statistically steve slaton was awful out there tonight... However, (besides the fumble of course) I felt like he looked alot better out there.. he was behind a 2nd string offensive line, that really wasn't giving a lot of looks.. i'm not saying they aren't capable but there really wasn't any holes to hit, or second resorts to cut back to... and there was a huge oppurtunity missed due to dan o.. he did have one amazing run where he made about three cuts to gain about 8 yards, and virtually had no help from the line... but even in the failed plays it seemed as though he was playing with a high energy tonight.. he seemed a lot quicker and more aware.. i'd really like to see him get some reps with the starters and see how it goes.. I'm definitely on the Foster-wagon... but i was a little intrigued by slaton's play tonight... disagreements or agreements?
I'm hoping the fumble was an anomaly... I knew a guy in high school who had basically the same injury, a pinched nerve in the shoulder. While injured at times he would be fine, at other times he would lose the ability to hold things with that hand. He has to prove that he can hold onto the ball, and if he can I think he will be fine. With his weight down I was hoping for a return to his rookie year. We'll see what happens.
The holes Foster was able to hit were gaping and apparent, the first string interior line looked a lot better from last season. Slaton did not get that luxury, his lineman ran into each other and had a hard time creating space, a lot of the plays just looked like a jumbled mess. I think Foster is the starter for sure, but Slaton could/should hit those holes as hard as Foster can. Steve is also still a great threat catching the ball out of the back field.
1st team vs 2nd team OL for most of the gametime for Slaton. Big snafu at the goal line but he can recover. The PREseason just started give a guy a couple of games to prove himself. If it continues, time for him to sit down.
You're not alone. He was getting blown up by Lbackers as soon as he touched the ball. I remember distinctively on a 2nd down play where the LG(RG?) was pushed right into him the moment DanO handed him the ball. Not much you can do in those circumstances; he actually did look impressive considering the sub-par play of the 2nd string OL. The fumble, of course, was disappointing to see. Hopefully, he'll knock it off during the coarse of pre-season.
Well, last year it looked like he didn't have any holes to run through until Moats and Foster had a couple of big games. Then it just looked like he wasn't hitting the holes that were there. Jeremiah Johnson seemed to do OK not running behind the first team OL. We shall see what the case really is in the next 3 games.
The goal line fumble was all I needed to see - it's as if he's emotionally scarred at this point. I don't want to see him on the field again. Hoping for a quick recovery for Tate.
Granted he was running behind the 2nd team but he still can't run in between the tackles and of course the fumble I'm sure didn't please Kubes very much. I did like when he cut it outside and his pass catching is still great. Overall, I see a great third down back but Foster is the clear #1.
I'm still on the Slaton bandwagon. The guy has Pro Bowl talent, in my opinion. I think that in games two and three, you gotta give Slaton about 15 carries a game. Split him between the first and second offense, see what he is capable of. If he holds onto the ball in those carries, I think he's fine. I'm still shocked nobody is talking about Jeremiah Johnson. The guy looked the best of all our running backs last night, and that was running behind the 2nd/3rd string line.
Jeremiah Johnson was very effective last night. I was really excited to see him and Chris Henry. Johnson had a very good college career. In his 4 seasons at Oregon, he never averaged less than 6 ypc which is unbelievable. His first 3 years he shared carries with Jonathan Stewart. His senior year he was the guy even though he shared carries with LeGarrette Blount. He had 1201 yards, 13 tds, on 7.1 ypc his senior year. The impressive thing he did that with a dislocated shoulder which eventually needed surgery on and is the reason he missed all of last season.
It is hard to run between the tackles when there are no holes or running lanes. He was almost always forced to just run into his own blockers or try to beat the defense to the outside. The same holes that were there for Taylor were not there for Slaton. He will be fine when running with the first team OLine. And like I said, he is still the best RB on the team at catching the ball out of the backfield.
Steve Slaton is the best running back on our team. Has the most potential and showed his rookie season he can be an elite back in this league. Slaton being on the field puts less pressure on everyone. He has the ability to make anybody miss in the open field and shows that when he is in space he gets the most out of it. I love Foster as much as the next guy and Slaton's fumbling problems scare the hell out of me, but lets not get ahead of ourselves. Foster was running through huge holes. I think the Texans are much more dangerous with Slaton running through those same holes. I have no problem putting foster in on short yardage and goal line situations. He can be Ron Dayne 2.0 for all I care.
I have to disagree. Perhaps he is the most talented but with his inability to hold on to the ball taken into account he is not the best. He fumbled all the time last year and seeing him fumble last night foreshadows more of the same this year. Either the neck injury has made him unable, or it's in his head.
I respect your opinion. And I am sure there are some who would agree with that, but would you use the same sentiment with Adrian Peterson(fumble problems as well) and Foster. I want the guy on the field who is going to make the defense notice where he is at all times. I think Slaton's lack of ypc last night were a result of horrendous blocking from the O-line. It's hard to disagree though, the Texans coaching staff believes Foster is the best starter for this team as well and they know a hell of a lot more football than I do. I think by the end of the year Slaton will be getting the nod.
Yea he looks done to me too. Not just the fumble but the way he runs now compared to 08 its like two different players. Have to hold your breath everytime this dude carries the ball. Foster looked real nice. He's Jones-Drew's pick for break-out rb this season.
I still believe in him, he was solid yesterday besides the fumble, it was the worst case scenario for him, but he lost weight and looks a lot quicker than last year.
