Foreman primed for debut in NFL
Hometown followers will be out in force to watch ex-UT RB
Texas City will be well-represented Sunday when rookie running back D’Onta Foreman makes his NFL debut with the Texans.
Foreman will have family and friends watching him play the first game of the regular season against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium.
“We’re definitely going to have some people in the building,” Foreman said this week. “I want to play hard for them and play hard for my teammates and hope to get a win.”
Foreman’s biggest fans will be his grandmother, Janice; his mother, Shawn; and his father, Derrick. Foreman’s father was a Texans fan before his son was drafted in the third round.
“I’m sure he’s soaking it all up,” Foreman said. “He’s always been a die-hard Texans fan. For him to be able to watch me play
and be a part of me being here is wonderful for him and our family. Hopefully, I’ll go out there and produce and make my people happy.”
Foreman, who’ll come off the bench behind Lamar Miller, left the University of Texas after his junior year not knowing where he would go in the draft but hoping he would be able to stay close to home and play for the Texans, his family’s favorite team.
“It’s a blessing,” he said. “I prayed about it. God was with me and my family.
“For them to be able to see me do something I always dreamed about is amazing. It’ll be wonderful for my family and the people back home in Texas City to see me be able to accomplish something they know I always wanted to do. For me to play well would be even better.”
Helps with relief efforts
Foreman takes a lot of pride in being from Texas City. Since the Texans returned from Dallas, where they were exiled because of Hurricane Harvey, Foreman has worked on relief efforts in Texas City and Dickinson.
“I’m blessed to be here, and I never take it for granted,” he said. “To play for the Texans is a dream come true.”
When the Texans kick off against the Jaguars in a game that features two AFC South rivals, Foreman has no idea when he’ll play or how much he’ll play.
But the Texans didn’t draft Foreman to sit on the bench. In Bill O’Brien’s first three seasons, the Texans have run the ball more than any NFL team.
If O’Brien was going to change his philosophy, Foreman wouldn’t have been added to a running game that could be more effective than last season, when the Texans were eighth in rushing.
“Lamar’s the main guy,” O’Brien said. “Foreman’s going to be a good player. He’s a downhill runner, a guy that’s got instincts (and) good vision, but he’s got a ways to go.”
Foreman (6-1, 233 pounds) gave the Texans a taste of what he’s capable of doing in his first two preseason games. He missed
the New Orleans game that turned out to be the last of preseason because of a groin injury.
Foreman had a 41-yard run against Carolina. He had a 63-yard reception against New England.
O’Brien was asked if Foreman is where the coaches want him to be going into the season.
“No, I don’t think any of the rookies are where you want them to be, where they’re going to eventually be,” he said. “I would say that about any rookie. It’s too early.
“There’s so much development that goes on with our coaching staff. I’ve seen rookies take a big jump from Week 1 to Week 10. I’ve seen rookies take the jump in their second year.”
Fans at NRG Stadium will see two rookie running backs who were among the best in college football — Foreman and Jacksonville’s Leonard Fournette, the fourth overall pick in the first round.
Running game vital
O’Brien and Jaguars coach Doug Marrone are old-school when it comes to the running
game. They want to pound the ball, move the chains and control the clock.
That kind of running game takes pressure off the quarterbacks. Tom Savage is inexperienced. The Jaguars’ Blake Bortles is inconsistent.
“I want to do everything the coaches ask, play hard like always and try to get a win,” Foreman said. “I’m going to try my best to always be productive and leave it all on the field.”
Foreman can’t wait to run on the field for the first time in a regular-season game. He knows NRG Stadium is going to be supercharged.
“I think about it every day,” he said. “I’ll look around and soak in the moment. You’re a little nervous, but you also understand it’s just football, and I’ve been playing football a long time.”
And the Texans hope Foreman will play a lot longer and produce the way he did for UT last year when he became the second back in school history to rush for at least 2,000 yards.