WTF is going on with Foster?

[TexanSam]

Originally Posted by Texecutioner

Foster is currently 6th in the league in rushing, but he is only 118 yards away from being 1st in yards.

He leads the league in rushing TD's.

I'm not seeing this whole "Foster is slowing down" thing. He is at the top of the league in all important stats for a RB other then YPC. I have felt like Kubes has run him way to much in a lot of games considering all of our other guys being available. Forsett has been more then capable of gaining yards.

1st in yards? I'm confused. Adrian Peterson leads the league in rushing yards by a huge margin so it can't be that.

I agree for the most part, but his low YPC has to be a concern. He's still done well all things considered but it's obvious he's not playing as well as last year. Hopefully that's due to the O-line not playing as well and not him slacking after the big contract, but who knows.

[Luv_ya_blue]

Didn't read the entire thread...

One of the biggest problems that I see with Arian this season is that he can't seem to be able to stay on his feet. No, I don't mean because he's being tackled. I see the guy trip, slip and fall AT LEAST 3 times a game in every single stadium that we play at. Don't know if it's cleats, balance, too much tape, or what--but it seems like every time he really cuts hard he looses his footing.

Thoughts?

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by TexanSam

1st in yards? I'm confused. Adrian Peterson leads the league in rushing yards by a huge margin so it can't be that.

He's 6th overall, 2nd in the AFC behind Jamal Charles. I think that's what he meant.

[GP]

The guy had some problems in college, too, which along with his hamstring injury had people not on his bandwagon come draft day.

Maybe the guy is just an over-thinker. Seems to be a knowledgable enough guy, openly admits he's into learning new things and being proactive with life, especially the whole diet thing.

So for me, I do wonder if maybe he is over-thinking things. You don't want your players to be total meat heads (no pun intended), but you don't want your players trying to be overly nuanced "outside the box" type people either.

Brian Cushing and JJ Watt really are the types of guys you need on your team. They eat, sleep, and breathe football. They will obviously have other interests, but when I look at guys like Foster and Barwin...I sense that football is not exactly the top priority in life.

Look, I am NOT saying these two guys are as bad as Okoye or Carr who obviously were really bad pros at their jobs. I just wanted to say that Foster, to me, looks like the "I've arrived" type of player this year. I don't think it's the money, either. It's the idea that he now knows he belongs, he's been validated. Where do you go from there? You might try to make sure you stay healthy and in each game, so that's something to consider.

His cuts, as mentioned by another poster in this thread recently, seem very exaggerated this year. Like he's literally LEAPING. I think he's trying to hang into the lane way too long and is trying to make way too big or way too dramatic of a cut, in order to get to the cutback lane. I wonder if he's just trying to push himself TOO hard, trying to make the GREATEST cuts of all time (no offense to Taylor Swift, your cuts are good too - Kanye West).

Overall, I just don't see him having the critical, game-changing moments he had in 2011. He had moments in 2011 where he literally pulled our asses out of the fire in a lot of games. The huge sideline run, IIRC, was a game changing moment in one of the divisional games that seriously was the difference maker in that game. So while he has had decent yardage, his "big moments", IMO, are a lot less this year than last year.

[Vinny]

maybe his favorite player as a kid was Franco Harris?

[GP]

Sigh, I need to really clarify that I don't think Arian Foster is a slacker, nor do I think he is a bad pro.

I think the guy is solid.

I just cannot put my finger on why this year feels so opposite of what he looked like in 2011. For me, the "big moment" factor is what is missing in 2012 that he had performed a lot in 2011. And frankly, those things are not scripted...so those moments happen or they don't. It's sports.

[GP]

Another note: I guess we could go back to the days of Tony Hollings and Wali Lundy and stuff.

Nah, I think Arian Foster will do just fine!

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by Vinny

maybe his favorite player as a kid was Franco Harris?

Did you see that play where Tate was stumped in the backfield, he bounced off the intial contact, then broke another tackle in the back field, then stiff armed another defender to get to the corner, & actually made a positive play.

That was more Franco Harris than anything I've seen Foster do this year

I may be completely wrong & this may be more emotions talking than anything, but that 12 yard run by Foster to start the game & the 15 yard run he followed with, I just think those would have went for scores with Ben Tate carrying the rock.

[El Tejano]

Originally Posted by wolf123

Has not been running very hard. Looks to run out of bounds at the first sign of contact.

Yep. I used to say I wanted him to stay in to keep the clock running but now I see him not looking to the middle of the field at all like Tate does.

[CretorFrigg]

Originally Posted by Vinny

maybe his favorite player as a kid was Franco Harris?

Who?

[GP]

Originally Posted by El Tejano

Yep. I used to say I wanted him to stay in to keep the clock running but now I see him not looking to the middle of the field at all like Tate does.

The past few games, he looks like he's got Steve Slaton syndrome: Find the pile and run right up the middle of it, Sanchez style.

[VTexan]

He needs more rest. The last two years he would get two series then tate would be in for a series. This year he has not had that luxury and we are now going into week 15.

[Vinny]

I'm too old to post when nobody gets my Franco Harris reference.

[Double Barrel]

Originally Posted by Vinny

I'm too old to post when nobody gets my Franco Harris reference.

Speaking of which, the NFLN's series "A Football Life" is doing one on the Immaculate Reception reception next week.

These young whippersnappers are confused about your reference.

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by Double Barrel

Speaking of which, the NFLN's series "A Football Life" is doing one on the Immaculate Reception reception next week.

These young whippersnappers are confused about your reference.

nice. Just for some reference on my post - the one thing that really got on all old Oiler fans nerves was Franco Harris running out of bounds over and over and over.

[Double Barrel]

Originally Posted by Vinny

nice. Just for some reference on my post - the one thing that really got on all old Oiler fans nerves was Franco Harris running out of bounds over and over and over.

John McClain was talking about that in the off-season (the one thing he's good at is nostalgia).

He said Steelers fans have always loved Earl Campbell because he ran "like a Steeler". They always criticized Franco because he ran out of bounds (Tony Dorsett used to face the same criticism, iirc).

But like McClain pointed out, this habit of running out of bounds added years to Franco's career, and those massive hits obviously took their toll on Earl. He said in a conversation with Earl not long ago, Earl said he should have ran like Franco to preserve his body some and lengthen his career.

I think it's playing smart. Unless you need that extra yard, save yourself to fight another battle.

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by Double Barrel

I think it's playing smart. Unless you need that extra yard, save yourself to fight another battle.

Especially if you've got the first down & no chance of a TD.

[76Texan]

Originally Posted by Lucky

The biggest difference in the 2012 from the 2011 Foster is his impact as a receiver. Foster is averaging only 13.5 receiving yards/game, as opposed to 47.5 last season. I don't know if that's due to Arian staying in to block more. But going from a 11.2 yards/catch to 5.1 is noticeable.

I need to dig more into that, but at the moment this much I can tell.

With AJ out for a big portion last year, and the fact that we eased him back in getting ready for the play-offs, we shift some of the load to Foster.

Actually, Foster was targeted just 1. Something more per game last year.
Overall, his number of total involvements has increased this year.

As far as why his receiving yards were so much higher last year, I need to study some more.

I only looked at one game so far, against the Raiders.
He had 4 catches, I think (I don't have my note here with me).
A 60 yd catch and run with nobody really touching him until toward the end of the play. A 22-23 ydr and a couple in the teens also went the same way.

Basically, it was just poor coverage by the Raiders.

Not only that, Foster was nursing a hamstring at that early stage of the season.

There's nothing to suggest that he could have been more explosive or stronger than he is right now.

He even got rolled over by the ankle on one play early in the first quarter.

Everything seems to indicate "coincidence" due to poor coverage and not anything related to him being a Vegeterian or slowing down or that he's not as strong such that he can't break tackle as efficiently as he did last year.

[76Texan]

Originally Posted by GP

Sigh, I need to really clarify that I don't think Arian Foster is a slacker, nor do I think he is a bad pro.

I think the guy is solid.

I just cannot put my finger on why this year feels so opposite of what he looked like in 2011. For me, the "big moment" factor is what is missing in 2012 that he had performed a lot in 2011. And frankly, those things are not scripted...so those moments happen or they don't. It's sports.

One thing I know is that a few ex-coaches (Gruden, Billick) talked about Foster as a patient runner.

He's learned as the years move along to press the heels of his blockers to set up the block before he makes the cut.

When you do this, and the block gets blown up, there's not much room to go.
In the long term, it should pay off; only if he gets the same blocking he received last year.

We don't have the same continuity of the 6 guys we had last year (including Dreessen).

Wade Smith has been playing hurt basically from the start.
Caldwell was also hurt most of the time.
And we have a carousel at RG and RT.

The numbers with Forsett and Tate are of a small sample size.
Nothing is definitive there; only I know that "coincidentally" they've been getting better blocking and they are not used anywhere as often in "tough situations".

[Tailgate]

I am really starting to wonder when Tate is going to start shouldering some of the load again like he did last year. Foster and Tate were great together last year and provided the defense to gameplan for both. I loved it when we pitched the ball out to Tate wide for 7 yards each time.