans’ starting RB with 542 yards and one TD.
His best two games last season came in Weeks 4 and 5. In Week 4, he rushed for 102 yards on 27 carries against the Seattle Seahawks, and in Week 5, he had 98 yards against the San Francisco 49ers.
Foster proved last season he can still produce good numbers against good teams as the Seahawks eventually went on to win the Super Bowl and the 49ers were in the NFC Championship game against the Seahawks.
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In 2010, he had his best season with 1,616 yards and 16 TDs.
Foster is a mystery to me. Sometimes when I watch him I question if he’s still the same RB from a few years ago, but when I look back on how he can still produce good stats, I realize he’s still one of the better RBs in the game.
I believe Foster in undervalued in the NFL, but I still have to question his health. I’ll just say this … if Foster stays healthy this season, he’ll be a Top 5 RB in the NFL. But that surgically repaired back, along with his hamstring injuries, worry me the most about this upcoming season.
Thoughts?