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How 'bout dat boy Sloan Thomas

Haams

Haams

Rookie
I'm glad to see Sloan producing this pre-season. He's leading the team in reception yards, second to AJ in receptions, and unless I'm mistaken - he missed the first game. I've always been a fan of Sloan's and I think he has a lot of unrealized potential (of course I'm biased 'cause I've seen him blow past people plenty of time at Darryl K.) I've alway's thought he would make a good 3 guy, but I'm starting to wonder, can he be our 2? He's got good size, good speed, and good hands. He doesn't have the experience of Bradford or the speed of Mathis, but I believe his hands are much better than either.
 
I agree with you!! I'm am totally pumped from what I have seen from Sloan and I knew he could do it. I hope he can make the 53 man roster because I believe he will produce for this team!!
 
I disagree..If we need hands we can turn to armstrong. However the thing I beleive we need is speed. We never seem to be able to shake the CB's or safeties. I beleive with the addition of Mathis for speed at slot 2 we will have a better chance of getting AJ open and having Mathis able to break in case of double coverage on AJ.
 
He seems to run good routes and his hands make up for poorly thrown balls. I've said all along that he is used to playing with a QB that throws lazers.
 
He was the one player I took the time to get a picture of at the game.

Hope he's able to stick. If not, send him up this way. :)
 
Texas said:
However the thing I beleive we need is speed.
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He's definately not as fast as Mathis, but Sloan has decent speed, I believe he beat Roy Williams at the combine. The only thing with Mathis is can he run the route crrectly, and can he catch the ball. I'm excited to see 'cause if he can we got a weapon, but he hasn't proven to me that he can yet. I have a lot more confidence in Sloan at this point in their careers, but I've watched Sloan play a lot more. He was the only receiver at Texas who you could count on to catch every possible ball. (Roy was much better, but you'll remember he would occasionally drop the easy catches.)
 
Texas said:
I disagree..If we need hands we can turn to armstrong. However the thing I beleive we need is speed. We never seem to be able to shake the CB's or safeties. I beleive with the addition of Mathis for speed at slot 2 we will have a better chance of getting AJ open and having Mathis able to break in case of double coverage on AJ.
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I couldnt disagree more . The NFL isnt Madden . Speed isnt everything to a reciever . Thomas is a much better fit for the Texans offense at this point in time than Mathis . Thomas just has a knack for getting open , his speed is adequate and hands better than most give him credit for . He was the #2 reciever @ UT opposite a great reciever in Roy Williams . He understands what is expected of the position and how to exploit what the opposing defense does to stop the #1 option .
With so many zone and cover two defenses in todays NFL blazing speed will only take you so far . The ability to find the soft spot in those zone coverages is more important , something that Bradford another speedy player has yet yo figure out .
I am by no means bashing Mathis , i think he has HUGE potential , just at this point in time he isnt a polished enough reciever to be the #2 option .
 
I see and respect your opinion. However I still beleive we need speed. I beleive that is what we got mathis for. I was taught a little lesson at Clear Lake H.S. (Anyone can learn to catch not everyone can learn to run faster.)
 
Texas said:
I see and respect your opinion. However I still beleive we need speed. I beleive that is what we got mathis for. I was taught a little lesson at Clear Lake H.S. (Anyone can learn to catch not everyone can learn to run faster.)
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There are 2 different types of speed. Track speed and football speed. Jerry Rice was by far not the fastest player but is NOW THE GREATEST RECEIVER to ever play the game.

I agree that speed can not be taught but being a great football player can't be taught either.
 
Texas said:
I was taught a little lesson at Clear Lake H.S. (Anyone can learn to catch not everyone can learn to run faster.)
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I've learned something from watching football for a long time:

For every Jerry Rice, Steve Largent, or Marvin Harrison, there are probably a 100 Willie Gault's.
 
hey in my mind armstrong is the guy to cut...he might have the best hands but that doesn't matter if you can't stay healthy...armstrong hasn't played a down this preseason because of injuries...i'd rather see sloan come in and play and open some eyes
 
Armstrong has had his first injury and it just happens to have kept him out of the preseason. If they cut him because of that.. its gonna be a bad move. Armstrong is great and has had no real injury issues in the past (i dont think)
 
Thomas was the fastest of the 3 talented receivers from UT that included
Roy Williams--here is his 40 yd time against some top picks this year--

Braylon Edwards... 4.45
Sloan Thomas...4.55
Mike Williams...4.56

....so, I don't think speed is an issue here--Mathis 4.28 is the exception,
not the norm
 
Thomas is quick.. that was his selling point. Thomas did his cone drills in a faster time than Roy Williams.. thats what got him noticed. Speed wasnt necessarily his strong point.. though really he isnt slow.
 
:texflag:
aj. said:
I've learned something from watching football for a long time:

For every Jerry Rice, Steve Largent, or Marvin Harrison, there are probably a 100 Willie Gault's.
Click to expand...

It couldn't be said any better. If you've played football you understand that statement. Perfect A.J.
 
tsip said:
Thomas was the fastest of the 3 talented receivers from UT that included
Roy Williams--here is his 40 yd time against some top picks this year--

Braylon Edwards... 4.45
Sloan Thomas...4.55
Mike Williams...4.56

....so, I don't think speed is an issue here--Mathis 4.28 is the exception,
not the norm
Click to expand...

Not that this really matters (because IMO differences of tenths of a second are vastly overrated), but where are you getting your numbers from because it was reported Roy Williams ran sub 4.4's at his pro-day and his NFL.com prospect profile has 4.48?
 
Speed won't matter if Carr is only taking 3 step drops. Route running and hands will be the most important points if this is our offense. Of course, if Carr is off like he was Saturday night, none of these attributes will make a bit of difference.
 
aj. said:
I've learned something from watching football for a long time:

For every Jerry Rice, Steve Largent, or Marvin Harrison, there are probably a 100 Willie Gault's.
Click to expand...

I disagree. I don't think the name Willie is really very popular. :wacko:

I will say this: I think that between Thomas and Mathis, one of them will be our #2 next year.
 
I think Thomas should make the team and could have the p[otential to take the # 2 spot rather than Mathis. This guy has great hands, instint of finding hole inn the field and then geeting extra yards at the same time form his elusiveness. He might not be as fast as mathis but he is very quick which is a different type of speed that would complement A.J. :texans:
 
:embarrass TE=infantrycak]Not that this really matters (because IMO differences of tenths of a second are vastly overrated), but where are you getting your numbers from because it was reported Roy Williams ran sub 4.4's at his pro-day and his NFL.com prospect profile has 4.48?[/QUOTE]


"I believe he beat Roy Williams at the combine"....must have gotten my
info from the same place this poster did--will keep looking...you may want
to ask him the same question!!!
 
infantrycak said:
Not that this really matters (because IMO differences of tenths of a second are vastly overrated), but where are you getting your numbers from because it was reported Roy Williams ran sub 4.4's at his pro-day and his NFL.com prospect profile has 4.48?
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Infantrycak, I don't know what to tell you. I tried to find sources on the net but couldn't come up with anything. I will say that living in Austin, news on UT players flows in constantly. I apologize for not being able to provide any link other than my memory, but I do distinctly remember being surprised that Sloan ran faster than Roy. I also remember that both were running on a "slow" track, inside the practice bubble at UT. I'll try to find actual factual info, but that's what I heard. Take it or leave it.
 
Here's what I could find regarding this situation. I don't know what to tell y'all. It doesn't add up to what I thought was true, but it is the most factual stuff I could find. These are the important parts clipped out, but the entire story can be found at:

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/7205983


TEXAS: MARCH 24
The teams started showing up at 6:30 in the morning and there were 30 teams here. In total, about 105 NFL people were in attendance, including one head coach (Dom Capers) and three GMs (Rod Graves, Charley Casserly, Rick Spielman). The players ran indoors on what can only be described as "soft AstroTurf," which makes for a slow track...

Roy Williams WR Williams (6-2½, 211) ran the 40 twice. Everyone had him under 4.4 on his second run, some as low as 4.37. He didn't run quite that fast the first time. He also had a 39½-inch vertical, an 11-foot long jump, a 3.97 short shuttle and a 6.75 three-cone drill. Willams is scheduled to visit the Texans in the near future...

Sloan Thomas WR Thomas (6-1¼, 199) ran his 40s in 4.47 and 4.50. He added a 36½-inch vertical, did not long jump, a 4.24 short shuttle and a 6.99 three-cone drill.
 
Now that I look at everything, it seems probable to me that Sloan beat Roy in the first 40 time. I'm guessing that the Austin American Statesman and other UT biased sources played up this point to try to gain recognition for another UT alumn. This might just be my excuse for having a faulty memory, but I can (still) swear hearing Sloan beat Roy in the 40.
 
Tayton said:
Agree with you too, AJ. But, Willie does have a Super Bowl ring.
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Yeah, thanks to Buddy Ryan's defense.

OK, I'll give Willie credit. He was the leading receiver on the pass happy '85 Bears...with a whopping 33 receptions and 1 TD for the season.

Maybe the better example would have been Renaldo Nehemiah. He has a ring too.
 
Haams said:
Now that I look at everything, it seems probable to me that Sloan beat Roy in the first 40 time. I'm guessing that the Austin American Statesman and other UT biased sources played up this point to try to gain recognition for another UT alumn. This might just be my excuse for having a faulty memory, but I can (still) swear hearing Sloan beat Roy in the 40.
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I recall hearing the same thing. tsip had some numbers and seemed certain so I asked him about it. Just a curiosity really, because while I have heard that I have never seen any numbers which confirm it.
 
wrestler4life said:
Speed won't matter if Carr is only taking 3 step drops. Route running and hands will be the most important points if this is our offense. Of course, if Carr is off like he was Saturday night, none of these attributes will make a bit of difference.
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Not every pass is going to be a 3-step drop. Speed is always a factor because it's a threat the defense has to consider and defend against whether it is used or not.
 
MYDAUGHTER'STEXANS said:
Sloan will be part of the team ,even if it is on the practice squad, he was part of the NFL europe exeptions.
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If he doesnt make the final roster I dont see him clearing waivers to get on the practice squad . Someone would claim him and keep him on their roster .
 
tsip said:
http://texas.scout.com/3/00recruits.html

...article lists them both at 4.4
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That article was from '00 when they were both recruits.

Sloan was never considered to be faster than Roy. Each of the "Big 3" brought something different to the table:

Roy - Size and speed
BJ - YAC ability
Sloan - Route running ability

And as stated, at their Pro Day Roy ran .1 faster than Sloan in the 40.

But he was always my favorite of the 3. Maybe because he was considered the "underdog" because he didn't receive as much hype as BJ (#1 WR in the country on many lists) or Roy (#4 WR on most lists) even though he had his share (#9 WR on most lists).
 
I believe HUGE is correct, I did find something in an old draft guide that listed his offical combine time as 4.53. now on College Pro Day @ UT he could have dropped that down to a 4.4. also of note "He has the frame & athletic skills to be a solid second receiver for an NFL team and could turn into a steal during the middle rounds of April's draft (2004)."
 
thats cool. i think he'd be a good number 2. i also think mathis will be a good number 2. at the moment, thomas is readier. i look forward to watching their progress!
 
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