Blockers Belief

Green Bay Packers dismiss Arian Foster as a system back: Let the big games roll?

UPDATE: The Packers held Arian Foster to 29 yards on 17 carries, a paltry 1.7 yard per carry average. His longest run of the night? A five yarder.

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J.J. Watt is the toast of football just 23 games into his NFL career, but another Houston Texans' MVP candidate is finding respect a little harder to come by. Every week seems to bring a new clueless slight directed at Arian Foster.

Before the Monday Night Football matchup with the Jets, a local radio host said that one of the NFL's rushing leaders was "struggling." The result? Another 150-yard plus game in a big-time road environment.

Now, the Green Bay Packers are branding the Texans' offensive lifeline as something of a system back, diminishing his accomplishments even as they claim to be showing respect.

"Foster’s a good back, but they’re also in a good system. They have a good running system there."

"The best in the league?" defensive end Ryan Pickett told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel when asked where Foster ranks. "Nah. That's tough. There are a lot of good backs out there. It’s Adrian Peterson. Foster’s a good back, but they’re also in a good system.

"They have a good running system there. So it’s hard to compare him with somebody like AP. where they run powers and stuff.

"(Houston) is zone. He’s good, but I don’t know. He’s not AP."

Nose tackle BJ Raji — who is not playing in Sunday night's game between the Texans and the Packers — agreed with Pickett on Foster being a step below the very best. The result?

Well, the leaders of the Texans offensive line are certain Foster is poised for a run of monster games, regardless of what anyone says about him.

"Arian really started to show a lot of trust for us as an offensive line in (that Jets game)," center Chris Myers tells CultureMap. "He ran like he trusted the blocks were going to be there no matter what. That's a big step for us as a line.

"It means a lot for the running game."

It's often forgotten because of how good he is, but Foster is challenging for the NFL's rushing lead while working behind a revamped offensive line. Myers and left tackle Duane Brown may be outstanding cornerstones, but the mesh with new pieces like Derek Newton is anything but automatic.

The Texans offensive line feels it's coming all together now though. Never mind that when it wasn't automatic, Foster still ranked second in the entire NFL in rushing.

"The Jets game is the first time Arian probably completely trusted the blocks — yeah," Brown says. "But a lot of that is on us as a line. We have to show him that we're going to fight to hold our blocks for those extra seconds that make a difference. It's about us fighting to go above and beyond.

"We've got the best back in football. Give him a chance and he'll get it done."

In truth, the Texans offensive line is more likely to get upset over the Packers dismissive comments than Foster himself. No. 23 tends to look at life a little differently than most NFL stars. But Brown, Myers and company take a lot of pride in blocking for the best tailback in football.

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rock on

Native Houstonian brings Austin-based climbing gym to the East End

Photo courtesy of Crux Climbing Center

One of the many climbing walls at Crux.

Crux Climbing Center, one of Austin's best indoor bouldering and climbing gyms, opened its first Houston location in September and is hosting a grand opening celebration this weekend.

"As a native Houstonian, bringing Crux to the Bayou City has always been a part of the long-term vision," said native Houstonian, CEO, and co-founder Kevin Goradia. "Crux is a community-oriented climbing gym, and our decision to open our first out-of-market location at The Plant was largely inspired by Concept Neighborhood’s plans to create a walkable neighborhood that truly integrates the local community.”

Goradia — the son of Houston petrochemical billionaire Vijay Goradia — co-founded the first Crux in South Austin in 2016 after being dissatisfied with the offerings at other climbing gyms. Crux has almost everything a climber could want, including bouldering, training boards, a spray wall, strength training, fitness and yoga classes, saunas, locker rooms, a Kids Cave, lounge space and a retail shop.

The gym flourished in the post-COVID physical activity boom as more people looked for both exercise and social interaction following the lockdowns. The community aspect of Crux is very important to Goradia. When he was diagnosed with cancer in January 2023, he credits the support he had through the climbing scene in Austin as a major factor in his eventual recovery.

Now, he's bringing that to Houston, a city where indoor-climbing is booming. The exceptional flat city has few natural climbing spots, which would be arduous even if they existed thanks to the heat. Instead, the last twenty years have seen an explosion of massive, indoor facilities like inSPIRE, Momentum, and now Crux.

The grand opening event will take place at the 21,000-square-foot gym space located at The Plant (3100 Canal St.) on Saturday, October 10 from 2-8 pm. This is more than just a few grab bags and a chance to do some climbing. Native Houstonian, CEO, and co-founder, Kevin Goradia is pulling out all the stops with a full vendor fair offering art, jewelry, and vintage items.

The climbing will be a great way to work off the calories from some of the food partners. Cheaters Creamery and Sinfull Bakery will both be handing out treats, and Miguelitos Grill will be serving fresh-off-the-grill quesadillas that can be washed down with beer from St. Arnold's Brewery for the 21-and-up crowd. There will even be free tattoos from 13 Goats.

And, of course, there will be climbing. Throughout the event Crux is offering BOGO deals and raffles. The event itself is free, so this is a great opportunity to get a look at what made Crux stand out in Austin.