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Polamalu and Hope

CoolieMan

CoolieMan

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After decades of dreaming I finally made it to Pittsburgh in ‘04. The mall near where we stayed had a signing with Chris Hope. Got to meet him and get an autograph. Very nice guy. Chuckled when he asked who to sign the pic to, and I had him put my nickname. My friends back home all love it.
 
BLITZ said:
rewatching Troy games from 2005-2011 is pretty awesome stuff. some of the things he did will never be seen again except on old video.
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A very unique talent. The flyin Hawaiian. I think Flacco is still having nightmares. I can't remember a SS that could cover so much ground in such a short time.
 
slashsteel said:
A very unique talent. The flyin Hawaiian. I think Flacco is still having nightmares. I can't remember a SS that could cover so much ground in such a short time.
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Troy was the man ...no doubt...

But the guy that Flacco played with was pretty darn good at covering ground...
 
steel dino said:
Troy was the man ...no doubt...

But the guy that Flacco played with was pretty darn good at covering ground...
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Fuckesss Ed Reed, Hines says Howdy there pawwwdner....................



Salute the nation
 
BLITZ said:
rewatching Troy games from 2005-2011 is pretty awesome stuff. some of the things he did will never be seen again except on old video.
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2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010 were fun years.

2006 and 2007 he was injury plagued. 2009 as well. Post 2011 his style of play evidently broke down his body
 
I thought it was hilarious how Hope and Polamalu gamed Cowher like that
 
CoolieMan said:
That was a great duo

www.steelernation.com

How the Steelers’ Super Bowl 40 Star Safeties Troy Polamalu and Chris Hope Hustled Bill Cowher

Through the 2005 season en route to winning Super Bowl XL, the Pittsburgh Steelers were fielding one of the best young secondaries in the NFL. They had the best safety duo in the league with Troy Polamalu and Chris Hope, a pairing that began on the 2003 Steelers scout team and through the...
www.steelernation.com www.steelernation.com
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MTC said:
I wonder how Hope would’ve fared if he remained a Steeler?

But I do like Ryan Clark
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Coolie is right that Hope and Troy was a great duo, but as MTC brings up; Troy with Ryan Clark was greater. RC‘s mastery of DeBeau’s defense allowed Troy to freelance more. Hope wanted out of Troy’s shadow, but didn't realize Troy‘s presence, gave him more opportunities than when had to be “the guy“ in the secondary when playing on another team.
 
Ike Kelly said:
Coolie is right that Hope and Troy was a great duo, but as MTC brings up; Troy with Ryan Clark was greater. RC‘s mastery of DeBeau’s defense allowed Troy to freelance more. Hope wanted out of Troy’s shadow, but didn't realize Troy‘s presence, gave him more opportunities than when had to be “the guy“ in the secondary when playing on another team.
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Hope had some really strong years with the Titans, though their teams were not always the best.

I'd argue Clark/Troy had the edge largely because they played together longer, having even better familiarity in the process, not necessarily because Clark was the better player


Given what Hope/Troy showed in 2004-2005 and assuming continued progression with experience, I tend to doubt there would have been much difference in the performance of the defense in the late 2000s had Hope stayed.

To me, Hope and Clark were just like Darren Perry: DBs that got by more on smarts than athleticism and were solid complements to a star safety, with Carnell Lake in Perry's case.

Hope was definitely the fastest of the three, though not a burner by any stretch.
 
Ike Kelly said:
Coolie is right that Hope and Troy was a great duo, but as MTC brings up; Troy with Ryan Clark was greater. RC‘s mastery of DeBeau’s defense allowed Troy to freelance more. Hope wanted out of Troy’s shadow, but didn't realize Troy‘s presence, gave him more opportunities than when had to be “the guy“ in the secondary when playing on another team.
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Ryan will always be the fan favorite. He absolutely sacrificed his body. The hits were legendary.
 
Punxsutawney said:
Hope had some really strong years with the Titans, though their teams were not always the best.

I'd argue Clark/Troy had the edge largely because they played together longer, having even better familiarity in the process, not necessarily because Clark was the better player


Given what Hope/Troy showed in 2004-2005 and assuming continued progression with experience, I tend to doubt there would have been much difference in the performance of the defense in the late 2000s had Hope stayed.

To me, Hope and Clark were just like Darren Perry: DBs that got by more on smarts than athleticism and were solid complements to a star safety, with Carnell Lake in Perry's case.

Hope was definitely the fastest of the three, though not a burner by any stretch.
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Hope was a good player Punx, but as I said when he became the feature in TEN, he didn’t have what Troy brought. RC was the perfect complement to Troy because he played with Sean Taylor in WAS and learned early how to be the Ying to an All-Pro Yang.

Taylor was a supreme player as well, most unfortunate for him to lose his life….he was on his way to being HOF worthy.
 
Ike Kelly said:
Hope was a good player Punx, but as I said when he became the feature in TEN, he didn’t have what Troy brought. RC was the perfect complement to Troy because he played with Sean Taylor in WAS and learned early how to be the Ying to an All-Pro Yang.

Taylor was a supreme player as well, most unfortunate for him to lose his life….he was on his way to being HOF worthy.
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Hope was a better player period. He had great chemistry with Troy & Troy would say the same thing.

There’s a reason he got paid almost as much per year than Ryan Clark’s original entire contract
 
FSF said:
Hope was a better player period. He had great chemistry with Troy & Troy would say the same thing.

There’s a reason he got paid almost as much per year than Ryan Clark’s original entire contract
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For me this is a hard decide. I think Hope was clearly the more instinctual ball hawk of the two. I think Clark was more sound against the run. When Hope played in a different scheme, when he moved on that could have been viewed as his best football. I always viewed both as good football players. I have the edge to Hope which might be apples to oranges in evaluation but I see them a little closer together.
 
FSF said:
Hope was a better player period. He had great chemistry with Troy & Troy would say the same thing.

There’s a reason he got paid almost as much per year than Ryan Clark’s original entire contract
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I’d have to agree to disagree with you there Bill. Hope played SS after he left PIT, while RC was a pure FS next to Troy. Statistically, RC has better numbers, but they played different positions in the same scheme during their prime. So, comparing them is pure opinion. As for chemistry, RC started next to Troy for almost 7.5 years, while Hope started two years next to him. Plus if you watch RC’s interview with Ike Taylor and Troy….well, you can tell they were a close knit group.
 
Ike Kelly said:
I’d have to agree to disagree with you there Bill. Hope played SS after he left PIT, while RC was a pure FS next to Troy. Statistically, RC has better numbers, but they played different positions in the same scheme during their prime. So, comparing them is pure opinion. As for chemistry, RC started next to Troy for almost 7.5 years, while Hope started two years next to him. Plus if you watch RC’s interview with Ike Taylor and Troy….well, you can tell they were a close knit group.
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The entire defense seemed pretty close knit
 
Ike Kelly said:
I’d have to agree to disagree with you there Bill. Hope played SS after he left PIT, while RC was a pure FS next to Troy. Statistically, RC has better numbers, but they played different positions in the same scheme during their prime. So, comparing them is pure opinion. As for chemistry, RC started next to Troy for almost 7.5 years, while Hope started two years next to him. Plus if you watch RC’s interview with Ike Taylor and Troy….well, you can tell they were a close knit group.
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You would think a SS run numbers would shine over a FS. But Clark not only was a solid tackler he was steady Eddie in that department for a good duration of time. Really good debate as they both did some things well. Steelers fans had Clark longer so I would expect that to be the normal lean. But I did like what Hope did in coverage. I think having either player in their prime,you are liking what you are getting....
 
slashsteel said:
You would think a SS run numbers would shine over a FS. But Clark not only was a solid tackler he was steady Eddie in that department for a good duration of time. Really good debate as they both did some things well. Steelers fans had Clark longer so I would expect that to be the normal lean. But I did like what Hope did in coverage. I think having either player in their prime,you are liking what you are getting....
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Yeah, RC was the backend general and called the formations after Potsie called the alignment. RC doing this allowed Troy to freelance in Coach LeBeau’s scheme since he knew where everyone was at any moment. The guy knew everyone’s assignment on defense, even after an audible.

Hope was a good player, very solid all around. I saw him play for TEN several times and he had Chuck Cecil as a coach. He didn’t have the range Troy did, but he could hit like a truck. Actually, I think the wear and tear of his physicality is what caused him to retire early.
 
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