FOXBORO -- If the Patriots get beat by Matt Schaub, they'll at least want to have the peace of mind that they did it while containing running back Arian Foster.
The last time the Patriots and Texans played, Foster was limited to 46 rushing yards. New England's defense would be happy to hold him to similar numbers in Sunday's Divisional playoff game.
Preparation is currently in order at Gillette Stadium, thanks to the Patriots' attempts at replicating Foster's rushing abilities in practice.
Bill Belichick believes his running backs are capable of doing a fine job with that.
"I think our backs do a good job of that," said Belichick. "I feel like we have good backs, and they do a good job. Shane, Woody, Stevan, Brandon Bolden, all of them. Those guys have good vision. They can run. They're different than Foster, but it's close enough, certainly good enough for our defense to work against. Those guys make good cuts, they see holes well. I think our backs do a good job on the scout team."
But the most difficult part, as Belichick pointed out before Wednesday's practice, is replicating how any opposing team's offensive line reacts during the rush.
"I think it's harder, actually, to simulate the offensive line," said Belichick. "You get all the offensive linemen, no matter who you play, it's usually harder to get them into, to get the blocking schemes kind of exactly the way the other team does it."
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