The Houston Texans have been encouraged by the quick comeback Arian Foster has made since injuring his groin at the start of training camp, but not enough to guarantee he plays in Week 3. The Texans have gotten their star running back to practice over the last two weeks, but head coach Bill O'Brien is not ready to commit to his return just yet as Foster could sit out another week despite Houston needing some offensive help.
According to O'Brien via the Houston Chronicle, Foster is looking good at practice, but he still is not sure the running back will play in Week 3. The head coach did not say exactly what would push the decision to play Foster or not, simply saying that the running back knows his body and they are going to proceed with caution in order to limit issues from happening again.
"He understands his body really well," O'Brien said, via the Houston Chronicle. "He's looking good at practice. I'm not sure about this week. I would say he will be back sooner rather than later."
Foster would be a huge upgrade for the Texans on offense. Alfred Blue has been handling the starting job well, but not as good as Foster would be on the ground. Last week he had just six yards on five carries which hurt the progress of Ryan Mallett at the quarterback position. The Texans need a ground game and Blue is much more suited to run in tandem with Foster rather than shouldering the entire load of the ground game.
Mallett's first game as a starter against the Carolina Panthers came with highs and lows. The team was forced to pass a lot, causing him to go 27-of-58 for 244 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for one. O'Brien said that he wants the offense to be much more balanced in the upcoming week while working on the quarterback's fundamentals to improve the passing game.
"Part of what we have to work on this week, some of the checkdowns and the shorter throws," O'Brien said, via the team website. "He does throw very hard. We've gotta work on his footwork. Some of those things he can clean up. When he's on the money with his footwork, and his throwing motion and things like that, he's really very, very good."
Nate Washington and DeAndre Hopkins once again led the offense in receiving, but it was tight end Garrett Graham that got the touchdown. Mallett spread the ball around a lot in the offense which will work out better once his completion percentage goes up. The Texans face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers which could mean a big day in the passing game for Mallett.
