Steve Slaton

One is never enough If you have ever been to Fairless Hills, Pa., you know how easy it is to miss the turn onto Wistar Road that takes you to Conwell-Egan High School. And once you make the turn, you have to keep your eyes peeled because the school is tucked off the winding road behind some trees. If Steve Slaton ever missed that turn, well, he hasn't missed much since. A graduate of Conwell-Egan and West Virginia University, Slaton is tearing up the NFL. The rookie RB, drafted in the third round by the Texans, has stepped right in for injured Ahman Green, and Green may never get his job back.

Steve Slaton and his family will gather in front of the television Saturday at their Levittown home, and perhaps again on Sunday, to wait for his name to be called out in the NFL draft. When it is - projections have him going anywhere from late in the second round to the fourth round - Slaton will surely hear concerns the league's talent evaluators have about him: Does the former Conwell-Egan High star who spent four varsity seasons sprinting past helpless Catholic League defenders have the size to be an everyday running back at 5-foot-9 and 197 pounds?

Steve Slaton, Conwell-Egan's all-time leading rusher who was named a first-team all-Southeastern Pennsylvania defensive back by The Inquirer, confirmed yesterday that he had made an oral commitment to West Virginia. Slaton made official visits to West Virginia and North Carolina in early December after a short romance with another university. The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder orally committed to Maryland in August, but decided to part ways with the Atlantic Coast Conference school in October.

The tackle was like something out of the WWE, not a junior varsity football game. But Conwell-Egan football coach Kevin Kelly remembers an early sign of extraordinary strength in Steve Slaton four years ago. Slaton, now a senior and one of the premier running backs in the Catholic League - if not the state - was not yet the force he is now. But Kelly recalls him "having the strength to pick a kid up and drop him on his back in the...

Week 9 of the NFL season saw big leads disappear faster than stock values, a double knockout for two guys in the pits, and a nice honor for Dick Vermeil. Multiple chokes. Three teams coughed up double-digit leads to wind up with bitter defeats. The Kansas City Chiefs jumped out to a 24-3 advantage in the second quarter before losing in overtime to Tampa Bay. The Cleveland Browns held a 27-13 third-period lead before Baltimore scored the final 24 points of the game. And the Detroit Lions squandered a 23-13 halftime lead, going scoreless in the second half of a loss at Chicago.

Conwell-Egan graduate Steve Slaton made a big impact for the Houston Texans yesterday. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't big enough to beat the Indianapolis Colts. The rookie running back carried 14 times for 156 yards. He scored one of Houston's three rushing touchdowns on a 71-yard run that gave the Texans a 20-16 lead. He broke the franchise's single-game rookie rushing record (129, by Domanick Williams in 2003) and fell just short of the single-game mark (158 by Williams in 2005)

The Detroit Lions somberly dressed yesterday after another defeat that was different than all the others. This one made NFL history. Detroit became the first 0-15 team when it was routed, 42-7, by the New Orleans Saints. "Awful, embarrassing," Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky said. "We stunk. Any bad adjective you can use, throw it in there. " The Lions will try to avoid the dubious distinction of finishing 0-16 at Green Bay, where they have not won since 1991. "It's very real," center Dominic Raiola said.

Take a bow, Tony Romo . The NFL's most criticized quarterback managed to overcome six fumbles and a total lack of communication with center Phil Costa on Monday night to win a game in which Dallas didn't reach the end zone. The Cowboys (2-1) may not be back after the 18-16 scramble past Washington, but they're not going 6-10 this season, either. Romo - playing in a military-style Kevlar flak jacket to protect a broken rib - made the play of the game in the fourth quarter, converting a third-and-21 situation by hitting Dez Bryant for 30 yards to set up Dan Bailey's game-winning, sixth field goal with two minutes to play.

RAMS 17, LIONS 10: At Detroit, Steven Jackson's 25-yard touchdown run with 1:38 left lifted St. Louis to the win over Detroit, snapping their 17-game losing streak. The Rams (1-7) avoided matching their worst start in franchise history. They also ended talk about joining Detroit (1-6) as the only teams in NFL history to have an 0-16 season. St. Louis' key score came on a trick play. It lined up to kick a field goal and had kicker Josh Brown throw a short pass to a wide-open Daniel Fells, whose 36-yard reception gave the Rams a 10-2 lead in the final minute of the first half.

Running back Steve Slaton knows he'll be playing at least one more game for West Virginia. His decision about whether to return for his senior season won't come until after the Fiesta Bowl. Slaton, a Conwell-Egan High graduate who finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting last season, said yesterday he would like to be a first-round NFL draft pick but doesn't know yet where he stands in the eyes of professional scouts. "That's the biggest thing, is where I would be. After that, I haven't really sat down and thought about it," Slaton said.

Take a bow, Tony Romo . The NFL's most criticized quarterback managed to overcome six fumbles and a total lack of communication with center Phil Costa on Monday night to win a game in which Dallas didn't reach the end zone. The Cowboys (2-1) may not be back after the 18-16 scramble past Washington, but they're not going 6-10 this season, either. Romo - playing in a military-style Kevlar flak jacket to protect a broken rib - made the play of the game in the fourth quarter, converting a third-and-21 situation by hitting Dez Bryant for 30 yards to set up Dan Bailey's game-winning, sixth field goal with two minutes to play.

All right, I'll say it. The trailer for the movie Avatar looks like the biggest, stinking pile of celluloidal yak I've ever seen in my life. Blue people riding on the backs of dragons? Not unless I just inhaled a vat of Wite-Out. (And there goes my shot at appearing in Goodfellas II , if James Cameron is director.) There's only one blue man I want to see in a feature film and that's Tobias Fünke. What does this have to do with fantasy football? Close to nothing. But the 31/2 minutes of life I wasted watching said trailer - that I'll never get back - was time I could have used to get on the waiver wire and pick up Ryan Moats.

RAMS 17, LIONS 10: At Detroit, Steven Jackson's 25-yard touchdown run with 1:38 left lifted St. Louis to the win over Detroit, snapping their 17-game losing streak. The Rams (1-7) avoided matching their worst start in franchise history. They also ended talk about joining Detroit (1-6) as the only teams in NFL history to have an 0-16 season. St. Louis' key score came on a trick play. It lined up to kick a field goal and had kicker Josh Brown throw a short pass to a wide-open Daniel Fells, whose 36-yard reception gave the Rams a 10-2 lead in the final minute of the first half.

TODAY Broncos (6-0) at Ravens (3-3) 1 p.m., M&T Bank Stadium (CBS) Line: Ravens by 3 1/2 It's one rookie coaching sensation (Josh McDaniels) against a guy who had his own first-year success last season (John Harbaugh). Joe Flacco is 8-3 in his career at home, and the Ravens desperately need to get back into the win column after three straight losses. If it comes down to the fourth quarter, Kyle Orton remains Mr. Clutch. Texans (4-3) at Bills (3-4) 1 p.m., Ralph Wilson Stadium (CBS)

FACED WITH one last chance to make the playoffs, the Chicago Bears blew it. Andre Johnson had two touchdowns and host Houston got a 31-24 win over the Bears yesterday, knocking Chicago out of the playoff picture. The Bears (9-7) needed a win to keep any postseason hopes alive. The Vikings beat the Giants to take the NFC North title; Chicago could have earned the wild-card spot, but needed a victory combined with losses or ties by Dallas and Tampa Bay. "Our team failed today," coach Lovie Smith said.

The Detroit Lions somberly dressed yesterday after another defeat that was different than all the others. This one made NFL history. Detroit became the first 0-15 team when it was routed, 42-7, by the New Orleans Saints. "Awful, embarrassing," Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky said. "We stunk. Any bad adjective you can use, throw it in there. " The Lions will try to avoid the dubious distinction of finishing 0-16 at Green Bay, where they have not won since 1991. "It's very real," center Dominic Raiola said.

One is never enough If you have ever been to Fairless Hills, Pa., you know how easy it is to miss the turn onto Wistar Road that takes you to Conwell-Egan High School. And once you make the turn, you have to keep your eyes peeled because the school is tucked off the winding road behind some trees. If Steve Slaton ever missed that turn, well, he hasn't missed much since. A graduate of Conwell-Egan and West Virginia University, Slaton is tearing up the NFL. The rookie RB, drafted in the third round by the Texans, has stepped right in for injured Ahman Green, and Green may never get his job back.

Conwell-Egan graduate Steve Slaton made a big impact for the Houston Texans yesterday. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't big enough to beat the Indianapolis Colts. The rookie running back carried 14 times for 156 yards. He scored one of Houston's three rushing touchdowns on a 71-yard run that gave the Texans a 20-16 lead. He broke the franchise's single-game rookie rushing record (129, by Domanick Williams in 2003) and fell just short of the single-game mark (158 by Williams in 2005)