Last season, Steve Slaton was an incredible surprise for the Houston Texans. Not only did he bring some excitement to the Offensive backfield, but what he brings to the table gives a huge boost to the Texan's passing game. Without Slaton, the passing game may not have been near as successful as it was and should be on to the future.
Some may wonder how a running back can have such an impact on the passing game? The answer lies in him being a distraction of sorts.
Because he has proven game after game that he can pound out over 4 yards a career with the ability to blow past the first layer of defense and into the linebackers and secondary, Defenses have to start accounting for Slaton's abilities and plan their defensive scheme accordingly.
Enter the Play-Action Pass.
In most defenses, Safeties provide impactful run support from the secondary. They key on the linemen and the running backs as soon as the ball snaps. They read what they do and if a play looks to be a run, in most cases, they blast toward the running back to help make a stop as early as possible. With less talented runners, the safeties can relax more and sit back reading the play a little longer before committing to run defense. Guys like Ahman Green and Ron Dayne just didn't have the quick burst of speed and pure "bowling ball" power to break past the line into the secondary. Slaton does, so the Safeties have to react quickly.
This is where the Play-Action pass makes Slaton so valuable. Because defenses are already compensating for Slaton's abilities as a runner, when Matt Schaub fakes the hand off and the Offensive Line runs a run-blocking scheme, Safeties often "Bite" or make a quick decision to come up to support the run. Suddenly they realize it's a pass play, but by the time they turn their head to get back into pass coverage, the ball is already headed for Andre Johnson down-field in single coverage or not covered at all.
The main key to success in this type of play is fooling the Safeties who on normal pass plays can drop back into coverage without worry of a Slaton 10 yard gain and help double team receivers who run deep routes.
Mix in a speedy Tight End with great hands into the equation and the play-action gets even more dangerous. If the Linebackers fall for the run too and the Tight End is dragging across the field, he's often left wide open as a second option behind an Andre Johnson deep-ball. If the safety doesn't bite and drops back to help out on Johnson, but the line-backers come up for run support....Owen Daniels could be gaining a quick 10-15 yards or more. It's the best play in the arsenal when you have a back like Slaton.
On top of both of those options, Slaton himself becomes an excellent receiving option if Schaub is feeling the pressure and needs to dump the ball off. Because of Slaton's speed and power, he can turn a 2 yard pass into 8-10 yards with ease.
Oh yeah...and then he can also get 1000+ yards on the ground throughout the season too. Steve Slaton has a bright future with Kubiak's offense. He brings a massive amount to the Play Action pass and adds a tremendous scoring force to our offense. I'm looking forward to the season to start!
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