A time could come when Arian Foster assumes the workload he was known for during the past three seasons with the Houston Texans.
That time is not now. Texans coach Gary Kubiak said this week he'd like to give running backs Foster and Ben Tate a similar workload for the time being. The Texans are being careful with Foster, who missed most of the offseason and training camp because of calf and back injuries.
Foster expressed frustration on the sideline during Houston's Monday night win over the San Diego Chargers. He admitted Thursday it's not easy seeing his role minimized.
"They had a game plan going in about how much they wanted me to play and they were trying to ease me back into it, but my competitive nature, of course you want to be in," Foster said, via ESPN.com.
"It's getting to crunch time, it's the fourth quarter and you want to be out there. But this is kind of how it played out. In my opinion, you would be concerned with a player that's happy he's not in there in the last minutes of the game when the game is on the line."
Foster had 18 carries for 57 yards Monday, and Tate had nine rushes for 55 yards. Kubiak said he might want more balance than that Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
"That has to be OK with me," Foster said. "Like I said, we're chess pieces. Coach makes the final ruling. But as a competitor, I've been in this league, I felt that I've played well throughout my tenure here. You want to be out there. You feel like you've earned that right to be out there. That's just where the frustration comes from."
As we wrote Tuesday, less work isn't necessarily a bad thing for Foster, both for now and in the future. The days of 350-plus touches might be over, but Foster's versatility and nose for the end zone will keep him a vital part of the offense.
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