2016 Season - Week 7

This exact time last year I wrote “Another Franchise Player has gone for the season. Late in the fourth quarter of Houston’s annihilation at the hands of Miami, Cheryl’s first year franchise player Arian Foster collapsed to the ground with a non-contact injury. Subsequent examinations showed serious Achilles damage and the Texans put him on IR yesterday”. Exactly a year later (on Monday) Foster retired from the NFL with immediate effect saying his body no longer can “take the punishment this game asks for”. He was on two BUMS championship teams:- in 2010 the Sofa Wreckers and in 2012 for the Langley Raptors. From 2010 Foster earned Pro Bowl nods in four of the next five seasons, recognition of his status as one of the most complete backs in football during the past half-decade. By the time Houston cut him last March, he had become the franchise's all-time leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, yards per game and total scoring for a non-kicker. How much of an impact did Foster make in his prime? Among all players with a minimum of 1,000 touches since 2010, per NFL Research, he finishes his career ranked first in yards from scrimmage per game (115.2) and 100-yard rushing games (31) and is tied for the lead in touchdowns from scrimmage (65). His 84.7 rushing yards per game rank second during that span. He leaves Cheryl looking forward to Trading Day 2 on Sunday November 13th before the week 10 games, where she will be able to replace him. One player she might be interested in is Jay Ajayi, Miami’s British running back who ran for 214 yards against Buffalo on Sunday, a week after he rushed for 204 yards against Pittsburgh. Ajayi became just the fourth back in NFL history to rush for 200 yards in consecutive games joining Hall of Famers OJ Simpson and Earl Campbell and another Dolphin Rick Williams in accomplishing that feat. BUMS on Seats In a very uninspiring game on Thursday Night Jacksonville (2-4) travel to Tennessee (3-4) and unsurprisingly we are not meeting for that. Note we are at HQ at 3pm on Sunday to watch the third game in the International Series on catch-up as Cincinnati (3-4) host Washington (4-3) at Wembley. That’s followed at 5pm with a top AFC East clash as the 6-1 Patriots travel to the 4-3 Bills and then at 8.25pm Atlanta (4-3) entertain Green Bay (4-2). We will be at Johnnies at 7pm on Monday for Sunday Night’s NFC East battle as the Eagles (4-2) visit Dallas (5-1). Monday Night Football features Minnesota (5-1) at Chicago (1-6) but we will not be meeting to see that.