Arian Foster was prodded by the Houston media with several questions on what he thinks about people saying he is the best running back in the NFL.
The former philosophy major did not disappoint with his response.
"Anybody who's good at what they do thinks they're the best at what they do, but I come from a humble position, so I don't walk around thinking I'm the best in the league," Foster said. "I feel like I could compete with anybody in the league, so there's a difference. When people say, 'Well, you're the best in the league.' I say, 'Well, thank you.' But there's other people who say, 'You're not the best in the league.' And I say, 'Well, thank you.' Because either way, you're keeping me alive, you know what I mean? I'm not really a 'me' guy, anyway. It comes and goes.
"You're the flavor of the week now. Ten years from now, they'll forget about you, and I'll be meditating in Tibet."
Impressed by Jean
Foster said he has been impressed by young wide receivers Lestar Jean and Keshawn Martin this offseason. Jean, like Foster, went undrafted out of college – Foster from Tennessee in 2009, Jean from Florida Atlantic in 2011.
"He worked out with me some of this offseason," Foster said. "I asked him if he wanted to help improve some of his speed because I thought he had a lot of talent, and he said 'Yeah,' so he came and worked out with me a lot during this offseason. I feel like he got better, I don't know if he thought he got better, but I feel like he did. So it was good to see him blossom. I already knew he was going to be good since last year he was making noise. I'm excited for him."
Jean leads the Texans through two preseason games with six catches for 92 yards (15.3 average) and a touchdown.
Cushing still out
Inside linebacker Brian Cushing did not practice again on Wednesday, but the expectation is still that he will play on Saturday against the Saints. The Texans' 2011 MVP is dealing with bruised ribs, an injury he suffered against San Francisco.
"With us being in pads today, we were physical in practice for an hour today, so I never thought twice about that one," Kubiak said. "We'll see. Hopefully, he'll be out there tomorrow. My plan is for him still to play (Saturday). He's doing well, he's feeling good, he wanted to go."
Rookie wide receiver DeVier Posey left practice early on Wednesday because of a calf issue, but Kubiak said Posey should be back on Thursday.
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O-Line decision timeKubiak said he would like to make a decision on the Texans' starting right guard and right tackle jobs after this week's game.
Antoine Caldwell has started both preseason games at right guard over rookie Brandon Brooks. Rashad Butler and Derek Newton have split time at right tackle. Butler started the preseason opener at Carolina. Newton started last Saturday against San Francisco.
"I have a pretty good feel for it right now, but I want to see how things go this week," Kubiak said. "As I told you before, Caldwell has had a very good camp. I think he's held his own and he's played like a starter. He's held up, which has been hard for him, physically. I think the other two, it's an interesting battle because they're a little bit different players. If we started today, I might even play them both somehow, some way. I want to see how they respond going to New Orleans, the noise, the turf, the speed. I want to see how they play, so we'll see."
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Tough cuts coming at CBCornerbacks Alan Ball, Brandon Harris, Sherrick McManis and Roc Carmichael are all competing for roster spots behind starters Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson and nickel corner Brice McCain.
It will be one of the Texans' most contested positions for roster cuts next week, when they have to trim the roster to 53 players.
"We're trying to settle on our fourth, fifth corner, sixth guy if we keep a sixth," Kubiak said. "So that is a big battle going on if between Ball, you look at Harris, the player he's become, Sherrick McManis has been doing a great job and he's an excellent special teams player, and then you've got Roc, who's a guy we're counting on taking a big step this year. So there's some dynamics there, and they will be tested this week. It will be a difficult decision."
Jones punting wellWith Brett Hartmann still recovering from a knee injury and unable to practice, veteran punter Donnie Jones has been the lone man on the job this preseason. He has seven punts for 299 yards (42.7 average, 37.6 net average).
"I think Donnie's done a heck of a job; he's winning the job," Kubiak said. "Obviously, Hartmann's situation is unique. We like what we're seeing from Donnie, I think he's an excellent holder, too, so that's been a positive force. Brett's behind not even knowing that he can't play for three games, but he's also behind physically because he's coming off of his knee situation. But we know he can kick in this league."
Quotes of the Day
"Yeah, I have special feelings. I was in New Orleans. Of course, I've been in almost every city, so I have special feelings going back to most of them." – Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, on returning to New Orleans, where he coached from 1981-85 – one of nine stops in his NFL coaching career
"B-Money. Brandon, last year he came in as a rookie. It was a tough situation for him. They brought myself and another cornerback in and they had a ton of cornerbacks already on the roster. It's a tough position to be in as a young kid, 21 years old and you're drafted in the second round and they have high expectations for you but you kind of have to wait your turn. He's been patient and throughout his process, his play has taken off. It has skyrocketed the last three or four weeks of camp and OTAs. As a player, you see the confidence in him. He's just waiting patiently for his chance to get out on the field, and that's all you can ask for as a player. He's handling himself well on and off the field and in the classroom, preparing himself for his moment." - Pro Bowl CB Johnathan Joseph, on the progress of second-year CB Brandon Harris, a 2011 second-round pick who played sparingly as a rookie
