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Hopkins Says He can be Better than AJ

It is looking like Rick Smith has hit nicely on another first round pick. I liked Hopkins in the first game and I'm really liking what I'm seeing now. It looks like that big time grab he had in the first pre season game what just a small sample of what was yet to come. So stoked that we have our #2 WR on the side of AJ now.
 
To be upset or not like this comment is just plain idiotic to me. He is simply implying that he is preparing and planning to be better than Andre Johnson versus preparing and planning to be another Andre Johnson. This is the best mindset to have in my opinion. He needs to be the best Deandre Hopkins he can possibly be and if that ends up being better than Andre Johnson then great you reached to the highest potential of your goals.
 
Vinny said:
Physically, Hopkins kinda reminds me of Chad Johnson minus the personality. He'll never be able to beast guys off the jam like AJ...he doesn't have (Andre) Johnson's suddenness, strength or build. He may be better at plucking the ball out of the air but to me he will have to play in the mold of Reggie Wayne or Chad Johnson if he is going to have a career that will eventually compare to AJ long haul. Right now I don't see him having more raw upside than AJ did when he was a rookie. He's closer to a finished product than Andre was at the same point in their respective careers though.
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ChampionTexan said:
Granted, Hopkins looks pretty lean, but if the height and weight reported (6'1 218 pounds) is anywhere near correct, he outweighs Chad Johnson by anywhere from 25-30 pounds even though he's the same height.

Given the success he's had in going after jump balls, I think there's a little more to Mr. Hopkins size and strength than some here are giving him credit for.
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He carries his weight well because he looks rail thin at times. He has a deceptive body type. I keep thinking of Steve Harris (old Rocket) when I see him. I know Harris was taller and much, much thinner than Hopkins but they both have this angular leanness to their body types. He certainly looks like he is plenty big and strong enough up close, no doubt about that. I know you aren't accusing me of this, but to be clear I'm not knocking him. He's as-advertised so far..."NFL ready".
 
Love the attitude from the rookie and that he's backing up his words with great plays on the field. I have no problem with his perspective, and I have no doubt nobody on the Texans has a problem with it.

If his team is not upset, then fans need to put it in proper perspective and not make mountains out of molehills.
 
HOU-TEX said:
I actually got pumped after reading a tweet with his quotes yesterday. Having AJ as a mentor is making this cat a good one. Going by what I've seen so far with the big catches and hands that wrap around the football, he might be close to unstoppable once he gains the experience.
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Yeah. That's something we've seen across the board but it's really standing out at the positions where we have great established players like AJ. When he got here all he had for a mentor was Corey Bradford & Jabar Gaffney.

AJ was thankfully a self-starter but as nice a couple of guys as Bradford and Gaffney were I doubt they taught AJ anything more than the layout of the facility in training camp. Hopkins has it made in the mentor department. Andre Johnson is pretty much the standard for outstanding WR's in this league.
 
Vinny said:
Physically, Hopkins kinda reminds me of Chad Johnson minus the personality. He'll never be able to beast guys off the jam like AJ...he doesn't have (Andre) Johnson's suddenness, strength or build. He may be better at plucking the ball out of the air but to me he will have to play in the mold of Reggie Wayne or Chad Johnson if he is going to have a career that will eventually compare to AJ long haul. Right now I don't see him having more raw upside than AJ did when he was a rookie. He's closer to a finished product than Andre was at the same point in their respective careers though.
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Ocho is a very good comparison, especially when it comes to skillset and their role on the field.

He may not have the physical ceiling of Megatron or Dez Bryant, but he will take over many a game. He is also in a good place to follow Reggie Wayne, going from the best No. 2 WR to a top-flight No. 1 when the experienced beast finally hangs it up.
 
DocBar said:
LINK
Pretty damned ballsy from a rookie with 2 career games under his belt. He has produced on the field but is a long way from replacing AJ.
AJ is one good AJ season from jumping about 8-9 spots on the all time receiving yards list. DHop has about 1% of AJ's career yards.

I like confidence, but this smacks of disrespect to the biggest influence he'll probably have in his career. I'm not a big fan of this comment by DHop.
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Really? smh........
 
Prove it kid. Prove it into the playoffs and prove it in a Superbowl. I want to see Hopkins and Johnson trying to see who's the better receiver moments before they both are wearing "World Champions" hats, drinking champagne and passing this :trophy: back and forth.
 
Vinny said:
Physically, Hopkins kinda reminds me of Chad Johnson minus the personality. He'll never be able to beast guys off the jam like AJ...he doesn't have (Andre) Johnson's suddenness, strength or build. He may be better at plucking the ball out of the air but to me he will have to play in the mold of Reggie Wayne or Chad Johnson if he is going to have a career that will eventually compare to AJ long haul. Right now I don't see him having more raw upside than AJ did when he was a rookie. He's closer to a finished product than Andre was at the same point in their respective careers though.
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Nah, he doesn't remind me of Chad at all. Much more physical.

He's not a AJ kind of athlete, so that comparison is whack. But he could be very productive in an offense that rewards catches by sending more targets that way.

And those hands are ridiculously good. Huge. Love watching him attack the ball.

As for the subject of this post, it is in the context of Andre Johnson telling him that he could be better than him, more aspirational. Nothing to see here, move along. /Barbrady'd
 
Evan Koch @EvanKoch22
Per @EliasSports: Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins is 2nd youngest WR in NFL history to reach 2,000 yards receiving - 22 years, 198 days. Larry Fitzgerald was 22 years, 109 days.
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JB said:
questionable than any of them were worse than 5 years of HWSNBN
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If I wasn't so lazy I'd look up last years QB fiasco and compare it to AJ's first year w Mittens. Don't forget, Schaub lead the league in passing and wasn't the scrub he is now.
 
PapaL said:
If I wasn't so lazy I'd look up last years QB fiasco and compare it to AJ's first year w Mittens. Don't forget, Schaub lead the league in passing and wasn't the scrub he is now.
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Schaub was very good before last year. Hops has had bad qb play but it's been for a short time. Even early last year Schaub wasn't terrible except for the pick 6's
 
PapaL said:
If I wasn't so lazy I'd look up last years QB fiasco and compare it to AJ's first year w Mittens. Don't forget, Schaub lead the league in passing and wasn't the scrub he is now.
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Carr wasn't a complete train wreck until a little over halfway through the '04 season, FWIW.
 
AJ went from 60 ypg with Carr to just under 100 ypg with Schaub. It was a huge difference.

Add 2560 yds to AJ and he is in 2nd place all time on yardage right now.
 
infantrycak said:
AJ went from 60 ypg with Carr to just under 100 ypg with Schaub. It was a huge difference.

Add 2560 yds to AJ and he is in 2nd place all time on yardage right now.
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Andre is 4th in career YPG average. His average is over an 11 year span compared to the three WRs in front of him.

1. Julio Jones (25) 89.0 2011-2014 atl
2. Calvin Johnson (29) 87.8 2007-2014 det
3. A.J. Green (26) 81.2 2011-2014 cin
4. Andre Johnson (33) 80.1 2003-2014 htx

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rec_yds_per_g_career.htm
 
Texans_Chick said:
Nah, he doesn't remind me of Chad at all. Much more physical.

He's not a AJ kind of athlete, so that comparison is whack. But he could be very productive in an offense that rewards catches by sending more targets that way.

And those hands are ridiculously good. Huge. Love watching him attack the ball.

As for the subject of this post, it is in the context of Andre Johnson telling him that he could be better than him, more aspirational. Nothing to see here, move along. /Barbrady'd
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He remindsme of Steve Smith Sr. and Anquoin Bolden with a little bit of Cris Carter mixed in. DHop doesn't always attack the ball like he should. He'll sometimes wait for it to get to him instead of catching it with his hands. That has resulted in several incompletions and at least 1 INT that I can think of.

All in all, I really like him and think he can be very good. I think we'll see him fully blossom with Mallett or Savage (maybe even Keenum) throwing the rock.
 
DocBar said:
He remindsme of Steve Smith Sr. and Anquoin Bolden with a little bit of Cris Carter mixed in. DHop doesn't always attack the ball like he should. He'll sometimes wait for it to get to him instead of catching it with his hands. That has resulted in several incompletions and at least 1 INT that I can think of.



All in all, I really like him and think he can be very good. I think we'll see him fully blossom with Mallett or Savage (maybe even Keenum) throwing the rock.
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Yeah that's just not accurate. His hands are his best and strongest asset.


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Fico said:
Yeah that's just not accurate. His hands are his best and strongest asset.


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I agree that his hands are his best attribute, but if you disagree then either you haven't watched all the games or you need your eyes checked.

I didn't say his hands were an issue. I said there have been a few instances where he has waited on the ball when he should have used those great hands and reached out and grabbed the ball out of the air.
 
DocBar said:
I agree that his hands are his best attribute, but if you disagree then either you haven't watched all the games or you need your eyes checked.

I didn't say his hands were an issue. I said there have been a few instances where he has waited on the ball when he should have used those great hands and reached out and grabbed the ball out of the air.
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I think you're right. To take it a bit further he has a habit of unnecessarily hopping to go up and let the ball come to him rather than maintaining his feet and snatching the ball at full reach.

It's not a huge issue but something he could work on.
 
Runner said:
So many wasted years.
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Yup. I said the above to show how big the jump was from Carr to Schaub and there is no doubt Schaub and AJ had a good gig going. But you have to wonder what would have been if AJ had been Brady's Marvin Harrison.
 
TejasTom said:
Which is absolutely amazing considering "hit the receiver in stride" was not part of the Texans' lexicon during the Schaub era.
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Isn't it sad how much we miss that? Schaub couldn't hit a WR in stride but he got the ball to them. Now we can't do either.

:vincepalm:
 
To say that he IS better than AJ, is disrespect.

To say that he CAN BE better than AJ, no disrespect.
 
DocBar said:
LINK
Pretty damned ballsy from a rookie with 2 career games under his belt. He has produced on the field but is a long way from replacing AJ.
AJ is one good AJ season from jumping about 8-9 spots on the all time receiving yards list. DHop has about 1% of AJ's career yards.

I like confidence, but this smacks of disrespect to the biggest influence he'll probably have in his career. I'm not a big fan of this comment by DHop.
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so, it's fine if you say you want to be the best.
but it's not ok if you say you want to be better than AJ? :D
 
infantrycak said:
Do you really not get the difference?
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of course, but I don't think he was disrespecting AJ.

if he had the attitude of "I won't ever be better than AJ" that would have been worse.

or if he had said "I am better than AJ"

"could be better" I am ok with that
 
Hopkins disappeared today. Probably cost me a fantasy championship in one of my leagues but that is another story. I have high expectation for Hopkins, but better than Dre? I doubt that.
 
Hard to catch the ball when it's not being thrown to you and in the rare case it is thrown to you, it's behind you or in the ground.
 
PapaL said:
Hard to catch the ball when it's not being thrown to you and in the rare case it is thrown to you, it's behind you or in the ground.
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I agree.

Hopkins "disappearance" is not about Hopkins not playing well. Just like Andre's decline this year has nothing to do with his ability.

The QBs obviously clicked with different receivers. Andre missing the offseason program probably had more to do with Fitz clicking with Hop than anything.
 
Hopkins is already better than AJ. Andre Johnson just isn't the same anymore. He's slower, weaker, and prone to fumbling now. He's had his moment and if he doesn't take a pay cut next season, we will be grossly overpaying him next season.

Will Hopkins be better than AJ in his prime? Maybe. He's only in his second season with a **** selection of QBs throwing to him, and he's still producing. I see promise.
 
PapaL said:
Hard to catch the ball when it's not being thrown to you and in the rare case it is thrown to you, it's behind you or in the ground.
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It's all down to the QBs trust IMO, Case has his timing down with Dre, while Dhop has barely been able to practice due to injury the last couple of weeks. OTOH AJ skipped the offseason work meaning Fitz didn't have chance to get comfortable with him and DH was the de facto #1 during TC.

I'm hoping they both have great seasons next year as the dual threat, plus Foster to account for makes the D pick their poison when all 3 are on song.
 
I think AJ has definitely declined and lost a step. Doesn't mean he's garbage. AJ was the second fastest man in the NFL. Now? Idk that he's the 2nd fastest on offense on our team. But that's part of being 33.
 
Doesn't AJ have a **** selection throwing to him too?

I just find it weird when case is at the helm. AJ gets touchdowns and is productive and like today he somehow has a 100 yard game.


This isn't an endorsement for Case at the helm. I just wonder why he has a better chemistry with AJ yet our other QBs seem to use him as a decoy
 
PapaL said:
Hard to catch the ball when it's not being thrown to you and in the rare case it is thrown to you, it's behind you or in the ground.
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I assume you mean while Keenum was throwing passes? Johnson had 181 targets in 2013, and is down to 147 in 2014. Hopkins had 127 in 2014.

CretorFrigg said:
Hopkins is already better than AJ. Andre Johnson just isn't the same anymore. He's slower, weaker, and prone to fumbling now. He's had his moment and if he doesn't take a pay cut next season, we will be grossly overpaying him next season.

Will Hopkins be better than AJ in his prime? Maybe. He's only in his second season with a **** selection of QBs throwing to him, and he's still producing. I see promise.
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While I appreciate your opinion. Hopkins will never posses the physical gifts Johnson has. IMHO Hopkins will never have the career Johnson has had. Very few ever will. I see far less productivity for Hopkins once Johnson is gone and he is drawing all of the double coverages instead of Johnson. Because of that I see injury in the future for Hopkins because he is not as physically gifted as Johnson. Once the team starts riding him like they did Johnson, his smaller frame will not hold up. He looks great in the single coverage afforded to him by Johnson, but let's see what happens when he is the man, and Johnson is gone.
 
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