"Steve Slaton lost five of his seven fumbles last year, and the Texans running back was asked Tuesday if the neck injury that caused him to miss the last five games of the 2009 season was to blame.

Nodding, he replied, "If you can't feel your hand in there, you can't squeeze (the ball) as hard as you want to. I tried to downplay it, but it came to a point where I had to get surgery."

The procedure was a cervical fusion, and Slaton, donning a red "no contact" jersey, said after a lengthy rehab session that all of the numbness is gone. He'll have another checkup on June 25, and if all is satisfactory, Slaton should be cleared for training camp.

"You work so hard, and for things to fall apart on you — you just keep working harder," Slaton said.

He'd been banged up before. In 2006 at West Virginia, Slaton suffered a wrist injury that required surgery following the Mountaineers' season and a thigh bruise just before facing Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl — but this was different.

This left Slaton, now a professional and a veteran, feeling vulnerable.

"You know you're part of the team, but when you're not out there making plays, not in the huddle during practice, you feel sort of temporary," he said. "