CloakNNNdagger
Hall of Fame
Won't argue with that..........BUT........PLEASE, IF WE DO KEEP HIM< DON'T LET HIM RETURN ANYMORE KICKS.........PLEASE!
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Slaton.......Now You See Him.......Now You Don't
- Thread starter CloakNNNdagger
- Start date
Won't argue with that..........BUT........PLEASE, IF WE DO KEEP HIM< DON'T LET HIM RETURN ANYMORE KICKS.........PLEASE!
dalemurphy
Hall of Fame
that should be the team slogan for 2011:
"Don't Let Slaton Return Anymore Kicks, Please!" or maybe just "Texans 2011-Recognizing Disaster and Doing Something About It"... Texans, please print this all over my tickets when you send them out.
That's a bit of revisionist history there, TK. SS couldn't hold on to the ball, had a neck injury and arm numbness that, in part, rendered him ineffective. He lost his starting job because he was inconsistent and not dependable. Going into last season, every one who ke[t up with the Texans knew SS wasn't our #1 or #2 back.
I see no reason to tie up a roster spot with him for a #4 RB. He stunk it up returning kicks, so why keep him? Are you forgetting about Tate? He's supposed to be a stud RB in his own right. Trade SS if you can, cut him if you can't.
If there is a good deal out there, something that will make the team better....... I've got no problem with that. I'm just saying I wouldn't trade him just to trade him. I don't think we can find a better RB option on the street or undrafted.
The trade deadline is weeks into the season, no reason to hurry.
By the way, I don't agree with your analysis of his running this year. I think he was a better runner in 2010 than he was in 2008. 2008, His speed & his burst made up for a poor offensive line.
Revisionist? I don't think so. I know why he lost the starting role in 2009. He had a neck injury. 2010, I would bet the Texans were being extremely cautious like they are with everyone not named Mario.
But when they gave him the ball, Slaton did his job.
I didn't forget about Tate. Neither did I forget about Tony Hollings, or Bennie Joppru, or Tony Boselli, or Dunta Robinson (who wasn't the same after his injury).
In the last 5 years, there have only been two RBs that were worth a crap. Arian Foster & Steve Slaton. I'm just saying keep him as long as we can. If we get an offer of a first round pick, or a starting cornerback...... do it.
But to trade him for a song, doesn't make sense to me.
badboy
Hall of Fame
That's what I thought but TJAM72 just said something else if I am reading it correctly.
TK,
Ward was better than you give him credit for. He was certianly no crappy RB.
Ward was better than you give him credit for. He was certianly no crappy RB.
badboy
Hall of Fame
As long as it is not Kubiak's "We hope to stay close and get some shots in the fourth".
Where did I say Ward was crappy?
All I'm saying, as much as I like Foster, I'd love going into the season with Ward, Tate & Slaton behind him.
God forbids Tate gets hurt in the preseason, or Ward...... or any of them.
Slaton is the only guy who carried the rock for a season as the man other than Foster.
I'd hate to go into the season with Tate slated as our #1, Ward as our #2 & some guy cut from the Browns a week before the season starts.
Slaton is a luxury. Let's hold on to him until someone offers something real.
I disagree with you completely. SS was a one year wonder/flash in the pan. I was worried about him flopping when he was having a great rookie campaign because of his tendency to have 40 yds on 19 carries, then bust a big one to get his average up. That happens with him a lot.
I just don't see the logic of keeping him when he can't even contribute on special teams.
Why would someone give up a 1st or a starter for someone who will be 4th on depth chart of the Houston Texans?? Someone might give that for a player on the Pats or Colts, but NOT the Texans.
beerlover
Hall of Fame
this is a tough one to digest. luckily the Texans now have some depth @ RB position so they can deal from a position of strength. that's something new!
I would say he can be dealt for the right asking price, probably a 5th rounder? or kept as insurance & used more in a receiving role.
I would say he can be dealt for the right asking price, probably a 5th rounder? or kept as insurance & used more in a receiving role.
1st line of last paragraph
[/Quote] In the last 5 yrs there have only been 2 RB's worth a crap. Arian Foster and Steve Slaton. Sounds to me like you're lumping Ward in with the rest of the crappy RB's that have worn a Texans uni.
dalemurphy
Hall of Fame
TK, that's just crazy. Slaton was a great runner in 2008. Since his injury, he has been a shell of that player. I can understand disagreeing with me about exactly how much his play has fallen off... but, to actually assert he ran better in 2010 than in 2008 is foolishness.
GP
Go Texans!
Your assertion that he was a better runner in 2010 than in 2008 is a difficult position to defend, if not a flat out impossibility. What on earth can you discuss here that can support your claims?
I guess if Steve Slaton can build off the big year he had in 2010, then he's going to be in for a rip-roarin' 2011.
Your assertion that he was a better runner in 2010 than in 2008 is a difficult position to defend, if not a flat out impossibility. What on earth can you discuss here that can support your claims?
I guess if Steve Slaton can build off the big year he had in 2010, then he's going to be in for a rip-roarin' 2011.
He averaged 4.9 ypc on what averaged out to 2 carries per game. If he touched the ball that little in 2008, I doubt he would have averaged 3 ypc. Just like everyone is saying, he'd break a huge run to get his average up in 2008, not so in 2010.
What if we could get a good CB prospect for Derrick Ward, or a 4th round pick?
Put him on the block, get something decent & we've got Tate & Slaton as depth.
Keep in mind, Slaton is younger & just as explosive. SS got you 5 ypc on limited touches......... & IMO Slaton is a much better option as a receiver out of the backfield.
dalemurphy
Hall of Fame
TK:
1. Sample Size (way too small to extrapolate)
2. Situation (5yds on 3rd and 12 is a lot different than a 3rd and one run)
False Start
On # 69
Slaton Would Welcome A Trade Out Of Houston
I say lets see what the Texans can get for him. I think it will be hard for him to break the RB rotation barring major injuries. I also think they can find someone else to run the ball straight into a group of defenders on kick returns.
I say lets see what the Texans can get for him. I think it will be hard for him to break the RB rotation barring major injuries. I also think they can find someone else to run the ball straight into a group of defenders on kick returns.
GP
Go Texans!
We can't trade him now. He's running better now than he was in his rookie year.
While I'm all for keeping Slaton on the roster I wouldn't say he is untradeable.
I am 100% against throwing him away for a 5th or later pick, might as well just cut him.
I personally wouldn't take nothing less than a third..... because he is running as good as he did his rookie season & he's worth more to this roster than a 4th rounder...... IMO.
If we can trade Slaton & Dressen or Slaton & Antonio Smith for Brent Grimes (is he going to be a FA) then I would do it.
GP
Go Texans!
You do know that I don't think he's running better than he did in 2008, right?
I'd trade him for a 5th rounder. A 5th rounder can be paired up with another draft pick and allow us to move up in the draft. Our 4th and a donated 5th from Slaton's new victim...err, umm, TEAM!...could let us get an extra 3rd rounder. Two 3rd round picks in 2012 is OK with me.
I don't understand why you set the line at 3rd rounder. He WAS a 3rd rounder, and he's only hurt his own stock since 2008. No way in Lubbock, TX would any NFL team give up a 3rd rounder for him. We might have been able to get a 2nd rounder for him after 2008, but then again Arian Foster had not hit the scene in time for us to do that deal...until Arian Foster came along, we had one guy (Slaton) and nobody else.
Foster, Ward, and possibly a healthy Tate just flat out render Slaton useless here ESPECIALLY when you factor in that Kubiak is going to add at least 1 or 2 more UDFA guys at RB to supplement and possibly stick on the Practice Squad. RB is no longer this team's problem to solve, TK. I suppose Slaton could wait for the three guys ahead of him to get hurt enough to be out indefinitely...but come on, man, it ain't happenin'.
It feels like this has become more about you rooting for a guy down on his luck, and needing a boost of support from the team and its fans, than the true business aspect that is known as the NFL. This isn't Rudy at Notre Dame.
Slaton ran every bit as good as Ward did in 2011.
Even if Kubiak signs a few UDFA RBs, he won't let them see the field unless the season is already over. Slaton is on the Roster & will get touches if any one of the three guys ahead of him (assuming Tate makes it out of training camp) can't go for any week.
I don't care about 5th round picks for 2012, especially if my name is Gary (most likely won't be here in 2012) Kubiak. I'd use my existing 5th round pick & 4th to trade up for a 3rd if my name wasn't Rick (most likely won't be here in 2012) Smith.
If we can't trade Slaton for something that will help us in 2011, I wouldn't do it. To me, he still has value for this roster...
Again, I'm not against trading him, but trade him for something to help us get over the hump in 2011, not 2012 or 2013 or later.
& it's not like I'm overvaluing him either, I'm talking about trades like Slaton, Diles, & McCain for Terrance Newman.
GP
Go Texans!
1. Kubiak is not getting fired unless we go 2-14. Period. We've all hashed this over here, this past off-season, and we all know that Gary will get his last season no matter what. Wade Phillips is a new d-coord, we're in a lockout year, and McNair just won't cut Kubiak loose unless the whole thing goes bonkers early AND often. Which it won't. So let's stop acting like Gary or Rick can't think about the 2012 draft and how they could USE Slaton as trade bait now and get some sort of something for him rather than letting him David Carr us.
2. I sure wished I had recorded all of Slaton's runs last year. If I had, I could play for you a lowlight reel that shows Slaton getting in a log jam 90% of the time and then maybe getting some garbage time yards late in games to make up for it. Face it: Foster and Ward were THE guys the whole way (except for Foster getting benched vs. Raiders for like ONE quarter of play). Slaton was relegated to kickoff duties and he did a fantastically piss poor job of handling it. I have never seen this team stick with a kick returner who was as miserable at it as Slaton was. It was laughable.
3. I can't wait for Slaton to get his wishes and go somewhere else. He can talk to the media about how undervalued he was here, joining such great undervalued legends as David Carr, Faggins, Ahman Green, Dunta Robinson, etc. He's found himself with full membership privileges in the Texans Treated Me Badly club with those guys.
GP
Go Texans!
With Ward at the 3, at worst.
But I think since we re-signed Ward and Tate is coming off injury, the Texans will want to use Ward and try to let Tate get as few snaps as possible.
It only makes sense to hold back Tate as long as you can, since this will actually be his rookie season for us. If something happens to Foster or Ward, then Tate will easily find himself right there in the mix of things.
Slaton is our 4th RB, which I think he should be cut at the next-to-last round of cuts or the last round of cuts (if we can't find a spot for him). Teams probably won't deal with us for a trade because they, too, know that he's the 4th guy on our roster. It's patently obvious to anybody who's been paying even the slightest attention to our running game. Each team's free agent scouts know what's up here, just like they knew what was up with Carr--Which is why nobody significant wanted to deal with us for him; they just waited for us to cut Carr. A no-brainer for Carr, and a no-brainer for Slaton.
They need to try and trade him BEFORE camp, IMO. But maybe they want him through camp in case of training camp injury possibilities to any of the 3 guys ahead of him. THAT could be the motivation to not try for a pre-camp trade. And with the huge shuffle of players in a short window of time, due to the lockout, I don't know that Slaton would get moved in time or that a team would give up anything for him. He's in a jam.
Overall, I think he'll end up getting cut because everybody knows he's 4th man on the roster.
Dutchrudder
Hall of Fame
Slaton is due 1.2 million this year. There is no way the Texans are going to pay that much for a broke down #4 RB. That's money that needs to be spent on LB and NT depth. Slaton will surely be traded or cut loose.
GP
Go Texans!
David Carr killed the trade chances because he wouldn't be able to choose his destination. Plus, he probably didn't like the idea of his legacy being a #1 pick who was traded for a 6th or 7th rounder.
It has always been about "appearances" with that guy.
He banked an extra $8 million via his Goodbye Sweetheart Season with the Texans under new HC Kubiak, was given a full release (rather than us trading him to somebody) and he still had the nerve to talk trash on us.
Now, Steve Slaton is saying he welcomes a trade before or during camp. I say grant him his wish! At least TRY to get something, anything, for him. Otherwise, we're just going to cut him to save the dough like dutchrudder was saying.
However, like I have said earlier, I think the other 31 teams know full well that they can just wait for him to hit the waiver wire and not have to give up a draft pick for him. He's not a hot enough commodity that a team will fear losing him due to waiver wire position.
I can't believe we're having to analyze and discuss this, actually. It's the biggest no-brainer move that's on the board when you get right down to it.
El Tejano
Hall of Fame
I'm agreeing with Thunderkyss. I'm not letting a guy who had a 1k season just only two years ago walk that easy. I'm keeping him here to compete with the old guy (Ward) and the rookie who hasn't played a down of football due to a broken ankle (Tate).
Slaton, when given the opportunity, did look good when he ran. It wasn't garbage time either. In the Indy game, he actually ripped off a decent 10 yard run where if he hadn't been tripped up he would've broke it for a TD. In Oakland, he did well in the first half before being replaced by Foster too.
If you recall, Slaton also has displayed some very good WR skills. The ability to roll your RB out in the wideout spot and him demand coverage (look at the game at Tenn in his rookie year) is a very valuable thing to have in your back up RB.
Now is he as good as he was in 08? That remains to be seen but I'm not throwing the towel in on that dude just yet because he does have skills.
Matter of fact, if you wait to trade him after competing in camp, you can always tell whoever is inquiring that he's a result of a numbers game and you want to give him a better opportunity. If you try to trade him right now for a 5th, what does it say about his real value?
Slaton, when given the opportunity, did look good when he ran. It wasn't garbage time either. In the Indy game, he actually ripped off a decent 10 yard run where if he hadn't been tripped up he would've broke it for a TD. In Oakland, he did well in the first half before being replaced by Foster too.
If you recall, Slaton also has displayed some very good WR skills. The ability to roll your RB out in the wideout spot and him demand coverage (look at the game at Tenn in his rookie year) is a very valuable thing to have in your back up RB.
Now is he as good as he was in 08? That remains to be seen but I'm not throwing the towel in on that dude just yet because he does have skills.
Matter of fact, if you wait to trade him after competing in camp, you can always tell whoever is inquiring that he's a result of a numbers game and you want to give him a better opportunity. If you try to trade him right now for a 5th, what does it say about his real value?
El Tejano
Hall of Fame
That guy Slayton has been a goner for a while. We are talking about Slaton.
GP
Go Texans!
I'm done with the project. Too many people want to act like this is a baby bird who just needs us to nurse it back to health. The baby bird ends up dying.
You guys are too sentimental and frugal. You'd stick with a bad stock thinking it will trend upward and you'll get your money back on it. So be it.
You guys are too sentimental and frugal. You'd stick with a bad stock thinking it will trend upward and you'll get your money back on it. So be it.
I would have rather kept Jerimiah Johnson than to have kept Slaton last year.
That said, he can procuce if put in the right situations. Screens, catching passes in space.
But he has no value as a return man and he runs into the backs of his linemen far too often.
He's not a must keep, but he's not a must go. I really don't have a strong opinion either way and whatever decision is made on him I'm not going to sweat it.
That said, he can procuce if put in the right situations. Screens, catching passes in space.
But he has no value as a return man and he runs into the backs of his linemen far too often.
He's not a must keep, but he's not a must go. I really don't have a strong opinion either way and whatever decision is made on him I'm not going to sweat it.
Let him go.
Trade him.
I'm agreeing with you on those points.
I just don't see him as totally useless & I'm not giddy about trading him for a 5th round pick. I think he still has more value than that.
Had Tate played in a real game or two, I might think differently. Had Foster put together two great seasons, I might think differently.
Had Ward not been cut from a poor running team just last season, I might think differently.
One thing I know. Is that the Texans will suffer some way or another in 2011 (if there is a season). Last year it was the defense (ranked 13 the year before). 2009 it was the running game.
If we trade him, all I'm saying is get something for him, make it worth it. If you're going to trade him for nothing.. a fifth, wait until the deadline.
Dutchrudder
Hall of Fame
I'm pretty sure Ward was cut due to not living up to his salary (on a 2 win team too). I think he was due 5-6 million, but he wasn't producing enough to be worth it, so they cut him to save money. It's not like he was trash, but he wasn't worth near what he was being paid.
drs23
Veteran
Texan_Bill
Hall of Fame
Arian Foster > Derrick Ward > Vonta Leach (who had no rushing attempts last season) > Matt Turk > Steve "the huge Disappointment" Slaton
Matt Turk is 4th on your list, 4th!!!!!
The guy has the highest yards per carry of all time for the Texans, and you have the guy 4th on your list. For shame, for shame.........
GP
Go Texans!
Foster came onto the scene at the end of the 2009 season, TK. He didn't just pop up in 2010 out of nowhere. He showed his stuff in the last two games, and then he had a great preseason, and then he had an even better regular season. He didn't play a full 2009 season, but that's because Kubiak was still trying to have faith in Slaton...then Slaton went down with the neck injury, and Arian emerged at the end of 2009.
Ward came from a horrible Bucs team. They were bad all the way around. Granted, they turned it around--fast--but when Ward was there it was Bad News Bear for him AND the rest of the team.
He doesn't need to try and be the best RB on the roster. He just needs to do what he's always done: Be a tandem guy who is paired up with another RB, which makes defenses wilt under the pressure of never having a play off against the Texans. With Foster and Ward, you've got a serious run game on every single down that's played all game long. That is what made the Giants tough back when he and Brandon Jacobs were running tandem back in the day. Ward's found that spot again, and I honestly think he can be happier AND make good money just doing what he's doing right now.
Ben Tate, to me, during the preseason of 2010 was doing what Steve Slaton did in 2008. But Slaton doesn't have the extra gear that Tate has. You could see Tate pulling away from his pursuers, until he fractured his ankle. Owen Daniels got hurt by fluke incident, as did DeMeco Ryans. Schaub spent some time with a lingering injury. I'm not going to doubt Ben Tate just because he missed 2010. In fact, I'm glad he took the whole year off and has been brought back slowly.
I'll say this: I highly doubt that Steve Slaton will be traded. But if he IS traded, he's not going to be traded for anything higher than a 4th or 5th. Period. And at this stage, I'll take that if that's all we can get. Your delusional if you think we can get a 3rd for him. That's where he was drafted at, and NO team will say "Yeah, he's still at 2008's level of production." There's post-2008 tape on him, TK, and it isn't as flattering as you have made it out to be.
The less tape we produce of him, the better. He'd have to have a rip-roarin' preseason to climb any higher than 4th/5th. And then, the Texans might pull him back and not trade him. Which would be just about right--Refusing to scuttle a project player and missing out on trade value. See: Sage Rosenfels.