Time for some DFoster lovin' (1 Viewer)

[Gravity]

Can we bury the "he's had one good game against KC" garbage.He's shown in several games now - since taking over the starting role - that he's got "it".Even being listed as questionable the past few weeks he's put up solid numbers.I'm thinking he's the starting RB next year with Shelton as short-yardage specialist. Top 12 next year.

 

[jurb26]

Can we bury the "he's had one good game against KC" garbage.

He's shown in several games now - since taking over the starting role - that he's got "it".

Even being listed as questionable the past few weeks he's put up solid numbers.

I'm thinking he's the starting RB next year with Shelton as short-yardage specialist. Top 12 next year.

Foster's problem is and always has been his injury history. The talent has always been there. I would say if the guy was the starter and could stay even remotly healthy yes, he is top 12. Problem is I see about a 15% chance of that happening. That is why he is such a tough guy to trade and trade for. His potential is easy to see, so the expected buying price will be high as the seller obviously knows this. If your paying that price though, you can't help but look at his past and be scared out of your mind.

 

[Gravity]

is and always has been his injury history. The talent has always been there. I would say if the guy was the starter and could stay even remotly healthy yes, he is top 12. Problem is I see about a 15% chance of that happening. That is why he is such a tough guy to trade and trade for. His potential is easy to see, so the expected buying price will be high as the seller obviously knows this. If your paying that price though, you can't help but look at his past and be scared out of your mind.

I agree. Not everyone felt he had the talent tho. Clearly he's got it - but yes, the injury risk is there.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

I will admit I was here in the offseason arguing about Foster (and not on the positive side). Though mainly my biggest complaint was the arguement that people kept saying "when he's been healthy he's been unbelievable" which at the time he hadn't.Now, he definitely does have some good games under his belt, and has finally proven that when healthy he is effective.

 

[SSOG]

Can we bury the "he's had one good game against KC" garbage.

He's shown in several games now - since taking over the starting role - that he's got "it".

Even being listed as questionable the past few weeks he's put up solid numbers.

I'm thinking he's the starting RB next year with Shelton as short-yardage specialist. Top 12 next year.

Foster has had three 100 yard games this season. Two of them were against Atlanta, and one of them was against a New York defense that just called my uncle Chuck to see if he wanted to play LB for them.Let's restrain our enthusiasm a little bit.

 

[Lord Lucan]

Shelton as short-yardage specialist. Top 12 next year.

Apart from the injury -prone tag, this is the big question mark for Foster - he hasn't looked a natural goal-line runner to me (notwithstanding that amazing effort in the play-offs a couple of years ago), and even in his dominant game against the Falcons last week he looked hesitant when he needed to punch it in from the 1.

 

[stbugs]

Can we bury the "he's had one good game against KC" garbage.

He's shown in several games now - since taking over the starting role - that he's got "it".

Even being listed as questionable the past few weeks he's put up solid numbers.

I'm thinking he's the starting RB next year with Shelton as short-yardage specialist.  Top 12 next year.

Foster has had three 100 yard games this season. Two of them were against Atlanta, and one of them was against a New York defense that just called my uncle Chuck to see if he wanted to play LB for them.Let's restrain our enthusiasm a little bit.

Foster has been healthy all year and he couldn't even overcome an injured Stephen Davis until Davis was entirely used up.

Every time he gets over 100 yards, threads like these come up. Like you said, the entire starting NYG LB squad was not in the game. Heck Nick Goings also averaged 5+ ypc on 12 carries. Both of them had lots of runs where someone in the secondary was the first to hit them.

I actually thought Goings looked a lot quicker and better. He seemed to hit the holes faster, but I will be honest in that I did not watch more than half the game, it was kind of a snoozer.

Foster has so-so talent, as I have never seen him do anything against a GOOD defense. When he puts up 150 against a good one, then I will agree that he has some talent running the ball to go along with his talent of staying off the field.

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

Own him, hate him, don't trust him. Sell high candidate in the offseason IMO.I think, if all the cards fall right for him, he will be good enough to be in that Travis Henry 11th to 13th overall range (which will be just enough for people to start "told you so" posts). Don't like him long term in the NFL for more than just injury reasons.

 

[packersfan]

Heck Nick Goings also averaged 5+ ypc on 12 carries.

I think Goings is a pretty darn good running back.

 

[David Yudkin]

He still needs a team for 2006.

 

[B Maverick]

Foster will get a wakeup call when he hits free agency. He isnt as good as he thinks. Carolina will do just as good with Goings and Shelton next year as they did with Foster and Davis this year.Foster may have speed, but goings looks like a better rb and is more durable.

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

one of them was against a New York defense that just called my uncle Chuck to see if he wanted to play LB for them.

What did he say?

 

[cracKer]

Every time he gets over 100 yards, threads like these come up.

Every time he gets over 100 yards, people bring out the "He only gets it against so & so..."Pretty soon you'll all run out of excuses.

 

[zamboni]

He still needs a team for 2006.

Indeed. On a national stage, today's game may very well have increased his market value, perhaps reducing the likelihood that he returns to Carolina.

 

[SSOG]

one of them was against a New York defense that just called my uncle Chuck to see if he wanted to play LB for them.

What did he say?

He couldn't make it. He had a dentist appointment. They tried to get my Aunt Sally, too, but apparently there's some bad history between her and Tom Coughlin.

Every time he gets over 100 yards, people bring out the "He only gets it against so & so..."

Pretty soon you'll all run out of excuses.

As far as I'm concerned, he's only done it against one team. I'm not even going to count the game against a Giants team that was missing... what, 12 LBs?Heck, even Quentin Griffin could burn teams with crappy run defenses.

 

[higgins]

He still needs a team for 2006.

This is the correct answer. Foster is a FA, has publicly stated he wouldn't mind going to a different team, and CAR is reluctant because of long-term ramifications of microfracture surgery.DF will not be in CAR next year -- nothing to see here...

 

[Steelers4Life]

Foster's no longer a question mark for PanthersRunning back

No. 1 on list to re-sign

PAT YASINSKASpyasinskas@charlotteobserver.

A month or so before the Carolina Panthers have to make a decision on DeShaun Foster, the running back has made it for them.

In the course of two games, Foster has gone from a question mark to a full-fledged feature back and a player the Panthers must re-sign before he becomes a free agent in March.

The doubts about durability, fumbles and Foster's overall ability have been erased with his performances in Sunday's 23-0 NFC wild-card victory against the New York Giants and in the 44-11 win in the regular-season finale at Atlanta.

Foster ran for 165 yards against the Falcons and 151 against New York.

That's enough to add another zero or two to whatever contract Foster gets, wherever he gets it. Foster's market value has never been higher, and perhaps the Panthers already realized his worth even before the most recent performances.

There's been a very subtle change the past two weeks that might not be noticed by the untrained eye. Coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Dan Henning are creatures of habit. Since they came to Carolina in 2002, they've believed in a straight-ahead running game that rarely ventures outside the tackles.

That philosophy worked in 2003, when power runner Stephen Davis carried the Panthers to the Super Bowl. But Foster is not Davis, and the Panthers have realized it. Fox and Henning aren't going to change philosophies or tear up playbooks, but they've made some tweaks in the past two games to take advantage of what Foster does best.

Did you notice the cut-back running against the Giants and Falcons? That rarely happened before. Or how about those quick pitches to get Foster outside? In the Davis days, the Panthers pitched about as often as they now throw to Keary Colbert and Mike Seidman.

But these are the Foster days, and that's why the offense suddenly is clicking. Sure, it's going to be a challenge to re-sign Foster. The Panthers already have $95.5 million committed to a 2006 salary cap that's expected to be somewhere about $92 million, and Foster's going to command big money.

Realizing the importance of continuity, especially after a drop-off in depth when role players Jeno James, Reggie Howard and Deon Grant left after the 2003 season, the Panthers have a couple of other major concerns about prospective free agents.

Linebacker Will Witherspoon is an impact player the Panthers definitely want to keep even though he'll command top dollar. It won't take nearly as much to keep center Jeff Mitchell, but he could cut into the salary cap pie.

None of the potential free agents, however, is as critical as Foster. He's shown he can be the feature back for a team that builds its offense around the running game. Sure, the Panthers could go out and sign Shaun Alexander, if the league's most valuable player really does hit the free-agent market. But that would mean Witherspoon and Mitchell would sign elsewhere, several other players would become cap casualties and the Panthers probably wouldn't be able to sign another free agent for a couple of years.

Or the Panthers could take a leap on a mid-level free agent such as Baltimore's Chester Taylor or Minnesota's Michael Bennett. But guys like that would come with question marks.

Foster began erasing questions during the regular season when he ran for 879 yards despite not taking over the starting role until late in the season. He carried 205 times. If he had another 80 to 100 carries, he easily would have been a 1,200-yard rusher.

Only a few weeks ago, the Panthers might have been thinking about letting Foster slip away. They can't do that anymore.

Combine him with a solid backup in Nick Goings, and throw 2005 second-round pick Eric Shelton, who missed his rookie season with an injury, and the Panthers could head into the 2006 season with a better backfield than they had at the start of this season.

 

[stbugs]

Foster's no longer a question mark for PanthersRunning back

No. 1 on list to re-sign

PAT YASINSKASpyasinskas@charlotteobserver.

A month or so before the Carolina Panthers have to make a decision on DeShaun Foster, the running back has made it for them.

In the course of two games, Foster has gone from a question mark to a full-fledged feature back and a player the Panthers must re-sign before he becomes a free agent in March.

The doubts about durability, fumbles and Foster's overall ability have been erased with his performances in Sunday's 23-0 NFC wild-card victory against the New York Giants and in the 44-11 win in the regular-season finale at Atlanta.

Foster ran for 165 yards against the Falcons and 151 against New York.

That's enough to add another zero or two to whatever contract Foster gets, wherever he gets it. Foster's market value has never been higher, and perhaps the Panthers already realized his worth even before the most recent performances.

There's been a very subtle change the past two weeks that might not be noticed by the untrained eye. Coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Dan Henning are creatures of habit. Since they came to Carolina in 2002, they've believed in a straight-ahead running game that rarely ventures outside the tackles.

That philosophy worked in 2003, when power runner Stephen Davis carried the Panthers to the Super Bowl. But Foster is not Davis, and the Panthers have realized it. Fox and Henning aren't going to change philosophies or tear up playbooks, but they've made some tweaks in the past two games to take advantage of what Foster does best.

Did you notice the cut-back running against the Giants and Falcons? That rarely happened before. Or how about those quick pitches to get Foster outside? In the Davis days, the Panthers pitched about as often as they now throw to Keary Colbert and Mike Seidman.

But these are the Foster days, and that's why the offense suddenly is clicking. Sure, it's going to be a challenge to re-sign Foster. The Panthers already have $95.5 million committed to a 2006 salary cap that's expected to be somewhere about $92 million, and Foster's going to command big money.

Realizing the importance of continuity, especially after a drop-off in depth when role players Jeno James, Reggie Howard and Deon Grant left after the 2003 season, the Panthers have a couple of other major concerns about prospective free agents.

Linebacker Will Witherspoon is an impact player the Panthers definitely want to keep even though he'll command top dollar. It won't take nearly as much to keep center Jeff Mitchell, but he could cut into the salary cap pie.

None of the potential free agents, however, is as critical as Foster. He's shown he can be the feature back for a team that builds its offense around the running game. Sure, the Panthers could go out and sign Shaun Alexander, if the league's most valuable player really does hit the free-agent market. But that would mean Witherspoon and Mitchell would sign elsewhere, several other players would become cap casualties and the Panthers probably wouldn't be able to sign another free agent for a couple of years.

Or the Panthers could take a leap on a mid-level free agent such as Baltimore's Chester Taylor or Minnesota's Michael Bennett. But guys like that would come with question marks.

Foster began erasing questions during the regular season when he ran for 879 yards despite not taking over the starting role until late in the season. He carried 205 times. If he had another 80 to 100 carries, he easily would have been a 1,200-yard rusher.

Only a few weeks ago, the Panthers might have been thinking about letting Foster slip away. They can't do that anymore.

Combine him with a solid backup in Nick Goings, and throw 2005 second-round pick Eric Shelton, who missed his rookie season with an injury, and the Panthers could head into the 2006 season with a better backfield than they had at the start of this season.

Homer paper huh?If Deshaun Foster doesn't have question marks, then no one else does.

While he may end up being fine, if they are going to say that 2 good games against bad run defenses makes him a sure thing, that is a little silly.

 

[Steelers4Life]

Foster's no longer a question mark for PanthersRunning back

No. 1 on list to re-sign

PAT YASINSKASpyasinskas@charlotteobserver.

A month or so before the Carolina Panthers have to make a decision on DeShaun Foster, the running back has made it for them.

In the course of two games, Foster has gone from a question mark to a full-fledged feature back and a player the Panthers must re-sign before he becomes a free agent in March.

The doubts about durability, fumbles and Foster's overall ability have been erased with his performances in Sunday's 23-0 NFC wild-card victory against the New York Giants and in the 44-11 win in the regular-season finale at Atlanta.

Foster ran for 165 yards against the Falcons and 151 against New York.

That's enough to add another zero or two to whatever contract Foster gets, wherever he gets it. Foster's market value has never been higher, and perhaps the Panthers already realized his worth even before the most recent performances.

There's been a very subtle change the past two weeks that might not be noticed by the untrained eye. Coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Dan Henning are creatures of habit. Since they came to Carolina in 2002, they've believed in a straight-ahead running game that rarely ventures outside the tackles.

That philosophy worked in 2003, when power runner Stephen Davis carried the Panthers to the Super Bowl. But Foster is not Davis, and the Panthers have realized it. Fox and Henning aren't going to change philosophies or tear up playbooks, but they've made some tweaks in the past two games to take advantage of what Foster does best.

Did you notice the cut-back running against the Giants and Falcons? That rarely happened before. Or how about those quick pitches to get Foster outside? In the Davis days, the Panthers pitched about as often as they now throw to Keary Colbert and Mike Seidman.

But these are the Foster days, and that's why the offense suddenly is clicking. Sure, it's going to be a challenge to re-sign Foster. The Panthers already have $95.5 million committed to a 2006 salary cap that's expected to be somewhere about $92 million, and Foster's going to command big money.

Realizing the importance of continuity, especially after a drop-off in depth when role players Jeno James, Reggie Howard and Deon Grant left after the 2003 season, the Panthers have a couple of other major concerns about prospective free agents.

Linebacker Will Witherspoon is an impact player the Panthers definitely want to keep even though he'll command top dollar. It won't take nearly as much to keep center Jeff Mitchell, but he could cut into the salary cap pie.

None of the potential free agents, however, is as critical as Foster. He's shown he can be the feature back for a team that builds its offense around the running game. Sure, the Panthers could go out and sign Shaun Alexander, if the league's most valuable player really does hit the free-agent market. But that would mean Witherspoon and Mitchell would sign elsewhere, several other players would become cap casualties and the Panthers probably wouldn't be able to sign another free agent for a couple of years.

Or the Panthers could take a leap on a mid-level free agent such as Baltimore's Chester Taylor or Minnesota's Michael Bennett. But guys like that would come with question marks.

Foster began erasing questions during the regular season when he ran for 879 yards despite not taking over the starting role until late in the season. He carried 205 times. If he had another 80 to 100 carries, he easily would have been a 1,200-yard rusher.

Only a few weeks ago, the Panthers might have been thinking about letting Foster slip away. They can't do that anymore.

Combine him with a solid backup in Nick Goings, and throw 2005 second-round pick Eric Shelton, who missed his rookie season with an injury, and the Panthers could head into the 2006 season with a better backfield than they had at the start of this season.

Homer paper huh?If Deshaun Foster doesn't have question marks, then no one else does.

While he may end up being fine, if they are going to say that 2 good games against bad run defenses makes him a sure thing, that is a little silly.

I guess. It's the Charlotte Observer. I like the fact that they're apparently starting to call plays that fit his strengths instead of forcing him to run like Stephen Davis did.I think the fact that he just went 7 straight games averaging over 23 touches per game and amassing over 800 yards of total offense that alleviates the concerns more than one good playoff game. He had over 80 yards of total offense in every game but the one in Tampa Bay when he missed half the game after a wicked hit to his shoulder.

 

[stbugs]

Homer paper huh?

If Deshaun Foster doesn't have question marks, then no one else does.

While he may end up being fine, if they are going to say that 2 good games against bad run defenses makes him a sure thing, that is a little silly.

I guess. It's the Charlotte Observer. I like the fact that they're apparently starting to call plays that fit his strengths instead of forcing him to run like Stephen Davis did.I think the fact that he just went 7 straight games averaging over 23 touches per game and amassing over 800 yards of total offense that alleviates the concerns more than one good playoff game. He had over 80 yards of total offense in every game but the one in Tampa Bay when he missed half the game after a wicked hit to his shoulder.

I agree that if healthy and if they call plays to his strength then he might be effective.I highlighted a point in your quote. You said he had over 80 yards in all 7 games except the one against Tampa Bay (good defense) where he missed half the game because of a hard hit. There you go, that is Foster in a nut shell.

By the way out of the 800 total yards in 7 games, you realize that half of them were in the last two games against bad run defenses in which the first team (Atl) had nothing to play for and the second team (NYG) had their entire starting LB corps out for the game.

Let's see how he does against Chicago.

 

[Steelers4Life]

Homer paper huh?

If Deshaun Foster doesn't have question marks, then no one else does.

While he may end up being fine, if they are going to say that 2 good games against bad run defenses makes him a sure thing, that is a little silly.

I guess. It's the Charlotte Observer. I like the fact that they're apparently starting to call plays that fit his strengths instead of forcing him to run like Stephen Davis did.I think the fact that he just went 7 straight games averaging over 23 touches per game and amassing over 800 yards of total offense that alleviates the concerns more than one good playoff game. He had over 80 yards of total offense in every game but the one in Tampa Bay when he missed half the game after a wicked hit to his shoulder.

I agree that if healthy and if they call plays to his strength then he might be effective.I highlighted a point in your quote. You said he had over 80 yards in all 7 games except the one against Tampa Bay (good defense) where he missed half the game because of a hard hit. There you go, that is Foster in a nut shell.

By the way out of the 800 total yards in 7 games, you realize that half of them were in the last two games against bad run defenses in which the first team (Atl) had nothing to play for and the second team (NYG) had their entire starting LB corps out for the game.

Let's see how he does against Chicago.

You can look at it 2 ways. The hit he took was a wicked hit, and he was back playing the next week, or he missed time again. Since he still averaged 23 touches per game over that stretch, I'd say it didn't have much of an effect on him. And since durability is his biggest concern, this stretch of games is something to build on.I'll be interested to see how he does against the Bears.

His total yardage by games:

Buffalo - 101

Atlanta - 180

Tampa Bay - 48 (in a half)

New Orleans - 84

Dallas - 81

Atlanta - 165

New York - 155

Even in the 3 1/2 other games he played, he averaged about 90 total yards per game, and if they're going to start calling plays that fit his running style instead of Davis's style, he has room for improvement.

Maybe part of his injury history has something to do with the Panthers forcing him to be a power runner when his skills say he can do more than that.

 

[David Yudkin]

Foster turned down the initial offers from the Panthers as he felt he wanted real starters money not what they were offering him.Maybe they are sincere in wanting to keep him around, but it remains to be seen if they want to pay what he thinks he's worth.

 

[stbugs]

Homer paper huh?

If Deshaun Foster doesn't have question marks, then no one else does.

While he may end up being fine, if they are going to say that 2 good games against bad run defenses makes him a sure thing, that is a little silly.

I guess. It's the Charlotte Observer. I like the fact that they're apparently starting to call plays that fit his strengths instead of forcing him to run like Stephen Davis did.I think the fact that he just went 7 straight games averaging over 23 touches per game and amassing over 800 yards of total offense that alleviates the concerns more than one good playoff game. He had over 80 yards of total offense in every game but the one in Tampa Bay when he missed half the game after a wicked hit to his shoulder.

I agree that if healthy and if they call plays to his strength then he might be effective.I highlighted a point in your quote. You said he had over 80 yards in all 7 games except the one against Tampa Bay (good defense) where he missed half the game because of a hard hit. There you go, that is Foster in a nut shell.

By the way out of the 800 total yards in 7 games, you realize that half of them were in the last two games against bad run defenses in which the first team (Atl) had nothing to play for and the second team (NYG) had their entire starting LB corps out for the game.

Let's see how he does against Chicago.

You can look at it 2 ways. The hit he took was a wicked hit, and he was back playing the next week, or he missed time again. Since he still averaged 23 touches per game over that stretch, I'd say it didn't have much of an effect on him. And since durability is his biggest concern, this stretch of games is something to build on.I'll be interested to see how he does against the Bears.

His total yardage by games:

Buffalo - 101

Atlanta - 180

Tampa Bay - 48 (in a half)

New Orleans - 84

Dallas - 81

Atlanta - 165

New York - 155

Even in the 3 1/2 other games he played, he averaged about 90 total yards per game, and if they're going to start calling plays that fit his running style instead of Davis's style, he has room for improvement.

Maybe part of his injury history has something to do with the Panthers forcing him to be a power runner when his skills say he can do more than that.

I agree with everything you said. I will be very interest in his game against Chicago. I just wasn't that impressed with him against NYG as much as others because Goings played just as well (on half the carries) kind of showing that it really didn't matter who was in as RB.In the 3 games against Atlanta and NYG, he averaged 6.5 ypc (69 carries). It was 5.5 ypc minus the 70 yard run since this is such a small sample and his other longest run of the year was 31 yards. Actually, the funny thing is that his 3 longest runs of the year, 70, 31 and 30, were in those 3 games. In the other 13 games he played, his longest run was 19 and then 15. In the other 13 games you mentioned his average ypc was 3.57 (164 carries).

The article did make me chuckle though about saying that Foster erased all question marks and that he was much safer than other RBs. They also mentioned that if you projected him to 300+ carries then he was a 1200 yard RB. That is the problem, he hasn't ever come close to a full time 16 game RB. It was just a little silly.

 

[stbugs]

Foster turned down the initial offers from the Panthers as he felt he wanted real starters money not what they were offering him.

Maybe they are sincere in wanting to keep him around, but it remains to be seen if they want to pay what he thinks he's worth.

It will be real interesting this weekend to see if he pulls a Kitna. If he has a poor game, which is entirely possible since Chicago has a good defense, then it could look like Kitna in the second half. If that happens, then his market value will not be as high as it may be today.If he plays well, however, which also could happen if Carolina's D plays like it did this past weekend and keeps the Chicago D on the field all day, then he will definitely increase his value. I am betting that he won't look that good and will just end up as a piece in someone's running game, not "the guy" like Lamont Jordan did.

 

[Native]

Foster was flat making plays on Sunday. He was cutting against the grain, making the first guy mis and carrying tacklers. His play was spectacular, and Im surprised that anyone who actually watched the game can make negative comments about the guy. Aside from being an injury risk (fair enough), I dont see any flaws in his game.

 

[MDSkinner]

Foster was flat making plays on Sunday. He was cutting against the grain, making the first guy mis and carrying tacklers. His play was spectacular, and Im surprised that anyone who actually watched the game can make negative comments about the guy. Aside from being an injury risk (fair enough), I dont see any flaws in his game.

I don't think that anyone is disputing that he was great this past week, I think the debate is that he was great against a poor run defense. The NYG linebacking crew was battered big time, and the NYG D-line is more known to be a pass rushing crew. Foster was awesome this past week. Can he do the same against a team with a good run defense (Chicago comes to mind)?

 

[Steelers4Life]

Foster was flat making plays on Sunday. He was cutting against the grain, making the first guy mis and carrying tacklers. His play was spectacular, and Im surprised that anyone who actually watched the game can make negative comments about the guy. Aside from being an injury risk (fair enough), I dont see any flaws in his game.

I don't think that anyone is disputing that he was great this past week, I think the debate is that he was great against a poor run defense. The NYG linebacking crew was battered big time, and the NYG D-line is more known to be a pass rushing crew. Foster was awesome this past week. Can he do the same against a team with a good run defense (Chicago comes to mind)?

I think a lot of that.. including part of his struggles this year... are a result of the offensive line not run blocking as well as they were expected to. There's a huge difference between what he's done and what Davis did behind the same line, but they're going to have to play a great game this weekend for Foster to have room to run.

 

[stbugs]

Foster turned down the initial offers from the Panthers as he felt he wanted real starters money not what they were offering him.

Maybe they are sincere in wanting to keep him around, but it remains to be seen if they want to pay what he thinks he's worth.

It will be real interesting this weekend to see if he pulls a Kitna. If he has a poor game, which is entirely possible since Chicago has a good defense, then it could look like Kitna in the second half. If that happens, then his market value will not be as high as it may be today.If he plays well, however, which also could happen if Carolina's D plays like it did this past weekend and keeps the Chicago D on the field all day, then he will definitely increase his value. I am betting that he won't look that good and will just end up as a piece in someone's running game, not "the guy" like Lamont Jordan did.

Well, I guess I feel better about my first post in that it was silly (but made sense coming from a homer paper) to say that Foster has no question marks.First of all, he had 16 carries for 54 yards and a 17 yard long. So his ypc was 3.38 total and 2.47 on all carries outside of the long. Nick Goings averaged 3.40 ypc on 10 carries and had a 10 yard long. Basically, Goings played just as well as Foster.

Second, broken ankle. Nuff said.

Based on the fact that Delhomme/Smith shredded Chicago for the most yardage all year and they scored 29, I would have to say that Foster's performance was a bit disappointing and to me showed that his good games against bad rush defenses were just that. I definitely think that Carolina will go after a RB in the draft again. Shelton is too early to write off, but I think their defense has been looking more like 2003 instead of 2004 and that they definitely need a #1 RB and secondarily maybe a #2 WR.

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

Foster turned down the initial offers from the Panthers as he felt he wanted real starters money not what they were offering him.

Maybe they are sincere in wanting to keep him around, but it remains to be seen if they want to pay what he thinks he's worth.

It will be real interesting this weekend to see if he pulls a Kitna. If he has a poor game, which is entirely possible since Chicago has a good defense, then it could look like Kitna in the second half. If that happens, then his market value will not be as high as it may be today.If he plays well, however, which also could happen if Carolina's D plays like it did this past weekend and keeps the Chicago D on the field all day, then he will definitely increase his value. I am betting that he won't look that good and will just end up as a piece in someone's running game, not "the guy" like Lamont Jordan did.

Foster was having a good first half against a great defense. He was running hard and was keeping the defense very honest. He was hitting the holes hard and running both on the outside and inside quite well. I think Foster can be a cheap man's Westbrook. He is a great recieving back, but shoud not get a full load. Carolina should resign him for a reasonable price and wait to see if Shelton develops and they already know Going is servicable.

Well, I guess I feel better about my first post in that it was silly (but made sense coming from a homer paper) to say that Foster has no question marks.First of all, he had 16 carries for 54 yards and a 17 yard long. So his ypc was 3.38 total and 2.47 on all carries outside of the long. Nick Goings averaged 3.40 ypc on 10 carries and had a 10 yard long. Basically, Goings played just as well as Foster.

Second, broken ankle. Nuff said.

Based on the fact that Delhomme/Smith shredded Chicago for the most yardage all year and they scored 29, I would have to say that Foster's performance was a bit disappointing and to me showed that his good games against bad rush defenses were just that. I definitely think that Carolina will go after a RB in the draft again. Shelton is too early to write off, but I think their defense has been looking more like 2003 instead of 2004 and that they definitely need a #1 RB and secondarily maybe a #2 WR.

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

I don't know what happened to my last post.

 

[jurb26]

I don't know what happened to my last post.

That happened to me yesterday. I was too lazy to repost it.

 

[houndirish]

Who do you like better moving forward?DeShaun Foster or Reuben Droughns?I'm thinking of selling Foster.

 

[timintey]

Interesting tidbit I heard on the radio. The Panthers should try to make a run at Edge to replace Foster & Davis. Anyone know their cap situation if this is even feasible? I really don't think they can trust Foster to stay healthy enough to pay him. Reminds me a lot of Biakabutuka...

 

[nygiants56]

Can we bury the "he's had one good game against KC" garbage.

He's shown in several games now - since taking over the starting role - that he's got "it".

Even being listed as questionable the past few weeks he's put up solid numbers.

I'm thinking he's the starting RB next year with Shelton as short-yardage specialist. Top 12 next year.

all he HAS shown, is that he is and always will be, an injury risk.he WILL NOT be back in carolina in 2006..bank on it!he's missed something like 31 of 64 pro games since his rookie year? now thats pitiful..not worth the $$ he feels he is worth..expect them to take a RB in the draft or to look at Ricky Williams , possibly. in his 4 year career, Foster played in 33 games.

rushed for 377 carries, 1563 yards, 4.1 per carry 4 tds..69 catches, 655 , 3td

pardon me while i YAWN..

 

[pricklypete]

Interesting tidbit I heard on the radio. The Panthers should try to make a run at Edge to replace Foster & Davis. Anyone know their cap situation if this is even feasible? I really don't think they can trust Foster to stay healthy enough to pay him. Reminds me a lot of Biakabutuka...

That's pretty interesting.

 

[zamboni]

Interesting tidbit I heard on the radio. The Panthers should try to make a run at Edge to replace Foster & Davis. Anyone know their cap situation if this is even feasible? I really don't think they can trust Foster to stay healthy enough to pay him. Reminds me a lot of Biakabutuka...

That's pretty interesting.

Agreed, except that any RB-hungry team with the cap space available will probably looking at Edge, so Carolina surely won't be alone in that regard.

 

[David Yudkin]

Based on the other salary cap thread on the front page, Carolina is projected to be $1 million over the salary cap (and that does not include Foster at all). I don't know what other players are not included whose contracts are also running out this year.Davis's salary for 2006 is slated to be $1.8 million, and I would highly doubt he will be back.I wouldn't rule out them pursuing Edge, but as of this moment they likely don't have the cap room as their roster stands today.

 

[SSOG]

Foster was flat making plays on Sunday. He was cutting against the grain, making the first guy mis and carrying tacklers. His play was spectacular, and Im surprised that anyone who actually watched the game can make negative comments about the guy. Aside from being an injury risk (fair enough), I dont see any flaws in his game.

I don't think that anyone is disputing that he was great this past week, I think the debate is that he was great against a poor run defense. The NYG linebacking crew was battered big time, and the NYG D-line is more known to be a pass rushing crew. Foster was awesome this past week. Can he do the same against a team with a good run defense (Chicago comes to mind)?

I think a lot of that.. including part of his struggles this year... are a result of the offensive line not run blocking as well as they were expected to. There's a huge difference between what he's done and what Davis did behind the same line, but they're going to have to play a great game this weekend for Foster to have room to run.

Bottom line, to me, is that Deshaun Foster hasn't done anything to demonstrate that he's a better runner than Nick Goings. NICK GOINGS.

 

[zamboni]

Bottom line, to me, is that Deshaun Foster hasn't done anything to demonstrate that he's a better runner than Nick Goings. NICK GOINGS.

Just as an aside, the more I see Goings run, the more I wonder why they pushed this guy aside after performing admirably last year. The guy may not possess all-around world class skills, but he runs hard and moves the chains. Just the things that Fox seems to want.

 

[stbugs]

Based on the other salary cap thread on the front page, Carolina is projected to be $1 million over the salary cap (and that does not include Foster at all). I don't know what other players are not included whose contracts are also running out this year.

Davis's salary for 2006 is slated to be $1.8 million, and I would highly doubt he will be back.

I wouldn't rule out them pursuing Edge, but as of this moment they likely don't have the cap room as their roster stands today.

I thought I heard some rumors (just a discussion with BIL that lives outside Charlotte) that they were planning on releasing Davis to then resign him at a very low deal. Kind of keep him around maybe in a Bettis type role just for short yardage. I think Davis, in his first full season back from knee surgery really wore down as the season progressed. At the minimum salary, maybe they can just use him more sparingly next year.

 

[stbugs]

Bottom line, to me, is that Deshaun Foster hasn't done anything to demonstrate that he's a better runner than Nick Goings. NICK GOINGS.

Just as an aside, the more I see Goings run, the more I wonder why they pushed this guy aside after performing admirably last year. The guy may not possess all-around world class skills, but he runs hard and moves the chains. Just the things that Fox seems to want.

I agree. As well as Foster did against the Giants last weekend, Goings looked just as good but it sure seemed like Goings ran harder than Foster. Maybe it was an optical illusion or the fact that I didn't watch the whole game, but it sure seemed like Goings was going full out on every play and Foster was dancing around more.

 

[BassNBrew]

Bottom line, to me, is that Deshaun Foster hasn't done anything to demonstrate that he's a better runner than Nick Goings. NICK GOINGS.

Just as an aside, the more I see Goings run, the more I wonder why they pushed this guy aside after performing admirably last year. The guy may not possess all-around world class skills, but he runs hard and moves the chains. Just the things that Fox seems to want.

I agree. As well as Foster did against the Giants last weekend, Goings looked just as good but it sure seemed like Goings ran harder than Foster. Maybe it was an optical illusion or the fact that I didn't watch the whole game, but it sure seemed like Goings was going full out on every play and Foster was dancing around more.

It's an illusion resulting from the loaf of break Foster totes.

 

[BassNBrew]

Based on the other salary cap thread on the front page, Carolina is projected to  be $1 million over the salary cap (and that does not include Foster at all).  I don't know what other players are not included whose contracts are also running out this year.

Davis's salary for 2006 is slated to be $1.8 million, and I would highly doubt he will be back.

I wouldn't rule out them pursuing Edge, but as of this moment they likely don't have the cap room as their roster stands today.

I thought I heard some rumors (just a discussion with BIL that lives outside Charlotte) that they were planning on releasing Davis to then resign him at a very low deal. Kind of keep him around maybe in a Bettis type role just for short yardage. I think Davis, in his first full season back from knee surgery really wore down as the season progressed. At the minimum salary, maybe they can just use him more sparingly next year.

Davis has been on the sidelines for the Panther games. If he was retiring, why would he be doing that? I wouldn't be surprised to see Davis around in some typ of role on a longer term basis. Davis set the tone and turned the tide for this franchise. Fox seems to be a loyal guy to me.

 

[UFO]

I have heard some bar talk hear in Charlotte that if they didn't sign Foster they may see if Barlow is cut or pursue a trade.

 

[jurb26]

I have heard some bar talk hear in Charlotte that if they didn't sign Foster they may see if Barlow is cut or pursue a trade.

That could possibly be a great fit.