Houston Texans: The Good, Bad and Ugly – Running Backs
By Bob Dove
The Ugly – Never say “never”, but it is highly unlikely the running back position group can sustain enough injuries for underperformance to morph into worst case performance. The 2014 and 2015 Texans proved to have little depth behind Arian Foster, but the 2016 Texans can overcome an injury to their feature back.
Worst case play by the offensive line could make an underperforming running back position group appear to have regressed to The Ugly. If the line collapses running backs will spend more time attempting to protect Brock Osweiler. Defenses will deploy 8 and 9 players in the box clogging running lanes and penetrating deep into the offensive backfield creating the impression that running backs are part of the problem.
In my estimation The Ugly scenario applied exclusively to this position group is more theoretical than real. Losing Lamar Miller would hurt, but it would not be fatal. Failure of the running back position group is included in the likelihood and consequences of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, but don’t lose sleep over it…unless the offensive line makes it happen.
Next: What Are The Chances?