Despite playing less frequently and assuming fewer responsibilities outside of running than Foster, Blue finished 43rd out of those 43 backs:. Finishing last in DVOA is bad, but even that might undersell the gap between how these two backs performed last year.
I went through every team since , 3 identified their primary starter and backup by rushing attempts, and compared the difference in yards per carry between the two. There are a couple of cases here where a nominal backup got hot and took over for an ineffective or injured starter like Larry Johnson in Kansas City in , but Blue clearly ranks among the most ineffective backups in recent memory.
He averaged 4. When watching Blue on tape, I saw a back who was indecisive with his cuts, got caught up in the trash at the line of scrimmage too frequently, and lacked the sort of sudden agility needed to make tacklers miss at the NFL level. NFL backs have to be able to make inside linebackers miss there. And here, against the Bengals, it looks like the Texans create a running lane immediately on a stretch play, but Blue gets too choosy about his hole and fruitlessly bounces the play outside for no gain:.
And he was 38th out of 43 in terms of yards after contact per run. Foster, meanwhile, was 11th in yards before contact per run and seventh afterward. A more logical spot for the Texans might be taking a shot on Ahmad Bradshaw or Knowshon Moreno, each of whom have been more productive than Thomas in recent years, but who are also coming off season-shortening injuries.
Foster will likely finish with just two game seasons to his name in seven years, having missed 14 games over the past four seasons with hamstring, groin, and back injuries. The Foster extension has to go down as a whiff by general manager Rick Smith. As I wrote when the deal was signed in , it seemed like a curious decision for a number of reasons.
A team could have tried to snatch Foster away with an offer sheet, but assuming that the Texans were going to tender Foster at the highest level, they would have received a first-round pick for the privilege, which would have been an exceptional return for a running back who was about to make big money.
The other issue was that the Texans were using a zone-blocking scheme that had thrust a generation of unheralded backs into stardom, notably Terrell Davis and Mike Anderson in Denver before Foster, an undrafted free agent, struck gold in Houston. If there was ever a situation where a team could point to the past as proof it could get by without paying a successful running back, it was in Houston. The Texans had Ben Tate 5 onboard as a promising back at the time, and if Tate failed to pan out as was the case , they could have cycled through their various options and stumbled on the next Steve Slaton or Domanick Williams, if not the next Foster, all at a fraction of the cost.
We can look back and realize what the opportunity cost of signing Foster was for the badly cap-strapped Texans. Houston lost star pass-rusher Mario Williams that offseason to the Bills in free agency but added J. According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle , Foster received injections in his back as recently as the first week of the preseason. The back pain has since traveled to his legs, which could possibly keep him out for the start of the regular season.
The fifth-year running back hasn't practiced since the first day of OTAs in May, when he hurt his calf. Although the Texans were originally hopeful Foster would be ready to practice sometime this week, Kubiak said his rehab process is "going to take some time for him to get through. The Texans could certainly survive without Foster for an early stretch this season, thanks in large part to the quality of Tate as the top backup. After missing his entire rookie season with a broken ankle, Tate has rattled off a two-year stretch behind Foster that has no equal in terms of No.
Since , Tate has rushed times for 1, yards 5. No other running back with fewer than five starts during that time period has provided anything close, per Pro Football Reference :. In his two NFL starts, which both came in , Tate rushed for yards Overall, he rushed for yards, or more than 60 a game, during the season before totaling only in a reduced role last year. According to Pro Football Focus subscription required , Tate was third among running backs in average yards after contact 3.
Knows it inside and out, can catch it, can run it, can do anything we need him to do, as well as contribute on special teams. We have a lot of confidence in him and his role. Has worked really hard, contributed on special teams and has got a bunch of reps this week as well. We feel like we're in good hands if those guys need to go in the game. As a whole, Edmonds expressed confidence in each of the young depth options the Cardinals have in the running back room.
Having known Foster for longer than the two rookies, considering their roommate status at training camp in Edmonds' rookie season in , the bond the two have developed has instilled major confidence. I really got to pick D. He's a fine pro. As for the younger guys, Edmonds said he is utilizing what he has learned over the course of his two full NFL seasons to alleviate potential concerns about lack of reps.
He said he can relate to the situation both are in, playing behind guys with set roles, and motivates the rookies to focus on their job and not beyond. I was there my rookie year where I was technically the backup running back, but with David Johnson I just really wasn't getting that many snaps. Seeing those guys really just trying to work on the routes or something that they think that is a little bit of the weakness of their game, they're getting a whole lot better week in and week out.
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