Ben Tate ran for 290 fewer yards on 108 fewer carries than Arian Foster did last season, but the chasm between the two Texans tailbacks’ salaries for 2012 will be more than $17.5 million.Foster’s new contract will pay him roughly $18 million, which means he’s going to bank more than twice as much per game as Tate will make all season. The four-year contract the former Auburn star signed when he was drafted in the third round in 2010 is for $490,000 this year and $575,000 in 2013.Such a vast discrepancy in paychecks might stick in some folks’ craw, especially because Tate’s own misfortune arguably made Foster’s vast new fortune possible. But Tate says he can handle it. Fortunately, he’s equal parts pragmatist and an optimist, as well as a man of faith. He’ll tell you the broken leg he suffered early in the preseason of his rookie year, which opened a gaping hole of opportunity for Foster to plow through, was “part of God’s plan for me.â€Trading places“I’m going to keep riding the wave, working hard every single day to get better,†Tate said. “I feel like I’m one of the better running backs in the league right now, definitely (in the) top 10. Adrian’s getting paid the big bucks, but you know what? My time is coming.â€Actually, it already has.After Foster pulled up lame with a strained hamstring on his first carry of training camp last summer and then suffered a couple of relapses, Tate fell only 18 yards shy of becoming the first back in history to rush for 100 yards in each of his first three NFL games.But Foster was the incumbent NFL rushing champion, having run for 1,616 yards in 2010 while Tate stood by on crutches. So for all the prowess Tate showed as a pinch runner early, he never was a viable threat to supplant Foster.Once healed, the onetime undrafted free agent went on to finish second only to Maurice Jones-Drew league-wide during the regular season, then led all backs in the NFL postseason with 285 yards in two games.Tate, in turn, became the NFL’s most productive backup with 942 yards, posting 100-plus-yard games four times. Asked if there’s room for both him and the two-time Pro Bowler Foster in Houston for the long haul, he replied: “I can’t answer that.“But this is where I’m at right now, and this where I’m going to focus all my efforts. When I get (the football), I’ve got to make the best of it. I can’t worry about how many times I get the ball. If I get it twice, I’ve got to make something happen twice. I’ve got to keep my head down, my nose to the (grindstone) and keep working. I can’t worry about anything else.â€Capitalizing on successTate admitted, “Of course, I definitely think about (the money) sometimes.â€Wouldn’t you if a colleague’s paycheck dwarfed yours? He insists, however, it will never become a source 
of personal bitterness or discord in the locker room.“I like Arian,†Tate said. “We get along. Why should I be jealous of him for doing well? I’ve always been taught not to be a hater. Why should I hate on Arian for doing what he was supposed to do when he got a chance?“I got hurt. He had the whole year to make big things happen. He took advantage of his big opportunity. When I get my opportunity, I’ve got to do the same thing.â€
Is Tate a thug, too? Or was that just players on the 2010 team?
He was part of that thugish culture that Tubs had going that was originally started by Jordan Heisman.
$490K????
Shit...Cam got almost half that just to play a year in the SEC.
I really like Tate...I think he is a class act. I think he is a HIGHLY, underrated RB from AU.
Better than Ingram. By far.
11 Replies
2127 Views