Matt Slauson

Matt Slauson

Slauson during his tenure with the Jets
No. 68 Chicago Bears
Position: Guard / Center
Personal information
Date of birth: February 18, 1986
Place of birth: Sweet Home, Oregon
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight: 315 lb (143 kg)
Career information
High school: Sweet Home (OR)
College: Nebraska
NFL draft: 2009 / Round: 6 / Pick: 193
Career history
Roster status: Injured reserve
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2014
Games played: 72
Games started: 69
Fumble recoveries: 1
Stats at NFL.com

Matthew Benjamin Slauson[1] (born February 18, 1986) is an American football guard and center for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Nebraska.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
6 ft 5 in 313 lb 5.26 s 4.86 s 7.86 s 34 in 9 ft 2 in
Source:[2][3]

New York Jets

The New York Jets selected Slauson with their sixth round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.[4] The Jets offensive line coach Bill Callahan previously coached Slauson at Nebraska who was considered versatile, athletic and durable.[5] Slauson was signed to a four-year deal by the team in May.[6] Slauson would appear in three regular season games in 2009 playing at the guard and center positions respectively.[7]

Following the team's selection of Vladimir Ducasse in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Jets would release veteran guard Alan Faneca.[8] During the team's training camp sessions, Slauson battled Ducasse to replace Faneca.[7][9] On September 9, 2010, Slauson would be named the team's starting left guard.[10]

Slauson became the subject of criticism after utilizing a cut block against Brian Cushing that resulted in Cushing tearing his ACL on October 8, 2012. The play was considered legal by USA Today as both were within three yards of the line of scrimmage where an offensive lineman is allowed to low block a defensive player;[11] the Houston Chronicle contended that the block itself was legal but the location of the block was not.[12] Cushing, when asked about the play, stated "It's football. It's part of the game...it happened to me, and I've been on the other side of that, so I know how it goes."[11] Slauson was fined $10,000 by the league after they determined that he used an illegal peel-back block.[13]

Chicago Bears

On March 29, 2013, Slauson signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears.[14] On January 2, 2014, Slauson was re-signed by the Bears to a four-year contract.[15] On January 24, Slauson was named to the USA Today All-Joe Team.[16]

In 2014, against the New England Patriots, Slauson tore his right pectoral muscle, and was ruled out for the rest of the season.[17] On April 7, 2015, Slauson was awarded the Ed Block Courage Award.[18]

Personal life

Slauson was born in Sweet Home, Oregon to Nancy and Robert Slauson and attended and played football at Sweet Home High School before graduating from Air Academy High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[19] From a young age, Slauson was diagnosed with stuttering, a speech disorder that occurs primarily when he is placed in unfamiliar situations.[20] Slauson has two other brothers, Nick and Chris, as well as a sister, Alli.[20]

Slauson's wife is named Cami; the two have a son, Montgomery James.[21]

References

  1. ↑ "ESPN Profile". ESPN.com.
  2. ↑ http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009/profiles/matt-slauson?id=81871#profiles-tabs:players-overview
  3. ↑ http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/TSX/2009_OG
  4. ↑ "2009 New York Jets Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  5. ↑ Cimini, Rich (April 26, 2009). "Jets take versatile Slauson with final pick". New York Daily News. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Jets sign sixth-round pick Matt Slauson". Sporting News. May 19, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Jets' Slauson, Ducasse friends despite competition". CBS Sports. 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  8. ↑ Cimini, Rich (April 25, 2010). "Jets to cut veteran Faneca". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  9. ↑ McManus, Jane (August 7, 2010). "Vet and rookie battle for guard spot". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  10. ↑ Stephenson, Colin (September 9, 2010). "Jets award starting left guard job to Matt Slauson". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Klemko, Robert (9 October 2012). "Texans linebacker Brian Cushing has torn ACL". USA Today. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  12. ↑ Solomon, Jerome (9 October 2012). "Was the Matt Slauson cutoff of Brian Cushing legal?". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  13. ↑ McManus, Jane (October 11, 2012). "Source: Matt Slauson to appeal". ESPN New York. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  14. ↑ Rosenthal, Gregg (29 March 2013). "Matt Slauson, Chicago Bears strike one-year contract". National Football League. Archived from the original on 29 March 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  15. ↑ Mayer, Larry (2 January 2014). "Bears sign Cutler, two others". Chicago Bears. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  16. ↑ Mayer, Larry (January 24, 2014). "McCown, Slauson on 'All-Joe' team". Chicago Bears. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  17. ↑ Mayer, Larry (October 27, 2014). "Houston, Slauson out for the season". Chicago Bears. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  18. ↑ Mayer, Larry (April 7, 2015). "Matt Slauson receives Ed Block Award". Chicago Bears. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  19. ↑ Waszak Jr., Dennis (2 May 2009). "Jets rookie Slauson succeeding despite stutter". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Cimini, Rich (15 August 2010). "The source of Matt Slauson's strength". ESPN New York. Archived from the original on 3 January 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  21. ↑ Mazzeo, Mike (1 January 2011). "Jets' Matt Slauson at son's birth". ESPN New York. Archived from the original on 3 January 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2011.

External links