FYI some news on one of my Favorite VOLS

#127
#127
That's the one. In either case, Arian never touched it. Thanks for the pic.

I'll be honest though. I was at that game sitting near that endzone. When that happened, it did look like Arian fumbled it, til I saw it on the JumboTron. I will say I cried, along with my daughter, when I thought it was him. I was just so tired of all the bad stuff happening to him. My heart was broken. We were sitting by Montario's family and his uncle is the one who assured me that Arian didn't touch it.

It was a rough year....all the way around.
 
#128
#128
fostermom said:
Honestly, why is that? I know Arian was responsible for some very glaring mistakes, but the team and the staff all made very glaring mistakes. It doesn't bother me anymore, but I've often wondered why the bulk of it falls on Arian with much of what he wasn't responsible for. Some fumbles? Absolutely. But to be one of the most disliked players in recent Vol history? Was it just that there was so much dissatisfaction and frustration, that finding one place to dump it was easier?

Just curious. I could never figure that out.
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Did not have to do with politics (being an outspoken liberal does not go over great here) but much more had to do with the fact that he made the same mistake over and over and at such crucial times.

When a smallish guy who is not athletically gifted makes a big play, everyone rejoices for the fella. When a guy who seems like he is definitely more intelligent than some of our recent NFL success RB's (Henry certainly) who also has the body and size to be a beast he can really let you down.

I do not expect much from Stephens. If Nick Stephens becomes the QB because God forbid JC is injured and out for the year I will not be too angry with him if he is sacked blind side and fumbles or if he presses at first and throws INTs or just cannot complete passes. I will blame his lack of experience, his broken hand etc. etc.

If Nick Stephens is playing QB and it is a close game and he is really tearing it up and I am cheering and thinking he is the greatest thing around and then he throws an INT that he should not have thrown, I will be angry, and if I feel it was such a crucial INT that it cost us the game I will be angrier. I will expect a Tim Tebow like apology with maybe some tears.

If Nick Stephens keeps looking like he has all the physical ability in the world but keeps throwing crucial picks at really important times that cost us games, I will be inconsolable as will the rest of the UT fan base.

Does that make sense Foster mom? Many of us thought Arian needed to carry the ball differently. People can blame the QB for the handoffs, but as I watched (admittedly obsessively) Vol football, Arian was carrying the ball incorrectly on some of his great runs that I cheered for. When he had his first fumbles I was stunned and disappointed. When he had the subsequent ones I got more and more angry until the one where I predicted to my wife that he was about to fumble because he had just had 3 great runs in a row, and he did.

The bigger they are the harder they fall. I loved Arian's potential, but our fanbase is big and the expectations based on his ability were very big and the disappointment with his fumbles were bigger than any other player's mistakes since I have been watching the Vols (since the early 90's). The second most criticized guy actually was Jay Graham who many Vol fans thought had too many unacceptable fumbles.

I do hope he is very successful in the NFL and I do not know why people would wish him anything but the best, but his legacy with all those yards piled up at UT will always be a mixed bags to many fans who felt their hearts break again and again as the ball went to the ground. Thinking about how much worse it is for you as his mom, I am sorry I feel that strongly about it, but I am glad you are also an obsessive football fan and can understand the feeling. The compliment of the whole thing is that for those of us who were the most angry, we expected Arian's greatness which is why the mistakes hurt so much.

This has gotten very long, but my last thought has to do with the nature of a fumble. Some fumbles cannot be avoided. Those are fumbles where the players helmet hits the ball that you have two hands on. Almost every other type of fumble can be avoided and so people hate fumbles because they think they show laziness or lack of discipline. Some of the best runners of all time stretched the ball out with one arm and carried it in a way that increased the chance of fumbles (including in the NFL) but people loved watching it and did not get too upset by it. Once your fumbles cost the team, people expect you to fix it. If you miss crucial free throws and your team is knocked out of the NCAA tournament, your fans will be deeply upset if you do not shoot a better FT percentage the next year.

I hope this honest attempt to explain has been clear. Thanks for reading it.
 
#129
#129
I always liked Arian, good guy.

I definately wish he would've held on to the ball better sometimes, though.
 
#130
#130
fostermom said:
As family, we've tried to figure out why much of the fanbase is negative about Arian.
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I think it was just easier for a lot of people to say, "Hey, it was this one guy's fault; he cost us the game" than to admit that the wheels had come spinning off the whole program.
 
#132
#132
Vercingetorix said:
I think it was just easier for a lot of people to say, "Hey, it was this one guy's fault; he cost us the game" than to admit that the wheels had come spinning off the whole program.
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+1.

What I will remember most about AF's time at UT was his decision to stay for his senior year.
 
#133
#133
I mean, the UCLA game was a total coaching meltdown on both sides of the ball. What Chow did to Chavis in particular was an embarrassment. And yet the takeaway for a lot of people was that "Arian Foster cost us the game." Ridiculous.
 
#134
#134
fostermom said:
I think that's probably very accurate. Unfortunate....:question:
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I responded to your question before I got to the part where you explain your thoughts on each of the fumbles and even blame Arian for some of the subsequent ones.

You are classy through and through. I have interacted with you for a few years, and you have also gotten much better about communicating your feelings without as much emotion (I just remember what must have been a very tough time over on the Volquest boards).

You show more restraint and objectivity than I think I could as a parent and I am so pleased that you are still a fan of Tennessee football. I hope Arian has a great NFL career and makes better life choices than some of his more loved predecessors. Thank you for your involvement and thank you for putting up with us (insane fans). I hope you will stick around the boards and I hope my post explained at least in small part why everything seemed magnified with Arian.

Final thought...Soccer goalie is the most thankless position in sports. Millionaire goalies in Premiership League etc get no glory for an unreal save and get ripped for failing to stop impossible shots. After that I think perhaps the most unappreciated guys are kickers. Rarely rarely rarely are they considered heroic (UT would have no national championship in 1998 without Jeff Hall) but regularly they are hated with a burning passion for failing to do something no one in attendance could do. Then you have QBs and RBs. They have so many opportunities to shine, and so many chances to fail. They are hated more often than they are loved, and sometimes they are not loved even when they should be. It does not mean that there are not rewards for their position. If Slaton gets hurt and Arian moves the chains, he will be so happy he did not try to gain 25 pounds to be a blocking fullback.

Thanks again!
 
#135
#135
fostermom said:
I think that's probably very accurate. Unfortunate....:question:
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To put things in perspective, Gerald Riggs rarely gets mentioned on VolNation, but I think everyone would agree that we would rather have Arian than Gerald in our backfield.... It is unfortunate that Arian got blamed more than he should have, but I hope that you and him both are able to leave with at least some good memories. ...

My one memory of Arian is his play in the UK game in 2007 that took us to the SECC. Not only did he score on the first play of the game, but his heart and passion in OT was incredible (even though I think it actually caused us a penalty when he threw the football for not getting in? haha)... Thanks again for posting FM.
 
#136
#136
fostermom said:
No, look at the film. The ball is on the ground while Arian is still in the backfield. If I remember correctly, the QB accidently bumped into the fullback and it knocked the ball loose.

Part of the perception is that if there's a fumble and Arian's on the field, it had to be him. But no, that was not him.
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On a side note, I wonder if fumbles like that and the Florida one in 2007 are considered one of the "11" fumbles that Foster had?!?!? Does anyone know?
 
#137
#137
Thanks MikeHamiltonFan. That was an honest and heartfelt post and I appreciate your honesty and your ability to be candid, even if it's not all flattering. I admire and respect that. And you're right. That is probably completely true and accurate. I would never make excuses for Arian and while this is never a consolation, Arian was more devastated than anyone by his mishaps. There were times when he carried more than his share of the responsibility of the colossal mess that was this team while he was here. Even in the good times. He felt responsible because he felt like a leader of that team, even when he wasn't considered to be one. I wished at times that I could remove that burden and guilt from him but now....I think it helped him grow. It made him stronger. And oddly enough, while I love my son to no end, it also made me respect him in a way that often times parents don't respect their kids. I'm glad for that. He's a good guy, has a great heart and works harder than many many others. Including now. He said to me last night when I told him that he was getting some good reviews from coaches and media. He said, "that's good but every morning, I wake up and tell myself that I've done nothing and that today I need to go out there and prove myself." That's the tone for his whole career.

I'll be glad when he doesn't play anymore (after he's helped himself out financially). At least then he might be able to allow himself to feel proud of all he's accomplished. And be able to relax and enjoy it.

Thanks for the post.
 
#138
#138
At least now I won't turn the channel if the Texans are playing...Good luck to Arian. I'll be rooting for him.
 
#139
#139
Arian is a good kid and has some special skills. If he can learn to hang on to the ball he will have a long successful career.
 
#140
#140
I believe Arian Foster will have an Eric Parker-type NFL career.

Parker was also, IIRC, an undrafted free agent picked up by the Texans. He did well in camp but was cut, then subsequently added by the Chargers. He enjoyed pretty decent NFL success before injuries took hold. He just needed a fair shake to prove his mettle.

I bet Foster has a decent year as a late game / change-of-pace back.
 
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