Arian Foster eclipsed the 100-yard mark on the ground in Sunday's loss, and Gary Kubiak thinks the running back is looking like his old self.
"I would say that last week in practice, I saw the same guy that I saw last year," the head coach said about his starting running back. "His practice was excellent and it carried over into the game. I thought he played extremely well."
Foster missed the bulk of OTA's and all of training camp because of calf and back injuries. With 102 rushing yards on 27 carries added on to the six catches for 69 yards, Foster was
extremely productive.
"Obviously, he played a lot more yesterday than he has in the past," Kubiak said. "He was a factor. He accounted for almost 180 yards of offense when you put his receiving and his rushing together. I was very impressed but I saw it coming last week."
For his part, Foster said after the game on Sunday that he believes he's getting closer to the Pro Bowl form he displayed the last three seasons.
"I'm still inching my way back to getting 100 percent," Foster said. "I think, when you have a game like this where the team depends on you heavily, it gets you back into your flow, back into the swing of things."
Through the first four games, Foster's amassed a team-best 292 yards on 76 attempts. He
also caught a five-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter of Sunday's loss.
Meanwhile, backup Ben Tate has continued to be productive in a limited role. Tate's gained 228 yards on just 34 carries. His 6.7 yards per carry average has been a bright spot in 2013, and despite a second half fumble against Seattle, Kubiak will still call on Tate to carry some of the load.
"I've got total confidence in Ben," Kubiak said. "I think Ben is playing extremely well. I don't know if Ben got a carry after the fumble but it was not a reflection of that."
Kubiak also shared his carry distribution plans on Monday.
"I want Ben to get his 12 to 15 in there and Arian to get his 25 if things are going that way," Kubiak said. "I think Arian has stepped forward. I think Ben has continuously done his job."
