As a three-down back, Arian Foster is expected to do handle a lot of different duties on the field. He mastered pass blocking in college to separate himself from the others and gain playing time.
"That happened in college," Foster said in an exclusive interview with Texans Radio. "In high school, you're not really asked to pass block because the blitzing in high school is not very complicated and we ran the ball a lot in high school. You're not really asked to do it that much, but when college came, that's what separated three down backs from guys who just liked to run the ball and really gain the coach's trust to keep you on the field on odd downs."
Foster weighed in just around 250 pounds during his freshman year at college, nearly 25 pounds heavier than he is today. Self-described as "super fat," Foster lost some of his speediness with the extra weight. Pass blocking became his ticket to staying in the game..
"I had to find a way to impress the coaches to stay on the field to make them want to play me," Foster said. "I was always good at running the ball, but I didn't have that breakaway speed like I do and had in the past. I just learned how to pass block. Once you learn how to pass block and really take it to heart and take pride in it, then they'll keep you on the field. That was my way of staying on the field because I feel like running backs at that time were a little faster than me and they could break away."
Foster currently leads the AFC with 615 yards rushing despite being inactive in Week 3. Of his six games, five have been 100-yard rushing performances and he is averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Foster will look to increase his 100-yard streak to four-consecutive games on Sunday at Tennessee for the first time in his career.
