Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Comeback over
Veteran RB thanks team for allowing him to ‘bow out with grace’
Arian Foster retires after disappointing performance.
DAVIE — Arian Foster’s comeback campaign lasted all of four games with the Miami Dolphins.
The four-time Pro Bowl selection retired from the NFL on Monday following a second consecutive disappointing performance in platoon action for the Dolphins (3-4).
Foster, who signed a oneyear, incentive-laden deal with the Dolphins in the offseason, was attempting to come back from an Achilles injury that limited him to four games with the Houston Texans last season. Foster, who rushed for 6,527 yards and scored 68 touchdowns in his eight-year NFL career, announced his retirement on the Uninterrupted website.
“There comes a time in every athlete’s career where their ambition and their body are no longer on the same page. I’ve reached that point,” Foster wrote on Uninterrupted. “It’s hard to write those words because this game has meant everything to me .... my therapy, my joy, my solace and my enemy . ...
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play many successful years in this league. I’ve given a lot to this game, and given up a lot for it,” said Foster, who gained 55 yards on 22 carries and caught six passes for 78 yards in the four games he played with the Dolphins. “But it has returned to me more than I could have ever asked for.”
At this point it’s unclear if Foster suffered another injury setback. He missed three weeks earlier in the season due to a groin injury.
His retirement creates an open roster spot for the Dolphins, and will probably increase Damien Williams’ workload as Jay Ajayi’s primary backup. It should also move rookie tailback Kenyan Drake, the team’s third-round pick, up the depth chart.
“I walk away with peace. I know it’s not commonplace to do it midseason, but my body just can’t take the punishment this game asked for any longer,” Foster wrote. “I want to thank the Miami Dolphins, with everything in me, for allowing me to bow out with grace and making this process as easy as possible. It means everything to my family and I. I’ve created lifelong relationships in my short time there that I’m forever thankful for.”
For his career, Foster has averaged 4.4 yards per carry. Foster’s 6,527 career rushing yards are the second-most in NFL history among undrafted running backs, trailing only the 8,172 yards put up by former Kansas City Chiefs standout Priest Holmes (1997-2007).
“This is a beautiful violent game and the same reason I loved it is why I have to walk away,” Foster wrote. “That bittersweet taste will forever linger with me, but on my next journey, I get to carry those memories with me. Hopefully.”
Complementary football
This is what coach Adam Gase meant when he’s stressed that the Miami Dolphins need to play complementary football. It was on display in Sunday’s 28-25 victory over Buffalo as well as the 30-15 victory over Pittsburgh two weeks ago.
“I think just two weeks in a row now we’ve had the type of energy, attitude and speed that we’re looking for on Sundays,” Gase said.
The Dolphins (3-4) head into their bye week riding back-to-back victories and one of the main reasons for that is the dazzling performance of Ajayi, whose back-toback 200-yard rushing games having him mentioned alongside storied running backs O.J. Simpson, Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams, the only others to accomplish that feat.
“It’s crazy,” Ajayi said. “Every now and then I catch a clip or something on TV. I mean, it’s crazy. I just want to keep it up, though. I just want to keep building off of it and see where this can go.”
Against Buffalo, the offense had the ball for 37 minutes and two seconds, which kept the defense fresh. It was the same situation against Pittsburgh when the offense had the ball for 36:30.
Miami ran 67 plays against Buffalo while holding the Bills to 54. The Dolphins ran 68 plays against the Steelers while holding Pittsburgh to 53.
In turn, the defense unleashed its pass rush and harassed the opposing quarterback leading to sacks and poor decisions. Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor was sacked four times as the Bills went 3 of 13 (23 percent) on third down. Pittsburgh quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Landry Jones were sacked twice and held to 3 of 11 (27 percent) on third down.
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph credits ends Cameron Wake and Andre Branch, who have three sacks apiece, with the turnaround.
“I think the energy that’s Cam’s brought and Andre’s brought, that’s been the biggest difference in my opinion,” Joseph said.
Also, the contribution of the healthy offensive line can’t be overlooked. The good play of the last two weeks has coincided with center Mike Pouncey, guards Laremy Tunsil and Jermon Bushrod, and tackles Branden Albert and Ja’Wuan James being together. According to players and coaches, the offensive linemen have been the ones setting the tone.
“It feels good,” Albert said of that designation. “We can see the potential we have as a group but we still have to get better at certain things and we’ve just got to keep working.”
Gase thinks that will happen as long as his team prepares the way it’s been preparing.
“They’ve stuck with everything we’ve been talking about since the beginning,” Gase said. “They’ve amped it up as far as how they’ve gone about their business, and not listening to outside noise, and staying together as [a] group, and they kept fighting.”
Ajayi, who rushed for a careerbest 214 yards against Buffalo, offered to take his offensive line out to dinner after last week’s 204-yard effort against Pittsburgh. The linemen declined.
“They kind of just told me, ‘It’s not a one-hit thing,’ and ‘Let’s do it again,’ “Ajayi said. “And lo and behold, we did it again.”