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Your opinions on Steve Slaton...

The more I see of Slaton, the more encouraging I get.
Reviewed two and a half games so far: Cinn, USF and Rutgers.

He can always learn more blocking, but he's not a bad blocker by any mean.
In fact, I think he's rather decent at the task. Not afraid to go straight at a LB or even a DE.

I've seen him take a straight hit or a side hit at a DE 5 times already and he wasn't pancaked anything like that. He wasn't even on the ground in any shape or form.

And as I mentioned last year, I don't think there should be any concern about him running between tackles. He's at least as decent as Walker or Lundy up the gut. IMO, he's better.

Some website says that he spent too much time in the backfield, I think it's an overstatement. The fact is that the O-line is not that strong. Many times, there's just no hole so either he had to wait a bit, or cut back to the outside. But when he needs to, he can lower his shoulder and not leaving yard on the field.

You definitely don't want any part of the Mountaineers' center.
At least five bad snaps already in just 2-1/2 games. One result in a high exchange between the QB and the RB, Slaton didn't get it cleanly, actually he did not have posession of the ball, hence a fumble.

He doesn't look as natural lining up in the slot or as a flanker or a split end. Not enough reps to learn how to get separation from the DB, I imagine.

But he's pretty good at positioning himself for the screen pass out of the backfield. It won't be easy to catch him a dead duck like we saw with Lundy a few times.

I learned that his wrist injury is fall from an akward fall. And the hamstring, that goes with any back. So there's no concern of an injury-prone guy.

That's pretty much what I have to report at the moment. :fans:
 
I like the potential SS brings, but it's too early to grade him. If he stays healthy, if he gets opportunities, if he holds onto the ball, if he picks up the blitz, if he hits the right holes, if he can catch the ball in the flat, if he makes one cut and goes, if he....

These are just things to say about him these are things that every rookie RB has to answer. There are no guarantees when drafting a RB. That's why I think we won't see a day 1 RB as long as Kubiak is coaching here.

Ultimately, my gut feeling is he will be a great change of pace guy that can cause the defense to make adjustments. I like the thought of having him split out with the Andres and Jacoby. That's some hardcore track burning.
 
Slaton has plenty of issues to work out before anyone should heap high expectation on him. I was a big fan of the pick where we got him. I was never a fan for Forte, have consistently bashed A. Green (check any post of mine. Ever.), and have been saying we could use a change of pace RB for a few years now.

Slaton is a speed back pure and simple. He takes some big hits, but the one thing that really pisses me off about Slaton is that his legs stop moving after a hit. He goes down too eaisly to make a difference at this level right now. He has great hips which leads to excellent lateral movement and cutting ability. I don't like how erratic his arms can get on runs, especially down the side line. He pumps his arms too much for my taste at the moment, though the ball seems to stay tucked properly for what it's worth. He has a slight history with injuries as well.

Right now, I don't think he will be active for the first game. I really like Slaton's potential, but he isn't there right now. By the end of the year, I'd look for A. Green to miss about 9 games conservatively, and Slaton to get about 4-6 carries a game with about 1-2 screen passes. I do not expect him to honestly compete for a return job. He simply isn't better at it than what we currently have.
 
ObsiWan said:
QFT

to get anything beyond 3rd dn/pass catching capabilities will definitely be "gravy".

he was not drafted to be a workhorse. What he brings is speed. The "between the tackles" work will be handled by two of the four other RBs currently in camp.
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....But even so, Slaton wants to eventually be the main guy, ala Westbrook. So my point was (and it is true for most rookies, not just Slaton), he needs to get some more muscle so he can better take the hits he will get in the NFL. As for him being a decent blocker, that's fine for college, but these guys are bigger and faster, so he will need to adjust his game to cope with it.
 
Sup yall - I did some extensive research on Slaton for a couple of pieces at Battle Red Blog. I think he's going to make an impact as a rookie, but should really come into his own with a couple of years of experience.
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I spoke with John Antonik, WVU's Director of New Media, and WVU football's beat writer. He said that Steve bulked up in the offseason to try and impress NFL scouts, but it backfired. He lost some of his straight line speed. He's been working hard in the offseason to keep the extra weight and regain that step.
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In his sophomore season, he rushed for over 1700 yards. Rick Trickett, the then offensive line coach, copied Alex Gibbs zone blocking scheme down to the letter. In other words, Steve can run in the zone spread with his eyes closed. Apparently, Chris Brown also ran in a similar system in Colorado.
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So - with Myers and Gibbs bring the other linemen up to speed, and with Brown and Slaton already familiar with the schemes, I expect an overnight improvement in the run game. And that ain't the kool-aid talkin.
 
SOLIS said:
Sup yall - I did some extensive research on Slaton for a couple of pieces at Battle Red Blog. I think he's going to make an impact as a rookie, but should really come into his own with a couple of years of experience.
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I spoke with John Antonik, WVU's Director of New Media, and WVU football's beat writer. He said that Steve bulked up in the offseason to try and impress NFL scouts, but it backfired. He lost some of his straight line speed. He's been working hard in the offseason to keep the extra weight and regain that step.
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In his sophomore season, he rushed for over 1700 yards. Rick Trickett, the then offensive line coach, copied Alex Gibbs zone blocking scheme down to the letter. In other words, Steve can run in the zone spread with his eyes closed. Apparently, Chris Brown also ran in a similar system in Colorado.
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So - with Myers and Gibbs bring the other linemen up to speed, and with Brown and Slaton already familiar with the schemes, I expect an overnight improvement in the run game. And that ain't the kool-aid talkin.
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Good post. Knowing the system will only accelerate Slaton's development, which will do nothing but good for our running game. This missing cog, since the loss of Davis, has been a back with quick feet that can also be a threat in the passing game. If he should develop correctly, Slaton will fill this void.
 
If Tiki Barber could run between the tackles I think Slaton can too. I am sure Kubiak and co. will know just what his limitations and strengths are and go from there. I think we have a faster version of Tiki Barber.:fans:
 
Found an interesting piece on Slaton at PFW.

Transition to Texans' offense could be a smooth one for RB Slaton


Texans rookie RB Steve Slaton starred running behind zone blocking at West Virginia, so he is familiar with elements of Houston's offense, which also features a zone blocking scheme. "Once you see something, you commit to it," Slaton told PFW. "It’s a 100 percent full-go. There’s really not going to be too many cuts (for a running back to make)." Slaton, who is likely to compete for carries as a backup in his rookie season, adds a needed dose of speed to a Texans backfield that lacked it last season. Slaton told PFW he has taken well to the Texans' offense, which is modeled after the Broncos' attack that Texans head coach Gary Kubiak ran as Denver's offensive coordinator. "At West Virginia (under then-head coach Rich Rodriguez), a lot of the tape we watched was Denver film," Slaton told PFW. "Running the zone for three years, I think that’s a great transition for me."
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So I dug up a few Youtube video's of Slaton .... Mainly loking to see how he did running between the tackles .... After looking at some of them I'm somewhat impressed at how well he fits the ZBS . Take a look at the second 52yard TD Vs. Georgia. The LB was out of position and he made the defense pay for it with one quick cut .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xx3VzMMU3g

The next video is the first 52 yarder on a draw play . Another one cut and get downhill run . Made a guy miss and was off to the races .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwEEGmX4IwU

There are a couple others that showcase him catching the ball pretty well .
I think if this guy can pick up the blitz he will see a lot more action this season than a lot of us expect of a 3rd round rookie.
 
corrosion said:
Found an interesting piece on Slaton at PFW.




So I dug up a few Youtube video's of Slaton .... Mainly loking to see how he did running between the tackles .... After looking at some of them I'm somewhat impressed at how well he fits the ZBS . Take a look at the second 52yard TD Vs. Georgia. The LB was out of position and he made the defense pay for it with one quick cut .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xx3VzMMU3g

The next video is the first 52 yarder on a draw play . Another one cut and get downhill run . Made a guy miss and was off to the races .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwEEGmX4IwU

There are a couple others that showcase him catching the ball pretty well .
I think if this guy can pick up the blitz he will see a lot more action this season than a lot of us expect of a 3rd round rookie.
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I really don't know much about Slaton but after watching those videos it appears that he has a good second gear, good down field vision, sets up his blocks well, and doesn't go down after first contact.

I don't know how Slaton fell so far down the draft boards. Maybe its a maturity thing.
 
TEXANRED said:
I really don't know much about Slaton but after watching those videos it appears that he has a good second gear, good down field vision, sets up his blocks well, and doesn't go down after first contact.

I don't know how Slaton fell so far down the draft boards. Maybe its a maturity thing.
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Thats pretty much the same impression I came away with .... Those are the reasons I think he will see a lot of playing time . His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield is going to be a big part of that . As long as he can hold onto the ball and pick up the blitz (yeah , those things) he will be a steal in the 3rd round.

As for how he fell so far in the draft ... There were some highly rated guy's in front of him . Here's a list of the RB's taken before Slaton .

Mcfadden
Stewart
Jones
Mendenhall
C.Johnson
Forte'
Rice
K.Smith
J.Charles

I was really hoping that Ray Rice would fall to them but he was gone . I think Rice is going to be a very good NFL player . Maybe not the talent of McFadden but he can carry a load . There will be a few teams that will regret passing on him ....
 
corrosion said:
As for how he fell so far in the draft ... There were some highly rated guy's in front of him...
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And most of the backs taken ahead of Slaton were bigger. Slaton's not a 20+ carries/game back. And the Bears & Lions, among others, were looking for an everydown back. I would say Slaton compares to NFL backs like Jerious Norwood, Leon Washington, and to be very optimistic, Brian Westbrook. And the 3rd-4th rounds are where these RBs were selected.
 
Lucky said:
And most of the backs taken ahead of Slaton were bigger. Slaton's not a 20+ carries/game back. And the Bears & Lions, among others, were looking for an everydown back. I would say Slaton compares to NFL backs like Jerious Norwood, Leon Washington, and to be very optimistic, Brian Westbrook. And the 3rd-4th rounds are where these RBs were selected.
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...and for much the same reasons that Clinton Portis fell to the Broncos at 51.
 
The beauty of picking up a back like Slaton is that he adds a much needed dimension to our offense.
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In other words, I like the different looks we can give a defense on a 3rd and 6. A back like Slaton can give a linebacker who draws his assignment fits. Add that to our rock solid receiving corps and a TE who can run drag routes over the middle, and you have the makings of dynamic offense.
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I think we're in for some good times people.
 
Vinny said:
a really good hype video with Slaton with some great camera angles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUgvCtO_OME&NR=1
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After watching that great clip, I noticed this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ5I2HVWlkk&feature=related

Both of these clips demonstrate to me some interesting observations. Stanton's cut on a dime ability at high speed is unreal. He has an uncanny ability to cut through and slip by defenders virtually untouched, both outside the tackles and inside. When going between the tackles, he seems to disappear in traffic, then miraculously emerge untouched. I have this gut feeling that, unlike Bush, his between the tackles value may be significantly underestimated...........as is his potential carry numbers.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Stanton's cut on a dime ability at high speed is unreal. He has an uncanny ability to cut through and slip by defenders virtually untouched, both outside the tackles and inside. When going between the tackles, he seems to disappear in traffic, then miraculously emerge untouched. I have this gut feeling that, unlike Bush, his between the tackles value may be significantly underestimated...........as is his potential carry numbers.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm hoping but I'm afraid I'm going to jinx something if I say anything.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
After watching that great clip, I noticed this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ5I2HVWlkk&feature=related

Both of these clips demonstrate to me some interesting observations. Stanton's cut on a dime ability at high speed is unreal. He has an uncanny ability to cut through and slip by defenders virtually untouched, both outside the tackles and inside. When going between the tackles, he seems to disappear in traffic, then miraculously emerge untouched. I have this gut feeling that, unlike Bush, his between the tackles value may be significantly underestimated...........as is his potential carry numbers.
Click to expand...


I just watched that one too. I can only imagine Gibbs' expression when he heard we got Slaton. He may be a little light in weight but, GOOD LORD, he's a threat every time he touches the ball.

So let's say the O line performs exceptionally well under Gibbs expert tutelege, this guy will have the highest YPC average in the league imo. What a BURST of insta-speed!!!!!
 
Those are some nice clips (not particularly good camera work/video quality), but one thing that jumped out to me was that ~90% of the time, he carried the ball in his left hand whether he was running down the left side or the right side of the field. NFL guys will pick up on that and be looking to strip it if he is holding it in the inside of the field arm. To say that he has some acceleration would be an understatement. I'm going to assume he wont blow past NFL guys that quickly, but he certainly has some jets. Looked like he was willing and able to take a hit and to take the ball in traffic through the line. If he can hang on to the ball, he should be exciting.
 
edo783 said:
but one thing that jumped out to me was that ~90% of the time, he carried the ball in his left hand whether he was running down the left side or the right side of the field. NFL guys will pick up on that and be looking to strip it if he is holding it in the inside of the field arm.
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He had a wrist injury that didn't allow him to grip the ball with his right hand.....

I read that Steve played with an injured wrist in 2006. What can you tell me about the injury (how/when it happened) and were there any lingering effects during the 2007 season?
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The injury actually occurred during his freshman year against Connecticut in 2005 and it wasn’t corrected until after his sophomore season in the winter of 2007. I recall Steve saying it was like playing with one hand tied behind his back. He actually carried the ball in his left arm the entire season even on running plays to the right because he didn’t have the strength in his wrist to properly secure the ball. Yet the wrist didn’t affect him a great deal in the passing game because he wound up catching 27 passes.

After the surgery the wrist has not been a problem whatsoever.
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http://www.battleredblog.com/2008/5/6/476812/steve-slaton-an-insider-s
 
And as far as the incredible burst of speed y'all are talking about from that clip.....almost all of those highlights were from his freshman & sophomore seasons, during his junior year he lost a little burst after he packed on some bulk, supposedly he's working on getting his speed back to the form it was during his freshman and sophomore seasons. I don't really care though, because he's fast enough as is, and any added speed would just be a bonus.

To me, Steve Slaton's biggest gift is his acceleration, he gets from 1st to 5th gear in a split second......if there's a hole, he's going to have the "get up" to get through it way before it closes.
 
I know how much I look forward to June and July with the cool weather here and all. After watching Steve Slaton video clips and reading articles about Mario being even more unblockable and Demeco ready to step up and be a leader on the field I think I'm ready to skip ahead to August and get this season going. :fans:
 
SOLIS said:
Mr. Antonik gave me so much useful information with no hesitation. Steve was a huge fan favorite at WVU - his career was so well documented, he was by far the easiest of the seven players I profiled at BRB. I think Adibi would be a close second.
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Yeah, that was a good peice, thanks for the interview
 
SOLIS said:
Mr. Antonik gave me so much useful information with no hesitation. Steve was a huge fan favorite at WVU - his career was so well documented, he was by far the easiest of the seven players I profiled at BRB. I think Adibi would be a close second.
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repped ya for the bunch of posts that were insightful.
 
about 15 days old but article from HPF err In the Bullseye.com

Mama always said there would be days like this.

According to a report filed by the Associated Press last night, rookie running back Steve Slaton struggled mightily on Day 2 of Texans minicamp. Slaton fumbled a pitch on one play and later had his helmet knocked off his head on another. The report also added that Slaton actually fumbled twice on Saturday.

Twice? Oh noes!!!!1!!1 Whatever will we do???!

"He's going to be fine," running backs coach Chick Harris said. "I can cure (the butterfingers). I've done it with guys before. You just bang 'em and bang 'em and bang 'em until they understand the importance of keeping the ball in your hands."

Whoa, easy there on the banging, 'kay? We're not the Bengals.

So, yeah, no alarm. Slaton is going to be just fine. I mean, it's not like he had this issue in college, right?

No wait. Slaton DID have this problem in college. He suffered a wrist injury in 2006 and underwent surgery on it last year. The troubles had an impact on how he carried the football, giving him a bad case of the dropsies.

Yikes. Coach Harris might need a little extra time developing a cure for this case.
Click to expand...
http://www.inthebullseye.com/archive/2008/20080512.html
 
The carrying the ball in his left hand all the time now makes sense with the wrist injury.
 
Steve is going to be the man and i'm glad the texans are not talking about him to much because they know he will be the cure to our running game. Steve has a natural feel in the zone blocking scheme from his time at WVU and watch the explosion in the videos below.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwEEGmX4IwU


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xx3VzMMU3g&NR=1


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G-r4Da1ljE



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr49hwW7zZM


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrm0idTUAq8&feature=related
 
Slaton will be a good 3rd down back. Do you all remember how many screens we had set up, only to go for just 5 yards. Slaton can make a 5 yard screen pass into a 40 yard gain - Dayne couldn't. Sorry Dayne lovers.
 
I think Slaton will be just fine, but let's not hype him up! :kingkong:

What I like is that he looks comfortable out of different offensive formations, from the I, to the Ace, the split back, the shotgun, which we employ in some form.

I need to see more of him in the slot out of the empty-backfield formation to see if he can be successful at the next level.

Basic football formations can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formation_(American_football)#T_formation
 
Slaton is going to be the man and if Ahman get hurt in the pre-season then we can look at Shawn Alexander or Travis Henry on a 1-year deal to team up with Slaton.
 
PHAROAH said:
Slaton is going to be the man and if Ahman get hurt in the pre-season then we can look at Shawn Alexander or Travis Henry on a 1-year deal to team up with Slaton.
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put down the crack pipe and step away from the computer :thisbig:
 
PHAROAH said:
Slaton is going to be the man and if Ahman get hurt in the pre-season then we can look at Shawn Alexander or Travis Henry on a 1-year deal to team up with Slaton.
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Seriously. Nightmares. I hope this post was in jest, because my soul couldn't take it.
 
The more I see of Slaton (5 games now including USF, Rutgers, Cinn, Pitts, UConn).

He just look like a complete player to me.

Let's take his worst game against Pitts. Don't let the line (9 carries for 11 yards and 1 catch for 9 yds, No TD) fool ya'.

If the blockers perform their task, it would have been a completely different story.

Same goes with the USF and UConn games where he didn't have astronomical numbers either.

(And as I have mentioned before, I was astounded as to why Rodriguez doesn't instruct Pat White to get the ball to Slaton more.)

Slaton does all the little things well, and that include blocking.
He has a lot of heart, and you see several hard heavy blocks, even on LBs.
And the DBs around 190 lbs, he simply destroys them.

And to say that his legs stop moving upon meeting the defenders is a little presumptous. You ought to see him fighting 2, 3 defenders.

Now, I never want to hype him up. I'm just stating my opinion that he's ready to contribute while learning more about the game from our coaches and his teammates. And of course, he'll have to adjust to the fast pace of the NFL just like most other rookies.

I really like this pick.
 
I like Slaton. he reminds me of DD(W). I hope he turns out to be a good as DD(W)
 
DocBar said:
I like Slaton. he reminds me of DD(W). I hope he turns out to be a good as DD(W)
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How? Davis was lucky to break a 30 yard run before being run down whereas Slaton would likely take it to the house on the same run. The speed and quickness isn't even comparable.

I think many around here hold Davis at a higher level than what he was. IMO, he was an average to slightly above average RB who didn't have break away speed nor the durability of a really good RB.

Sure, he's probably the best we've had, but when you have an injured Green, Fatass and a few other nobodies to compare him to.....
 
HOU-TEX said:
I think many around here hold Davis at a higher level than what he was. IMO, he was an average to slightly above average RB who didn't have break away speed nor the durability of a really good RB.

Sure, he's probably the best we've had, but when you have an injured Green, Fatass and a few other nobodies to compare him to.....
Click to expand...

Domanick Davis healthy was easily a above average to very good running back. No he didn't have break away speed, but the guy had great vision, balance, was very quick, ran behind his pads well, and had a nose for the endzone (avg. 11 TDs his first two seasons) He was also a very good receiving back.

Speed isn't everything for a running back, (There have been a ton of blazing speedster runningbacks, that simply couldn't produce in the NFL) while D.D. lacked it, he had everything else, with his vision he'd be perfect in this zone scheme.......it's just a shame the guy could never stay healthy, he was talented.

Hopefully Slaton can come in and show that he has the vision, ability to run through the tackles, and possesses soft hands like Davis..........but while also showing that he has game breaking speed and he's durable enough to make it in the NFL (unlike Davis).
 
HOU-TEX said:
How? Davis was lucky to break a 30 yard run before being run down whereas Slaton would likely take it to the house on the same run. The speed and quickness isn't even comparable.

I think many around here hold Davis at a higher level than what he was. IMO, he was an average to slightly above average RB who didn't have break away speed nor the durability of a really good RB.

Sure, he's probably the best we've had, but when you have an injured Green, Fatass and a few other nobodies to compare him to.....
Click to expand...

Davis was able to produce on a pis poor team, with a pis poor QB, and a pis poor coach.

No one thinks Davis would have gone to the HOF or anything like that. But we acknowledge, and respect what he did for us.
 
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