Comcast Presents: Are You Buying The Notion Of A Collision-Ready Steve Slaton?
by Tim on Jun 23, 2010 3:26 PM CDT
in Comcast Sponsored Posts
48 comments
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Shortly after the draft, a couple of months ago, I opined that Arian Foster seemed to be the favorite to start at RB come Week One of the 2010 NFL season, though Ben Tate could well win the job. A hefty portion of my logic was based upon the idea that Steve Slaton, Version 2008, was gone and not coming back:
So, in summary, to my untrained medical eye, Steve Slaton had someone cut into his neck, insert (a) a piece of bone from a cadaver or (b) a metal plate, and then had the surgeon fuse two vertebrae together around the bone or plate, with the goal of the bone/plate fusing the vertebrae in such a fashion so as to eliminate the pressure on the nerve.
Pardon my skepticism, but I do not think getting a cervical fusion is conducive to a career in which the patient is repeatedly hit about the body, including but not limited to the neck, at great force. In other words, this isn't you or me getting a cervical fusion. It's not even an athlete who plays a non-contact (e.g., baseball) or a contact (e.g., basketball) sport; it's an athlete who plays a collision sport. Do you think it's feasible for Slaton to come back and reclaim his 2008 glory? I hope I'm as wrong as I've ever been, but I don't. That's not a knock on Slaton; I fear it's simply a reality of the medical treatment he's had and the resulting physical condition and/or toll it's taken.
Nothing that's happened in the last two months has changed my opinion on that. When training camp starts in a few weeks, Arian Foster will be lining up with the first team. Steve Slaton, however, appears to be awfully close to getting full medical clearance:
Slaton entered last season as the starter, and head coach Gary Kubiak was impressed by his work this offseason."He and Foster have had probably been as good in the OTAs as any player we've had," Kubiak said. "With Steve, he goes and gets checked out in two weeks. Everything from our standpoint we're told should be okay, and just get him back and used to contact again will be the key for Steve."
Kubiak said that if the medical reports on Slaton are good, the third-year back will be able to participate fully in training camp.
"If they cut him loose, we'll go to work," Kubiak said. "We need to get his confidence back about getting hit and stuff."
While it's great to see that Slaton, barring any mishaps, should be full-go for training camp, I remain unconvinced that someone who underwent the kind of surgical procedure he did will be able to withstand the rigors of an NFL season. And as good as he's looked in OTAs, I'm even more skeptical that Steve Slaton is the starting RB for your Houston Texans on September 12th.
What do you think? There's a poll and the wide open spaces of the Comments below for you to weigh in.
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I can see it now...
1st and 10. Ball on the 20. Steve Slaton takes the hand off from Schaub. Slaton cuts left, breaks a tackle, FUMBLE!
I don’t think he’s ready to be the starter yet. Show me an improved Steve Slaton in the pre-season, and just maybe i’ll start believing that he’s ready.
Stick with what works. The O-Line looked great with Foster running behind them. Stick with what worked.
Five wide?
I believe you meant “5 tight ends”
- Rivers McCown, From Mom's Basement | Twitter
by riversmccown on Jun 23, 2010 4:57 PM CDT reply actions 5 recs
Other?
I suppose if all of the stars, moons and planets align it could be possible, but what are the chances of that?
by Rip Jersey on Jun 23, 2010 5:38 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
Slaton's gotta prove he's healthy before I buy into it....
If he’s not? Shame.
If he is? Well, we have a speedy back that compliments Tate and Foster quite well and the offense is that much more dangerous.
Unless Tate lights the world on fire, it’ll be Foster as the starter in week 1. Both will likely see a good workload because those 2 bigger backs up the middle should be the favorite play against Indy’s DTs.
"Lord, beer me strength."
I would hope that they all get some of the carries
and they simply go with whoever is getting results.
Rudimentary creatures of flesh and blood, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding.
If Slaton resembles the 2008 version he should be the starter
We know what we have in Foster, serviceable but not spectacular. Regardless of how well Tate may play in preseason, I don’t expect Kubiak to start him. He didn’t start Slaton at the start of his rookie season.
If Slaton is not the starter, I think that means he’s not fully recovered from the neck surgery, and that’s not good news.
It took the Astros 44 years to get to the Series, the Oilers-Texans are due to get to the big dance...Go Texans!!!!!
by oiler-texan diehard on Jun 23, 2010 6:11 PM CDT reply actions
I'd disagree
We don’t really know what we have in Foster. We know he can play, but as far as his upside goes? I don’t even think he’s scratched the surface.
"Lord, beer me strength."
Not that UFA's never turn out to be excellent players
but Foster doesn’t have the speed and quickness that you’d like to have at RB. Physical tools don’t tell the whole story, but of the three, I think Foster ranks #3.
Agree that the data set on Foster is still too small to draw any concrete conclusions, but we all saw what Stevie could do in ’08. He was pretty good that year.
It took the Astros 44 years to get to the Series, the Oilers-Texans are due to get to the big dance...Go Texans!!!!!
by oiler-texan diehard on Jun 23, 2010 7:31 PM CDT up reply actions
I disagree somewhat
Foster was considered a late second rounder before playing for lame kiffin and getting hurt.
He is faster than you think. And at 6 1. 225 lbs, hr is fast enough. Perfect fit to split carries with someone or sometwo.
by AllenOU on Jun 23, 2010 8:05 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Foster never played for Kiffen
He played for the dude before Kiffen, who came in and coached the team into the ground for a year then was sacked.
I agree though, Foster didn’t go undrafted because of a lack of physical tools, he fell out of the draft because of a horrible senior season and injury issues. Just the year before he was considered a higher round draft pick and almost certainly would have been drafted before Steve Slaton… It didn’t help that he had knee problems and a deep thigh bruise in the offseason which limited his ability to perform in the combine/team workouts. His 40 time I think was in the 4.6-4.7 range, but again he was severely hampered by injuries at the time he posted them. He had to pull out of the Senior Bowl halfway through because of his knee, it’s pretty fair to assume it also played a role in his workout numbers.
Foster is the type of undrafted player that DOES work out in the NFL, because he was picked over for reasons other than physical talent. He has all the tools to be an NFL RB, it’s just a matter of whether he can stay healthy and be put in the best position for him to succeed.
I think what doesn't get enough mention
That year he was given a 2nd round grade, he ended the year struggling through a knee injury that required surgery in the offseason. This was well known, yet he still recieved a 2nd round grade…
I’d imagine his injury history had more to do with him not being drafted than any workout numbers affected by those injuries. I don’t believe he had a single season in college that he didn’t have to battle through one injury or another, and has had several fairly serious knee injuries.
Kiffin
He replaced Phillip Fulmer, who was the coach at UTenn. for years and won the national championship in 99(?). His final year there was a complete failure and was canned. They changed the offensive scheme during Fosters final year which didn’t utilize his talents.
This is sounding better all the time, do we actually have 3 decent RB's?
Questions surround Stevie’s physical status. Can he take a hit and hold onto the ball? Only time will tell.
Foster has a history with durability and fumbling issues but did very well in a cameo last year.
Tate is unproven as of yet, and had a gimpy hammy for most of OTA’s, but that’s no real concern moving forward. Ideally he will have a chance to be eased into the lineup slowly.
How great would it be to have to worry about having too few carries for a stable of good RB’s?
It took the Astros 44 years to get to the Series, the Oilers-Texans are due to get to the big dance...Go Texans!!!!!
by oiler-texan diehard on Jun 24, 2010 3:28 PM CDT up reply actions
You're partly right
I was thinking of the OC they hired for Foster’s senior season who fugged things up royal then was sacked. While he wasn’t HC, he was in total control of the offense and ran it into the ground.
However, I 100% stand behind the claim that Foster never played for Kiffen. Kiffen coached Tennessee only during the 2009 season (Foster was a Houston Texan at this time) then left for USC.
I am not sold that Slaton is not a starter…he has just one bad season…and just one good season… so for those good in math…that is a 50/50 chance! Give him a chance I am sure he has worked on his fumbling problems… I am calling it now.. Slaton has another great season and all you nay-sayers will be singing his praises in 6 months
In Slaton I trust
One of our running backs has run for 1300 yards before. I’ll give you three guesses. Chris Johnson had the same injury in college, seems to have worked out fine for him.
Be judgmental about the actions of the past, be hopeful about the actions of the future. -The Homers Creed
ummmm
same injury or same surgery?
There’s a vast sea of difference between the two. If Chris Johnson had the same surgery then I feel WAY better. If he had the same injury but went to a CHIROPRACTOR instead =P then I have zero confidence in the surgery on Slaton being a “success”
by BattleRedFan on Jun 23, 2010 9:20 PM CDT up reply actions
nearly the same
Chris Johnson had his neck fused and two screws put in his neck in his junior year of college to repair a broken vertebrae.
Be judgmental about the actions of the past, be hopeful about the actions of the future. -The Homers Creed
I will ask the surgeon....
not Slaton’s surgeon, but some of you may know I’m an Rn and I work with a lot of vertebral fusion patients. I work in the ICU, so I really don’t know how long it takes for someone to be back to normal and be able to take a pounding, but I will ask Friday when I’m back there.
GO TEXANS!!!!
Our time will come...
by Texanmaniac on Jun 23, 2010 9:57 PM CDT reply actions 2 recs
If Ben Tate can't beat out a fucking gimpy Steve Slaton for RB1
We totally shit the draft. That’s it, no other explanations.
If Arian Foster is starting in week 1 then we did okay maybe, but what the fuck. My guess is Arian is RB1 but everybody is hyped to all shit about Tate, just like we were about Slaton once we saw him in the preseason. BFD is drunk and MDC has a great avatar he tries to emulate far too often because he is a tool.
I would like to see a poll of surgeons
Do you think he should play pro football again?
A. NO!
B. Yes
I suppose if all of the stars, moons and planets align it could be possible, but what are the chances of that?
by Rip Jersey on Jun 24, 2010 12:15 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
That would be interesting. How do we get a panel of orthopods to vote?
Can you help us out with that Texanmaniac? Votes will be strictly anonymous. No exposure to malpractice claims.
It took the Astros 44 years to get to the Series, the Oilers-Texans are due to get to the big dance...Go Texans!!!!!
by oiler-texan diehard on Jun 24, 2010 3:32 PM CDT up reply actions
I kept thinking...
… the entire idea behind a cervical fusion wasn’t conducive to playing football, but people older and wiser than me, including coaches, didn’t seem to pay it any mind, so I filed my concern away; but I have to agree with the OP, I don’t see a runningback who underwent this procedure having a very promising career.
I’ve got Arian Foster as the starter, Tate as the spell back, Slaton, if he can play, will be the 3rd down back.
I really hope Slaton is back and trucking
After seeing him light it up at WVU I was excited that we got him.
The procedure he had does sound a bit scary considering the speed of impact on some hits. But it’s not like they’re going to throw him high ones over the middle.
I am Sancho
by HoustonTransplant on Jun 24, 2010 3:27 AM CDT reply actions
Slaton is for real!
I just want everyone to know that Slaton had almost 900 A.P. yards and 7 T.D.s before he went out with injury!!! I know everyone wanted him to be an every-down back and so did he… considering he put on 25 lbs last off-season. Now the Texans will use him like they should and i thank that Steve will be a huge contributor to our offense… hes not just a running threat… you all need to remember what he does out of the backfield while receiving. Slaton is a duel threat back that we should be thankful to have in our back-field. Even if he doesn’t come back to 08 form, all he has to do is correct his fumbling problem and he will be a huge staple on this already potent offense… BTY.. i think Ben Tate will be the starter by the end of training camp and Foster will get his 5-6 carries per game if the other two arn’t doing a good enough job!
The Slaton Will Rise Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Everything tells me that the fumbling issue had to be related to the neck problem
causing numbness in his arm. He didn’t want to divulge the injury for personal (read $$$)reasons, and noone can blame him for that. If the surgery was a success, then he should once again be an excellent option in passing down & distance situations.
It took the Astros 44 years to get to the Series, the Oilers-Texans are due to get to the big dance...Go Texans!!!!!
by oiler-texan diehard on Jun 24, 2010 3:36 PM CDT up reply actions
My concern with Slaton is more than the injury
Slaton was not running well last year before the injury. Between fumbles and poor decision making, he just wasn’t the same guy. Maybe he was hurt before word got out, and maybe that accounted for some of those issues, but I don’t buy that that was the sole reason for his downfall. Football Outsiders had him ranked as the worst running back in the NFL with a minimum of 100 rushes in DYAR, DVOA and Success Rate.
If you want to talk about the added weight from last season, fine, but are we now supposed to believe that a lighter Slaton plus neck surgery plus a crappy season equals our 2010 starting RB?
And, oh by the way, we have better options than Charlie Brown this year too.
One thing he was a beast with last year, though, was receiving the ball. I think he will be very valuable in the role that he was originally drafted to fill: 3rd down back.
Look, I love Slaton, and laugh hysterically every time I think that we got a Reggie Bush upgrade with the 89th pick of the draft, but I’ll be severely disappointed if he’s starting on day one.
One thing he was a beast with last year, though, was receiving the ball. I think he will be very valuable in the role that he was originally drafted to fill: 3rd down back.
Agreed so very much. He could be one of the best 3rd down backs in the league. the though of him 100 percent and receiving the ball on a screen play powers many many sweet dreams.
Rudimentary creatures of flesh and blood, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding.
It was my understanding that the injury wasn't anything new
It just wasn’t advertised. His poor play, fumbling, and the fact that it got worse as the year went along combined to force him to have the surgery.
I could be wrong, and I don’t remember when exactly he got injured, but it was my understanding that he had this from opening day last year.
"Well, at least our players kept their helmets on, so that showed some intelligence"-Bob McNair
Maybe, but
a big part of his problem early last year was making bad decisions at the line of scrimmage and I just don’t see how you can blame the bad decisions on a bad neck.
If that’s true, I’m going to blame all of my decisions on my back pain.
Don't disagree
I’ve complained about his vision last year….and that’s along the same line of decision making. I do think having your arm go numb could have been a contributing factor on the fumbles. Confidence is a funny thing. Once you lose it does tend to snowball though.
"Well, at least our players kept their helmets on, so that showed some intelligence"-Bob McNair
The decision to add lbs was the beginning of the end
His greatest asset was his quickness. The added weight completely took that away. Don’t know when the neck problem started, but clearly he was not the same player carrying the extra baggage. He has lost the weight, and knock wood that the surgery worked, he may be nearly what he once was.
It took the Astros 44 years to get to the Series, the Oilers-Texans are due to get to the big dance...Go Texans!!!!!
by oiler-texan diehard on Jun 24, 2010 3:40 PM CDT up reply actions
Hurt neck =
numb arm (at least that was what I picked up from articles) which led to fumbling issues which led to not wanting to get hit or get into traffic because of further damage/fumbling issues which led to him not hitting the holes with authority. Not getting low and between the lineman’s waists like he was doing in 2008.
But….read my signature.
Just my $.02
Even duct tape can't fix stupid
These crazy fuckers
Waiting in line for iPhones are going to die. If you see me on the news in a cop car it’s for this reason. 1000 people at the apple store waiting since 7am.
I must not be cool enough to understand
by AllenOU on Jun 24, 2010 2:22 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
I hope none of them are left handed
Rudimentary creatures of flesh and blood, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding.
by nolander on Jun 24, 2010 2:43 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Then call me crazy...
I’m in line to get it right now. Don’t judge me. Haha
Jacoby is my ghostwriter.
by Salad on Jun 24, 2010 3:22 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
How long have you waited
I have a 3gs, and I played with the new one. Besides the video calling, what’s the big deal
by AllenOU on Jun 24, 2010 4:57 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I hope you aren't left handed
Rudimentary creatures of flesh and blood, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding.
I'm just going to get it later, I think.
I’m on 3G and I can live with it until there isn’t a line or I can order online or something.
- Rivers McCown, From Mom's Basement | Twitter
by riversmccown on Jun 24, 2010 5:07 PM CDT up reply actions
I've waited about four hours
And yeah I am left handed but I use my right when I’m in the phone. I just need a new phone. Mine runs like crap.
Jacoby is my ghostwriter.
by Salad on Jun 24, 2010 5:10 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Two relevant links:
Steve Slaton’s x-ray: http://blogs.chron.com/texanschick/2010/04/is_steve_slaton_the_bionic_man.html
That hurts me just looking at it much less with contact. I will believe the Steve Slaton experience when I see it. I hope things work out for him.
This old post on Arian Foster that I put together before last season:
http://blogs.chron.com/texanschick/2009/06/clay_travis_talks_about_arian.html
Some of the relevant quotes:
“The Texans wouldn’t have been able to get Foster where they did if Tennessee’s offense hadn’t collapsed in 2008.So they’re the beneficiaries. I think he’ll be able to have a good NFL career. Never as a dominant back, but as a big help to any offense. We’ll see. Foster also finished second all-time in career rushing yardage at Tennessee, behind Travis Henry. That’s worth mentioning as well.
Last year after a great junior season he was projected as a 2nd or 3rd round pick. This year he went undrafted. Meaning that he and Coach Fulmer are probably the two biggest losers when it comes to the Dave Clawson offense."
The Surgeon says.....
the nfl allows for a level 1 cervical fusion, which is what Slaton had, I’m guessing. He said there isn’t any worry about the fusion itself, the vertebre around the fusion would however be subjected to additional stress. Bottom line, if he sustains another injury that requires a fusion, his career is essentially over…..
If it were me, I would use what money I’ve made and choose another path.
GO TEXANS!!!!
Our time will come...
by Texanmaniac on Jun 25, 2010 11:22 AM CDT via mobile reply actions 3 recs
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