Can we talk about the big fat elephant in the room for a second...

[GP]

Arian Foster. I got sucked into thinking that his vegan food diet wouldn't be a problem. My instincts told me it would be a problem, but I ignored it and decided that he would have the funds and the connections, and the smarts, to find ways to compensate and stay that same explosive self that he's always been.

But, unfortunately, I don't see the same Foster this year. And don't toss out how the right side of the line is worse. He's not hitting his cutbacks as quickly, he's not bursting through the gaps like he did last year, and he is a liability on short distances on 3rd downs. He just doesn't appear to be the same.

Now, granted, he still is getting TDs. He's still getting 80 to 100 yards every game. He looks like he's 90%, which is still really good. But nobody can sit here with a straight face and say he looks JUST like the guy he has been the past few years.

I'm still a fan, and I know somebody is going to quote me and take me out of context on it. But for those who have comprehension skills, you can see that I'm only saying that he doesn't look the same. Still a fan, not hating, thinking that he's at 90% of his old self, but he could be better if he'd drop the vegan stuff.

[Premier]

cj racked up a ton of yards but didnt go anywhere..

[BlueSteel]

Originally Posted by GP

Arian Foster. I got sucked into thinking that his vegan food diet wouldn't be a problem. My instincts told me it would be a problem, but I ignored it and decided that he would have the funds and the connections, and the smarts, to find ways to compensate and stay that same explosive self that he's always been.

But, unfortunately, I don't see the same Foster this year. And don't toss out how the right side of the line is worse. He's not hitting his cutbacks as quickly, he's not bursting through the gaps like he did last year, and he is a liability on short distances on 3rd downs. He just doesn't appear to be the same.

Now, granted, he still is getting TDs. He's still getting 80 to 100 yards every game. He looks like he's 90%, which is still really good. But nobody can sit here with a straight face and say he looks JUST like the guy he has been the past few years.

I'm still a fan, and I know somebody is going to quote me and take me out of context on it. But for those who have comprehension skills, you can see that I'm only saying that he doesn't look the same. Still a fan, not hating, thinking that he's at 90% of his old self, but he could be better if he'd drop the vegan stuff.

I actually think you were closer to the truth when you mentioned the changes on the O-line. Arian is not getting the same holes to hit that allow him to get to the second level and make people miss. We are seeing Foster slow through the line due to poor blocking and at times it looks like the entire line gets stuffed.

On the runs where Foster got to the second level on touched he danced and made people miss just like last year. Winston was huge in run blocking and he is missed in that regard.

Diet... It is just fuel for the body like Foster said. He is still taking in all his carbs, proteins, etc. he is just not eating for entertainment like most people in the States do now days.

[TexanSam]

Originally Posted by GP

Arian Foster. I got sucked into thinking that his vegan food diet wouldn't be a problem. My instincts told me it would be a problem, but I ignored it and decided that he would have the funds and the connections, and the smarts, to find ways to compensate and stay that same explosive self that he's always been.

But, unfortunately, I don't see the same Foster this year. And don't toss out how the right side of the line is worse. He's not hitting his cutbacks as quickly, he's not bursting through the gaps like he did last year, and he is a liability on short distances on 3rd downs. He just doesn't appear to be the same.

Now, granted, he still is getting TDs. He's still getting 80 to 100 yards every game. He looks like he's 90%, which is still really good. But nobody can sit here with a straight face and say he looks JUST like the guy he has been the past few years.

I'm still a fan, and I know somebody is going to quote me and take me out of context on it. But for those who have comprehension skills, you can see that I'm only saying that he doesn't look the same. Still a fan, not hating, thinking that he's at 90% of his old self, but he could be better if he'd drop the vegan stuff.

I doubt the vegan diet has anything to do with it. Ben Tate isn't quite as explosive, IMO, as he was last year. I do think the changes in the offensive line are a major reason why the running game is suffering. Teams still have to respect it, but it's not operating at the level it was the last two seasons. But we're 4-0 and as the season goes on I think the running game will figure itself out.

[BullNation4Life]

Originally Posted by Thorn

I'm more worried about OUR run game than the other guys.

OK let's talk about that as well, is it me, and it could be just me, but does it seem like Foster is going down way to easy on arm tackles this year? It seems like anybody hits him in the leg or swipes at him, he is going down.

last year it seemed he ran through allot of those arm tackles.

I know I may seem nit picking, and I am because they are playing that damn good right now. It maybe the artist in me noticing these little details.

Just seems different this year, Good, very, very good, just different...

[BullNation4Life]

Originally Posted by GP

Arian Foster. I got sucked into thinking that his vegan food diet wouldn't be a problem. My instincts told me it would be a problem, but I ignored it and decided that he would have the funds and the connections, and the smarts, to find ways to compensate and stay that same explosive self that he's always been.

But, unfortunately, I don't see the same Foster this year. And don't toss out how the right side of the line is worse. He's not hitting his cutbacks as quickly, he's not bursting through the gaps like he did last year, and he is a liability on short distances on 3rd downs. He just doesn't appear to be the same.

Now, granted, he still is getting TDs. He's still getting 80 to 100 yards every game. He looks like he's 90%, which is still really good. But nobody can sit here with a straight face and say he looks JUST like the guy he has been the past few years.

I'm still a fan, and I know somebody is going to quote me and take me out of context on it. But for those who have comprehension skills, you can see that I'm only saying that he doesn't look the same. Still a fan, not hating, thinking that he's at 90% of his old self, but he could be better if he'd drop the vegan stuff.

lol my bad, replied about the same thing before I read through. You are right about the fact Foster looks different. He doesn't look explosive like he has, he looks slow hitting the hole. He seems to go down with any arm tackle, where last year he ran right through them.

Something is different, weather it is diet, contract or whatever, but something is defiantly different...

[beerlover]

Originally Posted by BullNation4Life

OK let's talk about that as well, is it me, and it could be just me, but does it seem like Foster is going down way to easy on arm tackles this year? It seems like anybody hits him in the leg or swipes at him, he is going down.

last year it seemed he ran through allot of those arm tackles.

I know I may seem nit picking, and I am because they are playing that damn good right now. It maybe the artist in me noticing these little details.

Just seems different this year, Good, very, very good, just different...

Stopping the Texan run game has to be the #1 priority for any DC game plan to accompany with his OC picking @ the weakest part of Texan defense, stopping the run. It is very possible for instance against the Jets it will be a ground & pound game very low scoring affair?

[eriadoc]

Originally Posted by Texanmike02

If they were running the ball for 4 or 5 yards EVERY time then I would be worried.

Well, if you take the 4th quarter out of the equation, CJ averaged 5 yards a carry. He never had a huge breakout run, like you mention, so that pretty well means he actually was getting about that per run through the first three quarters.

That said, I think worry is too strong a word for this thread. We're just considering possible problems.

[Porky]

I'm concerned about the run on both sides of the ball. Right now, we've played a relatively easy schedule. Not horribly bad teams, but teams we certainly should beat sans Denver.

What happens against a team like Baltimore when you need to stop the run and be able to run and grind out a win against a physical team? Remains to be seen.

My two least favorite moves that the Texans made were Ryans and Winston. In neither case, was the player a FA. They may have been cap moves, but I truly think much of the problem is directly attributed to these losses. I'm concerned on both sides but certainly not panicking.

I know this is picking nits. This team has multiple ways to carve you up on offense, and on D JJ Watt is literally a one man wrecking crew... and the secondary is clearly the best we have ever had in the 10 years of this team, so all in all I still think they are a 12-14 win team given the 4-0 start....but to go all the way we need to get the running game in gear and be able to grind out close wins. It's almost like we need a couple of grind it out close games for some practice. Right now, nobody seems to be able to even challenge them.

[HJam72]

Working on how to misquote GP...

[Titans Sux 72]

Originally Posted by dream_team

I share the OP's concern. Even last season, if I had to pick a weakness of the Texans D, I would say they can be ran on up the middle. Now that Demeco is gone, they have gotten even worse. I even thinking Cushing is not playing as well as he did last season.

Our best defense against the run is actually our offense. Our offense has gotten into big leads so early, it has forced teams to abandon the run. In the Titans case, they didn't abandon it and ended up rushing over 100 yards.

I'm actually quite surprised we've been winning these games so easily. We haven't been running the ball all that well, and haven't been stopping the run all that well. Does that just show how good this team is? Not everything is clicking right now, but still dominating teams.

Very well said!
I don't think it is a HUGE problem but it could be shored up. Like some body said earlier you let Ray Rice get those lanes and it's ball game. I'm not freaking out about it but they just need to improve it. And I have confidence Son of Bum will.

[HJam72]

I don't think it's a big problem, but I do think it's a lack of size at a certain nose-tackle position.

As far as our run game, I can see several issues, like that right side I'm not supposed to talk about (which is actually MUCH improved in pass-blocking), but I don't see it being a problem with Foster. Some of it seems to be run-blocking; some of it is Tate--he's good sometimes and bad at others. Maybe Tate needs to be a Vegan.

Maybe Tate and Cody both need to be Vegans.

[Hervoyel]

Up until now we've seen the Texans do a lot of rotating on the right side. They're not happy with what they're getting and nor should they be but eventually they're going to settle into the best combination we have and the changes are going to "gel" (yes, that word we all hate to hear but know is coming). Things will get better as the year goes on. I genuinely believe that. We're 4 real games into the season and it's still a work in progress. Most teams are saying that about some aspect of their football team right now.

Stopping the run, that's a whole other can of worms

[Texanmike02]

Originally Posted by eriadoc

Well, if you take the 4th quarter out of the equation, CJ averaged 5 yards a carry. He never had a huge breakout run, like you mention, so that pretty well means he actually was getting about that per run through the first three quarters.

That said, I think worry is too strong a word for this thread. We're just considering possible problems.

Actually he did have a few "long" runs. I'm ok with that. If a guy averages 5 ypc by carring for -2 yards and 11 yards and -2 and 9 I'm ok with that. I woudl prefer that to 5 yards, 5 yads, 5 yards, 5 yards over and over. As an offense running the ball for negative yards is disrupting. It puts you in positions that you are in 2nd and 3rd and long. On one play he lost 7 yards. Weclcome to 2nd and 17. I would actually rather he get one or two long runs and average 5 ypc than average 4 ypc on all 4 yard runs.

Mike

[El Tejano]

There's a couple of things I feel are wrong along with the right side of the line.

A) When Ben Jones plays, Arian Foster gets better runs. Why can't we just start th guy?

B) I think we still miss Joel Dreesen in that aspect. Graham and Casey just don't run block like he did.

C) James Casey vs. a real FB. I think James Casey is a great player. I think he's a cool H Back who can be multi demensional. Foster doesn't need that. He needs a battering Ram FB. We don't have that.

[gtexan02]

Originally Posted by Porky

I'm concerned about the run on both sides of the ball. Right now, we've played a relatively easy schedule. Not horribly bad teams, but teams we certainly should beat sans Denver.

Just FYI:

Miami -
Offense
5th in rush yards per game at 153 (We gave up 79 yards)
6th in rush yards per attempt at 4.6 (We held them to 4.2)

Defense
1st in rush yards per game at 57 (We put up 83)
1st in rush yards per attempt at 2.4 (We gained at 2.7)

Jacksonville -
Offense
15th in rush yards per game at 108 (We gave up 65)
9th in rush yards per attempt at 4.4 (We held them to 4.6)

Defense
30th in rush yards per game at 150 (We put up 216)
20th in rush yards per attempt at 4.3 (We gained at 4.5)

Denver -
Offense
14th in rush yards per game at 109 (We gave up 56)
17th in rush yards per attempt at 3.9 (We held them to 2.8)

Defense
9th in rush yards per game at 87 (We gained 152)
7th in rush yards per attempt at 3.4 (We gained at 4.5)



So its not like we've played an easy schedule. And we've consistently been on the right side of the averages. Miami is in the top offense/defense combos for the run game. Denver is highly respectable as well. Tennessee was a disappointment but we won that game handily, so I dont' know how much it really tells us

[FirstTexansFan]

After the Texans removed Locker from the game, I believe the Titans were committed to the run to save Matt Hasselbeck from the same fate. The Texans defense was more than happy to let them run the ball with the big lead. They stopped them when it counted.

[gtexan02]

Originally Posted by FirstTexansFan

After the Texans removed Locker from the game, I believe the Titans were committed to the run to save Matt Hasselbeck from the same fate. The Texans defense was more than happy to let them run the ball with the big lead. They stopped them when it counted.

Thats an excellent point. Hassleback said as much during his postgame interview.

The Titans did NOT have a 3rd string QB. So he was not allowed to get injured. They had to run on certain passing downs just to have a QB at all. He said he felt stifled

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by Playoffs

Kubiak...

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/ar...4-e5c071f04e92

I was thinking pretty much the same thing. It sucks that we gave up so many yards on the ground, but they didn't get any points that counted out of it. It was pretty much garbage time all second half & they (the Titans) decided to treat it as a preseason game & not try to win.

We're most likely playing back, playing the pass. They're going to get some yards on the ground.

So in short, I don't think we can use this game to gauge our run defense. I understand the previous three games we didn't look good either, the score took away the running game.

& I really think that is more important than our run defense, the offense has to get off to a good start & build a lead. That's the best run defense any team can ask for.

By the way, we're 3rd in points allowed with teams 1 & 2 (Bears & Cowboys) playing tonight.

[HOU-TEX]

Originally Posted by BullNation4Life

OK let's talk about that as well, is it me, and it could be just me, but does it seem like Foster is going down way to easy on arm tackles this year? It seems like anybody hits him in the leg or swipes at him, he is going down.

last year it seemed he ran through allot of those arm tackles.

I know I may seem nit picking, and I am because they are playing that damn good right now. It maybe the artist in me noticing these little details.

Just seems different this year, Good, very, very good, just different...

I made a comment to the wife about this yesterday. I also noticed we weren't seeing the cutback lanes when they were there. The blocking hasn't been up to snuff, but there has been room to run on several occasions.