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Hopkins Says He can be Better than AJ

sandman

Brexit Advisor
Well the only reason he was so good at catching balls is that he was playing with AJ who was covered by the better CB's. He will probably suck at catching the ball now that he will have the #1 CB's on him. No AJ = JAG.
 

thunderkyss

Just win baby!!!
Staff member
Contributor's Club
Well the only reason he was so good at catching balls is that he was playing with AJ who was covered by the better CB's. He will probably suck at catching the ball now that he will have the #1 CB's on him. No AJ = JAG.
Nobody is saying that. The detractors are just being "realist" about this situation, no different than you being a "realist" about others. We don't know how DeAndre is going to do when he is the only proven threat on the field. Most teams can manage to take away a QBs first read. Andre found a way to be productive regardless.

We won't know how DeAndre is going to do. We just don't.

& most of the people griping about it were wanting a second stud WR to put on the field with Andre anyway. They waited since 2003. Then when we finally get that stud.... we're back to where we started.
 

eriadoc

Texan-American
Well the only reason he was so good at catching balls is that he was playing with AJ who was covered by the better CB's. He will probably suck at catching the ball now that he will have the #1 CB's on him. No AJ = JAG.
Coaches aren't that stupid, you know. They watched film prior to every game last year. Upcoming opponents knew damn well that AJ was not the threat he used to be and that Hopkins was the more productive player.

Hopkins doesn't have the same physical tools that AJ had, but he has better hands and from what I've seen, the proper mindset to develop his game. I think Hopkins has what it takes to be a #1 WR in the game, but perhaps more as a technician than a raw physical specimen. We'll see how he does now with AJ's 10 yards a catch and few TDs gone from the team.
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
Well the only reason he was so good at catching balls is that he was playing with AJ who was covered by the better CB's. He will probably suck at catching the ball now that he will have the #1 CB's on him. No AJ = JAG.
lol! What, did A.J. take Nuk's hands with him to Indy? :um:

The stat that Playoffs posted about Hopkins is all we need to know about his abilities. This offense needs more players to step up, but I doubt Nuk loses ability because an aging A.J. is gone.
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
Sarcasm, bro
It's all good, man. Monday morning fog clouded my sarcasm detector. I thought it might be, but sometimes you never know intent with statements about events that chance the course of human history.
 

sandman

Brexit Advisor
It's all good, man. Monday morning fog clouded my sarcasm detector. I thought it might be, but sometimes you never know intent with statements about events that chance the course of human history.
Haha. Well it was more smartass than sarcasm.
 

El Tejano

Hall of Fame
So now that DeAndre will be doubled, we should have some pretty good WRs not being doubled. We still don't know how Jalen Strong is going to workout.
 

Hervoyel

BUENO!
As far as I'm concerned he's already better than AJ. At the very least he wants to be here and that's gotta count for something right?
 

sandman

Brexit Advisor
As far as I'm concerned he's already better than AJ. At the very least he wants to be here and that's gotta count for something right?
As 2nd year players, they had remarkedly similar stats. AJ was 79REC/1142YDS/6TD/53FD and Nuk was 76REC/1210YDS/6TD/57FD. AJ had HWSNBN throwing to him as a #1 and Nuk had FitzMallVageUm throwing to him as a #2.

AJ missed three games his third year but still had a sub-par year at 63REC/688YDS/2TD. I fully expect Nuk to be much better than those numbers, barring injury.

Despite the similarities in their early career stats, this isn't to say that Nuk at this stage is a better player than AJ was at this stage. And Prime AJ between 2008-2012 when he racked up three 1500 yard seasons teaming up with Schaub is a steep hill to climb for Nuk to even get in the discussion with being comparable to AJ from a total career perspective.

But THIS season is a 3rd-year 23 year old Nuk better than a 13th-year 34 year old AJ? I think it is a valid argument.
 

ObsiWan

Hall of Fame
Contributor's Club
...most of the people griping about it were wanting a second stud WR to put on the field with Andre anyway. They waited since 2003. Then when we finally get that stud.... we're back to where we started.
It really amazes me that fans were griping for years that A.J. never had anyone to take the coverage off him and when we finally get that guy they turned on A.J. So, as you say, we're right back to one stud (maybe, I'm not convinced yet) WR and a bunch of whodats. All because they don't want to pay A.J. because "he's old and he's slowed down".
Better than A.J.??
We will see.
 

pirbroke

Veteran
It really amazes me that fans were griping for years that A.J. never had anyone to take the coverage off him and when we finally get that guy they turned on A.J. So, as you say, we're right back to one stud (maybe, I'm not convinced yet) WR and a bunch of whodats. All because they don't want to pay A.J. because "he's old and he's slowed down".
Better than A.J.??
We will see.
Or did A.J turn on us?
 

ObsiWan

Hall of Fame
Contributor's Club
Or did A.J turn on us?
Let's look at the numbers shall we...
2012 -- 112 catches / 1598 yds / 4 TDs / 79 first downs
2013 -- 109 catches / 1409 yds / 5 TDs / 69 first downs
2014 -- 85 catches / 936 yds / 3 TDs / 49 first downs

Last year was a "down" year which I attribute to, in no small part, finally having two legit threats at WR. The book on us was, double team Andre Johnson and make them beat you with Foster. Well we finally get someone who can make them pay dearly for doubling Andre and it paid off; Hopkins had 1210 yds on 76 catches and 6 TDs. And you say he turned on us? Seriously?
 

infantrycak

Hall of Fame
AJ missed three games his third year but still had a sub-par year at 63REC/688YDS/2TD. I fully expect Nuk to be much better than those numbers, barring injury.
At some point in a stats argument you just have to pause for reflection and go "whoops, nope, this is stupid." This is one of those moments. That 3rd year was the 2-14 2005 Texans who were so miserably bad they could have been included with a video on the 1st year Bucs team and nobody would have noticed the difference. It wasn't AJ having the "off" year.

Last year was a "down" year which I attribute to, in no small part, finally having two legit threats at WR.
And OB started using him as a split wide RB.
 

sandman

Brexit Advisor
At some point in a stats argument you just have to pause for reflection and go "whoops, nope, this is stupid." This is one of those moments. That 3rd year was the 2-14 2005 Texans who were so miserably bad they could have been included with a video on the 1st year Bucs team and nobody would have noticed the difference. It wasn't AJ having the "off" year.
Quote my entire post. You know, the part where I said stats don't tell everything and you can't say Nuk is as good or better than AJ was at this point in his career just from stats. I also point out that Prime AJ hadn't shown up yet and that Nuk had a long long way to go to show he could ever be at that level.

But all you seem worried about is defending any perceived slight against AJ. I said he had a down year from his standard, combined with injuries. Which wasn't even a major point in my post. I didn't slap your mother. Lighten up, Francis.
 

infantrycak

Hall of Fame
Last year was a "down" year which I attribute to, in no small part, finally having two legit threats at WR.
Quote my entire post. You know, the part where I said stats don't tell everything and you can't say Nuk is as good or better than AJ was at this point in his career just from stats. I also point out that Prime AJ hadn't shown up yet and that Nuk had a long long way to go to show he could ever be at that level.

But all you seem worried about is defending any perceived slight against AJ. I said he had a down year from his standard, combined with injuries. Which wasn't even a major point in my post. I didn't slap your mother. Lighten up, Francis.
You lighten up. The point was circumstances matter. The 2005 2-14 team was 10 times worse than the 2014 2-14 team. A player having a down year in my parlance means in his personal performance. AJ did not regress that season, play poorly, whatever. He was just on an epicly suck team.

Can you point to something he didn't do as well that season without reference to the stats? He was slower that year, ran worse routes, turned into a 150 lb weakling ...?

I didn't try to pick apart your whole post so spare me the defense BS.
 

sandman

Brexit Advisor
You lighten up. The point was circumstances matter. The 2005 2-14 team was 10 times worse than the 2014 2-14 team. A player having a down year in my parlance means in his personal performance. AJ did not regress that season, play poorly, whatever. He was just on an epicly suck team.

Can you point to something he didn't do as well that season without reference to the stats? He was slower that year, ran worse routes, turned into a 150 lb weakling ...?

I didn't try to pick apart your whole post so spare me the defense BS.
I went back to my original post to see what I actually wrote that got your knickers twisted. I said he had a sub-par year, in part because he missed games due to injury. Never said he played bad. Never said he regressed. Didn't disparage the man's personal abilities. I made sure to point out that he missed games. I'm honestly not sure what has you worked up about all this. I'm assuming it's because I dared make a comparison between AJ and Nuk. Never mind that I prefaced and qualified the crap out of my post. This is your Pavlov's Dog subject. I'm not interested in defending what you think I wrote. Have a good one. I'm home after a long day and going to go enjoy a pint.
 

infantrycak

Hall of Fame
Good lord. I'm not worked up. I just think it's dumb to have any comparison to an individual member of the 2005 Texans as some kind of generic 3rd year. 12.7 career ypr, coming off 15.4 ypr Jabar Gaffney fell to 8.9 ypr that year. The 2005 Texans' season was an aberration as a 4th season, 3rd season, whatever.

And since you keep making the allegation...my observation is maybe folks who intend an attack see every response as a defense. I didn't take your original post as an attack on AJ. Now I have my doubts.
 

Playoffs

Hall of Fame
DeAndre Hopkins Has Best Chance to Unseat Odell Beckham as NFL's Best Young WR


AJ Mast/Associated Press

For the first time in many years, DeAndre Hopkins is going to be a No. 1 receiver in 2015.

Most starting receivers in the NFL were the main stars of their college teams, but that wasn't the case for Hopkins. During his final season at Clemson, Hopkins played across from Sammy Watkins. Watkins was a highly touted recruit who immediately became a star on the field.

When Hopkins left for the NFL draft, he wasn't widely considered the top prospect in his class. In fact, he wasn't even widely considered the second-best receiver prospect. Each of Tavon Austin, Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson drew more attention for their physical gifts.

Hopkins did eventually go off the board as the second receiver behind Austin, but he landed in the shadow of Andre Johnson.

Johnson wasn't just the Houston Texans' No. 1 receiver, he was the most celebrated player in the history of the franchise. Hopkins was immediately the most talented complement the Texans had put across from their future Hall of Famer, but he was still definitely just a complementary piece.

Now that Johnson is no longer with the franchise, as he signed with the Indianapolis Colts, Hopkins is assuming the leading role for the Texans receiving corps. At least, he officially is. Based on his play last year, it could be argued that Hopkins had already pushed Johnson aside in just his second season in the NFL.

Despite limited quarterback play suppressing his statistical output, Hopkins has proven to be an outstanding player already. His versatility, consistency and athleticism have allowed him to routinely dominate defensive backs at this level.

Hopkins hasn't received the acclaim that he deserves because he has been forced to rely on poor service, but also because of the quality of the 2014 draft class.

Odell Beckham Jr. has established himself as the uncontested best young receiver in the NFL. His rookie season was unprecedented for any player, but especially for someone who missed all of his preparation during the offseason because of hamstring issues.

Beckham played in 12 games as a rookie, although it was really 11-and-a-half as he was eased into his first game. During that short spell, he compiled 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns on 91 receptions.

Transitioning to the NFL is difficult as a wide receiver. The best receiver, with as much preparation as possible in the perfect situation wouldn't be expected to catch 91 passes for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in 16 games.

It wasn't just Beckham who pulled the spotlight away from Hopkins last year. Neither Sammy Watkins nor Mike Evans played as well as the receiver who was selected immediately after them in the first round, but both were still impressive considering their circumstances.

Evans struggled to initially adapt to the NFL as he seemingly left plays on the field by being too hesitant. He eventually adapted to find his consistency and immediately became a constant threat to the opposing end zone. Evans lacked the consistency and versatility to be put on the same level as Beckham.

Watkins was in the worst situation of all rookie wide receivers last year. His quarterback play was awful, he was playing hurt and he didn't have another starter across from him to draw coverage away. He was drafted as a raw player who needed to refine his skill set, and that proved to be the case during his rookie season.

Surpassed the top two picks in the draft, the other young receivers who could be compared to Beckham all have significant flaws that can be held against them.

Martavis Bryant of the Pittsburgh Steelers took too long to break into the starting lineup. When he did, he proved to be inconsistent even if explosive. Brandin Cooks missed most of the season through injury, while Kelvin Benjamin's consistency catching the ball and overall effort came into question on a regular basis.

As the best receiver from the 2013 class, it's clear that Hopkins is Beckham's greatest competitor.

In 2013, Hopkins was impressive for a rookie. He was forced to endure the struggles of Matt Schaub, meaning that he was limited to just 52 receptions, 802 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games. In 2014, he broke out with 76 receptions for 1,210 yards and six touchdowns while still enduring awful quarterback play.

If you include plays negated by penalty, Hopkins actually caught 82 passes last season.


Code:
Targets Catchable Catches Yards Touchdowns
136        96       82    1,275     6

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mallett, Tom Savage and Case Keenum combined to throw the ball to Hopkins in 2014. His huge target numbers reflected his prevalence in the team's passing attack, but the significant number of uncatchable targets reflected the poor quality of his service.

Even that number didn't do the state of his service justice, though. While the above chart measures how many of Hopkins' targets were catchable, it doesn't take into account poor ball placement.

Ball placement is vitally important for NFL receivers. While NFL receivers typically have impressive ball skills, they are being forced to work at great speeds while often operating in tight windows. A lack of timing and accuracy can lead to more difficult receptions and lost yards-after-catch opportunities.

Hopkins is a bigger receiver with great ball skills, so he was still able to function with this kind of service, but he lost a huge number of opportunities because of it also.

Most receivers who measure over 6'0" are better at playing the football in the air rather than reacting to it below their waist. Hopkins isn't like most receivers. He excels attacking the ball in the air and adjusting to it on the ground.

With Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing him the football, he saw a lot of passes that...

Lots of videos and more in depth analysis of DHop from the generally Texans hating Fahey.
 

dalemurphy

Hall of Fame
Can you point to something he didn't do as well that season without reference to the stats? He was slower that year, ran worse routes, turned into a 150 lb weakling ...?
He was much slower. He doesn't play with explosion. He hasn't made a guy miss or broken a tackle in two years. He plays stiffer, which leads to less range and fewer completions. His attitude towards the coaching staff and organization is not what it was prior to the 2-14 season. Plus, he was more expensive than he ever has been but less willing to adjust his contract to help the team.
 

michaelm

vox nihili
It really amazes me that fans were griping for years that A.J. never had anyone to take the coverage off him and when we finally get that guy they turned on A.J. So, as you say, we're right back to one stud (maybe, I'm not convinced yet) WR and a bunch of whodats. All because they don't want to pay A.J. because "he's old and he's slowed down".
Better than A.J.??
We will see.
I honestly think Nuk has a better supporting cast of WR this year than AJ ever had, with the possible exception of the last two years where AJ had Nuk on opposite side, and even that might be debatable.
 

infantrycak

Hall of Fame
He was much slower. He doesn't play with explosion. He hasn't made a guy miss or broken a tackle in two years. He plays stiffer, which leads to less range and fewer completions. His attitude towards the coaching staff and organization is not what it was prior to the 2-14 season. Plus, he was more expensive than he ever has been but less willing to adjust his contract to help the team.
The discussion was about the 2005 season. Wanna try again?
 

infantrycak

Hall of Fame
2005: Awful QB, Awful OL. Awful offensive coordinator installing a hideous season... and, I think he had a calf strain that he was dealing with.
Ok now that we are clear on the season, let's get back to the question which starts with "...he didn't do as well..."
 

dalemurphy

Hall of Fame
Ok now that we are clear on the season, let's get back to the question which starts with "...he didn't do as well..."
I like that Hopkins believes he can be better. The odds that he will have a career as great as AJ is pretty slim. AJ, from a span between 2004-2011, was arguably as good as any WR ever to play in the NFL not named Jerry Rice.
 

Playoffs

Hall of Fame
I like that Hopkins believes he can be better. The odds that he will have a career as great as AJ is pretty slim. AJ, from a span between 2004-2011, was arguably as good as any WR ever to play in the NFL not named Jerry Rice.
Fify, just my opinion.
 

Playoffs

Hall of Fame
WR DeAndre Hopkins
(on if he received a lot of texts and phone calls about Hard Knocks) “Yeah man, all that good stuff. It was a
nationally televised show, so of course.”

(on Washington Redskins CB DeAngelo Hall) “No man, D-Hall is a great player. I just- it was a good play.”

(on if he was having fun during those practices) “Yeah, that’s how you have to be. That’s how we are on
the field all the time. Y’all just kind of saw a little inside of it.”

(on what he hopes to see from the receivers on Saturday) “Guys go out there and just go hard. Even if they
make mistakes, just go out there and play hard and relentless.”

(on what he’s learned from WRs Nate Washington and Cecil Shorts III) “They’re passing on stuff to me,
man. I’m still learning. It’s only my third year coming up. Those guys played a lot more football games than
me, so I’m always the one asking questions a lot of the time.”

(on if he knew WRs Nate Washington and Cecil Shorts III before they joined the Texans) “Yeah, I did. Both
of those guys are good. In college, them being in the NFL, those are some receivers that I used to look up
to. To get an opportunity to play with them is awesome.”

(on what WRs Nate Washington and Cecil Shorts III have showed him) “They showed me a lot. They
showed me a lot of leadership and the way they practice. They practice hard. Those guys go out there
every down and try to make a play.”

(on if he thinks the league is sleeping on the Texans receiving core) “We’re just going to go out there and
do our job. When that first Sunday game comes, we’ll see.”

(on WR Keith Mumphery) “He’s doing an amazing job. He’s out here, not just on the field, but in the meeting
rooms. He’s asking a lot of questions and working hard. So I think he’s going to be in this league for a
while.”

(on how much his first two years prepared him for this season) “Preparation is key. I think the last couple
years have prepared me for this situation in a lot of ways. Being behind a future Hall of Famer in Andre
Johnson and picking his brain every day, that helps a lot. I think he’s given me all the tools to succeed in
the NFL.”

(on if he still talks to WR Andre Johnson) “Oh yeah, yeah. He called me when we were in Washington after
we had gotten into the conflict. He saw it on ESPN and he was just asking me what happened. Kind of
laughing, so yeah we keep in contact.”

(on if WR Andre Johnson thought the fight was funny) “Yeah, everybody thought it was funny. It’s kind of
what happens. It’s the NFL.”

(on if he feels he is a leader on the team now) “Oh yeah, by far. Even last year with Andre (Johnson) being
here, I kind of felt that leadership role on my shoulders. Even with him being here, so this year more so.”

(on what leadership qualities he took from WR Andre Johnson) “Action. He’s not a guy that’s going to say
too much but he’s going to lead by his actions. That’s kind of what I try to do out here.”

(on CB Kevin Johnson) “Oh man, he’s going to be good. He’s going to be real good.”

(on if CB Kevin Johnson has picked his brain) “Yeah, since the first day he came out here. When I wasn’t
even practicing, he was just asking me what he needed to work on and what do I see he can get better at.
A guy asking questions from the first day shows a lot about him.”

(on if he offers advice to the younger players) “Yeah, I kind of tell the guys what to do here and what to look
for because they’re my teammates. So we’re all trying to make each other better.”

(on if he faced CB Kevin Johnson in college) “Yeah, I did. ACC, of course.”

(on how it was facing CB Kevin Johnson) “I haven’t lost against him, but he was good.”
 

Playoffs

Hall of Fame
DeAndre Hopkins did some homework before he ever stepped foot into one of Bill O’Brien’s team meetings.

He studied the New England Patriots offense.

Entering his second year in the NFL, Hopkins wanted to get a jump start on learning the new offense that O’Brien and his coaching staff were bringing to Houston. Even at the age of 21, he knew that talent and athleticism wasn’t going to be enough.

Hopkins turned to a friend, New England wide receiver Aaron Dobsen, for advice.

“It was very hard, I’m not going to lie," Hopkins said in an exclusive interview with Texans Radio. "I was kind of nervous in the offseason once we made that change, I started looking at the Patriots offense and just seeing things they were doing. I called my friend Aaron Dobsen, who was a receiver for them, and just asked him, ‘How does this offense work and how does it run?’ He told me, ‘Man, you got to study. It’s not an easy offense.’”

So Hopkins watched the Patriots games. He saw Dobson, the Patriots second-round pick in 2013, struggle in his rookie season. Hopkins also saw Tom Brady’s frustration when Dobson would be “off track.” He didn’t want that for himself.

The Texans 2013 Rookie of the Year tried to learn what he could. He studied the routes that the Patriots receivers ran and worked on them himself. When Hopkins showed up to his first meeting, he was pleasantly surprised that he was familiar with what was expected of him.

“I saw some of the routes and I would work on those routes that I had seen the Patriots run, but the names and the formation of them were new to me," Hopkins said. "I kind of had a familiarity with the routes that they were running.”

Hopkins has established himself as a leader on offense now as a third-year veteran. Head coach O’Brien recognizes the hard work that's gone into establishing the team's top receiver.

“If you look at DeAndre Hopkins, when we got here, we were always having to correct the guy on every play,” O’Brien said via HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks.’ “But, what did he do? He stuck with it, he took the coaching. He worked his butt off to be a good player. Now look at this guy, he’s one of the top five guys on our team. This guy could be a force in this league.”

The full radio interview with Hopkins will air on Tuesday's Texans All Access show (noon to 2 pm. CT) on SportsRadio 610 and HoustonTexans.com.
 

Playoffs

Hall of Fame
DeAndre Hopkins is about to step out of the shadows into superstardom
By Stephen White on Sep 2, 2015

Andre Johnson is gone, leaving DeAndre Hopkins as the Houston Texans' unquestioned No. 1 wide receiver for this season. There are probably some folks who would say Hopkins was sorta, kinda already the No. 1 receiver last season, but I would disagree. His numbers look good, but let's not act like torching the Tennessee Titans didn't skew those stats a bit. Now I'm a firm believer that if a guy puts the numbers on the board, you can't ever totally discount them, but he didn't come close in any other week to matching his nine receptions and 238 yards in that game. And listen, the Titans were picking second in the draft this spring for a reason.

That's not to knock Hopkins. I'm just being real. I don't know if he will hit two bills again this season, but I damn sure would expect him to catch nine balls or more in more than one game. That's a reasonable expectation because this kid can do it all.

Want him to run a shallow crosser in traffic and hang on to the rock after contact? He got you!

Want him to take the top off the defense? He got you!

Want a timing route run precisely on third and short? He got you!

Want him to just go up and make a play with guys draped all over him? He definitely got you!

Even if Johnson had returned to the Texans this season, I think the torch would've still been passed to Hopkins. Yeah, I said it.

Hopkins is a guy who is going to get his every single week, whoever the quarterback is. That's the advantage of having blazing speed and also being tough enough to make catches over the middle. Defenses always have to give up something in coverage, and whatever that is Hopkins will gladly accept it and make even more out of it when it's all said and done. With more opportunities to shine, Hopkins is going to have Houston's scoreboard lit up like a roman candle. I'd actually expect all of Hopkins' numbers to go way up this year, and I think he could easily double his six touchdowns from last season.

If he can find a way to catch 12 or more touchdowns and at least repeat his reception totals and yardage numbers from last season, that would put him in pretty elite company. I happen to believe Hopkins is ready to do all that and then some.​
 

eriadoc

Texan-American
I don't think he has blazing speed like the writer, but I do think he has learned enough route running that his almost blazing speed is enough. Couple that with the tough catches he makes and you have a star in the making. I know some don't feel he's a bona fide #1, and I'm in a wait and see mode on that, but it's no doubt the guy can make plays. I like him.

Except for the purse.
 

infantrycak

Hall of Fame
Hopkins is great. We've been spoiled watching a hall of famer for essentially the entire existence of the team

Does anyone really remember 2002 other than 19-10 and Gary Walker? OK for serious NFL trivia fans we also beat the Steelers with the least offensive yards ever.
 

Hervoyel

BUENO!
Hopkins is great. We've been spoiled watching a hall of famer for essentially the entire existence of the team

Does anyone really remember 2002 other than 19-10 and Gary Walker? OK for serious NFL trivia fans we also beat the Steelers with the least offensive yards ever.
One of my friends is a big Steelers fan and I still love bringing that up. Way more than I would ever talk about 19-10 to a Cowboy's fan. That was some bizarre "Twilight Zone" stuff that day. I've never seen anything like it. We beat a team without putting an offense on the field.

But the WR's in 2002 were incredibly hard to watch. Bradford would get some yards if he could outrun the CB covering him AND catch the ball that play but that was it. He had a few cool moments then and he's a hell of a nice guy but after Bradford (who was really like a #3) we had nothing at WR and TE Billy Miller just wasn't that hard to cover.
 

beerlover

Hall of Fame
One of my friends is a big Steelers fan and I still love bringing that up. Way more than I would ever talk about 19-10 to a Cowboy's fan. That was some bizarre "Twilight Zone" stuff that day. I've never seen anything like it. We beat a team without putting an offense on the field.

But the WR's in 2002 were incredibly hard to watch. Bradford would get some yards if he could outrun the CB covering him AND catch the ball that play but that was it. He had a few cool moments then and he's a hell of a nice guy but after Bradford (who was really like a #3) we had nothing at WR and TE Billy Miller just wasn't that hard to cover.
Do you feel this is the best group of WR's in same year fighting to make the 53 man roster in Texan franchise history?
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
I think Hopkins being here was a small factor in being able to let A.J. go. Here is someone already on the roster that has the potential to fill those giant shoes.
 

Hervoyel

BUENO!
Do you feel this is the best group of WR's in same year fighting to make the 53 man roster in Texan franchise history?
I do. There have been times when we thought we had an impressive group in training camp but it ended up being AJ and Kevin Walter with an odd Jadopey Jones sighting ever now and then. Nobody else really mattered though.

I could be wrong about this season too but I really think that once we make that final cut we're going to be letting somebody go who will play some quality football this year for someone else. Maybe in a small amount but we're letting someone go in that bunch who probably would have led the Texans in receptions in 2002. Just the general level of competition is so much higher now than it was in the past. If I'd been told that we'd lose AJ and the overall position group would get better I'd have been doubting.
 

Mr teX

Hall of Fame
I do. There have been times when we thought we had an impressive group in training camp but it ended up being AJ and Kevin Walter with an odd Jadopey Jones sighting ever now and then. Nobody else really mattered though.

I could be wrong about this season too but I really think that once we make that final cut we're going to be letting somebody go who will play some quality football this year for someone else. Maybe in a small amount but we're letting someone go in that bunch who probably would have led the Texans in receptions in 2002. Just the general level of competition is so much higher now than it was in the past. If I'd been told that we'd lose AJ and the overall position group would get better I'd have been doubting.
OB wants the offense balanced & I think we got a little insight into how OB wants this offense to run when AJ asked to be released largely b/c of the 40 catch thingy. In OB's vision our WR's 2-4 will have at least 40-45 catches each, with the TE's getting around 30-40 each. I think he recognizes that Nuk is a premier talent and will certainly get his 80-85 receptions, but he doesn't want the whole passing attack to be dependent on him. Spreading the ball around to other guys will keep teams from shading over Nuk...too much anyway. He wants those 3rd, 4th & 5th option guys more apart of the offense b/c most teams can't go 3,4 or 5 deep talent wise at cb.

That's why we haven't really been throwing as much in the PS to our obvious top 3 & instead being going to Mumphrey, Strong & the other guys on the bubble at the WR position...been mixing in the TE's alot more too.
 

Playoffs

Hall of Fame
“The team comes first,” Hopkins said. “That’s the first thing I’m thinking about – not accolades for myself. I have receivers to help me. I don’t really consider myself the guy.”

But everyone else does.

Hopkins won’t talk about individual goals after his 1,200-yard sophomore season.

Except for one.

Zero drops is my goal,” he said.​
 
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