Bob McNair: "I Can't Say That I'm Surprised" By Arian Foster Getting Hurt

In the wake of Arian Foster's groin injury and the subsequent speculation that it'll keep him out for the first half of the 2015 season, many Texans fans have expressed irritation that the team didn't rate running back as a higher priority on its offseason shopping list. That's not an expression of dissatisfaction with Arian Foster; he's still widely considered to be one of the best backs in the league. Rather, it's frustration with the reality that Foster, great as he is, is more likely than not to miss time in the regular season at some point. In his five full NFL seasons, Foster has suited up for all 16 games in a given campaign twice. Whether you want to call that proof of Foster's susceptibility to injury or simple bad luck, the result is that history shows it's probably foolish to count on 16 games from Arian.

It could very well be that Bill O'Brien & Co. were content with some combination of Alfred Blue/Jonathan Grimes/Chris Polk/Kenny Hilliard holding the fort down if (when?) Arian had to miss a game or three; that may still prove to be a sound strategy. Or, even if the organization isn't bullish on the current depth chart behind Arian, O'Brien and/or Rick Smith could believe RB is a position that's easier to address in a pinch than other groups on the roster. Regardless, today's remarks from the owner of the Houston Texans indicate that he--and presumably the people working for him--were not operating under the assumption that Arian Foster had somehow morphed into Brett Favre.

"I’ve recognized how vulnerable he is," McNair said before the Texans practiced against Washington on Thursday. "I can’t say that I’m that surprised. It seems like every year he’s had some type of soft tissue injury. We just keep our fingers crossed and hope it won’t happen, but he seems to be vulnerable to that type of thing."

Lack of surprise aside, the Texans' owner did express that he thought Houston's star running back would make a triumphant return to the field.

"I do think he can come back, but it’s going to take him a little while," McNair said. "In the past, he’s always been able to overcome it, and I think he will this time, too."

Does McNair's public admission that "[i]t seems like every year [Arian Foster]'s had some type of soft tissue injury," coupled with the tried and true team building method of keeping one's fingers crossed to ward off bad luck, increase your frustration with how the team handled (or didn't handle) its offseason?