Arian Foster is having a tremendous season, perhaps the best start of his 6-year NFL career.
"Am I surprised by this season? No, I'm never surprised," Foster said in an exclusive interview with Texans Radio. "I'd say I have pretty high expectations. When healthy, I feel like I can compete with the best of the best in this league."
He can and he has.
Through Week 6, Foster leads the AFC with five rushing touchdowns and ranks second in rushing yards (513) despite being inactive for Week 3 against the New York Giants.
Head coach Bill O'Brien isn't surprised either. He saw Foster's versatility from the first day he worked with him. In fact, O'Brien carved out a larger role for Foster in his offense that also includes catching passes out of the backfield and lining up as a receiver. The son of wide receiver Carl Foster, Arian currently has 16 catches for 131 yards, averaging 8.2 yards per reception.
"It's something that I've always felt like I've been good at, catching the ball out of the backfield," Foster said. "My father was actually a receiver so he taught us how to run routes and catch the football at a very early age when we asked him how."
Many thought he would be different after his 2013 season-ending back surgery, that he would never reach the high level of play from his best years but Foster is proving critics wrong. He attacks his training regimen with the same enthusiasm and works hard on all aspects of his job, whether it be rushing, receiving, pass blocking, etc.
"At this point in your career as a professional, if you're a three-down back in the NFL, you can do it all," Foster said. "It's just about polishing those skill sets and staying on it. You can never be the best at everything, you can never be perfect at everything as an athlete, so you always try to just keep on keeping on."
