Multiple Reason Led To DeAndre Hopkins Decision To Sign With The Tennessee Titans
NASHVILLE - DeAndre Hopkins was the subject of a somewhat over-abundance of talk over the last few weeks as he went through the free agent visits and the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots pursued him.
On Tuesday, Hopkins met the Nashville media for the first time as a member of the Titans, adorned in a team hat as he stood behind the podium to share his thoughts on his new team, the process to decide to sign here, Mike Vrabel, Derrick Henry, Treylong Burks, Ryan Tannehill and more.
What was the main reason Hopkins chose the Titans?
"A competitive roster that (Mike ) Vrabel and Ran (Carthon) have built," began Hopkins. "I wanted to be able to compete. Obviously, it starts with the division, and after that, the rest speaks for itself."
As for Vrabel, their relationship and connection played a crucial role in his final decision.
"Oh, that helps a lot, especially for someone in my situation going on year eleven, and I wanted to be somewhere around people I'm comfortable with," continued Hopkins. "Vrabel, you know, we've always kept communication over the years. When I first got to Arizona, he was the first coach to congratulate me. And was one of the first coaches to criticize a bad game I had as well. He wasn't my coach, and that's what I respect about him.
What was his former coach's criticism?
"He asked me why I didn't catch a ball that I should've caught."
Carthon also loomed large for Hopkins in his final decision.
"I felt great. Ran did a great job very well as well, showing me around, showing me the facility, and showing me how they do things here. I felt good about leaving, and obviously, it had something to do with my decisions as well."
While soft-spoken, the confidence Hopkins has in himself was evident, but not in an arrogant sense. He feels he can still play at a high level and shared the reasons for those feelings.
Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK
"My IQ, the way I play the game, the pace I played a game, obviously the way I started last season as well, (and) my first couple games in Arizona," Hopkins said.
His new head coach also shared some thoughts about his new talent.
"Obviously, he's a proven player that's had production, year after year," said Vrabel. "He's a veteran presence that's seen a lot of different defenses, and he's got experience in our offense."
"The system might have changed a little, but he's got some familiarity with it, some familiarity with me and some of our coaches, so we're going to ask him to do the same things we asked everybody else to do, which is to come in, be attentive, work hard, and help the team in multiple ways."
"I'm confident he'll do that, and I'll tell you this when we signed him, he mentioned that he wanted to communicate that he had a prior engagement that he'll be taking care of here in the next couple of days, so I would say that there may be a day or two, that he won't be here, not to alarm anybody, but I appreciate him letting us know that from the onset, when we signed him. So. we do that with all of our players that communicate with us."
At age 31, Hopkins acknowledged that he as altered his training regimen from what he did as a younger player.
"Yeah, absolutely. I really, last year was the first year that I kind of started a certain kind of training at XOs speed training with this guy named Nick. I never ran track, so it was my first really track experience and speed training, and this was the first off-season, I would say. I had a full off-season to kind of go out and do that kind of training."
Even though he is now part of the third team in his NFL career, the veteran understands the situation where he will be asked to produce on the field and lead the younger players inside his position group.
"I approach that as a challenge to help those guys. Obviously, I had similar guys like Andre Johnson, and Larry Fitzgerald, who kind of showed me the way, so I approach it as a challenge to help those guys get to where they want to get to. Obviously, it"s about the team. So whatever I can do to help those guys on and off the field, that"s what I'll do.
Perhaps the most impressive comment Hopkins made came last season, where the 3-time Pro-Bowl receiver spoke of one particular game that got his attention as to this team. That game was the season finally, where Josh Dobbs led the Titans to a close loss, after just two weeks with the team, with the division title on the line, in Jacksonville.
"I remember watching last year's game when Josh Dobbs came in, and they almost won the game."
"So that right there woke my eyes up to how these guys play and the pace they play at and how competitive they can be with the right people on the team, and I"m pretty sure you guys saw the same game that I saw. They were in a lot of games, and before, a lot of people got hurt. I've always kept up with the Titans, and Derrick Henry's one of my friends, so I tried to watch all the games that he's played."
"So I think last year when Josh came in, and those guys were very close to still winning right there, kind of woke my eyes up to see that they're only a couple pieces away from where they want to be."
Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly was also part of the Texan's staff during the receiver's time in Texas, impacting the decision to join the Titans.
"I think we can start where we left off. Obviously, Tim wasn't calling a lot of plays when I was there, but he was still somewhat part of the offense, and Tim knows a lot. He knows me, he knows where I play. I know Tim very well. I remember when he was just a QC (quality control), and he's come a long way. He put a lot of work in, and he's very passionate about what he does, and so am I."
Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK
Having played with multiple quarterbacks during his 11 years in the league, Hopkins was asked what it takes to develop a relationship with his passers.
"Off the field, not just on the field, speaking to those guys, hanging out with them, doing the little things. I played with a lot of quarterbacks, and that's one thing that I realized that helps extra communication, doing the little things that you don't see on the practice field and going over things in the film room trying to be perfect. All quarterbacks are different, but at the same time, they're very similar. So just are trying to find certain things that they like and being on the same page with them."
Hopkins had earlier mentioned his friendship with Henry but had more to say as he continued discussing his decision.
"Derrick played a big factor in me coming here. I always wanted to be part of the offense that had a great run game. I know that has my job, and I know it's going to help his job. Having someone like me out there, I think, obviously helped Arian Foster."
"I played with some great running backs, but Derrick Henry is definitely by far one of the best running backs that I would be able to have a chance to play with, and I think that not just help us but the team as well. So Derrick Henry being here played a very big part of me coming here."
So what was it that told Vrabel Hopkins wanted to be a Titan?
The most important thing is that we want players that want to be here. It started with that. I explained that to DeAndre (Hopkins). I said, if that's the case and if you want to be here, then things will work out. The contractual side of it will work out, and we'll figure things out. But if you don't and you want to be somewhere else, then don't waste our time, don't waste your time or anybody else's time. We stayed in contact throughout the process, and I'm excited that he's here, and we're all moving forward."
His new quarterback made a strong impression on Hopkins during his visit to Nashville during his tour.
"Ryan (Tannehill) came him, him and his wife, they came and met me and ran when we were out, so that said a lot about him right there. He just wanted to come and talked to me and hang out with me. We kicked it off right away."
Asked how confident Hopkins was in Tannehill's ability to be a winning quarterback for this team, his response was emphatic.
"What do I believe? One out of 10? I think it's a 10," continued Hopkins. "I think he's a great quarterback."
Hopkins will have his first chance to catch passes from Tannehill in an official practice when the team hits the practice field on Wednesday morning.
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