Gunzlingr
03-16-2006, 09:49 AM
Safety Chris Hope has never hesitated to stick his head into the middle of the action.
But as he lined up for the Steelers the past few seasons, he sometimes got kidded that he couldn't be found — at least not at the snap.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=305 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD><TD width=10 rowSpan=3>http://www.tennessean.com/graphics/1pix.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD><CENTER><SCRIPT language=JavaScript> OAS_AD('300x250_1'); </SCRIPT></CENTER></TD></TR><TR><TD>http://www.tennessean.com/graphics/1pix.gif</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>"Me and my agent always joke around about not even being on the (TV) screen in some of the games because I was so deep,'' Hope said.
"Pittsburgh was a great place. They gave me an opportunity to fulfill a dream of playing in the National Football League, so I have nothing but positive things to say. But ... I was limited to just playing in the middle of the field.''
Hope agreed to a six-year deal with the Titans yesterday, about six weeks after celebrating a Super Bowl triumph with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 5-foot-11, 206-pounder, who is heading toward his fourth NFL season, is expected to provide some pop and range
in the secondary and some leadership in the locker room for a young team.
Titans Coach Jeff Fisher said Hope's athletic ability "is going to allow him to do whatever we need him to do — cover the slot receiver or play around the line of scrimmage. He was basically a line of scrimmage linebacker in (Pittsburgh's) nickel and dime packages, so he has the instinct to do those kind of things.
"The thing that we look for in the position as it's evolving and changing now is the athletic ability, the opportunity to put your foot in the ground, make a play, go make a tackle, ball skills and those kinds of things. That's
what Chris does. He has good instincts.''
Hope will probably be paired with safety Lamont Thompson, who started alongside Tank Williams last season. Williams is a free agent, and the signing of Hope pretty much guarantees he won't be back.
The Titans also want Hope to be a steadying influence for cornerbacks Pacman Jones and Reynaldo Hill, who are coming off solid rookie seasons.
"I was the guy on the (Steelers) that kept everybody in line, kept everybody from fighting, kept everybody from getting overexcited at the referees or getting too excited with the tempo of the game. And I made my plays when they presented themselves,'' Hope said.
"Pacman, I don't know him personally, but (former Steelers teammate) Ike Taylor is a guy that was very raw. He came from a small school, very cocky and very confident. I hit home with him and finally got him to learn and listen to someone, so I'm up for the challenge.''
A third-round pick of the Steelers in 2002, Hope started his final 32 games with Pittsburgh. He had a career-high three interceptions last season while recording 97 tackles.
More: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060316/SPORTS01/603160388/1027
But as he lined up for the Steelers the past few seasons, he sometimes got kidded that he couldn't be found — at least not at the snap.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=305 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD><TD width=10 rowSpan=3>http://www.tennessean.com/graphics/1pix.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD><CENTER><SCRIPT language=JavaScript> OAS_AD('300x250_1'); </SCRIPT></CENTER></TD></TR><TR><TD>http://www.tennessean.com/graphics/1pix.gif</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>"Me and my agent always joke around about not even being on the (TV) screen in some of the games because I was so deep,'' Hope said.
"Pittsburgh was a great place. They gave me an opportunity to fulfill a dream of playing in the National Football League, so I have nothing but positive things to say. But ... I was limited to just playing in the middle of the field.''
Hope agreed to a six-year deal with the Titans yesterday, about six weeks after celebrating a Super Bowl triumph with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 5-foot-11, 206-pounder, who is heading toward his fourth NFL season, is expected to provide some pop and range
in the secondary and some leadership in the locker room for a young team.
Titans Coach Jeff Fisher said Hope's athletic ability "is going to allow him to do whatever we need him to do — cover the slot receiver or play around the line of scrimmage. He was basically a line of scrimmage linebacker in (Pittsburgh's) nickel and dime packages, so he has the instinct to do those kind of things.
"The thing that we look for in the position as it's evolving and changing now is the athletic ability, the opportunity to put your foot in the ground, make a play, go make a tackle, ball skills and those kinds of things. That's
what Chris does. He has good instincts.''
Hope will probably be paired with safety Lamont Thompson, who started alongside Tank Williams last season. Williams is a free agent, and the signing of Hope pretty much guarantees he won't be back.
The Titans also want Hope to be a steadying influence for cornerbacks Pacman Jones and Reynaldo Hill, who are coming off solid rookie seasons.
"I was the guy on the (Steelers) that kept everybody in line, kept everybody from fighting, kept everybody from getting overexcited at the referees or getting too excited with the tempo of the game. And I made my plays when they presented themselves,'' Hope said.
"Pacman, I don't know him personally, but (former Steelers teammate) Ike Taylor is a guy that was very raw. He came from a small school, very cocky and very confident. I hit home with him and finally got him to learn and listen to someone, so I'm up for the challenge.''
A third-round pick of the Steelers in 2002, Hope started his final 32 games with Pittsburgh. He had a career-high three interceptions last season while recording 97 tackles.
More: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060316/SPORTS01/603160388/1027