Texans running back Derrick Ward blames his ex-employers the Buccaneers for a lot of things. He says the organization spread the word he was overweight and not motivated. Oh, and they weren’t very good either.
The Texans, on the other hand, are “a team that actually wants to block for their running backs, actually wants to win and doesn’t set their goals to a [lower] standard,” Ward said, via Mike Garafolo of the Newark Star-Ledger.
Ward faces his other ex-team the Giants this week, and wants to improve on the five-carry, two-yard performance he had against Big Blue last season.
“I didn’t play against them the way I wanted to. This year, I’m on a better team, a team that actually wants to win, compete and get to that next level,” Ward said. “So to play the Giants is going to be better for me this year.”
Playing in place of a temporarily benched Arian Foster, Ward racked up 80 yards on 12 carries last week against the Raiders. (Proving once again how blocking matters more than the running back.) Texans coach Gary Kubiak says Ward will become a bigger part of the Houston offense.
The way Ward sees it, his time in Tampa is no longer even a memory.
“I feel like I went straight from New York to Houston,” Ward said.