Houston Texans running back Arian Foster has insisted that the severity of the back injury which he suffered last season has been "overblown" by the media.
Foster was held to just eight appearances in 2013, rushing for only 542 yards before being placed on the Texans' injured reserve list.
Despite his early departure from the action, Foster has stated that his issue is not as bad as it has been made out to be, and that he will return to off-season practice in the not-too-distant future.
Foster told Bleacher Report: "I can tell you the surgery wasn't as major as it sounded. That's why I have rebounded so quickly. Though I also worked my ass off. I'm expecting to do bigger things and bounce back.
"The Texans fans can expect whatever they want. You can't work through other's expectations. But we expect to win and that's what we work for."
Following Foster's injury, the Texans endured a nightmare 2-14 campaign and will have the first pick during the 2014 NFL Draft next month.