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Arian Foster has full-page pic in todays Wall Street Journal

I

IDEXAN

Hall of Fame
Contributor's Club
This time every year, in the whirlpool-and-icepack days that follow the NFL's opening week, there's one thought that crosses the minds of millions of fans. It's a thought that consists of three distinct questions, which are usually asked in order.

The first: "Who is that guy?" The second: "Why isn't he on my fantasy team?" And the third: "Do the league's draftniks have any idea what they're doing?"
This year's source of bewilderment is running back Arian Foster of the Houston Texans. As an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee, Mr. Foster ran for a forehead-slapping 231 yards and scored three touchdowns Sunday to bring the Texans a 34-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. The only player who has topped this mark in the first week of the season is Hall-of-Famer O.J. Simpson, who had 250 yards for the Buffalo Bills in their opening game in 1973.
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It's too early to anoint the guy as the NFL's next big thing, of course. While he impressed scouts with his intelligence and patience, his performance may have had more to do with the ability of the Texans' offensive line to blast huge holes in the Colts' suspect run defense. On 13 of Mr. Foster's carries for at least five yards Sunday he was untouched until getting tackled.

But if it's scrappiness, doggedness, a colorful personality and some real underdog bondafides that you like in your first-week phenomenons, Mr. Foster has all you need. There's the mysterious New-Age first name: His father, Carl, says it's short for Aquarian, refering to the water bearer bringing in the Age of Aquarius that, he says, "we're living in." There's a tattoo on his arm that reads: "Against All Odds." He has an obsession with writing poetry about the moon and the stars and he recently named his one-year-old daughter Zeniah Egypt, a consequence of a fascination with ancient Egyptian culture he says he developed from watching the Discovery Channel.

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...2307803304.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_6
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Yea they cover things besides finance and economics in the WSJ, including
sports. Anyway I'm sure most of you don't have a hard-copy/print sub of the Journal like I do, so you can't enjoy this huge picture of our guy in this
global publication. It's back in their Personal Journal Section, page D2. But I've copied/pasted some of the story.
Congrats to Arian for making it to the Big-Time ! And it's sure sweet for him and the Texans to get some well deserved recognition.
 
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Seems to me that Arian Foster fits Houston fans. He's an underdog that has made it to the top because of his lunch pale work ethic. That seems to fit Houston fans. Pre Madonna's like Tracy McGrady, David Carr, Charles Barkley etc.... don't ever really fit in here. Just look at our greats...
Hakeem - Didn't play ball until his senior year in highschool had to drive to UofH and try out. The most humble bball player you'd ever meet but he was a warrior on the court.
Earl Campbell - Grew up in a raggedy shed of a house in Tyler Texas. Never a "look at me" kind of player. Scored tons of TDs over many yards and all he did was just hand over the ball when he scored.
Nolan Ryan - Don't really know much about him except that when a player tried to charge the mound he took the boy behind the woodshed. One of those good ol' boy guys that we Houston fans love.
Andre Johnson- The scariest, quietest WR you will ever see in this era of the NFL. Also probably does the most charities of all the players. Known as the hardest worker in practice on the whole team.

Arian Foster - Team that recruited him wasn't even trying to scout him but the QB on his team. However, his play stood out more. Then when they do get him in their school, the coach all but vows to keep Foster off the field but his play forces them to play him. He's the man his junior year and then gets an injury his senior year that keeps him from being drafted. He signs with us but only makes the practice squad. He ends up having to be the starter due to injuries and Slaton having a sophmore slump. Dominates in the games he plays, and basically hasn't looked back at giving up the starting RB spot. He's perfect for us.
 
Dang, beat me to it, I logged on to link to that. I thought it was a good article, "fair and balanced", and great national pub.

One interesting thing I noticed is that the writer mentioned Foster was known for his great vision as a runner even as far back as high school. And his old coach at Tennessee mentioned his cutting ability. Vision + cutting ability + good zone blocking = big fun for Texans fans.
 
I'm perfectly happy with Arian Nation. In fact, that is the name of my fantasy football team. If it offends people, they need to grow a pair IMO. I mean my avatar is a freakin picture of a black guy (Arian Foster) as the leader of the Arian Nation.
 
I was in Denver for Terrell Davis's career, and the thing that made him the running back that he was for Denver was his outstanding vision. Terrell didn't usually outrun people, but he was super fast to the hole and explosive hitting it. I'm seeing some of the same thing in Arian, although it's obviously way too early to anoint him the next Terrell. No doubt though that he's looking exactly like the type of running back this scheme needs.
 
Growing up in Albuquerque, N.M., Mr. Foster said he always wanted to play in the NFL. "I don't spend any energy on plan B," he said. For years, he said he carried a football with him everywhere he went at the suggestion of his dad, a former wide receiver at New Mexico. When his parents divorced midway through high school, Mr. Foster moved with his father to San Diego, where he quickly became known as strong, fast tailback with exceptional vision. Former Mission Bay High School coach Dennis Pugh recalls him being a "freak" who could "change speeds better than anyone we've ever had here."

Still, his college recruitment was virtually an accident. Tennessee's offensive coordinator at the time, Randy Sanders, came to a Mission Bay playoff game to scout a quarterback, but found himself more taken with the size, speed and strength of Mr. Foster, then a junior.

Recruiting him wasn't easy: since his parents lived in different states and NCAA rules mandated that a coach could only visit with a prospect and his family in one calendar day, Tennessee's then-coach Trooper Taylor had to visit with Mr. Foster's mother in New Mexico just after midnight and then fly to California to see his father that same morning. Making matters more difficult, when UT coaches called Mr. Foster during the recruiting process, the prankster would pretend as a joke that he'd never heard of Arian Foster to make them think they had the wrong number.
In 2005, his freshman year at Tennessee, his future was still in doubt: Coach Taylor told reporters at the time that he "wouldn't consider playing him unless absolute disaster struck."

After months of determined work and many rounds of what UT coaches named the "Foster Drill"—an exercise designed to get him to run lower and keep the ball closer to his body—the beleaguered backup got his chance to start midway through the 2005 season. His junior year he was rated as a second-round prospect by the NFL draft advisory board, so he opted to stay for his senior year in hopes of becoming a first-round pick.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...2307803304.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_6
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I'm going to post the whole story since many don't have access to this website and it's an excellent, but very lengthy piece. I found out a lot new about Arian.
 
Heading into his senior year in 2008, Mr. Foster looked like a lock to break the school's career rushing record, held by Travis Henry. He was only 684 yards away. But he suffered a nagging quadriceps injury that season that had far-reaching effects: The Volunteers—10-4 the year before-- went 5-7. Phillip Fulmer was replaced as coach, Mr. Foster fell 114 yards short of the record and he went from a potential second-round pick to being passed over in the draft entirely.

"It was really unfortunate that he had the injury his senior year," says Mr. Fulmer, now a CBS college-football analyst. "That whole year was tough on a lot of folks. But he's got the size and the great cutting ability, and he's got an opportunity now."

During the seventh round of the draft, the New York Jets and Giants called to express interest, but didn't draft him. He decided to try out for the Houston Texans. "Not to down play anyone on the Texans but I felt like I could compete with anyone on roster," says Mr. Foster, who signed with Houston in May 2009 but initially only made the practice squad.

Texans running backs coach Chick Harris once placed two laminated pictures next to Mr. Foster's seat in the running backs' meeting room: one of running back Ryan Moats carrying the ball with perfect form during a game last season—the other of Mr. Foster holding the ball too far away from his body during a run.

This summer Mr. Foster blossomed, rushing for 110 yards and a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys last month before Sunday's heroics.

While prolific starters like Mr. Foster make at least one Pro Bowl in their careers 85% of the time, such starts don't always lead to greatness. Running back Chris Brown started 2007 by rushing for 175 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars and didn't top 60 yards again in any game for the rest of his short-lived career. Quentin Griffin started 2004 with 156 rushing yards against the Kansas City Chiefs, but didn't combine to match that total in the rest of his games that year and hasn't played in the league since.

Mr. Foster says he's not letting all the attention go to his head yet. "You can't win a Super Bowl in a game," he says.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...2307803304.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_6
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Finally that's the last of the article.
 
He has fought an injury bug throughout his career that's why. If he can stay healthy & this line continues to open holes for him he could be Terrell Davis II. Terrell Davis was drafted but not until the 6th rd. why? because Davis had a reputation for being injury-prone & this does hurt a players rating in the NFL draft. The similaties are in place, Terrell was like a shooting star as Arian displayed week one lets just hope he can stay healthy & have a similar path with the Texans less the shortened career (four years, torn anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament) its a concern that comes with the territory.
 
If this line and arian stay healthy, he could do a lot of damage this year with teams being afraid of the pass (how could u not be with OD, Dre, Schaub, JJ, Walter) leaving holes for Arian to find. Man this could be a special season for the Texans IF and i mean IF they can stay healthy
 
beerlover said:
He has fought an injury bug throughout his career that's why. If he can stay healthy & this line continues to open holes for him he could be Terrell Davis II. Terrell Davis was drafted but not until the 6th rd. why? because Davis had a reputation for being injury-prone & this does hurt a players rating in the NFL draft. The similaties are in place, Terrell was like a shooting star as Arian displayed week one lets just hope he can stay healthy & have a similar path with the Texans less the shortened career (four years, torn anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament) its a concern that comes with the territory.
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If Foster can gives us four years like TD including the championships I'll take four years.
 
texans90 said:
How about Arian the Barbarian???
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Too much of a ripoff of the Dallas RB Marion Barber's nickname. I'm sure either Vandermeer or some jackoff playcaller will give him a nickname if he keeps putting up good numbers this year. I don't think it'll be Arian Nation either.
 
thunderkyss said:
I just can't get behind that. I know it sounds cool and all, but I think it would be like adopting the swastika as a logo.

Maybe vie got a small mind, but it is what it is.
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Let's be pragmatic about it: the only reason it is "catchy" is because of the familiarity of the name 'Aryan Nation'. It's not like this fanbase puts "nation" behind every player's name and this one just happens to be similar to that racist group.

I'm not offended by it, but in reality, if it catches on, I have absolutely no doubt that a stink will [eventually] be made from it and the national media will be pointing at H-town fans as a bunch of rednecks. I can see it coming from mile away.

Folks are free to do what they please, and I'm certainly not going to chastise them for it. But, just remember my prediction if it catches on. This country is way to PC-sensitive right now to let this one slide. JMO
 
El Tejano said:
Seems to me that Arian Foster fits Houston fans. He's an underdog that has made it to the top because of his lunch pale work ethic. That seems to fit Houston fans. Pre Madonna's like Tracy McGrady, David Carr, Charles Barkley etc.... don't ever really fit in here. Just look at our greats...
Hakeem - Didn't play ball until his senior year in highschool had to drive to UofH and try out. The most humble bball player you'd ever meet but he was a warrior on the court.
Earl Campbell - Grew up in a raggedy shed of a house in Tyler Texas. Never a "look at me" kind of player. Scored tons of TDs over many yards and all he did was just hand over the ball when he scored.
Nolan Ryan - Don't really know much about him except that when a player tried to charge the mound he took the boy behind the woodshed. One of those good ol' boy guys that we Houston fans love.
Andre Johnson- The scariest, quietest WR you will ever see in this era of the NFL. Also probably does the most charities of all the players. Known as the hardest worker in practice on the whole team.

Arian Foster - Team that recruited him wasn't even trying to scout him but the QB on his team. However, his play stood out more. Then when they do get him in their school, the coach all but vows to keep Foster off the field but his play forces them to play him. He's the man his junior year and then gets an injury his senior year that keeps him from being drafted. He signs with us but only makes the practice squad. He ends up having to be the starter due to injuries and Slaton having a sophmore slump. Dominates in the games he plays, and basically hasn't looked back at giving up the starting RB spot. He's perfect for us.
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Throw out Nolan, I know people love him and what he did in an Astros uniform(before my time) but he is clearly a Texas Rangers 1st and foremost.

Biggio and Bagwell represent the Astros and Houston.

On a side note, Sir Charles will always be one of my all time favorite Rockets.
 
"zOMG Houston fans are such raaaaaacists! Rednecks and backwards!"

....is what we'll all hear.

It's a stupid nickname to have. Really stupid.
 
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