Texans running back Arian Foster doesn't like Thursday night football. And by his count, neither does any other player in the league.
And heck, even the fans don't like it.
"I don't know a player that likes it," Foster said Monday at NRG Stadium. "I really don't know a fan that likes it, either. I think it's just the league's way of trying to generate more revenue."
Revenue is very much the reason behind Thursday night football's existence, so Foster is right on that one.
He's also right that it does seem to take some of the oomph out of Sunday performances during the season. The formula of Football Sunday and a single primetime game to look forward to on Monday night has been highly successful for many years.
In an effort to increase revenue and develop the NFL Network brand - which exclusively airs the Thursday night games - the NFL adopted the new model of Football Sunday with primetime games on Monday and Thursday.
The Texans (3-2), who lost 20-17 in overtime at Dallas on Sunday, turn around on three days' rest and host the Indianapolis Colts (3-2) on Thursday in an AFC South divisional matchup.
Foster may very well be right that players don't like the change, and his reasoning is fairly sound.
"They emphasize concussions when they start getting hit with lawsuits and they care about the players' safety but Thursday Night Football is putting every player on the football field in danger," Foster said.
Danger is a strong word choice, especially considering these men are paid to play a game predicated on violence and collisions. It's somewhat hypocritical on Foster's part to make that point.
But that being said, asking players to perform on a short week is just asking for injuries - though the more likely injuries would probably be of the soft tissue or ligament variety, and not necessarily concussions or head injuries.
But from the fan's perspective, there's also the question of whether or not Thursday night football offers a lesser product.
Each Thursday night game this season has been a blowout - wins of 20, 20, 42, 31 and 32 points, for an average of 28.8.
