Most football fans who have been around for some time know the name Arian Foster. Back in the early-to-mid 2010s, he was one of the best running backs in football. A true underdog story who came into the NFL undrafted with the Houston Texans and morphed into an All-Pro. His run from 2010 to 2012 was one of the best seen in a long time as he topped 1,400 yards rushing twice and had 47 total touchdowns.
Unfortunately, all of that success came at a cost. Foster was the focal point of the Texans’ offense during that era so he got fed the football a lot. This led to a ton of hits on his body. He had 351 carries in 2012 alone and that sort of workload is going to catch up to a player eventually. Foster remembers vividly when the wear and tear really began to set in.
It took place after a game against the Chicago Bears.
Fans probably have vivid memories of this one. It was at Soldier Field and the city was in the midst of being slammed by a rainstorm. So the field was positively soaked. Getting any sort of traction on offense was proving a challenge. Thus it turned into a defensive slugfest. Foster ended up touching the football 34 times that night and scored the only touchdown of the game. Houston prevailed 13-6, but it came at a cost. Foster explained on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
It’s interesting that Foster started reaching his realization about the cost of football around that point. While he did finish the season without any major issues, that proved to be the start of his decline. He never played a full season again in his career.
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Arian Foster met a great defense that day
It isn’t a huge surprise that Foster paid a price that night. He was going against arguably the best front seven in the NFL that year. So much talent everywhere. Julius Peppers, Henry Melton, Brian Urlacher, and Lance Briggs were all current or eventual Pro Bowlers. This isn’t even counting safety Major Wright who could lay the wood from time to time as well. It was a physical defense.
They actually held Foster in check most of the game, allowing just 3.52 yards per carry. Unfortunately, one bad series in the first half that saw back-to-back runs of 21 and 25 yards, the second by Foster, allowed Houston to score the only touchdown of the game. The Bears offense was unable to respond, thanks in large part to a dirty hit on Jay Cutler that knocked him out of the game.
It was another outstanding defensive performance wasted.
Arian Foster certainly hasn’t forgotten though. His story serves as a reminder of how rough the sports of football can be. Especially for running backs. This is why teams tend to shy away from having featured backs anymore. They prefer committee approaches with the focus being on the offensive line. Hopefully, stories like his won’t be as rough to listen to in the future. Then again, football has been and always will be a violent sport.
To paraphrase a common saying among professional wrestlers? It ain’t ballet.
