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HOUSTON -- Texans running back Arian Foster is having the best start to a season he's had in his career, averaging 109.4 rushing yards per game. But almost one year ago, that future was far from certain, and he thinks the Texans might have thought the back surgery he underwent last November would have dire consequences for his career.  "Just being 100 percent honest, they'll probably tell you, 'We knew you were going to come back strong,' but they were probably like, 'This might be it,'" Foster said. Foster dealt with three different injuries in the first half of last season -- a calf injury, a hamstring injury and, most critically, a back injury that ended his season. He had back surgery in November and missed the end of the Texans' 2013 demise. The Texans went 2-14 that season and coach Gary Kubiak was fired, which meant upon Foster's return, he was dealing with a staff who didn't know him. "Just knowing you're back in that rookie mode where you have to prove yourself to a new coaching staff, you have to prove yourself to your teammates and you have to prove yourself to yourself, all of that combined, when I feel like my back is up against the wall, that's when I perform my best," he said. Foster has gained 766 yards in seven games, averaging 5.2 yards per carry with seven rushing touchdowns. He's also caught 24 passes for 166 yards and two receiving touchdowns. In all but one game in which he's played, Foster has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark. The anomaly was against the Buffalo Bills when Foster rushed eight times for six yards, hampered by a hamstring injury that hadn't yet healed. Last weekend against the Tennessee Titans, Foster broke off on a 34-yard run for a touchdown, one of his three touchdowns in that game. Afterward, Duane Brown, his left tackle and close friend, told him that's the 23 (Foster's number) he remembered. Foster's been feeling like himself for several months now. "Three months after I started working out, May, June-ish, I feel like I knew I was going to perform well for my team," Foster said. He even thinks the recovery from his injuries might have helped him. "You see it a lot when guys come back from injury," he said. "Sometimes they're a little stronger because they emphasize certain muscles that they tend to neglect."
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