To expand on that thought, the Pats had the 9th best running attack in 2013 and they didn't have any RB's in the top 20 in yards.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Looking at what the Houston Texans might miss with Arian Foster injured <a href="http://t.co/zbdZmEB9PQ">http://t.co/zbdZmEB9PQ</a> <a href="http://t.co/cRWVJ9ptKa">pic.twitter.com/cRWVJ9ptKa</a></p>— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/628652658765746176">August 4, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I don't think you can change the offensive mentality too much even with losing a special talent like Foster. You pound Blue early, you roll with Grimes on passing downs, and you sprinkle in Polk for short-yardage.
That's true, but the Pats don't have the Texans defense. They need to score more to win. Also, we're just talking about 8 or so regular season games. Foster should be back to help end the season strong and make a playoff push.
I have Foster returning on November 16th, 2015 after the bye week with 8 games remaining . Can we go 6-2 without him? Yes. All we can do is remain optimistic. Injuries are a part of the game. We can't afford any more major injuries.
Cowboys believe their OLine is as much if not more responsible for their running success than Murray. They still averaged over 4 ypc when he wasn't in the game. Texans on the other hand averaged 3.1 ypc when Foster didn't have the ball. But there are a few reasons for hope. 1) Paul Dunn was an awful OLine coach. Mike Devlin is a lot better and I expect to see better OLine play this year. 2) Alfred Blue played his best when he got more carries. He averaged 4.3 ypc in the games he started.
Sure - but a terrible offense that can't keep possession of the ball is going to be a drag on the defense too. The two work in tandem - and if the offense is going 3&out a lot, then the defense is going to be on the field more and in worse field position. Foster has to be replaced on the *offensive* side - it can't just be to put more pressure on the defense. Throwing out a bunch of random backs and saying "oh they can cover for him" works a lot better when the QB is the focal point of the offense rather than the RB. It's no different than trying to replace the QB in a QB-centric offense.
I guess that is a positive. I don't think either can actually carry us to wins with no help so it wont show record-wise, but yeah, maybe someone rises to the top via reps. Losing Foster really is only a big deal this year. I wasn't expecting him to be around much longer. But right now I'm pretty sure the entire scheme was built around him. Built around Arian Foster - not necessarily built around the running game, but Foster specifically. Which is crazy for a player you probably cut loose next season.
Let's see, we play the Cheifs Panthers Bucs Falcons Colts Jags Dolphins Titans in the first 8, I think even without Foster, we beat the Titans, Jags, Falcons, and Bucs and probably the Chiefs who are missing a ton of players. If that's all we did, we'd be 5-3 when we got Arian back rounding the year off against Bengals Jets Saints Bills Patriots Colts Titans Jags I think conservatively we beat the Jags, Titans, and Jets and I give us a very good chance of beating the Saints (who aren't what they used to be) and Bills. That's 10 wins and a playoff spot without beating any legitimately good teams.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Since becoming a starter in 2010, the Texans are 2-13 without Arian Foster and 33-20 when he has at least one carry.</p>— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/SharpFootball/status/628629553179705345">August 4, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Spoiler Old times! This is an MRI of my hamstring, The white stuff surrounding the muscle is known in the medical world as anti-awesomeness. <a href="http://moby.to/zta9xp" target="_blank"><img src="http://b3.img.mobypicture.com/5780493af65815d4868f1a56d16d65e2_view.jpg" alt="Posted using Mobypicture.com" /></a>
