If Steve Slaton falters or goes down to injury (1 Viewer)

[offdee]

Present FBG depth chart behind Slaton:

- Chris Brown

- Ryan Moats

- Arian Foster (undrafted rookie from Tennessee)

- Jeremiah Johnson (undrafted rookie from Oregon)

 

[babydemon90]

none are worth drafting as a handcuff.... If I had to guess, I'd bet it'd be a platoon of backs getting the touches.

 

[weasel3515]

none are worth drafting as a handcuff.... If I had to guess, I'd bet it'd be a platoon of backs getting the touches.

I agree, and that is one thing that makes Slaton attractive in keeper leagues that allow only one franchise player. Good luck to someone else trying to swoop in and steal his handcuff (ala Chester Taylor for ADP or LeSean McCoy for Brian Westbrook). The opposite may be true...a Slaton owner could take a more obvious handcuff of some other player (like Glenn Coffee for Frank Gore) and not have to waste a roster spot for Slaton's backup. Think of it like a chess strategy.

 

[offdee]

I personally feel if I'm going to take a stab on someone "emerging" it would be Arian Foster.

Overall, a somewhat disappointing career at Tennessee, but he had his moments that show he can do some damage if put into a situation to excel.

As a Junior at Tennessee, had 1,200 yds, 12TDs rushing + 39rec, 340yd, 2TDs receiving

Not the fastest guy, but good size (6-0, 216lbs) and decent vision that is a good fit for the Texans scheme. I came away much more impressed than I expected after watching his highlight reel...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDfvypWLokk

 

[Jeff Tefertiller]

I like Foster as a complementary RB, and feel Jeremiah Johnson would have a shot to be the guy. Brown is injury-prone and Moats is a wildcard.

 

[Cookiemonster]

Chris Brown is the most talented, but the perrenial grain of sand in a certain sensitive organ would cause most to hesitate.

 

[coolnerd]

While everyone will have a favorite, this is a total wait and see. pretty sure you can roster any of these guys for next to nothing so play your hunches and move quickly once those hunches are wrong.

 

[golfguy]

mark for bumo

 

[thriftyrocker]

Selvin Young?

 

[moderated]

Foster is the definition of average and could be cut before the season.

If slaton goes down i think it's a full blown RBBC.

 

[PrimUomo]

Chris Brown. No doubt. The Texans are riding on the hope he doesn't get injured. The first 2 or 3 seasons of his career I remember him getting 100 plus for the titans regularly. And then he got injured. If Slaton gets injured Brown will get 80% of the carries until he gets injured. If Brown gets injured then I see the two rookies spliting carries. Great question too.

 

[THE UNDERCOVER BROTHA]

TETT

 

[MAC_32]

If your league rewards you for fumbles at the absolute worse times Foster's your guy. No? Then Johnson's my gamble.

 

[Penguin]

Chris Brown. No doubt. The Texans are riding on the hope he doesn't get injured. The first 2 or 3 seasons of his career I remember him getting 100 plus for the titans regularly. And then he got injured. If Slaton gets injured Brown will get 80% of the carries until he gets injured. If Brown gets injured then I see the two rookies spliting carries. Great question too.

I think the Texans added C.Brown becuase he was cheap. He's a roster filler and nothing more. Arian Foster is most likely the next in line if Slaton falters.

 

[PrimUomo]

There is no such thing as a "roster filler" on a team.

 

[Biabreakable]

There is no such thing as a "roster filler" on a team.

When your injured and on the roster your pretty much wasting space.

 

[Biabreakable]

I personally feel if I'm going to take a stab on someone "emerging" it would be Arian Foster.

Overall, a somewhat disappointing career at Tennessee, but he had his moments that show he can do some damage if put into a situation to excel.

As a Junior at Tennessee, had 1,200 yds, 12TDs rushing + 39rec, 340yd, 2TDs receiving

Not the fastest guy, but good size (6-0, 216lbs) and decent vision that is a good fit for the Texans scheme. I came away much more impressed than I expected after watching his highlight reel...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDfvypWLokk

Thanks for the clip.Foster doesen't look real powerful even though he is pretty much ideal size for a RB. He has no second gear to outrun defenders.

But he does a really good job of being paitient and using his blocking. I think a lot of that is instictual. I think he could be a decent backup RB.

Depends on his blocking and tackling for ST of course.

 

[Ghost of Bill Walsh]

I can't believe they'll head into the season with just those backs.I'd say it would be highly probable they add someone other than what they have to back up Slaton. I'm gonna monitor the situation and wait and see what they do and who they add. Not thrilled about any of the current guys as a handcuff. Hell, Edge James would be 10 times better than what they have now. You can almost bet they add another back because they wanna help protect Slaton. I'll keep an eye on Johnson and see how he does. In a 3 keeper league I have Gore,Forte and Slaton so doubt I'll be looking for his backup unless it's someone better than what they have now. Just my opinion.

 

[trader jake]

A RB not currently on the Texans roster.

 

[SayWhat?]

I personally feel if I'm going to take a stab on someone "emerging" it would be Arian Foster.

Overall, a somewhat disappointing career at Tennessee, but he had his moments that show he can do some damage if put into a situation to excel.

As a Junior at Tennessee, had 1,200 yds, 12TDs rushing + 39rec, 340yd, 2TDs receiving

Not the fastest guy, but good size (6-0, 216lbs) and decent vision that is a good fit for the Texans scheme. I came away much more impressed than I expected after watching his highlight reel...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDfvypWLokk

That link is worth clicking on simply to watch the ref at 0:14 of the clip.

 

[saintfool]

i read something earlier this week from one of the coaches at houston. maybe it was kubiak or the OC? anyway, he sad that they were really counting on Chris Brown this year. they said he as finally healthy and had a year in the system. it's the kind of vote of confidence that makes him worth considering, especially for a handcuff.

May 7 RB Chris Brown spent last season injured, but the Texans are counting on him to be the primary backup to starter Steve Slaton. The Texans are still considering options and will scour the waiver wire in training camp. Until then, Brown's primary competition comes from holdover Ryan Moats. "I like both of them," offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said. "If Chris can stay healthy, I feel very good about it (running back situation). He's healthy now, and we're counting on him. I expect a lot out of Chris this year. "Ryan's very talented. He really came on last season. He's perfect for our system. He could be what we're looking for, also."

from yahoo

 

[Biabreakable]

i read something earlier this week from one of the coaches at houston. maybe it was kubiak or the OC? anyway, he sad that they were really counting on Chris Brown this year. they said he as finally healthy and had a year in the system. it's the kind of vote of confidence that makes him worth considering, especially for a handcuff.

May 7 RB Chris Brown spent last season injured, but the Texans are counting on him to be the primary backup to starter Steve Slaton. The Texans are still considering options and will scour the waiver wire in training camp. Until then, Brown's primary competition comes from holdover Ryan Moats. "I like both of them," offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said. "If Chris can stay healthy, I feel very good about it (running back situation). He's healthy now, and we're counting on him. I expect a lot out of Chris this year. "Ryan's very talented. He really came on last season. He's perfect for our system. He could be what we're looking for, also."

from yahoo

Either Kyle Shanahan is blowing smoke or he must be insane.

 

[Warhogs]

Today I would also say Chris Brown is the logical choice. I now everyone has soured on him with the injuries he has had but he has shown he can be a good RB in the limited times he has been healthy. NOw, he may go down with an unjury again but I think he is their best option at this point.

 

[switz]

I personally feel if I'm going to take a stab on someone "emerging" it would be Arian Foster.

Chris Brown will get the first shot, but I agree - Foster is the sleeper here.

 

[moderated]

I personally feel if I'm going to take a stab on someone "emerging" it would be Arian Foster.

Chris Brown will get the first shot, but I agree - Foster is the sleeper here.

For those who have never seen him play he might be a sleeper.

 

[FavreCo]

A RB not currently on the Texans roster.

....and probably currently on the Broncos roster.

 

[GregR_2]

A RB not currently on the Texans roster.

....and probably currently on the Broncos roster.

That trend has been reversed now.Denver signs yet another RB., Darius Walker (Texans) gets 2 year deal

 

[Yellow Line is Unoffcial]

Chris Brown. No doubt. The Texans are riding on the hope he doesn't get injured. The first 2 or 3 seasons of his career I remember him getting 100 plus for the titans regularly. And then he got injured. If Slaton gets injured Brown will get 80% of the carries until he gets injured. If Brown gets injured then I see the two rookies spliting carries. Great question too.

Bingo we have a winner

 

[Gopher State]

A RB not currently on the Texans roster.

....and probably currently on the Broncos roster.

Very We finally have the money post

 

[Ariakis]

We'll know during the preseason but for now my money is on Foster.

 

[Don Quixote]

A RB not currently on the Texans roster.

....and probably currently on the Broncos roster.

Very We finally have the money post

When Ryan Torain came in, I remember he was being pimped as the perfect fit for a zone-blocking offense, but of otherwise little value (and his value therefore shot when Shanny got the ax). If he becomes the odd-man out in Denver's crowded backfield, I could see him landing in Houston (if his ACL checks out, an obviously big "if").

 

[AllVolUT]

I personally feel if I'm going to take a stab on someone "emerging" it would be Arian Foster.

Overall, a somewhat disappointing career at Tennessee, but he had his moments that show he can do some damage if put into a situation to excel.

As a Junior at Tennessee, had 1,200 yds, 12TDs rushing + 39rec, 340yd, 2TDs receiving

Not the fastest guy, but good size (6-0, 216lbs) and decent vision that is a good fit for the Texans scheme. I came away much more impressed than I expected after watching his highlight reel...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDfvypWLokk

Somewhat disappointing career at Tennessee? Entering his senior year, Foster was 685 yards away from becoming the all-time Tennessee rushing leader. Tennessee was a mess last year. I'm not sure if y'all were familiar with the situation, but UT ranked somewhere like 114th in total offense this past year. UT hired Dave Clawsen as OC, an 'innovative' coordinator from Richmond (a D-II school, or whatever the hell they call it now). He tried installing a scheme that simply did not work. Long story short, his offense was extremely too complicated for any college kids to pick up in one year (he got canned after one year). During the season, Clawsen was flipping his linemen depending on the play. The lineman could barely remember their own assignments, much less the additional requirements they had to know for other positions. Bottom line: the offense was the worst I've seen in a long, long, long time.

So the sub-par senior results were not Arian's doing. Foster had a hell of a career at UT and could prove to be a solid backup for the Texans. After his Junior year, he had graded out as a second-round draft pick but came back to UT because he wanted to win a SEC championship.

The one cavear, however, is that Arian has had a propensity to fumble the ball in the past. Keep an eye on this during TC. That had always been the biggest ***** in his armor while at UT.

Here is a good read about how Foster went under the radar this past year.

ETA: His mother is a frequent poster on Tennessee's rivals.com website. She is reporting that he has been working out with his brother and is "down to 223, looks really lean, is healthy for the first time and looks really good." Of course that's coming from his mother, haha, so TIFWIW.

 

[offdee]

I personally feel if I'm going to take a stab on someone "emerging" it would be Arian Foster.

Overall, a somewhat disappointing career at Tennessee, but he had his moments that show he can do some damage if put into a situation to excel.

As a Junior at Tennessee, had 1,200 yds, 12TDs rushing + 39rec, 340yd, 2TDs receiving

Not the fastest guy, but good size (6-0, 216lbs) and decent vision that is a good fit for the Texans scheme. I came away much more impressed than I expected after watching his highlight reel...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDfvypWLokk

Rotoworld) Texans running backs coach Chick Harris has taken undrafted rookie Arian Foster under his wing the past couple of weeks.Analysis: Foster isn't a lock to make the final roster, but a strong training camp and a Chris Brown injury could push him all the way up to second on the depth chart. A big back with underrated receiving ability, Foster's one-cut style is perfectly suited to the Texans' offense. He's an interesting sleeper in deep Dynasty leagues.

 

[Ray_T]

Present FBG depth chart behind Slaton:- Chris Brown - Ryan Moats- Arian Foster (undrafted rookie from Tennessee)- Jeremiah Johnson (undrafted rookie from Oregon)

Brown would be an adequate fill in for 2 or 3 games until he gets injured again(as he always does) My bet is that he would split time with Moats until Slaton Returned.

 

[JAA]

If I had to guess, it would be Arian Foster

 

[Flea Flicker]

Jeremiah Johnson is going into camp with a damaged shoulder. Of the longshots, he may be the longest.

Johnson (5-9, 220) talks about popping his shoulder back in matter-of-factly. At some point, he’s going to need surgery.

“It’s not really agony that I feel,” he said. “It feels like my arm goes dead. When I pop it back in, I get the feeling back in two or three minutes. ...

The Texans coaches want Johnson to weigh about 210 when he reports for training camp July 30. The competition at backup running back should be fierce.

“When I come back for camp, I’m going to use the brace because I’m going to be competing and trying to make the team,” Johnson said.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports...nt/6485529.html

 

[loose circuits]

Brown and Moats are currently 2A and 2B

Foster is working closely with the RB's coach to get involved.

I think it's still a dogfight...

here's what McLain has to say about it:

Texans consider options at RB

Returnees,
college free agents 
in the running
as Slaton’s backup

By JOHN McCLAIN Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle

May 1, 2009, 4:53AM

Unless they sign a free agent like Selvin Young, who was waived by Denver on Thursday, the Texans will be five deep at running back.

The Denver Post reported that Young is suffering from a herniated disc, so he'll have to get healthy before a team is interested in signing him.

The search for the ideal complement to Steve Slaton is an ongoing process that, at some point, probably will include more players waived by other teams since the Texans didn’t fill that need in the draft.

Beginning with 14 organized team activities that start May 18, continuing through the minicamp June 15-17 and into training camp and preseason, it’s going to be interesting to see what player wins the backup job.

Targeted backs taken

Shonn Greene (Jets) and Glen Coffee (49ers), backs targeted by the Texans as good value in the third round for what they were looking for, were taken before they chose center Antoine Caldwell with the 77th overall pick.

As of today, there are four candidates to earn the top backup job behind Slaton (5-9, 204), who set a team record with 1,282 yards rushing, averaged 4.8 yards a carry, totaled 1,659 yards from scrimmage and scored 10 touchdowns as a rookie in 2008.

Ideally, the coaches would like a bigger back who fits their one-cut system, a back like Ahman Green (6-0, 218), who was waived, or Cedric Benson (5-11, 220), who was courted by the Texans before re-signing with Cincinnati.

Ryan Moats (5-8, 210) did well playing behind Slaton last season. Chris Brown (6-3, 220) would be ideal because he’s familiar with the system but is injured a lot. He spent last season on injured reserve.

“I like both of them,” offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said. “If Chris can stay healthy, I feel very good about it (running back situation). He’s healthy now, and we’re counting on him. I expect a lot out of Chris this year.

“Ryan’s very talented. He really came on last season. He’s perfect for our system. He could be what we’re looking for, also.”

Because they didn’t select a back in the draft, the Texans signed two undrafted free agents — Tennessee’s Arian Foster (6-1, 227) and Oregon’s Jeremiah Johnson (5-9, 209). Both had injuries in college.

“In four years at Oregon, his worst average per carry was 6.1 yards,” Shanahan said about Johnson, who averaged 6.7 yards a carry in his career. “After Jonathan Stewart left (for Carolina), as a senior, he averaged 7.1 yards a carry.”

Johnson missed most of his junior year after undergoing surgery to repair a torn knee ligament. He returned last season to rush for 1,201 yards and 13 touchdowns.

“He’s got good vision,” Shanahan said. “He slid in the draft because he’s undersized and not very fast, but he’s quick. ”

Foster played with knee, shoulder and ankle injuries at Tennessee. As a junior, he rushed for 1,193 yards and 12 touchdowns.

 

[loose circuits]

more:

May 26, 2009By Brooke Bentley , HoustonTexans.com The Texans were back in action after taking a break for the Memorial Day weekend, and joining the team for the first time during OTAs was defensive end Antonio Smith who missed a week with a hamstring injury. Smith participated in all practice drills and will begin lining up opposite of Mario Williams.So far, so good for Brown: No veteran has more to prove to the Texans than running back Chris Brown. His six-year pro career has been hampered by injuries and after signing with Houston as a free agent in 2008, he suffered a back injury that sidelined him for the season.“It was frustrating what happened (last year),” Brown said. “But I know that I have to go out there now and prove my worth and show them that I am healthy.”Brown spent the spring in Chicago strengthening his back and now he is looking to be the guy who backs up Steve Slaton.“In a two-back system behind Slaton, there’s no telling what can happen,” Brown said. “We are totally two different running backs with two different styles, and I think we will complement each other well.”“I could say, Chris, when he has been healthy and been out on the field in this league, he’s been successful. The question is keeping him healthy and if we can work him with Steve, we should be able to do that.” - Gary KubiakThe Texans did not select a running back in this year’s draft and they have been rotating in Brown and Ryan Moats behind Slaton.Brown fits the physical prototype that the Texans are looking for because he has the build (6-3, 220) and the speed to be effective in third-down situations.“He’s showed in this league he can have some big games and also he should be a good short-yardage player for us,” head coach Gary Kubiak said. “I could say, Chris, when he has been healthy and been out on the field in this league, he’s been successful. The question is keeping him healthy and if we can work him with Steve, we should be able to do that.”So far, Brown is exceeding expectations. The Texans wanted to limit his participation in OTAs, but Brown wouldn’t allow them.“The good news for him was we were going to modify our program for him a little bit this offseason, but he won’t let us,” Kubiak said. “He’s done everything everybody else has done and he’s holding up well.”