I just finished watching Slaton's runs on NFL network, ...wow!...Can he possibly become an everydown back?...He is rather Reggie Bush smallish (5-10, 185 #'s), but I'm VERY impressed thus far...! I know it's early, but he tremendous speed...
Even if we had an "every down back", the Texans (and most NFL teams) aren't going to switch from the committee system.
Kevin Walter is better in run blocking, so he's more suitable for 1st and 2nd down. I think they're going to move Walter into the slot position on 3rd down and have Davis on the outside so he can stretch the field. Either way, we can't go wrong with our five receivers.
For the record, Bush is 6'0 - 203 lbs http://www.neworleanssaints.com/Team/Roster/People/Reggie Bush.aspx
I think their styles/strengths pre-determine the roles: Walter is a strong possession receiver while Davis is a stretch guy. It only makes sense to have Walter running slot routes opposite Johnson (Daniels running short-medium routes, and occasional RB dump routes). Insert Davis for third and long plays. Evan
Slaton is 5' 9" (though he looks closer to 5'7" or 5'8" to me) and probably is around 202-203 lbs by now. He's squat, has better center of gravity and can drive in tight spaces better than Reggie Bush (which is why Reggie is struggling a bit as a 'tween-the-tackles runner). My only concern is Steve's ability to take hits at the LOS on a regular basis. He's got good weight on him for his height but even with that his frame may not be able to take a lot of blows over the longterm. That said, I love the way he's looked so far, even when the holes aren't really there.
This is what has impressed me more than anything. Reggie Bush or hell, just about anyone, can get good rushing yards when the holes are there. But making something out of nothing is key. Slaton was doing that against the Saints. First contact was not bringing down, usually, and he broke several tackles. The guy is so small and dense, but he is so fast that he builds up some pretty good momentum before defenders start trying to tackle him. He can use that energy to break through tackles that would normally bring down guys his size. I just hope that the fumbling problems he had in college have been left behind.
I don't understand this. You know your license is suspended and that you don't have a registration sticker and a front license plate, and you still drive around with pot on you? Expect Cook to be cut.
He would have been cut anyways, just makes it more simple for kubes... keep taylor slaton leach brown or green Practice squad walker if you still can
Cook is a FB. I know Kubiak said they'll take a look at Taylor at FB but if Cook is cut, Leach would be our only true FB on the team.
I am excited to see how slaton handles the pressure of getting the nod tonight? i hope he does well, what do you think?
There's one thing that's encouraging, even here in the fourth quarter with the second string in -- and it's that the Texans are competitive. In previous years, this team really had a problem with letting preseason games get out of hand in the second halves, and the reason why was the team's lack of depth once it got beyond the starters. They're finally at a point now where the overall depth, from top to bottom, is legitimate.
the team looked pretty good tonight. Sucks it was a pre-season game. I would have loved to have seen us tie it and play the final 2 min/ot. But oh well, injuries are a huge problem.
I'm praying it's just preseason. If that's what we can expect from our first team going against other first teams on defense then it's going to be a very frustrating season.
