Are you scared to pay Foster?

[le14]

Originally Posted by Goatcheese

I can't get past the fact that this is the same plug and play Denver running attack that made Clinton Portis look like the best running back in football for a few years. He looked less than Hall of Fame in Washington.

I think Foster is a terrific talent and a great player, but a lot of what he does is thanks to a line filled with players who garnered All-Pro votes (Brown, Myers and Winston) and a proven system that pulls 1,000 yard 5 ypc rushers out of nowhere.

Without a doubt I offer him the top RFA tender this year, and if some fool wants to hand over a 1 and a 3 I take it and run unless the contract is favorable enough to make me bite.

Next year, if he's still a top guy, I offer him a fair, but certainly not CJ, contract.

For reference, his backup has rushed for a full ypc or more better than Foster the last two seasons behind the same line and the same scheme.

Foster 2010 4.9
Ward 2010 6.3
Foster 2011 4.4
Tate 2011 5.4

There's far more to running the ball then running the ball. Foster is a far better receiver out of the backfield and allows for a safety valve who can bust a big one at any time, and he has proved this. He has also been a far better blocker than Tate and Ward.

Pay the guy, he doesn't cause a bad environment, isn't an idiot (CJ1K), is a good teammate, and a good influence. He's a leader now and he shows it.

[HJam72]

Pay me and Foster.

[Say Watt]

Sure, I'm a little nervous. But shouldn't we be nervous just about anytime we sign a player to a big extension? I think you would be nuts to not be a little concerned anytime we spend a lot of money on one player.

One thing that gets me is so many of these anti-Foster guys (or anti-pay-Foster guys) is they were likely some of the first people to jump all over the Andre extension that made him the highest paid WR in football and were thrilled with it. Yet since then (and I think his newest contract was signed in 2010), he has played in a total of 20 games in two seasons and had just over 1,700 yards and 10 TDs in the same amount of time (roughly 850 yards and 5 TDs per season). Not bad numbers but certainly not top 5 WR numbers.

Now, obviously Dre has been hurt but if this continues (and I pray that it doesn't), his contract extension was a bad decision. The same could be said for Matt Schaub, a guy we gave up good draft picks to get and spent a large sum on the guy. Yet he has played in 11 games or less in 3 out of 5 seasons. Not exactly the best bargain.

So in summary, all I am saying is signing just about anyone to a big contact is scary. It doesn't matter how much of a sure thing you think the player is there is ALWAYS the possibility he could miss a significant amount of time due to injury or he could end up not playing as well as you hoped. But with that being said, that should never stop a football team from taking gambles on players that make your team better. And Arian Foster undoubtedly makes the Texans a better team.

Pay the man, Rick!

[burro]

I can't think of a scenario in which we don't pay Foster his due. Any sane GM would do so and I would expect Rick Smith to do the same. If it doesn't work out then 'such is life', but it's a risk you have to take.

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by burro

I can't think of a scenario in which we don't pay Foster his due. Any sane GM would do so and I would expect Rick Smith to do the same. If it doesn't work out then 'such is life', but it's a risk you have to take.

I don't know if it's a risk you have to take. But it is a risk worth taking.

Arian Foster is hands down our best player right now. Mad props to Andre... But he's on the downhill side of his career...

[Rey]

I'm not nervous at all. It's not my money and if he does flame out (which I don't think he will), I believe we'll overcome it.

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by Rey

I'm not nervous at all. It's not my money and if he does flame out (which I don't think he will), I believe we'll overcome it.

What's the point of dead money any way?

If the player is washed up, can't play, or doesn't want to play, I understand requiring the teams to carry that dead money.

But if a guy gets hurt, if team puts a player on IR, or reaches an injury settlement, why aren't the granted an exception from the cap?