The Sports Xchange

Houston Texans running back Arian Foster plans to be patient and says he wants to be close to fully recovered before returning from a groin injury.

Foster suffered a torn groin on Aug. 3 and underwent surgery four days later. He missed all four preseason games and will sit out Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Foster says he won’t rush back from the injury as there is a risk of reinjuring the groin if he isn’t close to 100 percent.

“It’s not something you can push through,” Foster told reporters. “I played entire seasons with a torn meniscus, I’ve played entire seasons with a broken collarbone. There’s things that you can push through, but like muscle injuries, there’s nothing you can do because it literally hinders your movement.

“As soon as I can feel the movement isn’t hindered and I’m not going to reinjure it, I’ll be out there.”

The 29-year-old Foster rushed for 1,246 yards last season, the fourth 1,000-yard season of his career.

Alfred Blue, a second-year pro from LSU, will start the opener.