Why Benching Arian Foster Was A Good Thing

@Brit / Wikimedia Commons

Regardless of his specific reasoning, Kubiak chose to bench Texans league leading rusher Arian Foster for the first Quarter of the Week 4 win over the Raiders.  Some speculate that it was for disciplinary reasons and that may very well be true, but whether he meant to or not, the benching may have been one of the reasons the Texans were able to win the game. There are three solid effects that benching Foster had on the game.

1) Fresh Legs - Foster is an explosive runner. He has proven that much. The Raiders also have a very physical defensive line that are a little older and fatigue fairly shortly into games. By bringing in Ward and Slaton during the first quarter of the ball game and running them several times each on the first few drives, the Texans were able to wear down the Raiders defense a bit.  Then - when Foster came in with fresh legs, he was able to bust big runs and make great cuts to show how explosive he can be.

2) Play Action Strategy - Having Slaton and Ward in really plays a part in protecting Matt Schaub and setting up the Play Action. During the first 3 weeks of the season when either Slaton or Ward came into the game, 9 times out of 10 it was going to be a passing play. Other teams take notice of things like that and will send the house at your quarterback using the substitution as a tip-off that a pass play is coming. When you start the game running them doing the bulk of the carries, it completely throws the "tip-off" logic out of the game. The Raiders defense couldn't read the play or anticipate what was coming their way, which kept Matt Schaub from being hit and throwing interceptions.

3) Make Him Want It - Foster spent the entire first quarter really, really wanting to be in. The anticipation was so strong within him that as soon as he finally got his opportunity, he blew up for 74 yards on his second run.   He came into the second quarter with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove - and he did just that.

Up until this point, what we know about Foster is that overall he's a good guy who generally "keeps his nose clean." At some point today, Kubiak will come out with exactly why he benched Foster - but one thing is for sure - it was a good thing.