Full Article: http://www.battleredblog.com/2014/4...-how-andre-johnson-is-molding-deandre-hopkins
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Anatomy Of A Great Route: How Andre Johnson Is Molding DeAndre Hopkins Into A Monster
- Thread starter Brett
- Start date
Full Article: http://www.battleredblog.com/2014/4...-how-andre-johnson-is-molding-deandre-hopkins
Enjoy!
Great read! Thanks for posting it. 
We are really going to miss AJ around these parts when he's gone.
We are really going to miss AJ around these parts when he's gone.
Yeah Brett, thanks for posting.
Anyone notice Brooks getting totally blown up on that play?
& that's Garrett Graham on the bottom, why does he wait for the LB to engage him? The LB is clearly waiting to see what happens, why don't Graham hook him & take him with the rest of the line?
Anyone notice Brooks getting totally blown up on that play?
& that's Garrett Graham on the bottom, why does he wait for the LB to engage him? The LB is clearly waiting to see what happens, why don't Graham hook him & take him with the rest of the line?
I honestly don't know what I'd do in this situation if I were Schaub.
Knowing that Aj is going to break that route outside I'm happy that the FS stays high & on the hash. But with Sherman on Andre's outside hip, I'd have probably given up on that route & hit DeAndre on his outside route.
But surely Schaub's played with Andre long enough to know not to give up on that route.... tough call.
Knowing that Aj is going to break that route outside I'm happy that the FS stays high & on the hash. But with Sherman on Andre's outside hip, I'd have probably given up on that route & hit DeAndre on his outside route.
But surely Schaub's played with Andre long enough to know not to give up on that route.... tough call.
To be fair he was trying to slide to take on a 5i. He's naturally at a disadvantage to someone ripping from that far outside, but I'd prefer to NOT see that happen of course.
Playoffs
Hall of Fame
Anyone notice Brooks getting totally blown up on that play?
Nope.
Was too busy watching Sherman... jockstrap... seperated.
Best ever, imo.
leebigeztx
Keep it Movin!
I agree. The one thing andre had and still have is speed. Hopkins doesn't strike fear vertically in dbs. That doesn't mean he can't or won't be a good wr. It just means he has to be more of a tactician to be effective. I think if all things are equal, posey has more physical attributes to become a #1 type wr.
eriadoc
Texan-American
I think Hopkins is ahead of the game. He did a very good job as a rookie. He doesn't have the physical skill set that a guy like AJ has, so he'll never really be a true #1 guy. But he can be a tactician that creates separation through technique and catches everything thrown his way, because the guy does have some sticky hands. So I think he can be a good #2 WR. They're still going to need a #1 guy at some point (soon), but I'm happy Hopkins has AJ to learn from for now.
We've all seen lots of WRs come along with the physical tools, but never put it together. Hopkins has what it takes upstairs and in terms of work ethic. What he lacks in physical tools, he can overcome to a large degree.
HOU-TEX
Ah, Football!
Yeah Brett, thanks for posting.
Anyone notice Brooks getting totally blown up on that play?
& that's Garrett Graham on the bottom, why does he wait for the LB to engage him? The LB is clearly waiting to see what happens, why don't Graham hook him & take him with the rest of the line?
Depends how you look at it. I see it as a nice recovery and not giving up on the play. When I think of "blown up" I think of getting easily beaten and put on your ass (see Myers/Jenkins). I'd say it's a win for Brooks, but he should thank Schaub for the help.
All that said, I'm more surprised that Schaub maneuvered his way up in the pocket.
Allstar
Bona fide
Agreed. I was hoping for a much larger sample size when clicking the article.
No, I don't.Yeah Brett, thanks for posting.
Anyone notice Brooks getting totally blown up on that play?
& that's Garrett Graham on the bottom, why does he wait for the LB to engage him? The LB is clearly waiting to see what happens, why don't Graham hook him & take him with the rest of the line?
Goatcheese
Texan
What I noticed was a bunch of pass interference that wasn't being called. At what point does pushing, grabbing and obstructing the receiver 6+ yards downfield warrant a flag?
revan
Waterboy
When your opponent isn't Seattle. They got away with it all year long and the playoff game vs the 49ers was the most obvious of them all.
Playoffs
Hall of Fame
I'm very optimistic about DeAndre. He had the 2nd lowest dropped passes rate in the league last year, behind only Fitzgerald. Drops killed the Patriots last year.
But I've always seen Nuk as a #2. Alshon Jeffrey, Roddy White, Randall Cobb all pretty important pieces as #2s.
http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1747621/hopkins.gif
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-...AAZ8/q069EKCeA_8/deandre-hopkins-td-catch.jpg
http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/229/files/2013/11/dehop22.gif
http://usatthebiglead.files.wordpre...catch-to-give-texans-a-chance-over-titans.gif
revan
Waterboy
V3rm0nt3r
Rookie
Is it just me or has Nuk seemed to have found his version of Innegan in Jason McCourty? There may not be a large sample size here but it seems to me that the corner simply doesn't have an answer for Hopkins' sticky fingers.
Playoffs
Hall of Fame
Pretty darned good player, imo.
drs23
Veteran
Agreed, but that Nuk guy ain't no slouch. I was kinda surprised to see him being seemingly smeared a week or so ago.
I see a few crow dinners being served up. Starting next season. And going on for many more to come.
If I'm wrong, serve it up.
Scooter
Funky
i see a lot more larry fitzgerald in hopkins than jabar gaffney. strong route runner, not particularly great physically but exceptional body control, can struggle to find separation at times, and one of a select few as a "go up and get it" receiver. fitz coming out of college had an ability to win the ball in the air better than anyone i'd ever seen, and that attribute has only grown as a pro. hopkins has some of that. i dont know that he'll become fitz enough to be a #1, but it wouldnt surprise me in the least to see him become a 10+ touchdown a year receiver, with some spectacular catches added to his resume (to go with a few already made).
We don't need him to be a #1 right now anyway, so it's a moot point. It would be sweet if he has that jump in production we'd like to see from a 2nd year player, turning in #1 type WR numbers.
Before the season started I said as plainly & clearly as I could that I wanted him to avg 13+ ypc.... he avg'd 15+. I'm happy. That's a WR, that's what we needed. Someone who could stretch the field & command some attention away from Aj.
I think he did that.
I also feel if Aj were to miss a game or two, we'll be ok, because of what we saw Nuk do as a rookie.
Scooter
Funky
exactly. heck he went 52 for 800+ as a rookie, with chaos at quarterback on a 2 win team, and an elite drop rating. i wouldnt worry if hopkins had to take over as #1 for a while, though our lack of depth scares me if andre went down. i dont know that he'll ever be "the man", but as v3rm0nt3r pointed out earlier - it sure would be nice to have a big timer like roddy white as your #2.
that's where i'm on the fence. hopkins is a player. i disagree with vinny that he's in the gaffney mold - a 3rd or 4th possession option with good hands and decent physically, but poor routes and struggles to separate. dude can play, but where does he fall between fitz and roddy? either way, he's got a bright future and is someone we'll be holding onto.
i'm watching a lot of old timers and two names come up when watching hopkins. the first i was drawn to compare him to was torry holt, but the scheme got holt so open it's hard to see the similarities. the other, and i realize i'm comparing a #2 sophomore to a hall of famer, is cris carter. the routes, the fight in traffic, the sideline catches, the "go get it". carter is a good comparison i think. it's obviously much too early to say hopkins will compare to someone, but he is a very good match to cris carter.
leebigeztx
Keep it Movin!
Torry Holt had top end speed,quickness,and route running. Holt was a 4.3 guy with elite quickness. He got open even when the offense lost a lot of tgheir great players. I can see carter in your comparison. He's more of a border wr. Not gonna run by anyone,but can locate the ball and make good catches. I thought the texans drated hopkins because he's a good bad ball catcher. I liked justin hunter more because of his vertical speed and seperation. I think Nuk will be a more complete wr,but I think hunter will be more feared because of his speed and leaping ability.
Scooter
Funky
i'm with you entirely. i am VERY much on the record wanting justin hunter (annoyingly so). i wanted to eye holt as a comparison as a bigtime #2 playing with an elite #1 (i also used size in that attempt), but as you said i couldnt because of the scheme as well as holt's short area quickness that hopkins doesnt have. hopkins will be a fantastic #2 for today's game though. whether that's a good thing or not as a first rounder is up for discussion. he doesnt look to be able to scare teams as a #1, but similarly noone is going to let him run free ... 800yds as a rookie is only a precursor. i'll stick with cris carter as a comparison. route, hands, sideline ability, body control, and "go get it" ... if we can keep a talent on the other side hopkins is going to flourish.
revan
Waterboy
I myself find it hard to compare Nuk's game to anyone so my theory is he is a new breed of WR. Watkins and Benjamin are in the same mold as Nuk, red zone monsters. With how Nuk is showing that he can be coached and is learning from another WR who was a new breed when he came out, the big bodied WR, the ceiling is very high on our boy. Now.........is it September already? 
V3rm0nt3r
Rookie
While I can see the appeal of Hunter's physical capabilities, I still feel Nuk was the better, safer option. We've drafted physical freaks at WR before with the mindset that they could be coached up (Jacoby and/or KeyMart anyone?) but we've learned, perhaps too slowly, that speed alone doesn't get receivers open and it sure as hell doesn't catch them the ball. What this offense really needed was a compliment to Andre and that's what I believe we found in Nuk. Andre has always had enough athletic ability to scare defenses by himself but after Walter lost his legs completely there simply wasn't a viable option on the other side of the field that had the ability to consistently get open, hold onto the goddamn ball, and take at least SOME of the focus off Johnson. Nuk was able to step into this role immediately and operate more than effectively. So yeah, I really couldn't care less how ineffective he is at stretching the field, just so long as he continues utilizing those magnets he had embedded in his fingertips to move the chains every once in a while.
michaelm
vox nihili
I'm with you on the Cris Carter comparison. I said that before here, but didn't get any responses either agreeing with it disagreeing, so I figured nobody had a strong opinion on it one way or the other. I definitely see C Carter as a parallel.
That doesn't look like a guy with bum feet to me.
Even in the face of the rush, Schaub's eyes stayed down field. And the thing about that completion that strikes me the most is the confidence those guys have in each other. Schaub throws the ball before A.J. breaks to the sideline.
A.J. runs a precise route, knowing that Schaub's pass will be right it needs to be when he makes his break. When those two were clicking it was a thing of beauty.
Playoffs
Hall of Fame
Plus he had that bionic football catching finger.
kiwitexansfan
Hall of Fame
I love Chris Carter as a WR.
I think Nuk has the same ability to catch the ball Carter had.
Neither are amazing athletes.
I think Nuk has the same ability to catch the ball Carter had.
Neither are amazing athletes.
Texans_Chick
Utopian Dreamer
I am actually very skeptical of young players. More than most. I often think that fans/media tend to over embellish what the new guy will be able to do, and then after they've been with the team for a while, go ugggh, man not that good.
The biggest thing I see with Hopkins is he is having to think too hard, so he is having a hard time just making the plays. That the biggest jump he needs to make is concentration. Doing precision route running, so he's in the right spot to make plays. (I've heard some unkind things about some of his routes, and their consistency).
But I can tell you that at least in what I've seen in camp stuff, he does some amazing, hard to do things. First whoa receiver they've had in camp since AJ. His catch radius is astonishing, and does a nice job of locating the ball once it is in the air.
I'm not sure what exactly the mental demands will be moving to this offense from the old one, but I think that he is poised to have a jump from year one to two, assuming that OB can put together a functioning NFL offense.
Bulls on Parade
2017 Astros: Earn It!
DeAndre Hopkins has some of the best hands in the league. If he can ever focus and play to his potential he should become a steady 1200-yard, 8-to-12 TD a year type of player who can excel in the red zone. His rookie season had its ups and downs, more downs than ups, but I feel like he learned a lot and let's hope he continues to improve.
Uncle Rico
Ur apology should be as loud as Ur disrespect was
Hopkins is slow for an outside receiver. Texans should find another guy who can take the top off and put Hopkins in the slot.
drs23
Veteran
+1 & ditto!
I see/hear our fans say that Hopkins will never be a #1 because he doesn't have the talent. Personally, I never thought talent was what made guys #1 or not. It's things like this. Always working to be better than you are.
I don't know if he'll ever be a #1, but things are looking good so far.
dalemurphy
Hall of Fame
Hopkins would win in a sprint against AJ. AJ is long removed from the 4.3 speed he entered the league with.
infantrycak
Hall of Fame
I'll take that hypothetical internet bet.
dc_txtech
All Pro
He must not have watched the link.
I'm sorry, but what's the evidence that AJ is doing anything for Hopkins? From everything I've seen Hopkins is doing it all on his own. While AJ is vacationing and taking photos of himself in NY Hopkins is actually working to get better and improve the team. I've yet to see evidence that AJ is helping him improve his routes
Playoffs
Hall of Fame
Hopkins followed AJ around like a puppy last year, and AJ let him...
And AJ taught him a thing or two...
Nuk didn't fall out of bed from Clemson with those setup moves he put on Browner.
