Taylor's name is in the headline because we have a picture of him

First the Texans wasted their time, resources, and roster spots on Ahman Green and Chris Brown. It's possible they'll get nothing in return, the way Green is going. Now they are forced to start Steve Slaton before they wanted to. Perhaps it will be a blessing in disguise, but it may be too much for the rookie to handle. The only safe bet is that Chris Taylor will start a game at some point for Houston. Darius Walker might too before this is over. This has a way of happening with the Houston running game.

Houston was one of the few teams I watched twice in the preseason, primarily because I was curious about Slaton and Taylor. They both show flashes of being effective roles players, especially Slaton, but I don't think they are ready to handle the load on their own. The Texans probably feel the same way.

Slaton averaged 3.3 yards-per-touch against the Steelers. And almost all of his damage came in the fourth quarter - by the time Byron Leftwich was at quarterback for Pittsburgh. Before that point, Slaton had seven rushes for 14 yards. If Slaton starts slow, look for Slaton and Chris Taylor to share touches evenly, just like they did in the third preseason game. Against Baltimore, he's probably going to start slow.

I saw enough versatility and surprising power in the preseason to think that Slaton can be effective as a lead back in a committee. But he's not ready for Baltimore. Chris Perry, another role player asked to start, found out the hard way. Expect Slaton to do the same.