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Slaton's Fumbling

Give me a break!!!! Yes, Steve needs to work on his fumbilitis... But this team would not have the explosive offense that they have without him. We wouldn't have won the Cinci game without him!!! Are you going to put Chris Brown as a wideout? He is slow as molasses!!! You guys need to figure out that Steve is as important in this offense as Owen or Andre.
 
Slaton is not fumbling, he is being gang tackled & then stripped as two or three work his body. The running lanes close quickly if there at all, so his only option is to kick it outside or take punishment inside where they can stand him up, tearing, riping & hacking until the football is out. Texans guard play is abysmal :roast:
 
Slaton is not going anywhere , Texans need him
.. Fumbles suck and like someone in the game thread, Teams are aware of his fumbling problems ... even Kubiak is addressing it

October 25 2:13 ET

Despite putting a concentrated effort on it all week, RB Steve Slaton's fumble problems continued when he coughed it up late in the third quarter.

October 23 2:07 ET

The Texans spent the week tugging and pulling on RB Steve Slaton as he carried the ball. Slaton has been fumble prone this year. "Our team doesn't play well when we lose turnover battles," coach Gary Kubiak said.
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http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/565727
 
In Kubiak's post-game presser he said that he turned to Slaton as they walked off the field and basically said, "We're going to go as far as you're going to take us, but we gotta get this fixed." That's pretty much how I feel about it. Slaton is a game-breaker who has the ability to take it to the house on any play, and does so on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, this season he's also had a penchant for fumbling the ball away in crucial situations on a weekly basis. We're living and dying by 'the Slaton.' ;)

I'd be comfortable with Chris Brown (or Moats) seeing more carries, particularly once we've established a lead, but at this point I still want Slaton getting the lion's share of carries. My reasoning is that he takes our offense to another level, and if he can figure out how to hold onto the ball again he's going to take us much farther than Moats or Brown can. Moats and Brown can be steady reliable guys, but Slaton changes the complexion of the game and is a huge threat the other team has to account for. He proved he has the ability to hold onto the ball last year, and I want to see if we can get him to do that again in the latter half of the season. . . . . Because I want it all - the reliable back who can deliver the knock-out punch on any play, and I still think he can be that guy for us this year and give us the best shot at the post-season.
 
gtexan02 said:
Slatons fumbles are the OLs fault in my opinion. Slaton is having to fight for every yard like he's never had to before. He leaves himself open to guys stripping the ball more than any back Ive seen. He refuses to go down from the first hit.

Hes not coughing the ball up randomly. Those fumbles are the work of guys literally pulling and pulling at the ball.
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Especially the one against the Raiders. Why Studdard had to jump in front of him like that is beyond me.

I think he's fumbling mostly when he's trying to get that extra yard. I like the intensity to fight for every inch, but it hurts you when teams are going after the ball like that.
 
Although I appreciate the fact you rarely see Slaton be brought down by
a SINGLE defender, he needs to learn to PROTECT THE BALL. The momentum
swing his fumble caused in the Jets game got us beat. He did it again at
Cinci, but Cushing's INT saved the game. Steve fumble today, and Eugene's
INT saves the game.

FUMBLES COST GAMES!!!
 
It irritates me, but benching him isn't going to solve the problem.

He's going to have to get through this while playing on the field. In real games. When defenses are trying to strip the ball from him.

Otherwise, you end up (IMO) labeling the guy and making him so self-conscious of it that he's worried more about protecting the ball than with being a running back.

Have you seen what's happened to Brandon Jacobs since they asked him to stop being a running back and to start being a bulldozer who can only run in straight lines and try to hurt people? I do. Because I have him on my fantasy team, and it's killing my season so far.

You start stigmatizing a player, and he's going to fade.

Steve has got to get through ONE game without fumbling, and then he'll run off a string of games like he did last year when he didn't fumble for a long, long time. He could help himself, too, by going ahead and conceding that a run play is over--stop, drop, and roll.

I know that asking a player to "just stop" is easier said than done.

But he's got to start learning when things are ripe for a stripped ball.
 
Its all good when you win, but when we lose, everybody calling Slaton a "playmaker" will be singing a different tune.
 
Not always true. His fumbling cost us the Jets game, and ALMOST cost
us the Cincinnati and 49ers games. We won. That's good. But if he
fumbles against the Colts, it's gonna get us beat.

That's all most of us are saying here.
 
Mailman said:
There is no way in hell Slaton should be benched. He is easily the best playmaker in the backfield and he poses a big threat every time he touches the ball, especially if they can get it to him on screen passes and such. He is much quicker and faster than Brown. He will get his fumblitis straightened out, even if it means giving up at the end of plays and going down. His fumbles are a result of him trying to do too much.
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Maybe for a series, like the Oakland game. Not permanent, but make him watch for a few plays.
 
gtexan02 said:
Slatons fumbles are the OLs fault in my opinion. Slaton is having to fight for every yard like he's never had to before. He leaves himself open to guys stripping the ball more than any back Ive seen. He refuses to go down from the first hit.

Hes not coughing the ball up randomly. Those fumbles are the work of guys literally pulling and pulling at the ball.
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I would like to agree with you but I cant. His fumbling is a fundamental problem that every running back(or anyone carrying the ball for that matter) is taught not to do, and that is carrying the ball like a loaf of bread. Slaton is dropping the ball off his chest and not squeezing anymore. Partly from fighting for extra yards, and the other part is bad mechanics if you will. He simply needs to squeeze the ball high on his chest all the time with one arm and he will almost never lose the ball. That is the key. Unfortunately he is forgetting the basics.

I will say this though in your Defense gtex, he is trying to hard for the extra yard which is a reason why he is dropping the ball but it is still not acceptable.
 
It ain't going to get any easier for Slaton. Opposing teams know of his fumblitis now and will try to rip the ball out more than they usually do. For example, the play Duane was flagged for pushing a dude. He was trying to protect Slaton because guys were ripping at the ball even after the play ended.

Kind of a weak call on Duane, but that's beside the point.
 
Fumbling is going to happen to running backs...as someone said...it's part of the game. But when it starts to happen this often, it's probably because he's thinking about it too much. RBs need to feel natural and honestly feel like the ball is a part of their anatomy. Sometimes it gets too natural and they start to hold it out away from their bodies for balance which can be dangerous in traffic. Then when they fumble, they start to be too conscious of it and it will tend to happen more often til they can get to a point where they're not always thinking about where the ball is.

My two cents.
 
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bigbrewster2000 said:
I would like to agree with you but I cant. His fumbling is a fundamental problem that every running back(or anyone carrying the ball for that matter) is taught not to do, and that is carrying the ball like a loaf of bread. Slaton is dropping the ball off his chest and not squeezing anymore. Partly from fighting for extra yards, and the other part is bad mechanics if you will. He simply needs to squeeze the ball high on his chest all the time with one arm and he will almost never lose the ball. That is the key. Unfortunately he is forgetting the basics.

I will say this though in your Defense gtex, he is trying to hard for the extra yard which is a reason why he is dropping the ball but it is still not acceptable.
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The other point is, if you watch him closely, he carries the ball with the fingers split at the tip of the ball. That's good for speed running in the open field. But a coach worth a dang is going to catch that and teach security by securing the ball high up under the biceps (as you pointed out).............with the tip of the ball in the PALM of the HAND. Sure, it slows you down, but in tight crowded spaces especially, it is virtually impossible to loose the ball.
 
I didn't realize there were so many experts on RB fumbling problems. think I just trust Steve & coaching staff, thanks :barman:
 
Try hold on to the ball when two guys knock you helmet to helmet on the same play, then have another guy come in and pull the ball out!

Try hold on to the ball when your O-lineman up-ended you unexpectedly.

This thing is being blown out of proportion folks!
 
So the next question is what does Slaton fumble more - the football (overturned or not) or his helmet? He loses his helmet every game. Someone needs to duct tape it to his head, I think.

Oh, and this just in - it's 3:30PM and Slaton just fumbled again.
 
76Texan said:
Try hold on to the ball when two guys knock you helmet to helmet on the same play, then have another guy come in and pull the ball out!

Try hold on to the ball when your O-lineman up-ended you unexpectedly.

This thing is being blown out of proportion folks!
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How many times did that happen? Yes, Steve has had some tough fumbles. The one that counted yesterday was because his last few steps he had one arm protecting ball. That is just stubborness.
 
badboy said:
How many times did that happen? Yes, Steve has had some tough fumbles. The one that counted yesterday was because his last few steps he had one arm protecting ball. That is just stubborness.
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There was only one fumble yesterday.
And on that one Steve was hit on the head twice; once by a DT, and once by a SS.

I have not looked into details on all the fumbles, but that one and the one where he was catapulted into the air by Studdard were the twos I know for sure.
 
"Fumbles are part of the game" is a weak excuse, IMHO. Holding is also a part of the game but you don't want it to happen and cost you downs and yardage.

One of the key stats for all teams is turnover ratio. It is one of the few stats that are actually worth looking at, like third down conversion rates. Stopping your momentum and giving the ball away is a HUGE mistake, and anyone that tries to downplay it is being naive about one of the most basic aspects of football.

Like Kubiak said, Slaton had better get this problem under control, because it might make all the difference in the world between a winning or losing season, making or missing the playoffs, etc.
 
TRY GO OUT THERE AND HAVE TWO GUYS HIT YOU ON THE HEAD WITH THEIR HELMET!

Good luck hanging on to the ball.
 
Weighing in at 5'9" 215 pounds, STEVE SLATON!!!!

LETS GET READY TO FUMBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
76Texan said:
TRY GO OUT THERE AND HAVE TWO GUYS HIT YOU ON THE HEAD WITH THEIR HELMET!

Good luck hanging on to the ball.
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Every running back has to deal with it. There are techniques taught to players on how to protect the ball. But, it has to become instinct, and as often happens in the heat of the moment, players revert to old habits.
 
I haven't read through the whole thread, but I can see what Slaton's talking about.

One guy grabs him and another guy knocks the ball out. I'm pretty sure that every DC in the league knows this formula by now.

It's time for him to change either a.) the way he carries the ball, b.) how soon he goes down or c.) both.
 
Double Barrel said:
Every running back has to deal with it. There are techniques taught to players on how to protect the ball. But, it has to become instinct, and as often happens in the heat of the moment, players revert to old habits.
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NO, a play should end when a guy is hit helmet-to-helmet, The first one!
 
eriadoc said:
... is killing me. I've always been of the mindset that I prefer a every-down back that can give me a steady diet of 4-yd. gains than one who takes losses and then pops a big one. I know different people have different views on that, so fine. Slaton clearly falls into the latter category, so it's always been hard for me to get behind him as an every-down back.

But the fumbles are killing whatever enthusiasm I force myself to come up with for the guy. I love the screens and pitches, as that's the role I envision for him anyway, but if he can't hang onto the ball, I don't want him on the field. If we can't run the ball, we may as well not have the associated fumbles. If he fumbles again next week, I'm starting the official "Fire Steve Slaton" thread.
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It is a huge problem. I hope he's the 3rd down back next year after we bring in an everydown back.
 
Kinda off topic, but did anyone see the catch Kevin Boss had last night? He was lit up like the 4th of July a nano second after catching the ball, but held onto it. Just sayin....
 
The game film is out there. Slaton has been coached to just stay on his feet and the OL is going to come try to push him for another 1-4 yards. The hazard of that is it is going to provide time for gang tackling and attempts to strip. Ying yang folks.
 
infantrycak said:
The game film is out there. Slaton has been coached to just stay on his feet and the OL is going to come try to push him for another 1-4 yards. The hazard of that is it is going to provide time for gang tackling and attempts to strip. Ying yang folks.
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Good observation
 
76Texan said:
I can understand he still needs to hold on to the ball after the first one, but after the second one???
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It's a very interesting point you have, and I do have to wonder why a) the officials are calling it, and b) whatever happened to forward momentum calls?
 
Double Barrel said:
It's a very interesting point you have, and I do have to wonder why a) the officials are calling it, and b) whatever happened to forward momentum calls?
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And this plays into what I was saying. The refs have been extremely slow on the whistles this season and last. It benefited us many times last year as he was stale-mated at 3 yds and then Winston came up and hit him to make it a 7 yd run. This year there is no forward progress and it is a free for all to get the ball from him.
 
whatever the reason, a fumble is a fumble, whether it is one guy or five guys hitting him ..Slaton has got to get it fixed and shed that label off of him .. right now I figure what defensive coordinators a preaching to their guys is "wrap up slaton, hold him up a bit and let the calvary come and try to strip the ball away, because Steve will fumble in a course of the game"
 
Fantasy oriented, interesting nevertheless.


When it comes to fumbles, nobody drops the ball more than quarterbacks, because they handle the ball more than anyone besides the center. [FYI: David Carr holds the #2 fumbling record (21) for 1 season in NFL history season.......just 1 short of the all time NFL record] Brett Favre has 157 of them, which leads active players (yes, we’re considering Favre active). But many times when a QB fumbles, he can pounce right back on the ball. Running backs are a different story. The ones who fumble a lot often wind up in their coach’s doghouse because most of the time it’s because of careless ball handling. As for fantasy football, you’ll want to be careful with these guys too because they take points off your scoreboard, both by negative points for fumbles, and for lost opportunities on offense. So here is the active Top 10 in fumbles by running backs…..

1. Edgerrin James (43)—James isn’t as bad as early in his career, like when he fumbled 8 times during his rookie year of 1999 with the Colts. But you tend to look the other way when the other numbers offset the fumbles—and James was an All Pro that year with 2139 yards from scrimmage and 17 total touchdowns.

2. Ricky Williams (41)—Ricky definitely comes down with fumble-it is pretty often, and that has to drive Bill Parcells crazy. I wonder if it would help if Ricky thought he was carrying a bag of..…oh forget it.

3. Jamal Lewis (39)—Lewis has improved drastically in this area, fumbling only twice last season. But he fumbled 8 times in back to back seasons in 2002 and 2003 while with Baltimore. Yikes.

4. Ahman Green (37)—He hasn’t fumbled since 2006, but that’s only because Green has carried the ball just 144 times since then.

5. Michael Pittman (31)—Pittman was one of like 15 running backs used by the Broncos last season.

6. Shaun Alexander (31)—For a few years there, Alexander was putting up such ridiculous numbers that Mike Holmgren was forced to accept some drops.

7. Warrick Dunn (26)—He’s never had more than 4 fumbles in a season, but he’s been playing for so long that he wound up on here. Dunn may be one of the most underrated RBs in the history of the NFL.

8. Fred Taylor (26)—Taylor has fumbled less in recent years, but he’s also carried the ball less. It should be interesting to see if his career is re-ignited in a Patriots’ uniform.

9. LaDainian Tomlinson (25)—He fumbled 8 times in his rookie year, and only 17 times since. With 2657 total carries, that’s not bad at all.

9 (tie). Clinton Portis (25)—Portis is a solid RB, but he does have two quirks—he’s injury prone and he drops the ball a few too many times.
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Originally Posted by Ckw5814
This. Rep to you.

Chris Brown: has lost us two games by himself
Steve Slaton: having some trouble holding onto the ball
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gtexan02 said:
The Jax game was going into overtime. Whoever would have won the toss would have won the game, neither defense played that dday.

We had completely dominated the AZ game from the 2nd half on. They had scored 0 offensive points and had almost no yards. If we had tied it, I'm pretty sure we woul dhave won that game
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If you want to pin the Az loss on somebody, I nominate the guy who threw the pick six for AZ's ONLY 2nd half score; Mr. Matt Schaub. Which, you might note, was the WINNING score. If there had been no pick six, we would have trotted the other Mr. Kris Brown out and kicked the winning FG.

So no, you can't pin the AZ loss solely on RB Chris Brown. No way.
 
Last edited:
Again, I really can't believe so many of you think Slaton should be replaced as a starter. When was the last time a star rookie RB got so little love from the home fan base less than halfway through his second season?

Slaton proved last season that he is much, much more than a third down back. I think he can have a great career in the mold of a Brian Westbrook, who has been used so well for so many years as a runner and receiver. This team needs to address the deficiencies of the offensive line- they already have a fine young franchise back in Slaton.
 
Weren't 2 additional fumbles negated (not counted) by call back for penalties, etc (not including knee-down red flag reversal)?
 
ObsiWan said:
If you want to pin the Az loss on somebody, I nominate the guy who threw the pick six for AZ's ONLY 2nd half score; Mr. Matt Schaub. Which, you might note, was the WINNING score. If there had been no pick six, we would have trotted the other Mr. Kris Brown out and kicked the winning FG.

So no, you can't pin the AZ loss solely on RB Chris Brown. No way.
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The difference is we aren't even in that game without Matt Schaub's second half heroics. Chris Brown did nothing for us that game other than lose the game for us.
 
Ckw5814 said:
The difference is we aren't even in that game without Matt Schaub's second half heroics. Chris Brown did nothing for us that game other than lose the game for us.
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Matt Schaub did throw the game winning TD in the second half.
 
If pregame conditions are windy and/or rainy, we better have a third RB ACTIVE for the game.........Moats, unless his turf toe, precludes it.
 
Patent description for suction cup gloves. Perfect for Slaton, especially if it rains.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the invention, a thin elastomeric glove comprising a palm section, an index finger tip and body portion, a second finger tip and body portion, a ring finger tip and body portion, a fourth finger tip and body portion and a thumb tip and body portion is provided with increased surface area in the form of areas of suction on each of the gripping surfaces of the glove. Alternatively, only selected gripping surfaces of the glove may be provided with areas of suction. These areas of suction enhance the grip strength of the glove. In one embodiment of the invention, the glove has an outer surface for coming into contact with an object to be held which is comprised of a plurality of concave indentations which form a negative textured gripping surface. The concave indentations define a plurality of continuous planar contact surfaces and a plurality of suction portions on the outer surface of the glove. The concave indentations may be a single size and depth or various sizes and depths and are molded into the glove wherever additional grip is needed.

In another embodiment of the invention, the glove has an outer surface for coming into contact with an object to be held which is comprised of a plurality of suction cups which form a suction cup gripping surface. The suction cups define a plurality of suction portions on the outer surface of the glove. The suction cups may be a single size and depth or various sizes and depths and are molded into the surface of the glove wherever additional grip is desired.
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This is the sport adaptation version.

1. A sports glove comprising:

a body portion designed to fit in a palm of a human hand;

a thumb engaging portion including a thumb tab extending outwardly from the body portion and a thumb encircling ring attached to an outer end of the thumb tab, and a plurality of different finger engaging portions affixed to the body portion; and

a resilient depressed area positioned in the body portion to operate as a ball holding suction cup, the resilient depressed area includes a piece of resilient material defining a semi-spherical depression, the resilient material including one of rubber or plastic, with the piece being affixed to a centrally located opening in the body portion.
Click to expand...
 
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