As if capturing the rookie rushing title were not enough, Steve Slaton has been nominated for NFL Rookie of the Week honors for the eighth time this season.
The third-round draft pick (89th overall) from West Virginia gained 92 yards on 20 carries (4.6 avg.) with a touchdown and added 36 receiving yards on five catches (7.2 avg.) to help the Texans beat the Chicago Bears 31-24 in the regular season finale at Reliant Stadium. In the process, he finished the year with 1,282 rushing yards, the sixth-most in the NFL and the highest total of any first-year player this season.
Voting for NFL Rookie of the Week ends this Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. CT.
Slaton's most recent nomination for NFL Rookie of the Week came after after he rushed for 100 yards on 24 carries (4.2 avg.) against the Tennessee Titans in the Texans' 13-12 win in Week 15. He also caught three passes for 15 yards (5.0 avg.) in the game.
{QUOTE}Slaton (5-9, 201) is the only player to gain more than 100 rushing yards against the Titans this season, and he did it twice. In the first start of his career, he had 116 rushing yards with his first career touchdown at Tennessee to earn his first NFL Rookie of the Week nomination.
In Week 14, Slaton (5-9, 201) was nominated after gaining a game-high 120 yards on 26 carries (4.6 avg.) in the Texans' 24-21 win over the Green Bay Packers in the coldest game in team history. The speedy tailback also had three catches for 40 yards.
A week earlier on Monday Night Football, he gained a game-high 130 rushing yards with two touchdowns, along with 52 receiving yards on two catches, in the Texans' 30-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Reliant Stadium.
Prior to that, he was nominated for Rookie of the Week honors after totaling a rookie-record 156 rushing yards on 14 carries (11.1 avg.) with a franchise-long 71-yard touchdown run in the team's 33-27 loss at Indianapolis on Nov. 16.
Slaton won NFLPLAYERS.COM’s Rookie of the Week award this year after the Texans' first meeting with the Colts at Reliant Stadium on Oct. 5. After rushing for 93 yards on 16 carries (5.8 avg.) with two touchdowns in the 31-27 loss, Slaton was nominated for NFL Rookie of the Week honors for the third time.
Slaton's second nomination for NFL Rookie of the Week came after the Week 4 game at Jacksonville. In the 30-27 overtime loss, he totaled 83 receiving yards on eight catches (10.4 avg.) with one touchdown and carried the ball 10 times for 33 yards (3.3 avg.).
After the season finale, Slaton reflected on his season.
"I think it passed my expectations," he said. "I really didn't know what to expect this whole year. I just contributed, did whatever I could do, do whatever coaches needed to help the team's offense. It was just a good opportunity to play the position I love and start, it's definitely a blessing."
