By Steve Slaton: ‘There’s A Lot Of Great Talent, Even Better Than Me, But They Can’t Protect The Quarterback All Four Downs…’
July 24, 2009 – 7:00 am by Bunk
If not for the outstanding rookie season turned in by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, Houston Texans running back Steve Slaton likely would have been the 2008 NFL Rookie of the Year. He finished with 1,282 yards, 9 touchdowns and 50 receptions for 377 yards. Slaton joined KILT in Houston to talk about his rookie year, how he would like to build upon it in his sophomore season and about this and that.
On the excitement level surrounding the Texans organization heading in to camp after their strong finish to the 2008 season:
“Yeah, I’m very excited. The success we had at the end of the year. That got everybody ready to go back to work as a team and get ready to make a playoff run.”
On his playing weight heading in to the 2009 season:
“Yeah, I put on weight just to see how I carry it, you know. I just trimmed down to be more muscular.””
On if he’s worried about a sophomore slump after the phenomenal rooking season he had:
“No, I’m not worried about it. I think I have a great core team behind me. You know, receivers, tight ends. You know, if teams were to key on me, everybody else would shine. And that’s what it’s all about. It’s about a team effort. It’s not always going to be about me. It’s going to be about the team, and other guys making plays.”
Now that he’s not a rookie in 2009, what does Slaton tell the players that are new to Texans camp trying to make an impression on the NFL landscape as rookies:
“The biggest thing I’ll tell young guys is, if you want to succeed, you got to be able to protect the quarterback. I mean, a lot of guys have talent but they’re still riding the bench for teams because they can’t protect the quarterback. So that’s the first thing I always tell every guy I meet… I mean, if you want to get on the field, you got to protect the quarterback because it’s true, there’s a lot of great talent, even better than me, but they can’t protect the quarterback all four downs.”
Listen here to Slaton on KILT in Houston
Tags: Houston Texans, Houston Texans Training Camp, NFL, NFL training camp, Steve Slaton
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