Player Spotlight: Steve Slaton (1 Viewer)

[H.K.]

- As it became obvious he was the best playmaking RB on the roster, he was utilized more as the season closed out. And for the record, I don't disagree some of his expanded usage was a result of injuries to Green and others. During the last six games, he averaged the following.

Go back and read the first page of this thread. This is has already been explained in great detail. Injury was the only reason his workload was high in the last six games of the year. See also "Goings, Nick".

 

[LarryAllen'sJockstrap]

- As it became obvious he was the best playmaking RB on the roster, he was utilized more as the season closed out. And for the record, I don't disagree some of his expanded usage was a result of injuries to Green and others. During the last six games, he averaged the following.

Go back and read the first page of this thread. This is has already been explained in great detail. Injury was the only reason his workload was high in the last six games of the year. See also "Goings, Nick".

No, that's your opinion. Please show me some proof that states Slaton' increased workload was solely due to the fact that Green was injured. Did the Texans have no other active backs on the roster tha could have taken an extra few touches a game away from Slaton?

 

[jsharlan]

Brown today is better than Green today. That is why he is still in the league as the Texans RB and Green isn't.

Is it normal for a team to force its feature back restructure and take a pay cut to avoid being cut? Stop painting the 2008 Green to be on the same level as 2003 Green. He was a broken down 31 year old RB way past his prime.

Slaton now has a full season under his belt, bulked up to 215 in the offseason, came into camp as the feature back, has a better grasp of the system(which has been stated in interviews with both Slaton and Kubiak), and has lesser talent injury prone backs on the depth chart.

I have no problem with dissenting opinions and this was your best post in this thread so far, but it doesn't do the thread much good when people don't have stats/articles/coaches quotes to verify their position. If you have an opinion, it would be better accepted if you could back it up with something tangible.

You also just assume Kubiak is looking for a RBBC when his history as a coach paints a different story. RBBC is the way of the future for most teams, but the Texans dont have the personnel yet.

They have far better and far healthier personnel for an RBBC this year than they did last year. That's been my whole point.

Brown is still in the league because he is still young enough for ppl to wait to see if he will stop getting injured. That doesnt make him more talented than Green.As far as Slaton's improvements:

“I know my role, and I know what I need to work on to get better,” Slaton said. “It's still to be the leader of the running backs and make big plays for the team.”

“I think he can repeat, but we want to make sure we're smart with how we use him,” running backs coach Chick Harris said. “We pride ourselves in being a good running team, and Steve's carrying the load for now.”

"To become more capable of handling the banging an NFL running back takes, Slaton put on a few pounds of muscle and reported at 215 pounds. Harris said the muscle will allow him to be more durable and compact.

“He's seven or eight pounds more, and he's stronger now,” Harris said. “He has more muscle mass, and he's stronger, and his weight is not hampering him.”

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports...nt/6562382.html

"It's just critiquing the little things that I didn't know," he said. "Having a year under your belt definitely helps out a whole lot because everything that we're installing I know the base of it. So it's just the little things I can work on and more things I can pay attention to."

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/article/20...rb-steve-slaton

(on the running back unit) "Starting with (RB) Steve (Slaton), to me he's the guy who's got to make a big, big jump for us because he had such a great year and he's a big important part of this team."

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=5345

(on RB Steve Slaton starting year as the starter at RB) "When Steve came in last year, people forget that at the start of training camp, he was third or fourth on our depth chart because we had a healthy backfield with (RBs) Ahman Green and Chris Brown. But it came to Week 1 and he was out there all the time. It was like, ‘Here you go.' He's a young kid at a position as a rookie that's tough to play, and the fact that he was able to produce in the run game and the pass game like he did, that just gives him so much confidence this year that he can do it and clean up some of the things that he didn't do so well. He knows what those things are, and he's been working really hard at it, so we're expecting some big things from him."

(Slaton on the difference in camp last year to this year) "A lot is different. Being a year in the system is definitely helpful, and I definitely know my place. I know the little things I have to work on and not really trying to grasp everything. I can work on a few things to help me get better and the team get better."

(Slaton on how experience can improve an offense) "Yes, I definitely think anytime you have a certain system you are going to get better and hopefully the coaches trust me a little more to put more on my plate."

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=5398

(Kubiak on what RB Steve Slaton needs to do to continue last year's success) "Well, he's got to get a lot better. He's got to get more physical as a player, picking up blitzes, that sort of thing. That was a weakness for him last year, so our team will get tougher, Steve will pick up more blitzes and do a better job from that standpoint. But just repeating our plays and what we do, he should be even more in tune. He's a very mature young man, so I expect him to continue to take a step."

(Kubiak on how Slaton performed last year on instinct) "Yeah, you're right, it was a lot of raw ability that took over last year and there's a lot of it, and a great deal of speed. Now he's another year in the system, listening to John (Benton) and Alex (Gibbs) coach the running game and Kyle (Shanahan) coach the passing game, so he's just become more of a pro. Understanding a little bit better should help him reach another level."

(Kubiak on the additional weight that Slaton has put on) "I think it's important. I think in the long haul, it will be very important for him, so he comes in with it. The problem around here in this heat is keeping it, so hopefully he can hang on to some of it."

(on the running back situation) "We really like (RB) Chris Brown as a player. We liked him last year. We know we have to keep him healthy, so we know we can't give him all the reps on the backup stuff. So we're mixing (RB) Ryan Moats in there, who did a good job for us at the end of last year. Then we have two young guys who are undrafted free agents who are coming in who at least have a chance to push our third guy and be that third guy and possibly be a practice squad guy. So usually, they become valuable half-way through the year."

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=5412

(Kubiak on fewer reps for RB Steve Slaton) "No, he's getting his normal reps. Obviously, we're going to split those between (RBs) Chris (Brown), Arian (Foster) and Ryan (Moats). Those guys are going to get there reps also, but believe me, Steve is carrying his load."

(Kubiak on if RB Steve Slaton's role this year is different from last) "It's really not, it's the same. Steve is a year two player that got a lot of respect last year and did a lot of good things. Our biggest step on offense, he may have as much to do with that as anybody. Does he become a better player in year two? Does he pick up the blitz better? Does he pre-diagnose runs better? Those type of things. Steve has to become much better just like everybody else."

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=5415

They have far better and far healthier personnel for an RBBC this year than they did last year. That's been my whole point.

How do you figure? Chris Brown has never played a full season, Foster is ALREADY hurt in camp and has a history of college injury. Moats is the only one who doesnt have much injury history. As I stated before Brown is less talented than Green, Moats was here last year, and Foster hasnt shown anything yet to put him above Walker from last year. I see this year's backfield the same as last year's. Thats why alot of Houston fans are worried. How do you figure its more talented AND healthier?

 

[H.K.]

- As it became obvious he was the best playmaking RB on the roster, he was utilized more as the season closed out. And for the record, I don't disagree some of his expanded usage was a result of injuries to Green and others. During the last six games, he averaged the following.

Go back and read the first page of this thread. This is has already been explained in great detail. Injury was the only reason his workload was high in the last six games of the year. See also "Goings, Nick".

No, that's your opinion. Please show me some proof that states Slaton' increased workload was solely due to the fact that Green was injured. Did the Texans have no other active backs on the roster tha could have taken an extra few touches a game away from Slaton?

Already have. When Green was hurt, no RBBC, when he wasn't, right back to RBBC.Also, Green, Brown, and Taylor were all out for the year after week 12.

In weeks 13-17 Slaton had 109 carries while mid-season FA acquisition Moats had 14 (Even more incredible: Moats had 12 carries in Week 17, so Slaton carried 89 times and Moats had 4 carries in a four game span!!!)

It's been discussed and proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that injury was the predominant factor for Slaton's increased workload.

However, if you still expect Slaton to continue getting 90% of the carries over the course of the 2009 season like he did in the final five weeks of 2008, well, we'll just have to agree to disagree there.

 

[H.K.]

(Kubiak on if RB Steve Slaton's role this year is different from last) "It's really not, it's the same."

Bingo.Full scale RBBC, just like last season./thread.

 

[jsharlan]

H.K. you are making stuff up. No one has said Slaton didnt get an OPPORTUNITY because of injury. He took advantage of that opportunity to prove himself and become a feature back this year. It took through the course of the year for the staff to see that he could be the real deal. No one has said he will get 90% of the workload. 65-70% is more reasonable. That isnt a RBBC. You made the ridiculous prediction that he would drop to 700 yards rushing and only get 27 catches for the year(you still have been ignoring the evidence of his involvement in the passing game). Then you passed it all on stats from last year, when he was an unproven rookie, new to the system, and had a high paid proven veteran to steal carries when healthy. None of that applies anymore. Slaton has proven himself and hes going to be the main weapon in the backfield.

 

[jsharlan]

(Kubiak on if RB Steve Slaton's role this year is different from last) "It's really not, it's the same."

Bingo.Full scale RBBC, just like last season./thread.

Bingo his role will be the same, 1300 yards rushing, 50 catches, and 10+ TDs.

 

[jsharlan]

- As it became obvious he was the best playmaking RB on the roster, he was utilized more as the season closed out. And for the record, I don't disagree some of his expanded usage was a result of injuries to Green and others. During the last six games, he averaged the following.

Go back and read the first page of this thread. This is has already been explained in great detail. Injury was the only reason his workload was high in the last six games of the year. See also "Goings, Nick".

how does Slaton compare to Goings? Goings didnt go into the next season as the starter, who is the DeShaun Foster or Stephen Davis of the Texans to put Slaton on the bench?

 

[H.K.]

You made the ridiculous prediction that he would drop to 700 yards rushing and only get 27 catches for the year(you still have been ignoring the evidence of his involvement in the passing game).

Ignoring what evidence? In eight games with Green (which are the only ones that matter because they show what Kubiak wants to do at RB when he has at least some other option), Slaton averaged 1.5 receptions (accidentally quoted 1.3 earlier, my apologies on that oversight as I transposed his number with Green's in the RBBC breakdown for this calculation). Over 16 games that's 24 catches, so I gave Slaton a slight bump over his normal average.

 

[steelcityman]

3 year keeper league, starting year 1 this season

ADP

MJD

Forte

Turner

DeAngelo

Chris Johnson

S Jackson...

are all taken, do you take Slaton?

Lets pretend you dont like LT in his 30s or San Fran players.

Or Larry Lar?

 

[jsharlan]

You made the ridiculous prediction that he would drop to 700 yards rushing and only get 27 catches for the year(you still have been ignoring the evidence of his involvement in the passing game).

Ignoring what evidence? In eight games with Green (which are the only ones that matter because they show what Kubiak wants to do at RB when he has at least some other option), Slaton averaged 1.5 receptions (accidentally quoted 1.3 earlier, my apologies on that oversight as I transposed his number with Green's in the RBBC breakdown for this calculation). Over 16 games that's 24 catches, so I gave Slaton a slight bump over his normal average.

Now look at Green's receiving numbers over his career against Brown's and honestly tell me Brown is going to steal a bunch of passes from Slaton. You are so stubborn you refuse to back away from your little Green+Slaton stats when A. that combo isnt here this year, and B. I've given you several possible reasons for that breakdown.

 

[King of the Jungle]

Can we call a truce with the arguing? This thread is watered down.

 

[LarryAllen'sJockstrap]

- As it became obvious he was the best playmaking RB on the roster, he was utilized more as the season closed out. And for the record, I don't disagree some of his expanded usage was a result of injuries to Green and others. During the last six games, he averaged the following.

Go back and read the first page of this thread. This is has already been explained in great detail. Injury was the only reason his workload was high in the last six games of the year. See also "Goings, Nick".

No, that's your opinion. Please show me some proof that states Slaton' increased workload was solely due to the fact that Green was injured. Did the Texans have no other active backs on the roster tha could have taken an extra few touches a game away from Slaton?

Already have. When Green was hurt, no RBBC, when he wasn't, right back to RBBC.Also, Green, Brown, and Taylor were all out for the year after week 12.

In weeks 13-17 Slaton had 109 carries while mid-season FA acquisition Moats had 14 (Even more incredible: Moats had 12 carries in Week 17, so Slaton carried 89 times and Moats had 4 carries in a four game span!!!)

It's been discussed and proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that injury was the predominant factor for Slaton's increased workload.

However, if you still expect Slaton to continue getting 90% of the carries over the course of the 2009 season like he did in the final five weeks of 2008, well, we'll just have to agree to disagree there.

All I ask is one thing.In the last three seasons, Houston has ran the ball 432, 417, and 431 times. That's an average of 427 rushes a year.

You have Slaton slated (I know, cheesy) for 176 carries, or 41% of the team total rushes.

You're telling me you think the team best RB, a guy who averaged nearly 5 yards a clip is only going to get the ball 4 out of every 10 times they call a running play?

 

[gump]

However, if you still expect Slaton to continue getting 90% of the carries over the course of the 2009 season like he did in the final five weeks of 2008, well, we'll just have to agree to disagree there.

If I own SS, I'd be very happy 70% of the touches...which would lead to 1800 yards (as Pipes calculated).

 

[King of the Jungle]

H.K. has a personal issue with Steve Slaton. This is his non-violent way of coping with it.

 

[H.K.]

Now look at Green's receiving numbers over his career against Brown's and honestly tell me Brown is going to steal a bunch of passes from Slaton. You are so stubborn you refuse to back away from your little Green+Slaton stats when A. that combo isnt here this year, and B. I've given you several possible reasons for that breakdown.

*sigh*OJ Anderson had a better career than Tim Hightower, but that doesn't make OJ the better option for the Cardinals today. In other words, stop bringing up Green and Brown's respective careers, it isn't relevant for this season.

Also, it doesn't matter that Green is gone in Houston, what matters is that Brown is there this year...and 2009 Brown is far superior to 2008 Green, therefore a better fit for their RBBC that Kubiak runs.

Summary: Green out, Brown in. New parts, Same RBBC.

 

[Michael Fox Fan]

Can we call a truce with the arguing? This thread is watered down.

New here?

 

[H.K.]

All I ask is one thing.

In the last three seasons, Houston has ran the ball 432, 417, and 431 times. That's an average of 427 rushes a year.

You have Slaton slated (I know, cheesy) for 176 carries, or 41% of the team total rushes.

You're telling me you think the team best RB, a guy who averaged nearly 5 yards a clip is only going to get the ball 4 out of every 10 times they call a running play?

For starters, I exclude QB, FB, and WR attempts in my analysis. That way I know I am just looking at the true RB rushing opportunity for the coming season. Here is how it shook out last year:2008 Texans RB Carries

Steve Slaton-268

Ahman Green-74

Ryan Moats-26

Chris Taylor-14

Cecil Sapp-2

TOTAL 384

Now that we have a true starting point, we can factor in the fact that the Texans RB's ran 62 times with 2 yards or less for a first down/TD, and we already know Slaton won't be included in those opportunities this season with Brown and Foster around.

So out of the remaining 322 normal carrying situations, he'll get the call 55% of the time.

Once you crawl inside the numbers, the projection is pretty much bullet proof.

 

[moderated]

All I ask is one thing.

In the last three seasons, Houston has ran the ball 432, 417, and 431 times. That's an average of 427 rushes a year.

You have Slaton slated (I know, cheesy) for 176 carries, or 41% of the team total rushes.

You're telling me you think the team best RB, a guy who averaged nearly 5 yards a clip is only going to get the ball 4 out of every 10 times they call a running play?

For starters, I exclude QB, FB, and WR attempts in my analysis. That way I know I am just looking at the true RB rushing opportunity for the coming season. Here is how it shook out last year:2008 Texans RB Carries

Steve Slaton-268

Ahman Green-74

Ryan Moats-26

Chris Taylor-14

Cecil Sapp-2

TOTAL 384

Now that we have a true starting point, we can factor in the fact that the Texans ran 62 times with 2 yards or less for a first down/TD, and we already know Slaton won't be included in those opportunities this season with Brown and Foster around.

So out of the remaining 322 normal carrying situations, he'll get the call 55% of the time.

Once you crawl inside the numbers, the projection is pretty much bullet proof.

HK is just owning this thread silly.

The over-valuing of Slaton this year is very Kevan Barlowesque.

 

[LarryAllen'sJockstrap]

For starters, I exclude QB, FB, and WR attempts in my analysis. That way I know I am just looking at the true RB rushing opportunity for the coming season. Here is how it shook out last year:

2008 Texans RB Carries

Steve Slaton-268

Ahman Green-74

Ryan Moats-26

Chris Taylor-14

Cecil Sapp-2

TOTAL 384

Now that we have a true starting point, we can factor in the fact that the Texans RB's ran 62 times with 2 yards or less for a first down/TD, and we already know Slaton won't be included in those opportunities this season with Brown and Foster around.

So out of the remaining 322 normal carrying situations, he'll get the call 55% of the time.

Once you crawl inside the numbers, the projection is pretty much bullet proof.

Oh lord, this is pointless. I'm out.

 

[Ray_T]

He's a good scat back who was thrust into a large role due to every other RB getting hurt.160 carries672 yards32 receptions246 yards2 total TD's

10 carries a game with little to no competition? This makes zero sense.

I agree. this post makes no sense at all. 1) If he's not going to get to run the ball, who is?2) he may have been a good scat back who was thrust into a large role he has shown he is more than this by running the ball effectively over almost a full season.Nuff said.

 

[jsharlan]

Now look at Green's receiving numbers over his career against Brown's and honestly tell me Brown is going to steal a bunch of passes from Slaton. You are so stubborn you refuse to back away from your little Green+Slaton stats when A. that combo isnt here this year, and B. I've given you several possible reasons for that breakdown.

*sigh*OJ Anderson had a better career than Tim Hightower, but that doesn't make OJ the better option for the Cardinals today. In other words, stop bringing up Green and Brown's respective careers, it isn't relevant for this season.

Also, it doesn't matter that Green is gone in Houston, what matters is that Brown is there this year...and 2009 Brown is far superior to 2008 Green, therefore a better fit for their RBBC that Kubiak runs.

Summary: Green out, Brown in. New parts, Same RBBC.

hahahaha wait wait wait, let me get this straight. I should throw out Green's and Brown's careers because somehow they arent relevant, YET you are predicting that Slaton is gonna have a major drop off based on last year's IRRELEVANT Green, and Brown's ability now which you are somehow basing on his IRRELEVANT past abilities? Basically you are so stubborn you ignore or tell others their reasoning for predictions this year is irrelevant and only your point of view is right.

Basically you can be boiled down to this: " I think that Kubiak runs a full RBBC because for a fraction of a season in the past, Slaton and some player who isnt on the team anymore split carries, Im going to ignore that player's abilities, receiving talents, Kubiak's lack of history running a RBBC over a 14 year career calling plays, the injury prone backups THIS year, the lack of productivity from the backups, the lack of receiving talent of the backups, or the fact that Slaton is coming into the season with another year of experience in the system and a beefed up physical condition. Im also going to ignore the fact Im predicting Slaton to get less than 40% of the running back load even though he is the best player in the backfield, and Im going to give him a reception prediction thats half what he did last year based on his backup who has never caught more than 25 balls in his career stealing all his catches."

Seriously what the hell, did Slaton bang your wife while fishhooking your dog and pissing in your cherrios all at the same time?

 

[LarryAllen'sJockstrap]

Seriously what the hell, did Slaton bang your wife while fishhooking your dog and pissing in your cherrios all at the same time?

My guess is he IS Slaton and is just hoping to lower his value so he can scoop himself up in all his fantasy drafts.

 

[jsharlan]

You lost whatever creditability you had left when you decided to act like you are the coach and you know he will get zero goalline carries so you can just throw them out in predictions. Im starting to think your posting is just one giant troll. I hope you are ready for a bunch of crow when the season plays out. The only way Slaton only gets 700 yards rushing is if he gets hurt.

 

[Ray_T]

All I ask is one thing.

In the last three seasons, Houston has ran the ball 432, 417, and 431 times. That's an average of 427 rushes a year.

You have Slaton slated (I know, cheesy) for 176 carries, or 41% of the team total rushes.

You're telling me you think the team best RB, a guy who averaged nearly 5 yards a clip is only going to get the ball 4 out of every 10 times they call a running play?

For starters, I exclude QB, FB, and WR attempts in my analysis. That way I know I am just looking at the true RB rushing opportunity for the coming season. Here is how it shook out last year:2008 Texans RB Carries

Steve Slaton-268

Ahman Green-74

Ryan Moats-26

Chris Taylor-14

Cecil Sapp-2

TOTAL 384

Now that we have a true starting point, we can factor in the fact that the Texans RB's ran 62 times with 2 yards or less for a first down/TD, and we already know Slaton won't be included in those opportunities this season with Brown and Foster around.

So out of the remaining 322 normal carrying situations, he'll get the call 55% of the time.

Once you crawl inside the numbers, the projection is pretty much bullet proof.

I disagree. Slaton will get some of those short yardage carries (not many, but some) and Slaton got 268 out of 384 RB carries last year. (69%) if you project 55% for him this year you are not working in the real world. he will get no less than 60% of the carries and a handful of short yardage carries.

I think you need to rework your numbers.

 

[H.K.]

For starters, I exclude QB, FB, and WR attempts in my analysis. That way I know I am just looking at the true RB rushing opportunity for the coming season. Here is how it shook out last year:

2008 Texans RB Carries

Steve Slaton-268

Ahman Green-74

Ryan Moats-26

Chris Taylor-14

Cecil Sapp-2

TOTAL 384

Now that we have a true starting point, we can factor in the fact that the Texans RB's ran 62 times with 2 yards or less for a first down/TD, and we already know Slaton won't be included in those opportunities this season with Brown and Foster around.

So out of the remaining 322 normal carrying situations, he'll get the call 55% of the time.

Once you crawl inside the numbers, the projection is pretty much bullet proof.

Oh lord, this is pointless. I'm out.

You said the Texans ran 427 times a year on average and I patiently took the time to show you the true RB number, then I continue to derive a legitimate number when I factor in something the coach has declared Slaton won't be doing in 2009:

March 12, 2009, 10:57

Texans :: RB

RB C.Brown Short Yardage Man, Assuming Health

Nick Scurfield, HoustonTexans.com

The Texans signed RB Chris Brown to a two-year deal last season, but Brown missed the '08 campaign with a back injury. Doctors have cleared him to resume all physical activities this offseason and Brown says he'll be able to participate in OTAs this spring. HC Gary Kubiak hopes to use him as the short yardage threat behind starter Steve Slaton. "He can provide a big back for us," Kubiak said. "Steve's a smaller guy. We need somebody who can do a little more pounding, red zone, short yardage, those types of things. That's easier said than done, but we have that guy here with him if he's healthy. So the key is whether or not he can stay healthy."

Do you have a more current quote from the coach that Slaton will be getting these opportunities now and they should be included in his projection?

 

[moderated]

Some people really need to stop posting to prevent further embarrassment.

HK has completely negated the Slaton fans points with hard data/facts/and logic.

Listen, Slaton can handle a large load in a pinch over a short term span, but even the coaching staff knows he is best suited in a RBBC role and isn't a short yardage/goal line RB.

Unless you think every other RB on the roster is going to get hurt again this year there is zero reason to think Slaton is going to be used as a workhorse.

He's a solid scat back, nothing wrong with that. I'd love him as a #3 RB on my team hoping for injuries so he could help fill in for a few weeks, but i think it's a bit foolish to bank on this guy as a reliable every week starter.

 

[jsharlan]

lol this thread is a joke, we'll bump in a couple months and see where the crow goes.

 

[unckeyherb]

For starters, I exclude QB, FB, and WR attempts in my analysis. That way I know I am just looking at the true RB rushing opportunity for the coming season. Here is how it shook out last year:

2008 Texans RB Carries

Steve Slaton-268

Ahman Green-74

Ryan Moats-26

Chris Taylor-14

Cecil Sapp-2

TOTAL 384

Now that we have a true starting point, we can factor in the fact that the Texans RB's ran 62 times with 2 yards or less for a first down/TD, and we already know Slaton won't be included in those opportunities this season with Brown and Foster around.

So out of the remaining 322 normal carrying situations, he'll get the call 55% of the time.

Once you crawl inside the numbers, the projection is pretty much bullet proof.

Oh lord, this is pointless. I'm out.

You said the Texans ran 427 times a year on average and I patiently took the time to show you the true RB number, then I continue to derive a legitimate number when I factor in something the coach has declared Slaton won't be doing in 2009:

March 12, 2009, 10:57

Texans :: RB

RB C.Brown Short Yardage Man, Assuming Health

Nick Scurfield, HoustonTexans.com

The Texans signed RB Chris Brown to a two-year deal last season, but Brown missed the '08 campaign with a back injury. Doctors have cleared him to resume all physical activities this offseason and Brown says he'll be able to participate in OTAs this spring. HC Gary Kubiak hopes to use him as the short yardage threat behind starter Steve Slaton. "He can provide a big back for us," Kubiak said. "Steve's a smaller guy. We need somebody who can do a little more pounding, red zone, short yardage, those types of things. That's easier said than done, but we have that guy here with him if he's healthy. So the key is whether or not he can stay healthy."

Do you have a more current quote from the coach that Slaton will be getting these opportunities now and they should be included in his projection?

dude, you are clutching at straws and steering quotes and stats in your own direction. We don't ALREADY KNOW Slaton won't be included in goal line opportunities this season with Brown and Foster around. You certainly can't take the total amount of goal line carries last year and simply subtract them from the total. Then to say that Slaton, who in one season has done more than his backups have ever done, is going to get 55% of the carries? Really? According to your projections there will be 19 "normal" carries a game. Slaton is only going to get 55% of that? 10 carries a game? Thats what you think? okeydoke.

 

[H.K.]

Basically you can be boiled down to this: " I know that Kubiak runs a full RBBC because that is all he has done as Texans HC when he has all his personnel available"

Fixed it for you. If anyone has anything to prove otherwise, I'd love to see it.

 

[TheFanatic]

Jsharlan did a great job here showing that Kubiak has used a RBBC exactly 10% of his time in Denver which is what HK is basing much of his argument on. This pretty much just nullifies everything HK has said in this thread but despite this damning evidence to the contrary he will undoubtedly just ignore this and keep plowing ahead...In fact, if you look add in 2006 and 2007:2006 Ron Dayne 151/612 Wali Lundy 124/476 2007 Ron Dayne 194/773 Ahman Green 70/260 I won't list 2008 because there was pretty much no other choice but to go with Slaton alone although HK will argue that whenever Green was healthy he was used in conjunction with Slaton. Which sort of makes sense since he was their big FA signing of the year prior and he had all of 70 carries. In 12 years Kubiak has gone with RBBC twice. Not sure I can blame him when in 2006 he had Dayne, Lundy and Gado. But then in 2007 with an equally weak RB crew considering how gimpy Green was, between the top two RB's Dayne got 73% of the carries.

Kubiak worked for Shanahan in Denver. Since Kubiak has been in control in Houston, it has been RBBC every year. Next.

Uh, no. 2007 Dayne got 70% of the carries from the top two runners, he and Green. That's not a RBBC. That's one guy getting close to three times what the other guy got. You can try to dismiss this but it just doesn't go away.Even if you want to continue to argue minutia about what exactly constitutes a RBBC, and we all know you do, then you have to look at the personnel he has had. Dayne, Gado, Lundi, Ahman Green who was obviously way past his prime, and a bunch of other scrubs. What did you expect the guy to do? He had to play the matchups as much as possible but he still gave Dayne 194 carries over 13 games played and 8 starts. Using your own logic that when Green was healthy it was a RBBC last year I'm pretty confident that when Dayne was healthy he was clearly the bell cow. In his 13 games he played in (only starting 8) he had:13181516Missed this game172121161871121Averaged out over 16 games that's 240 carries or 15 carries a game. Only 13 RB's had more than 240 rushes the last two years. Basically if you want to claim that last year it was a RBBC in Houston then you need to admit that it was not a RBBC in 2007. I made the analogy before. If I've always had a clunker that can only do 50 MPH, when I get a Vette don't assume I'm only going to do 50 because I've always done 50. Slaton has way outperformed every RB that has been on the Houston Roster since Kubiak took over. And you expect him to minimize Slaton's role? You expect the HC to limit the touches of one of his most powerful weapons? Do you read this garbage you type or are you wearing tinfoil on your head right now?

 

[Michael Fox Fan]

lol this thread is a joke, we'll bump in a couple months and see where the crow goes.

It's strange that you are getting so emotional about this. I thought your post on Kubiak and RBBC was fantastic - that was a much more productive way of responding.It's clear from HK's posts that he hates Slaton -- go back and read some of his Brandon Jacobs stuff last year during pre-season, there was a similar level of Jacobs bashing. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that HK owns Slaton.

 

[TheFanatic]

Some people really need to stop posting to prevent further embarrassment.

HK has completely negated the Slaton fans points with hard data/facts/and logic.

Listen, Slaton can handle a large load in a pinch over a short term span, but even the coaching staff knows he is best suited in a RBBC role and isn't a short yardage/goal line RB.

Unless you think every other RB on the roster is going to get hurt again this year there is zero reason to think Slaton is going to be used as a workhorse.

He's a solid scat back, nothing wrong with that. I'd love him as a #3 RB on my team hoping for injuries so he could help fill in for a few weeks, but i think it's a bit foolish to bank on this guy as a reliable every week starter.

If he is a solid scat back why didn't they draft someone to compliment his abilities. And the schlubs they took at the end of the draft/after the draft do not count. No one drafts a 7th rounder or pulls in a FA after the draft and has any expectation that the guy will contribute in a regular basis his first year or even ever. Words and action. The coaching staff may downplay Slaton but they didn't bring anyone in to compliment him. He's all they have and he is all they will have this year. Outside of injury this guy is a lock for 1K rushing and 300 receiving. And that's a floor, not the ceiling.

 

[moderated]

Some people really need to stop posting to prevent further embarrassment.

HK has completely negated the Slaton fans points with hard data/facts/and logic.

Listen, Slaton can handle a large load in a pinch over a short term span, but even the coaching staff knows he is best suited in a RBBC role and isn't a short yardage/goal line RB.

Unless you think every other RB on the roster is going to get hurt again this year there is zero reason to think Slaton is going to be used as a workhorse.

He's a solid scat back, nothing wrong with that. I'd love him as a #3 RB on my team hoping for injuries so he could help fill in for a few weeks, but i think it's a bit foolish to bank on this guy as a reliable every week starter.

If he is a solid scat back why didn't they draft someone to compliment his abilities. And the schlubs they took at the end of the draft/after the draft do not count. No one drafts a 7th rounder or pulls in a FA after the draft and has any expectation that the guy will contribute in a regular basis his first year or even ever. Words and action. The coaching staff may downplay Slaton but they didn't bring anyone in to compliment him. He's all they have and he is all they will have this year. Outside of injury this guy is a lock for 1K rushing and 300 receiving. And that's a floor, not the ceiling.

Sometimes the draft doesn't fall in a way to make it reasonable, or while they need another RB they needed other positions more and felt Chris Brown could hold down the fort for this season.A healthy Brown (which I know doesn't sound right) can more then handle the 12-15 touches a game the coaching staff expects out of him allowing Slaton into his more natural role of scat/RBBC type RB.

 

[thehornet]

Basically you can be boiled down to this: " I know that Kubiak runs a full RBBC because that is all he has done as Texans HC when he has all his personnel available"

Fixed it for you. If anyone has anything to prove otherwise, I'd love to see it.

The proof is in the pudding, dude. He will get the same workload as he did last year. The coach said as much.

 

[TheFanatic]

lol this thread is a joke, we'll bump in a couple months and see where the crow goes.

It's strange that you are getting so emotional about this. I thought your post on Kubiak and RBBC was fantastic - that was a much more productive way of responding.

Actually I think jsharlan was being the mature one here. I took it as him saying that he's done arguing with a brick wall for now and that we will check back a month or so into the regular season to see where Slaton stacks up. I see this as JSharlan taking the high road at this point.

It's clear from HK's posts that he hates Slaton -- go back and read some of his Brandon Jacobs stuff last year during pre-season, there was a similar level of Jacobs bashing. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that HK owns Slaton.

I've been thinking the same thing. HK is the bizzaro troll. He rips his own guys to get some sort of sadistic satisfaction out of tearing down guys on his own team all the while secretly hoping that they do well. Or maybe the real rush he gets from these fishing trips are all the people who defend his guys. Maybe he gets a boost to his ego to get everyone pimping his guy which he is ripping. In fact, I actually feel pretty confident in that diagnosis. I think we should prescribe HK some lexipro and move on here...

 

[thehornet]

Some people really need to stop posting to prevent further embarrassment.

HK has completely negated the Slaton fans points with hard data/facts/and logic.

Listen, Slaton can handle a large load in a pinch over a short term span, but even the coaching staff knows he is best suited in a RBBC role and isn't a short yardage/goal line RB.

Unless you think every other RB on the roster is going to get hurt again this year there is zero reason to think Slaton is going to be used as a workhorse.

He's a solid scat back, nothing wrong with that. I'd love him as a #3 RB on my team hoping for injuries so he could help fill in for a few weeks, but i think it's a bit foolish to bank on this guy as a reliable every week starter.

If he is a solid scat back why didn't they draft someone to compliment his abilities. And the schlubs they took at the end of the draft/after the draft do not count. No one drafts a 7th rounder or pulls in a FA after the draft and has any expectation that the guy will contribute in a regular basis his first year or even ever. Words and action. The coaching staff may downplay Slaton but they didn't bring anyone in to compliment him. He's all they have and he is all they will have this year. Outside of injury this guy is a lock for 1K rushing and 300 receiving. And that's a floor, not the ceiling.

Sometimes the draft doesn't fall in a way to make it reasonable, or while they need another RB they needed other positions more and felt Chris Brown could hold down the fort for this season.A healthy Brown (which I know doesn't sound right) can more then handle the 12-15 touches a game the coaching staff expects out of him allowing Slaton into his more natural role of scat/RBBC type RB.

This is so false that I am not even going to debate it with you. Sure, he is better when he has some rest. So is EVERY OTHER BACK IN THE LEAGUE.

 

[H.K.]

dude, you are clutching at straws and steering quotes and stats in your own direction. We don't ALREADY KNOW Slaton won't be included in goal line opportunities this season with Brown and Foster around. You certainly can't take the total amount of goal line carries last year and simply subtract them from the total. Then to say that Slaton, who in one season has done more than his backups have ever done, is going to get 55% of the carries? Really? According to your projections there will be 19 "normal" carries a game. Slaton is only going to get 55% of that? 10 carries a game? Thats what you think?

okeydoke.

Are people even reading this thread? I've already proved that this is almost exactly what happened last season (13 carries a game with Green playing four quarters), then take away a few SD/GL carries Kubiak said he'd lose this season and he's down to 10 or 11 carries a week. Simple math. So yes, that is what I think. What I don't understand is people who expect him to get more carries than that after they analyze the data. It's completely counter-intuitive to how Kubiak has operated as a Head Coach.

 

[Todem]

3 year keeper league, starting year 1 this season

ADP

MJD

Forte

Turner

DeAngelo

Chris Johnson

S Jackson...

are all taken, do you take Slaton?

Lets pretend you dont like LT in his 30s or San Fran players.

Or Larry Lar?

No question you can toss a coin but i would not be unhappy grabbing Slaton who IMO can outperform or give you numbers like Forte, Turner, MJD and Steven Jackson.

I only have (in PPR) ADP and CJ3 ranked higher. Slaton is going to be that good this upcoming season in his second year in a zone blocking offense with a superstar at WR and super solid TE and good 2nd WR and a good QB.

Slaton is primed for a top 5 finish this year.

Larry Fitzgerald is also a great pick at that spot as well. Do you want a Benz or a BMW?

 

[TheFanatic]

Some people really need to stop posting to prevent further embarrassment.

HK has completely negated the Slaton fans points with hard data/facts/and logic.

Listen, Slaton can handle a large load in a pinch over a short term span, but even the coaching staff knows he is best suited in a RBBC role and isn't a short yardage/goal line RB.

Unless you think every other RB on the roster is going to get hurt again this year there is zero reason to think Slaton is going to be used as a workhorse.

He's a solid scat back, nothing wrong with that. I'd love him as a #3 RB on my team hoping for injuries so he could help fill in for a few weeks, but i think it's a bit foolish to bank on this guy as a reliable every week starter.

If he is a solid scat back why didn't they draft someone to compliment his abilities. And the schlubs they took at the end of the draft/after the draft do not count. No one drafts a 7th rounder or pulls in a FA after the draft and has any expectation that the guy will contribute in a regular basis his first year or even ever. Words and action. The coaching staff may downplay Slaton but they didn't bring anyone in to compliment him. He's all they have and he is all they will have this year. Outside of injury this guy is a lock for 1K rushing and 300 receiving. And that's a floor, not the ceiling.

Sometimes the draft doesn't fall in a way to make it reasonable, or while they need another RB they needed other positions more and felt Chris Brown could hold down the fort for this season.A healthy Brown (which I know doesn't sound right) can more then handle the 12-15 touches a game the coaching staff expects out of him allowing Slaton into his more natural role of scat/RBBC type RB.

That scatback had a 4.8 YPC. Brown has never carried the ball for 16 games in his career. So now you expect the Coaching staff to put their faith, and the majority of their RB carries in his hands? If they had another viable alternative on their roster I would give credence to this line of thinking but CB is not that guy. You project 192-240 carries for CB yet he has never had more than 224 in his career. And that was three years ago in 2005. If they rely on Chris Brown for more than 10 carries a game I would be extremely surprised... I mean do you seriously see CB getting more than 160 carries? That number seems incredibly high for a guy that has had 143 carries total over the last three years...

 

[Todem]

Some people really need to stop posting to prevent further embarrassment.

HK has completely negated the Slaton fans points with hard data/facts/and logic.

Listen, Slaton can handle a large load in a pinch over a short term span, but even the coaching staff knows he is best suited in a RBBC role and isn't a short yardage/goal line RB.

Unless you think every other RB on the roster is going to get hurt again this year there is zero reason to think Slaton is going to be used as a workhorse.

He's a solid scat back, nothing wrong with that. I'd love him as a #3 RB on my team hoping for injuries so he could help fill in for a few weeks, but i think it's a bit foolish to bank on this guy as a reliable every week starter.

If he is a solid scat back why didn't they draft someone to compliment his abilities. And the schlubs they took at the end of the draft/after the draft do not count. No one drafts a 7th rounder or pulls in a FA after the draft and has any expectation that the guy will contribute in a regular basis his first year or even ever. Words and action. The coaching staff may downplay Slaton but they didn't bring anyone in to compliment him. He's all they have and he is all they will have this year. Outside of injury this guy is a lock for 1K rushing and 300 receiving. And that's a floor, not the ceiling.

Sometimes the draft doesn't fall in a way to make it reasonable, or while they need another RB they needed other positions more and felt Chris Brown could hold down the fort for this season.A healthy Brown (which I know doesn't sound right) can more then handle the 12-15 touches a game the coaching staff expects out of him allowing Slaton into his more natural role of scat/RBBC type RB.

That scatback had a 4.8 YPC. Brown has never carried the ball for 16 games in his career. So now you expect the Coaching staff to put their faith, and the majority of their RB carries in his hands? If they had another viable alternative on their roster I would give credence to this line of thinking but CB is not that guy. You project 192-240 carries for CB yet he has never had more than 224 in his career. And that was three years ago in 2005. If they rely on Chris Brown for more than 10 carries a game I would be extremely surprised... I mean do you seriously see CB getting more than 160 carries? That number seems incredibly high for a guy that has had 143 carries total over the last three years...

Chris Brown.....Bwahhhhhh....bhwahhhhhh!!!!!!Slaton for the $$$$$$$$$

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

lol this thread is a joke, we'll bump in a couple months and see where the crow goes.

It's strange that you are getting so emotional about this. I thought your post on Kubiak and RBBC was fantastic - that was a much more productive way of responding.

Actually I think jsharlan was being the mature one here. I took it as him saying that he's done arguing with a brick wall for now and that we will check back a month or so into the regular season to see where Slaton stacks up. I see this as JSharlan taking the high road at this point.

It's clear from HK's posts that he hates Slaton -- go back and read some of his Brandon Jacobs stuff last year during pre-season, there was a similar level of Jacobs bashing. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that HK owns Slaton.

I've been thinking the same thing. HK is the bizzaro troll. He rips his own guys to get some sort of sadistic satisfaction out of tearing down guys on his own team all the while secretly hoping that they do well. Or maybe the real rush he gets from these fishing trips are all the people who defend his guys. Maybe he gets a boost to his ego to get everyone pimping his guy which he is ripping. In fact, I actually feel pretty confident in that diagnosis. I think we should prescribe HK some lexipro and move on here...

this actually made me laugh out loud

 

[moderated]

Some people really need to stop posting to prevent further embarrassment.

HK has completely negated the Slaton fans points with hard data/facts/and logic.

Listen, Slaton can handle a large load in a pinch over a short term span, but even the coaching staff knows he is best suited in a RBBC role and isn't a short yardage/goal line RB.

Unless you think every other RB on the roster is going to get hurt again this year there is zero reason to think Slaton is going to be used as a workhorse.

He's a solid scat back, nothing wrong with that. I'd love him as a #3 RB on my team hoping for injuries so he could help fill in for a few weeks, but i think it's a bit foolish to bank on this guy as a reliable every week starter.

If he is a solid scat back why didn't they draft someone to compliment his abilities. And the schlubs they took at the end of the draft/after the draft do not count. No one drafts a 7th rounder or pulls in a FA after the draft and has any expectation that the guy will contribute in a regular basis his first year or even ever. Words and action. The coaching staff may downplay Slaton but they didn't bring anyone in to compliment him. He's all they have and he is all they will have this year. Outside of injury this guy is a lock for 1K rushing and 300 receiving. And that's a floor, not the ceiling.

Sometimes the draft doesn't fall in a way to make it reasonable, or while they need another RB they needed other positions more and felt Chris Brown could hold down the fort for this season.A healthy Brown (which I know doesn't sound right) can more then handle the 12-15 touches a game the coaching staff expects out of him allowing Slaton into his more natural role of scat/RBBC type RB.

That scatback had a 4.8 YPC. Brown has never carried the ball for 16 games in his career. So now you expect the Coaching staff to put their faith, and the majority of their RB carries in his hands? If they had another viable alternative on their roster I would give credence to this line of thinking but CB is not that guy. You project 192-240 carries for CB yet he has never had more than 224 in his career. And that was three years ago in 2005. If they rely on Chris Brown for more than 10 carries a game I would be extremely surprised... I mean do you seriously see CB getting more than 160 carries? That number seems incredibly high for a guy that has had 143 carries total over the last three years...

I don't think they WANT Brown to have to carry the ball 170-200 times this season, but they have no other choice as they know Slaton can't handle 300+ carries or he'll break down, he just isn't that type of RB.The draft didn't fall right for them to get the workhorse they needed and the FA market sucked, that doesn't mean they weren't in the market for another RB.

 

[H.K.]

Jsharlan did a great job here showing that Kubiak has used a RBBC exactly 10% of his time in Denver which is what HK is basing much of his argument on. This pretty much just nullifies everything HK has said in this thread but despite this damning evidence to the contrary he will undoubtedly just ignore this and keep plowing ahead...

In fact, if you look add in 2006 and 2007:

2006 Ron Dayne 151/612 Wali Lundy 124/476

2007 Ron Dayne 194/773 Ahman Green 70/260

I won't list 2008 because there was pretty much no other choice but to go with Slaton alone although HK will argue that whenever Green was healthy he was used in conjunction with Slaton. Which sort of makes sense since he was their big FA signing of the year prior and he had all of 70 carries.

In 12 years Kubiak has gone with RBBC twice. Not sure I can blame him when in 2006 he had Dayne, Lundy and Gado. But then in 2007 with an equally weak RB crew considering how gimpy Green was, between the top two RB's Dayne got 73% of the carries.

Kubiak worked for Shanahan in Denver. Since Kubiak has been in control in Houston, it has been RBBC every year.

Next.

Uh, no. 2007 Dayne got 70% of the carries from the top two runners, he and Green. That's not a RBBC. That's one guy getting close to three times what the other guy got. You can try to dismiss this but it just doesn't go away......

Basically if you want to claim that last year it was a RBBC in Houston then you need to admit that it was not a RBBC in 2007.

Ahman Green was hurt in 2007 and only played 6 gamesWhy would you intentionally mislead people?

 

[thehornet]

dude, you are clutching at straws and steering quotes and stats in your own direction. We don't ALREADY KNOW Slaton won't be included in goal line opportunities this season with Brown and Foster around. You certainly can't take the total amount of goal line carries last year and simply subtract them from the total. Then to say that Slaton, who in one season has done more than his backups have ever done, is going to get 55% of the carries? Really? According to your projections there will be 19 "normal" carries a game. Slaton is only going to get 55% of that? 10 carries a game? Thats what you think?

okeydoke.

Are people even reading this thread? I've already proved that this is almost exactly what happened last season (13 carries a game with Green playing four quarters), then take away a few SD/GL carries Kubiak said he'd lose this season and he's down to 10 or 11 carries a week. Simple math. So yes, that is what I think. What I don't understand is people who expect him to get more carries than that after they analyze the data. It's completely counter-intuitive to how Kubiak has operated as a Head Coach.

You think your stats are flawless when in fact you mostly spout off baseless conjecture. Last year, out of a total 390 rushing attempts by the Texans, Slaton had 68.7% of those carries. AND nothing has changed since. Even the coaching staff is telling this to you. Do yourself a favor and expect more of the same.

 

[thehornet]

lol this thread is a joke, we'll bump in a couple months and see where the crow goes.

It's strange that you are getting so emotional about this. I thought your post on Kubiak and RBBC was fantastic - that was a much more productive way of responding.

Actually I think jsharlan was being the mature one here. I took it as him saying that he's done arguing with a brick wall for now and that we will check back a month or so into the regular season to see where Slaton stacks up. I see this as JSharlan taking the high road at this point.

It's clear from HK's posts that he hates Slaton -- go back and read some of his Brandon Jacobs stuff last year during pre-season, there was a similar level of Jacobs bashing. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that HK owns Slaton.

I've been thinking the same thing. HK is the bizzaro troll. He rips his own guys to get some sort of sadistic satisfaction out of tearing down guys on his own team all the while secretly hoping that they do well. Or maybe the real rush he gets from these fishing trips are all the people who defend his guys. Maybe he gets a boost to his ego to get everyone pimping his guy which he is ripping. In fact, I actually feel pretty confident in that diagnosis. I think we should prescribe HK some lexipro and move on here...

this actually made me laugh out loud

 

[H.K.]

Some people really need to stop posting to prevent further embarrassment.

HK has completely negated the Slaton fans points with hard data/facts/and logic.

Listen, Slaton can handle a large load in a pinch over a short term span, but even the coaching staff knows he is best suited in a RBBC role and isn't a short yardage/goal line RB.

Unless you think every other RB on the roster is going to get hurt again this year there is zero reason to think Slaton is going to be used as a workhorse.

He's a solid scat back, nothing wrong with that. I'd love him as a #3 RB on my team hoping for injuries so he could help fill in for a few weeks, but i think it's a bit foolish to bank on this guy as a reliable every week starter.

If he is a solid scat back why didn't they draft someone to compliment his abilities. And the schlubs they took at the end of the draft/after the draft do not count. No one drafts a 7th rounder or pulls in a FA after the draft and has any expectation that the guy will contribute in a regular basis his first year or even ever. Words and action. The coaching staff may downplay Slaton but they didn't bring anyone in to compliment him. He's all they have and he is all they will have this year. Outside of injury this guy is a lock for 1K rushing and 300 receiving. And that's a floor, not the ceiling.

Sometimes the draft doesn't fall in a way to make it reasonable, or while they need another RB they needed other positions more and felt Chris Brown could hold down the fort for this season.A healthy Brown (which I know doesn't sound right) can more then handle the 12-15 touches a game the coaching staff expects out of him allowing Slaton into his more natural role of scat/RBBC type RB.

That scatback had a 4.8 YPC. Brown has never carried the ball for 16 games in his career. So now you expect the Coaching staff to put their faith, and the majority of their RB carries in his hands? If they had another viable alternative on their roster I would give credence to this line of thinking but CB is not that guy. You project 192-240 carries for CB yet he has never had more than 224 in his career. And that was three years ago in 2005. If they rely on Chris Brown for more than 10 carries a game I would be extremely surprised... I mean do you seriously see CB getting more than 160 carries? That number seems incredibly high for a guy that has had 143 carries total over the last three years...

I don't think they WANT Brown to have to carry the ball 170-200 times this season, but they have no other choice as they know Slaton can't handle 300+ carries or he'll break down, he just isn't that type of RB.The draft didn't fall right for them to get the workhorse they needed and the FA market sucked, that doesn't mean they weren't in the market for another RB.

They signed Foster and Johnson after the draft for a reason, look for them to stay active in FA.

 

[fightingillini]

dude, you are clutching at straws and steering quotes and stats in your own direction. We don't ALREADY KNOW Slaton won't be included in goal line opportunities this season with Brown and Foster around. You certainly can't take the total amount of goal line carries last year and simply subtract them from the total. Then to say that Slaton, who in one season has done more than his backups have ever done, is going to get 55% of the carries? Really? According to your projections there will be 19 "normal" carries a game. Slaton is only going to get 55% of that? 10 carries a game? Thats what you think?

okeydoke.

Are people even reading this thread? I've already proved that this is almost exactly what happened last season (13 carries a game with Green playing four quarters), then take away a few SD/GL carries Kubiak said he'd lose this season and he's down to 10 or 11 carries a week. Simple math. So yes, that is what I think. What I don't understand is people who expect him to get more carries than that after they analyze the data. It's completely counter-intuitive to how Kubiak has operated as a Head Coach.

Maybe Kubiak has used an RBBC approach because he hasn't had a RB as talented as Slaton.......hmmmmHave you thought of that? Slaton got an opportunity to handle the starting role.......and he succeeded. He succeeded when getting 15-20 carries a game. Why would you expect C Brown, who for the most part has underachieved for his entire career, will start splitting carries with Slaton 50-50, just because Kubiak has done that in the past?

Sorry, not buying that one. Slaton should get 240-270 carries and about 50 receptions. That still gives plenty of opportunites for C Brown or other HOU RBs to carry the ball. I have HOU running the ball 390 times this year, so I see Slaton getting 60-70% of the carries.

You can't assume that Slaton will get NONE of the short yardage carries. But even if that were true, his YPC would probably increase....to say 5.0 a carry if you took out all short yardage carries.

So a reasonable projection is 250/1250 and 50/375. With about 10 TDs. That's top 10 RB material to me.

 

[unckeyherb]

dude, you are clutching at straws and steering quotes and stats in your own direction. We don't ALREADY KNOW Slaton won't be included in goal line opportunities this season with Brown and Foster around. You certainly can't take the total amount of goal line carries last year and simply subtract them from the total. Then to say that Slaton, who in one season has done more than his backups have ever done, is going to get 55% of the carries? Really? According to your projections there will be 19 "normal" carries a game. Slaton is only going to get 55% of that? 10 carries a game? Thats what you think?

okeydoke.

Are people even reading this thread? I've already proved that this is almost exactly what happened last season (13 carries a game with Green playing four quarters), then take away a few SD/GL carries Kubiak said he'd lose this season and he's down to 10 or 11 carries a week. Simple math. So yes, that is what I think. What I don't understand is people who expect him to get more carries than that after they analyze the data. It's completely counter-intuitive to how Kubiak has operated as a Head Coach.

Because he proved last year that he was better than Green and it showed in the number of carries he got (115 to green's 74 in games they played together, 268 total) and what he did with those carries (4.78 ypc vs 3.97). The fact that they had a very successful running game with him averaging 16 carries a game (after week 11-the weeks in which someone who can't carry load breaks down-he averaged 20.5 carries) leads me to believe that he will be the main ball carrier with brown spelling him. Coaches are going to do what it takes to win games. The fact that he was better than Green says to me that he will be better than Brown. The last season that Brown put up a full season's worth of stats (and his best season ever) was back in 2005 when he rushed for 850 yards at 3.8 ypc for 5 TDs. He also grabbed 25 recs. for 327 yds and 2 TDs. Green's last complete season 2006, in which he put up 1,059 yards at a clip of 3.98 ypc and 5 TD's and 46 recs for 373 yards and 1 TD. These are very similar numbers and are the most recent cross section of full-time service for each RB. To say that Chris Brown is anything more than equal to Green is laughable. Green was consistently the #2RB who got 39% of the carries to Slaton's 61% in Slaton's first year. I would project a small uptick in his carries due to putting on some extra weight and the fact that he's got a full year under his belt and I see a 35-65 ratio.

 

[fightingillini]

Some people really need to stop posting to prevent further embarrassment.

HK has completely negated the Slaton fans points with hard data/facts/and logic.

Listen, Slaton can handle a large load in a pinch over a short term span, but even the coaching staff knows he is best suited in a RBBC role and isn't a short yardage/goal line RB.

Unless you think every other RB on the roster is going to get hurt again this year there is zero reason to think Slaton is going to be used as a workhorse.

He's a solid scat back, nothing wrong with that. I'd love him as a #3 RB on my team hoping for injuries so he could help fill in for a few weeks, but i think it's a bit foolish to bank on this guy as a reliable every week starter.

If he is a solid scat back why didn't they draft someone to compliment his abilities. And the schlubs they took at the end of the draft/after the draft do not count. No one drafts a 7th rounder or pulls in a FA after the draft and has any expectation that the guy will contribute in a regular basis his first year or even ever. Words and action. The coaching staff may downplay Slaton but they didn't bring anyone in to compliment him. He's all they have and he is all they will have this year. Outside of injury this guy is a lock for 1K rushing and 300 receiving. And that's a floor, not the ceiling.

Sometimes the draft doesn't fall in a way to make it reasonable, or while they need another RB they needed other positions more and felt Chris Brown could hold down the fort for this season.A healthy Brown (which I know doesn't sound right) can more then handle the 12-15 touches a game the coaching staff expects out of him allowing Slaton into his more natural role of scat/RBBC type RB.

That scatback had a 4.8 YPC. Brown has never carried the ball for 16 games in his career. So now you expect the Coaching staff to put their faith, and the majority of their RB carries in his hands? If they had another viable alternative on their roster I would give credence to this line of thinking but CB is not that guy. You project 192-240 carries for CB yet he has never had more than 224 in his career. And that was three years ago in 2005. If they rely on Chris Brown for more than 10 carries a game I would be extremely surprised... I mean do you seriously see CB getting more than 160 carries? That number seems incredibly high for a guy that has had 143 carries total over the last three years...

I don't think they WANT Brown to have to carry the ball 170-200 times this season, but they have no other choice as they know Slaton can't handle 300+ carries or he'll break down, he just isn't that type of RB.The draft didn't fall right for them to get the workhorse they needed and the FA market sucked, that doesn't mean they weren't in the market for another RB.

Who says that Slaton has to carry the ball 300+ times to be effective? How many RBs in these days will carry the ball 300+ times in a season? Not many.Slaton is a 1st round pick in PPR leagues, and a late 1st early 2nd round pick in non PPR leagues.