Everyone is amazed at what Dolphins running back Arian Foster has done over the last calendar year -- beating a serious Achilles issue in his 30s and making it all the way back to Week 1 starter with a different club.
The only person who shrugs it off? Foster himself.
"I wasn't dead," he said in an interview with ESPN.com. "I had an injury. I've bounced back before."
While Foster's 6,472 yards (10th all-time among active rushers) and 54 touchdowns aren't going anywhere, his time in Miami will be an interesting experiment. So many equated Foster's success in Houston with his ability to master the zone blocking scheme that became so prevalent under former head coach Gary Kubiak. While that doesn't explain everything -- Foster was, at his height, also catching more than 50 passes per season -- some have carelessly dismissed him as a system back with a good, long run in Houston.
Now, he's back from the "dead" to show us that he can replicate this success anywhere -- even on a Dolphins team that will be starting a bit of a scattershot unit across the board on Sunday in the season opener against the Seahawks. First-round pick Laremy Tunsil was also given a starting nod alongside Foster this week.
"You hear all the geniuses say that is what's supposed to happen at 30," Foster said. "I feel like if you take care of your body and you train like I train, you should be able to do good things."
Good things might include helping the Dolphins rush for more than 100 yards per game, a near essential factor in building a playoff-caliber offense (unless you are the New England Patriots and have Tom Brady). A year ago, the Panthers, Seahawks, Cardinals, Vikings, Chiefs, Bengals and Steelers were all well over the 100-yard hurdle per game. The Dolphins ranked 23rd with 93.5 yards per game and just 11 rushing touchdowns on the season.
