HOUSTON (AP) -Rookie Steve Slaton obviously has good hands – he’s lost just one fumble in 248 rushing attempts for the Houston Texans this season.
This week he used those reliable hands for a much more important task, helping to deliver his second son. The doctor was there to catch the baby, but Slaton’s capable hands were also waiting to help welcome the baby into the world.
Slaton and his girlfriend welcomed Brennan Knight Slaton on Monday in Houston. He’ll join 2-year-old brother Julian in the Slaton home.
Slaton missed the birth of his first son because he was away at college, so this was a new experience for the 22-year-old.
“It was great,” he said. “It was just such a special moment for me.”
Slaton considers being a good father his greatest accomplishment and is looking forward to raising his two boys.
“That defines the most I think,” Slaton said. “Being a father is the ultimate goal of being a man.”
esn’t really understand what is going on, but Slaton thinks he’ll enjoy playing with his new brother soon.
Slaton was back at practice the morning after his son was born and preparing for Sunday’s finale against the Bears. He’ll have to pay extra attention in the film room this week because he missed Chicago’s overtime win Monday night while at the hospital.
Even having missed that game, he knows enough about the team to know it will be a challenge.
“They’ve got a great defense all around,” he said. “It’s one of the best defenses we’re going to go against. They tackle well. They’ve got a good four man front.”
Slaton is Houston’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2004 and his 1,190 yards are a single-season franchise record and third most in the AFC this year. He’s one of the stars of a deep rookie running back class that includes Tennessee’s Chris Johnson and Chicago’s Matt Forte.
If Forte and Slaton get 12 and 10 yards respectively this week they’ll join Johnson to form the first trio of rookies to each rush for 1,200 yards in a season in NFL history.
Slaton’s not worried about statistics and is simply happy to be starting after the Texans planned on him being little more than a third-down back when he was drafted. He couldn’t pick just one highlight of this season, instead saying the whole year has been a dream.
“Playing this year and finally reaching my goal and playing in the NFL and being able to contribute as much as I did this year was great,” he said.
Andre Johnson, a fan of Slaton’s since he played at West Virginia, has been impressed with Slaton’s production this season.
“We were very fortunate that he came to our team,” Johnson said. “Steve just came in and stepped right in and just picked up. He’s going to continue to get better just by this being his first season. I’m pretty sure he’s learned a lot and hopefully he’ll just keep doing what he’s doing.”
Slaton wasn’t sure of his plans for the holidays, but was thankful this Christmas for his newest blessing.
“It definitely is an early Christmas present for me,” he said with a smile before dashing off the get back to his new addition.
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