Player Spotlight: Steve Slaton (1 Viewer)

[unckeyherb]

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.

Again, statements like these, that profess to be proven only make your arguement hold less water. How do they know he can't carry the ball 300 times? He carried it 270 times last season and did most of his carries at the end of the year, when he averaged 20.5 (and when it really matters.) In order for him to get to 300 he'd have to endure 2 carries per game more than he did last year. So, I ask you again, how do they KNOW he can't carry it 300 times? BTW, he proved last year that he does not need to carry it that many times to put up top 5 numbers.

 

[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......

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?

So basically, then the argument is that when Ahman Green is healthy then Kubiak does a RBBC. Because when he is not healthy Kubiak goes with a single back getting the majority of the carries. This year they have no Ahman Green. They still have Chris Brown but they never relied much on him either. And any arguments made that they want Brown to carry more and not Slaton because Slaton will break down is downright moronic considering the careers thus far of each player. They didn't draft a compliment. They didn't sign a compliment. Yet not having someone to fill the role as a compliment to Slaton they will go ahead and limit his role anyway?

I will say it again. Your basic argument is that Kubiak plans to reduce the role of the RB that has been heads and shoulders better than any other RB he has had on his roster as a head coach. That's your argument. And that is a typical HK argument. I'd call it a stupid argument but an HK argument seems more appropriate as stupid just doesn't quite explain the "logic" being used here.

 

[TheFanatic]

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

I'm only an arm chair psychologist, but this is two years in a row now we've seen this. Doesn't this make perfect sense?

 

[TheFanatic]

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.

Foster ahnd Johnson? UFA's. So you expect UFA's to take a big chunk of the carries from Slaton? I mean it's a possibility. How many UFA RB's signed after the draft have ever had, and let's call it conservatively, 25% of a team's carries his rookie year? Is that number more than 5? This is your support that the team intends to go RBBC? Because they signed two street FA's after the draft.BTW, the only Johnson on the Texans Roster as of July 22nd is Andre.

These are the RB's on the roster. The only guy that can be classified as a bigger back is Chris Brown:

22	  Brown, Chris   	RB	  6-3	  234	  Colorado	  7th37 	Foster, Arian * 	RB 	6-1 	215 	Tennessee 	1st43 	Hall, Andre 	RB 	5-10 	212 	South Florida 	21 	Moats, Ryan 	RB 	5-8 	208 	Louisiana Tech 	5th20 	Slaton, Steve 	RB 	5-9 	215 	West Virginia 	2nd

Street free agents and Chris Brown? Riiiigggghhhtttt....

 

[cvnpoka]

arguments go on for so long in the forum. just shut up and bet on it somehow. id put a sick amount down that slaton has over 800 yards rushing this year.

 

[TheFanatic]

arguments go on for so long in the forum. just shut up and bet on it somehow. id put a sick amount down that slaton has over 800 yards rushing this year.

Barring injury...

 

[H.K.]

So basically, then the argument is that when Ahman Green is healthy then Kubiak does a RBBC. Because when he is not healthy Kubiak goes with a single back getting the majority of the carries.

No, it isn't.

This year they have no Ahman Green. They still have Chris Brown but they never relied much on him either.

I would say so, considering he has never played a down for them due to injury.

And any arguments made that they want Brown to carry more and not Slaton because Slaton will break down is downright moronic considering the careers thus far of each player.

Posts containing quotes from Kubiak on Brown's role have already been provided in this thread.

They didn't draft a compliment. They didn't sign a compliment. Yet not having someone to fill the role as a compliment to Slaton they will go ahead and limit his role anyway?

This is another falsehood. They signed Foster and Johnson after the draft.

And that is a typical HK argument. I'd call it a stupid argument but an HK argument seems more appropriate as stupid just doesn't quite explain

This kind of talk is not necessary. You have been caught misrepresenting the truth several times in this thread, for the benefit of the board I have addressed and corrected those items.I hope in the future you'll be more careful with your content. My apologies to the board for the slight hijack, but it's important to separate fact from fiction in certain instances.

 

[pantherclub]

Separate question:

Why is Chris Johnson going higher than Slaton in Redrafts when Slaton scored more points last year, is a better receiver and is seemingly like the #1 RB?

thanks

 

[TheFanatic]

They didn't draft a compliment. They didn't sign a compliment. Yet not having someone to fill the role as a compliment to Slaton they will go ahead and limit his role anyway?

This is another falsehood. They signed Foster and Johnson after the draft.

And that is a typical HK argument. I'd call it a stupid argument but an HK argument seems more appropriate as stupid just doesn't quite explain

This kind of talk is not necessary. You have been caught misrepresenting the truth several times in this thread, for the benefit of the board I have addressed and corrected those items.I hope in the future you'll be more careful with your content. My apologies to the board for the slight hijack, but it's important to separate fact from fiction in certain instances.

You actually, with a straight face, are saying that two street free agents are the answer here? And on to the hypocrisy. Falsehood? Misinterpreting? Johnson isn't even on the roster.

 

[H.K.]

Separate question:

Why is Chris Johnson going higher than Slaton in Redrafts when Slaton scored more points last year, is a better receiver and is seemingly like the #1 RB?

thanks

Because Johnson had 10 TD's last season with Lendale White and Slaton had 10 TD's last year without a designated TD vulture. In 2009 Chris Brown will get all the GL work in Houston, and this is important because six of Slaton's ten TD's last year came from inside the seven yard line (four from inside the two), not sure if you caught the game last night but it verified everything Kubiak has said about how he'll run his RBBC this year:

(RotoWire) Brown had an impressive preseason opener, scoring Houston's only touchdown and rushing for 25 yards on six carries while catching two passes for 22 yards in the Texans' victory over the Chiefs on Saturday.

Analysis: Brown subbed for starter Steve Slaton in the first quarter and was used heavily in the red zone on Houston's touchdown drive. "That was very exciting, and that's what he is," head coach Gary Kubiak told Texans' official site. "He's a big back in the red zone and gets the ball going downhill. That's what we need him to do, and he looked like his old self tonight, so I felt very good about his time." Brown firmly holds the No. 2 running back spot, and could be a red-zone specialist during the course of the season.

(Rotoworld) Chris Brown rushed for 25 yards and a touchdown on six carries, and caught two passes for 22 yards, in Houston's exhibition opener.

Analysis: With Arian Foster injured, Brown is looking more and more like the Texans' goal-line back every day. Steve Slaton only got four carries because the coaches weren't going to risk him, but was replaced by Brown when Houston neared the red zone on its second drive. Brown got 23 yards on four straight carries, and executed for a two-yard score. It's a big concern for Slaton owners.

 

[steelcityman]

There are a lot of myths surrounding Slaton’s performance last season and why he had the workload he received in 2008, so we’ll dispel them one at a time.

Myth #1:

Slaton will be the full time starter in 2009, so his workload will increase.

Fact:

Slaton started every game except for Week 1. In fact, he was designated the starter after week 3 (remember that week 2 was a bye week for Houston due to game cancellation):

How do you think RBs get named starters? Not all of them are top draft picks and given the job because no one else can do it, Peterson, Forte, LT, etc. Some guys have to earn it, and he did, every player and coach on Houston loves the guy. In a wide open offense full of weapons, I think his productivity is related to the health of Schaub more than anything. Chris Brown, what has he really ever done to deserve any carries?I expect similar numbers to last year.

 

[Pickle Rody]

My prediction:

278 carries, 1418 yards, 5.1 ypc, 11 TD's

63 receptions, 479 yards, 7.6 ypr, 2 TD's

1897 total yards, 13 total TD's

I know my numbers are a wee-bit high, but I'm optimistic. Besides, they are not that far over last year. I think his YPC will go up 3/10 of a yard and his YPR will go up 1/10 of a yard. This is because I believe Slaton will be used more often than last year (+10 carries, +13 receptions in 2009.) I'm not saying those extra 10 carries and 13 extra receptions will be the difference on their own, but that Slaton will be more successful in both facets, over the course of the season as a whole. He is the clear RB1 in Houston and none (absolutely none) of the other backs currently on the roster give me any worries about him losing a bunch of additional touches (in correlation to last years percentages) this year.

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

I'm only an arm chair psychologist, but this is two years in a row now we've seen this. Doesn't this make perfect sense?

I'm going to agree with TheFanatic's armchair psychology here. HK is off his rocker. I'm also beginning to wonder if moderated is a HK alias. Certainly wouldn't surprise me if it is, as he seems to be the only one defending HK pretty vehemently. Which in turn, if true, pretty much sums up that TheFanatic is "dead-on" with his armchair diagnosis. HK wants to see everyone else pimping his "his own guy Slaton," so he keeps at it and also gives himself a little back-up from his own alias.

 

[TheFanatic]

I'm going to agree with TheFanatic's armchair psychology here. HK is off his rocker. I'm also beginning to wonder if moderated is a HK alias. Certainly wouldn't surprise me if it is, as he seems to be the only one defending HK pretty vehemently. Which in turn, if true, pretty much sums up that TheFanatic is "dead-on" with his armchair diagnosis. HK wants to see everyone else pimping his "his own guy Slaton," so he keeps at it and also gives himself a little back-up from his own alias.

Still love the argument that Kubiak is going to limit the touches of the best RB he's had as a HC. I mean if you had a proven weapon you'd keep it holstered right?

 

[Pickle Rody]

I'm going to agree with TheFanatic's armchair psychology here. HK is off his rocker. I'm also beginning to wonder if moderated is a HK alias. Certainly wouldn't surprise me if it is, as he seems to be the only one defending HK pretty vehemently. Which in turn, if true, pretty much sums up that TheFanatic is "dead-on" with his armchair diagnosis. HK wants to see everyone else pimping his "his own guy Slaton," so he keeps at it and also gives himself a little back-up from his own alias.

Still love the argument that Kubiak is going to limit the touches of the best RB he's had as a HC. I mean if you had a proven weapon you'd keep it holstered right?

Yep. I ain't showin' NO CARDS!

 

[joffer]

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.

and Tiki Barber before that. he suckered me in with that one. HK does this every year, and every year he reels someone in.the lack of any real competition is interesting in Houston. i really thought they'd bring in a veteran that doesn't break down every other game.

 

[TheFanatic]

I thought Slaton wasn't going to get the goal line carries?

2-3-MIN 4 (3:42) 20-S.Slaton left guard for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

And up the gut no less:In living color

 

[jwinston2]

Separate question:Why is Chris Johnson going higher than Slaton in Redrafts when Slaton scored more points last year, is a better receiver and is seemingly like the #1 RB?thanks

Because Johnson had 10 TD's last season with Lendale White and Slaton had 10 TD's last year without a designated TD vulture. In 2009 Chris Brown will get all the GL work in Houston, and this is important because six of Slaton's ten TD's last year came from inside the seven yard line (four from inside the two), not sure if you caught the game last night but it verified everything Kubiak has said about how he'll run his RBBC this year:

The only problem with this statement is Chris Brown will not last past the six game. He is a glass cannon, great when he plays but one hit and he shatters.

 

[TheFanatic]

Separate question:Why is Chris Johnson going higher than Slaton in Redrafts when Slaton scored more points last year, is a better receiver and is seemingly like the #1 RB?thanks

Because Johnson had 10 TD's last season with Lendale White and Slaton had 10 TD's last year without a designated TD vulture. In 2009 Chris Brown will get all the GL work in Houston, and this is important because six of Slaton's ten TD's last year came from inside the seven yard line (four from inside the two), not sure if you caught the game last night but it verified everything Kubiak has said about how he'll run his RBBC this year:

The only problem with this statement is Chris Brown will not last past the six game. He is a glass cannon, great when he plays but one hit and he shatters.

That and Slaton getting 75% of the touches between he and Brown as well as the GL carry. Slaton had 12 carries and 3 catches over three quarters. Extrapolate that over 4 quarters and we have 16 carries, 4 catches and the goal line work per game. That's 256 carries and 64 catches over 16 games for a total of 320 touches. That's right about where I put this guy for 2009. And double digit TD's and top 10 and HK is getting a stiffy right now because someone is pimping one of his players...

 

[moleculo]

Separate question:Why is Chris Johnson going higher than Slaton in Redrafts when Slaton scored more points last year, is a better receiver and is seemingly like the #1 RB?thanks

it's my opinion that 2008 represented Slaton's ceiling and Johnsons floor.

 

[prefontaine]

Separate question:Why is Chris Johnson going higher than Slaton in Redrafts when Slaton scored more points last year, is a better receiver and is seemingly like the #1 RB?thanks

it's my opinion that 2008 represented Slaton's ceiling and Johnsons floor.

I tend to think this is wrong on both accounts. Certainly I agree Johnson has more talent. But I strongly prefer the situation Slaton is in. I can see the Texans breaking out and becoming an elite offense if Schaub can stay healthy all year (big if, I know). Tennessee pretty much is relying on Johnson for any sort of offense and he has competition for carries and a definite GL vulture to contend with. So while putting them in the same situation, I'd prefer Johnson, giving their circumstances for this year, I'm not sure that Johnson's ceiling is any higher than Slaton's. That said, I do think Slaton's downside is greater as I can also see the Texans imploding and Slaton has, in college, had both great and poor seasons so I'm still wary that what we saw last year is what we will see his whole career.

 

[moleculo]

Separate question:Why is Chris Johnson going higher than Slaton in Redrafts when Slaton scored more points last year, is a better receiver and is seemingly like the #1 RB?thanks

it's my opinion that 2008 represented Slaton's ceiling and Johnsons floor.

I tend to think this is wrong on both accounts. Certainly I agree Johnson has more talent. But I strongly prefer the situation Slaton is in. I can see the Texans breaking out and becoming an elite offense if Schaub can stay healthy all year (big if, I know). Tennessee pretty much is relying on Johnson for any sort of offense and he has competition for carries and a definite GL vulture to contend with. So while putting them in the same situation, I'd prefer Johnson, giving their circumstances for this year, I'm not sure that Johnson's ceiling is any higher than Slaton's. That said, I do think Slaton's downside is greater as I can also see the Texans imploding and Slaton has, in college, had both great and poor seasons so I'm still wary that what we saw last year is what we will see his whole career.

I'd argue that Slaton is fully integrated already into the HOU O, it will be difficult to find more ways to get him the ball. The same cannot be said for Johnson; hence I feel there is more room for improvement there. Put it this way - Slaton is in a better situation, granted. But, he was in a better situation last year too. CJohnson was not in as good of a situation but managed to put up similar points. By situation WRT CJohnson, I'm referring to 3rd and 4th qtr carries. As the game went on, CJohnsons # of carries went down, and LenDale's went up...as the Titans D was dominant, they used CJohnson to get a lead and LenDale to keep the lead. If the D isn't as dominant this year, CJohnson will need to be more involved in the O the whole game, not just the first half. I also think that CJohnson will become more integrated in the passing O. Put it all together, and I see more room for growth for CJohnson than Slaton.Not that this is a knock on Slaton at all - he's a fine back and will have a great season. It's just that I value CJohnson more.

 

[H.K.]

Slaton is a prime candidate for being over-valued in 2009. Assuming he stays healthy for 16 games:176 carries736 yards27 recepts189 yards5 total TD’s

Update: Slaton on pace for less than 900 total yards this season after two games.

 

[jsharlan]

Update: The Texans played two top 5 rush defenses in the first 2 weeks.

I wouldnt write him off until they get a few more games in. The run blocking from the o line was rather terrible. Slaton fumbling leaves something to worry about though. He was pulled for two series after his 2nd fumble yesterday.

 

[Jason Wood]

I really never get concerned after one week, but two rough games and it becomes tenuous. Slaton obviously needs to bounce back in a huge way this week, and he's already done enough (or rather NOT done enough) that he's going to be benched in a lot of leagues until he puts together a strong performance. Two weeks in, it's hard thinking about how many times I skipped over Chris Johnson in favor of Slaton. The offensive line gets ZERO push in the run game, but that's no excuse for what we've seen of Slaton. As has already been said, he can't fumble or the coaches will lose confidence in him.

 

[jsharlan]

a game against the Jags at home with the Battle Red jerseys on might be just what the doctor ordered.

 

[TheFanatic]

Slaton is a prime candidate for being over-valued in 2009. Assuming he stays healthy for 16 games:176 carries736 yards27 recepts189 yards5 total TD’s

Update: Slaton on pace for less than 900 total yards this season after two games.

Care to update all that stuff you talked about with Chris Brown and RBBC? I thought Slaton was going to get only 60% of the carries. Admittedly he's not doing much with those carries he's getting but don't act like you are all knowing here.

 

[JAA]

Did he really have 2 fumbles (0 lost) this game? Wow

He did have some fumbling issues in college, but corrected them. Hes had 2 rough defenses, but the concern train is boarding

 

[Banger]

Slaton is a prime candidate for being over-valued in 2009. Assuming he stays healthy for 16 games:176 carries736 yards27 recepts189 yards5 total TD’s

Update: Slaton on pace for less than 900 total yards this season after two games.

Care to update all that stuff you talked about with Chris Brown and RBBC? I thought Slaton was going to get only 60% of the carries. Admittedly he's not doing much with those carries he's getting but don't act like you are all knowing here.

it's a 70-30 split so far but the sub 2 ypc is not awe inspiring.

 

[Papa Georgio]

Now is the time to try and get this guy. His early schedule is brutal but it gets easier. Add to is a very nice play off schedule. Try and get him on the cheap if you can find a frustrated Slaton owner.

 

[dgreen]

Slaton is a prime candidate for being over-valued in 2009. Assuming he stays healthy for 16 games:176 carries736 yards27 recepts189 yards5 total TD’s

Update: Slaton on pace for less than 900 total yards this season after two games.

 

[H.K.]

Slaton is a prime candidate for being over-valued in 2009. Assuming he stays healthy for 16 games:176 carries736 yards27 recepts189 yards5 total TD’s

Update: Slaton on pace for less than 900 total yards this season after two games.

Care to update all that stuff you talked about with Chris Brown and RBBC? I thought Slaton was going to get only 60% of the carries. Admittedly he's not doing much with those carries he's getting but don't act like you are all knowing here.

it's a 70-30 split so far but the sub 2 ypc is not awe inspiring.

Percentages don't tell the whole story, either. I outlined where he averaged about 14-15 touches a game with Green last year, and this year he has averaged 16 touches a game. His workload is in line with the expectation. Of course, add in the poor YPC and fumbling, and it will continue to decline going forward.

 

[LittlePhatty]

C'mon, the Jets and the Titans have great run defenses.

The Steelers didn't start overpowering the Titans until Big Ben started throwing more in the second half.

Same with the Texans. It was all Andre Johnson and Jacoby Jones.

Slaton will post some numbers starting next week.

 

[moderated]

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

Looks like me and HK were the only ones to see through the fraud known as Steve Slaton.

 

[pghrob]

http://www.houstontexans.com/blog/index.asp?post_id=698

Slaton only four pounds heavier this season - By Nick Scurfield - Sep 24 2009, 4:28 PM

I got a lot of questions in my weekly live chat on Tuesday about Steve Slaton – namely, about his weight. The second-year running back put on about 10 pounds this offseason in order to help himself run between the tackles and withstand the rigors of a 16-game season.

After he’s run for only 51 yards on 26 carries through two games, a lot of fans seem to be wondering if the weight is slowing him down.

Thing is, Slaton has lost a few of those pounds since training camp. He said today that he’s at about 212 pounds, only four pounds heavier than his playing weight at the end of last season (208). In the final month of last season, presumably playing at that 208-pound weight, Slaton averaged 101.6 rushing yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry.

So what has been the issue with the Texans’ running game?

“I think teams are scheming well,” Slaton said. “It’s only the third week, and this time last year we were still in the same stage, so it’s nothing to really panic about yet.”

The Texans’ first two games were against the Jets and Titans. Both teams had top-seven rushing defenses last year, and both teams probably will be in the top-10 again this year. Nothing went right for the Texans’ offense against the Jets, and they had to abandon the running game after falling behind early. The Titans kept Slaton in check, but their determination to key on Slaton allowed Matt Schaub to throw for 357 yards and four touchdowns.

The biggest problem for Slaton this season has not been a lack of speed or quickness, but rather holding on to the ball. He has three fumbles in two games, already matching the total from his entire rookie season.

“I need to constantly have that on my mind: I’ve got to protect the ball,” he said. “That’s my job. I’m going to have a lot of touches, but I’ve got to limit the fumbles, limit the amount of times I’m going to turn it over.”

From high school to the NFL, Slaton has made a career of thriving under adversity. He expects himself and the Texans’ running game both to get back on track soon.

“What we did last year gives us a lot of confidence, because we know that we have the ability to have a running game,” he said. “It’s just a slow start now; teams are doing a good job against us. But I think once we get in a rhythm, once we get that big play off, I think everything will start rolling again.”

Last year, it was Week 3 when a 50-yard run by Slaton at Tennessee catapulted him to a 1,282-yard rookie season. This time around, his Week 3 opponent is the Jacksonville Jaguars. Slaton burned them for 182 total yards and two touchdowns at Reliant Stadium last December.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Slaton said of Sunday's game. “Hopefully, we can build on last year’s success."

 

[wide left]

"Paging Tiki Barber, Tiki Barber- please pick up the white courtesy phone. Steve Slaton on line one."

 

[H.K.]

(Rotoworld) Texans coach Gary Kubiak expressed confidence in Chris Brown despite his game-costing goal-line fumble in the team's Week 3 loss."We used Chris on the goal line (because) he's a big body," Kubiak said. "He's done a good job for us. Obviously, he's got to hang on to the ball right there, but I've got a lot of confidence in Chris down there."

Another week, another 15 touch limit for Slaton in the RBBC and Brown remains the unquestioned GL RB despite the fumble.

 

[dgreen]

(Rotoworld) Texans coach Gary Kubiak expressed confidence in Chris Brown despite his game-costing goal-line fumble in the team's Week 3 loss."We used Chris on the goal line (because) he's a big body," Kubiak said. "He's done a good job for us. Obviously, he's got to hang on to the ball right there, but I've got a lot of confidence in Chris down there."

Another week, another 15 touch limit for Slaton in the RBBC and Brown remains the unquestioned GL RB despite the fumble.

A 15 touch limit? There were only 23 RB touches. Total touches through 3 games are: Slaton 47, Brown 20. The problem in TX right now is a limited number of RB touches.I'll agree regarding the GL. That much is obvious. But, I don't there's a problem here with Slaton's touches other than the whole team doesn't have enough. That's different than the original assertion that it's going to be more of a RBBC.

 

[H.K.]

(Rotoworld) Texans coach Gary Kubiak expressed confidence in Chris Brown despite his game-costing goal-line fumble in the team's Week 3 loss."We used Chris on the goal line (because) he's a big body," Kubiak said. "He's done a good job for us. Obviously, he's got to hang on to the ball right there, but I've got a lot of confidence in Chris down there."

Another week, another 15 touch limit for Slaton in the RBBC and Brown remains the unquestioned GL RB despite the fumble.

A 15 touch limit? There were only 23 RB touches. Total touches through 3 games are: Slaton 47, Brown 20. The problem in TX right now is a limited number of RB touches.I'll agree regarding the GL. That much is obvious. But, I don't there's a problem here with Slaton's touches other than the whole team doesn't have enough. That's different than the original assertion that it's going to be more of a RBBC.

Brown played 25 snaps to Slaton's 8 in the second half of the Titans game. It's not just touches that comprise an RBBC.Also, the assertion that Slaton would revert back to the same touch totals he had with a healthy Ahman Green availbale in 2008 has been 100% dead on for 2009.

 

[bucsbaby]

I would say this week represents an improvement for Slaton and I only expect that to continue as the sched eases up through the season. I liked the nice deep pass to Slaton out of the backfield Let's also remember that Chris Brown doesn't represent the biggest or sturdiest of hurdles for Slaton to overcome, either.

 

[Incog]

Huge improvement for Slaton. Looks like he's back now. How many plays was he in on this time against the Jags compared to Brown?

 

[Todem]

Brown is a piece of crap.....and Kubiak is covering his ###. Slaton was trucking yesterday and instead of feeding his best back on the roster the rock to finish off the drive and send the game into OT....he gives it to his desginated GL back.

Next time...Slaton will get to finish off the drive....guarenteed.

Through 3 weeks your pounding your chests?

Let's check back after week 16 chumps. That is when we can all either pound our chests or eat crow.

Slaton looked very strong yesterday and will only get better. Chris Brown will play his way out of the so-called rotation.

 

[Garts]

Brown is a piece of crap.....and Kubiak is covering his ###. Slaton was trucking yesterday and instead of feeding his best back on the roster the rock to finish off the drive and send the game into OT....he gives it to his desginated GL back.Next time...Slaton will get to finish off the drive....guarenteed.Through 3 weeks your pounding your chests?Let's check back after week 16 chumps. That is when we can all either pound our chests or eat crow.Slaton looked very strong yesterday and will only get better. Chris Brown will play his way out of the so-called rotation.

chumps?

 

[H.K.]

In my projection I should have expanded on the fact that Slaton only averaged 14 carries and 1.3 receptions in the eight games Green played. Furthermore, Slaton averaged only 13 carries in the five out of eight games Green did not leave early due to injury. As the numbers clearly illustrate, Kubiak's penchant was for RBBC when he had the available personnel last season, so it is clear that this season Green's vacated role will be shared with some yet to be determined distribution between the upgraded arsenal of RB's now available in Brown, Moats, Foster and Johnson.

End of season results: In his 11 games Slaton averaged 14.5 touches per game, while other RB's averaged 12.6.

 

[TheFanatic]

In my projection I should have expanded on the fact that Slaton only averaged 14 carries and 1.3 receptions in the eight games Green played. Furthermore, Slaton averaged only 13 carries in the five out of eight games Green did not leave early due to injury. As the numbers clearly illustrate, Kubiak's penchant was for RBBC when he had the available personnel last season, so it is clear that this season Green's vacated role will be shared with some yet to be determined distribution between the upgraded arsenal of RB's now available in Brown, Moats, Foster and Johnson.

End of season results: In his 11 games Slaton averaged 14.5 touches per game, while other RB's averaged 12.6.

Gotta love your skewed data considering Slaton was benched multiple times for fumbling thus skewing his average lower. Why not check back in when you find some integrity...

 

[dgreen]

In my projection I should have expanded on the fact that Slaton only averaged 14 carries and 1.3 receptions in the eight games Green played. Furthermore, Slaton averaged only 13 carries in the five out of eight games Green did not leave early due to injury. As the numbers clearly illustrate, Kubiak's penchant was for RBBC when he had the available personnel last season, so it is clear that this season Green's vacated role will be shared with some yet to be determined distribution between the upgraded arsenal of RB's now available in Brown, Moats, Foster and Johnson.

End of season results: In his 11 games Slaton averaged 14.5 touches per game, while other RB's averaged 12.6.

The averages are brought down because of his benching, not because of RBBC. Yes, his benching was an important fantasy football development, but it does not support you theory. In games when Slaton was RB1 (games 1-7), he averaged 19.4 touches per game while all other RBs averaged 9. Slaton got 68.3% of the RB touches in weeks 1-7. The lowest percentage was in the 3rd game when it was 57.7%. And those numbers include Vonte Leach who is really a FB and likely wasn't "stealing" touches from Slaton.We don't know what % it was headed back to, but my guess is he would have been the clear RB1 had he not been injured. He worked his way back up to having the most touches by his last game of the season. He had 17 touches in his final game. Houston simply did not have the talent at RB to justify a RBBC. The temporarily went to it when Slaton was benched for fumbling, but it was clearly not Kubiak's initial intention.

 

[H.K.]

In my projection I should have expanded on the fact that Slaton only averaged 14 carries and 1.3 receptions in the eight games Green played. Furthermore, Slaton averaged only 13 carries in the five out of eight games Green did not leave early due to injury.

As the numbers clearly illustrate, Kubiak's penchant was for RBBC when he had the available personnel last season, so it is clear that this season Green's vacated role will be shared with some yet to be determined distribution between the upgraded arsenal of RB's now available in Brown, Moats, Foster and Johnson.

End of season results: In his 11 games Slaton averaged 14.5 touches per game, while other RB's averaged 12.6.

Gotta love your skewed data considering Slaton was benched multiple times for fumbling thus skewing his average lower. Why not check back in when you find some integrity...

Skewed? The numbers are the numbers. Here's a refresher on yours:

That and Slaton getting 75% of the touches between he and Brown as well as the GL carry. Slaton had 12 carries and 3 catches over three quarters. Extrapolate that over 4 quarters and we have 16 carries, 4 catches and the goal line work per game. That's 256 carries and 64 catches over 16 games for a total of 320 touches.

Speaking of integrity, care to apologize for your behavior in this thread after being completely wrong on this topic?

 

[H.K.]

Houston simply did not have the talent at RB to justify a RBBC.

I have no idea how anyone can justify that statement. Moats and Foster were the guys who had 100 yard rushing games in Houston, not Slaton (his best was 76), and they had far fewer opportunities than he did to accomplish it.

 

[dgreen]

Houston simply did not have the talent at RB to justify a RBBC.

I have no idea how anyone can justify that statement. Moats and Foster were the guys who had 100 yard rushing games in Houston, not Slaton (his best was 76), and they had far fewer opportunities than he did to accomplish it.

I'll admit I forgot about Foster. I didn't follow the Texans much late in the season. I hear he might be pretty good. Moats, not so much. Moats was simply the next guy in line who benefited from Slaton being punished. Foster works against your theory, though. He got 82% of the RB touches in the final game.

 

[H.K.]

Houston simply did not have the talent at RB to justify a RBBC.

I have no idea how anyone can justify that statement. Moats and Foster were the guys who had 100 yard rushing games in Houston, not Slaton (his best was 76), and they had far fewer opportunities than he did to accomplish it.

I'll admit I forgot about Foster. I didn't follow the Texans much late in the season. I hear he might be pretty good. Moats, not so much. Moats was simply the next guy in line who benefited from Slaton being punished. Foster works against your theory, though. He got 82% of the RB touches in the final game.

What theory is that?

 

[dgreen]

Houston simply did not have the talent at RB to justify a RBBC.

I have no idea how anyone can justify that statement. Moats and Foster were the guys who had 100 yard rushing games in Houston, not Slaton (his best was 76), and they had far fewer opportunities than he did to accomplish it.

I'll admit I forgot about Foster. I didn't follow the Texans much late in the season. I hear he might be pretty good. Moats, not so much. Moats was simply the next guy in line who benefited from Slaton being punished. Foster works against your theory, though. He got 82% of the RB touches in the final game.

What theory is that?

As the numbers clearly illustrate, Kubiak's penchant was for RBBC when he had the available personnel last season, so it is clear that this season Green's vacated role will be shared with some yet to be determined distribution between the upgraded arsenal of RB's now available in Brown, Moats, Foster and Johnson.