Storm On The Horizon: Slaton Hires New Agent
by Jake on Jun 25, 2009 12:17 PM CDT
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PrintPer Mike Florio, Texans star running back Steve Slaton fired his old agents Eric Metz and Ethan Lock and has hired Harold Lewis of National Sports Agency. Slaton is playing for a meager four year 2.37 million dollar contract, and this firing/hiring might be a sign of upcoming jockeying for a new contract.
Normally I am against rewarding players that have only performed in their rookie year because they have a long way to go until they prove they can sustain a high level of play over a few years. Having said that though, I am more than OK paying Stevie Wonder because he was such an integral part of the offense last year that even if he slightly regressed he would still be valuable to the team. There's never any guarantee, but I highly doubt that Slaton will be a flash in the pan player.
Here's the rub though. If Slaton tries to back Rick Smith and the Texans into a corner before this season we might be in trouble. The Texans are embarrassingly bare at RB behind Slaton so we can therefore not afford to call his bluff in a holdout. At the same time though, you can't pay him before Owen Daniels and especially DeMeco Ryans (I left Dunta Robinson off the list on purpose) because that will aggravate those negotiations heavily, maybe even past the point of no return.
The best course of action for the Texans right now is to ensure Slaton that he will be taken care of before the end of the 2009 season. The danger there is that you might have to pay him more if he continues to play at such a high level, but he is worth the risk and the money. You'd be locking up a franchise RB in his second year, which would spare you a great deal of heart ache in a few years.
This is definitely a situation worth keeping an eye on, and it will require a lot of delicacy and finesse on Rick Smith's part. Hopefully Slaton will tow the party line until the season starts, but he has a great deal of leverage on his side, and will continue to until the Texans sign a starting caliber running back, which very well may not happen before the season starts. In that respect, he has more leverage than certainly Dunta and OD, who both had players at their positions drafted this year. And someone could attempt the argument that the LB corps is deep enough to survive without DeMeco, though I think that is lunacy.
If I was Rick Smith I would make sure that DeMeco gets paid before the season, OD and Steve get taken care of early in the season and Dunta doesn't get anything until he proves he is worth it. What about you BRB?
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PAY THE MAN!
I say take care of Stevie and Demeco. If we lose the other two, Ill live. Nothing against OD, but he is acting like a baby.
I knew this was going to come with Steve. He vastly outplayed his contract last year. And he is in a position of power for a negotiation.
Clutchfans.net - Chuck 4
TexansTalk.com - Frak The Jags
Crap
This is not a good sign, I would think.
The second the season ended, I’ve been screaming all over the Texans “blogosphere” that Slaton would either hold out or demand a new contract before the start of 2009. Here’s to hoping I’m wrong, and this is just a set up for that situation to take place NEXT off-season.
Chris - www.HoustonDiehards.com
by HoustonDiehards on Jun 25, 2009 12:35 PM CDT reply actions
This is all your fault, Chris!
Stevie probably read your website and got the idea from there! WHY CHRIS!?
"I'm just looking forward to something great happening in the city of Houston" - Tracy McGrady
Still waiting...
Shit
I never should have wished for an exciting off-season. Damn me!
"I'm just looking forward to something great happening in the city of Houston" - Tracy McGrady
Still waiting...
Man, this is kinda scary
Uh…that makes 4 key guys unhappy with their contracts. I hope we don’t go down a path to self destruction with this team. I mean, hey, maybe these guys will take a page out of the best player on this team’s book, and follow suit with Andre Johnson…
And then there’s the Brandon Jennings deal that made him the 2nd highest paid WR in the NFL, something he’s definitely NOT worthy of. Wow.
B^2
"LeBron James is just an upgraded version of Ron Artest"
(Artest after Houston pummeled the Cavaliers 93-74)
It doesn't mean he's unhappy with his contract
But if he has another stellar season, he’ll want to get a new deal this time next year.
I actually thought this was going to happen THIS off-season, but was happy to be wrong about it.
Chris - www.HoustonDiehards.com
by HoustonDiehards on Jun 25, 2009 2:50 PM CDT up reply actions
agree...
with getting Demeco, OD, and Stevie"Clean" Slaton paid. Dunta does have some proving to do. I just wish our Texans could be one happy family, but alas they my have to fork over some dough for that to happen.
GO TEXANS!!!!
This is the year.......
What exactly is scary about Slaton changing agents?
Is this new guy known for driving a hard bargain or making players hold out? Who knows why he changed agents. If I’m Slaton I would probably try to renegotiate soon as well. I can’t blame him for that. But there’s no reason to get all freaked out just yet.
When I'm on the mic, I'm like global warming, you can't ignore me.
by tehGrindCrusher on Jun 25, 2009 1:58 PM CDT reply actions
Considering
how our current problems with Dunta, OD and Meco have panned out, it’s not reason to “freak out”, but it is reason to worry for the future…. and it’s interesting when there’s nothing else to talk about.
"I'm just looking forward to something great happening in the city of Houston" - Tracy McGrady
Still waiting...
yes
It is interesting when there’s nothing else to talk about.
And, fuck Dunta.
When I'm on the mic, I'm like global warming, you can't ignore me.
by tehGrindCrusher on Jun 25, 2009 3:42 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I’m really not happy with Rick Smith right now. There’s too many contract disputes going on at once for it to all be on the players… and its not just about the money either. I don’t think Smith is rubbing these guys the right way.
Schmoozing with and talking down angry players is as big of a part of being a GM as drafting or signing them to being with. We don’t generally have this many problems, especially with players who were previously known as being quiet team leaders (OD, Demeco, and yeah even Dunta) before this offseason. I know they all want more money but the timing and inability to get the issues solved can’t just be coincidence.
Currently Listening to: Leroy - Good Time
"I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that." - Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice
by last texans fan on Jun 25, 2009 3:18 PM CDT reply actions
We haven't had this many problems before
Because we haven’t had any players worth keeping around before. This kind of thing is pretty standard around the league. We’re just not used to it. Happened with the Oilers all the time. Sean Jones used to retire every season before training camp just so he couldn’t be fined for missing camp. He’d sign soon enough and start playing (he was very good, btw) and all was forgotten.
When I'm on the mic, I'm like global warming, you can't ignore me.
by tehGrindCrusher on Jun 25, 2009 3:41 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
+1
I don’t blame Rick Smith so much as I blame us finally having a good team with good-to-great players, with a couple bordering on elite.
One thing’s for sure – Smith was a GENIUS to lock up AJ a couple of years ago.
Chris - www.HoustonDiehards.com
by HoustonDiehards on Jun 25, 2009 4:00 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I can't blame Slaton for wanting to get a better deal ASAP
RBs in this league usually have shorter careers than just about any other position, if he waits untill the 4th year of his contract he’ll probably only get one BIG contract extension as he’ll be nearing 30 by the time his 2nd deal is ending which’ll sap alot of $$$ out of his next contract. This way, if he gets an extension next year, he’ll probably be somewhere around 26-28 by the time he’s renegotiating for his next deal and will be able to get paid well for longer. If he goes out and has another season like last year, you can’t really say he doesn’t deserve it. Personally, I think that even though a team doesn’t have to, it’s just the right thing to do to give them a new deal when it’s clear they’ve outperformed their old contract. I understand it’s “just business”, but if you use the players merely as a means to an end, they’ll have 0 loyalty to the team and that sentiment will spread through the lockeroom like wildfire and it’ll be tough to maintain any ammount of success as a team.
Pay him!
He will be top back for them for a long time.
Fans stuck in the 80's are lame. Respect the past, live in the now.
Let him play and prove himself
then pay him, rookie season isn’t enough !
Concur...
I love him, but there’s a reason “Sophmore Slump” is commonly used in sports. Now, I’m also on his side, in that Rick needs to start on this deal, if it looks like he’s proven slump-proof, in week 2 or 3, like he SHOULD’VE done with OD and Demeco, but I won’t go into that anymore.
Bacon tastes good... Pork chops taste good.
Meh
Its all conjecture. He hired a new agent. He’s not pulling an OD or a Dunta. Yet.
I expect him to look for a new contract next year.
Agree
I can’t imagine Slaton would be a big enough a-hole to wait this long then suddenly demand a new contract. He seems like a good, smart kid. If he wanted a new deal NOW, I think he would have fired his agent earlier in the off-season.
Chris - www.HoustonDiehards.com
by HoustonDiehards on Jun 26, 2009 12:12 AM CDT up reply actions
Sounds Good
Sign DeMeco, then Owen, then Stevie.
Does anyone else think that James Casey might end up replacing Owen as the #1 tight end by next season(if Owen is still around)?
by Cactus Jack Sancho on Jun 26, 2009 4:32 PM CDT reply actions
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