Coming into his 2nd season, Houston Texans’ WR DeAndre Hopkins has high expectations for himself. After all, this is the wide receiver who said with bravado after just a few games in the NFL, “I feel like I can be better than Andre.” Andre, of course, is Andre Johnson, the greatest receiver in Texans’ history & a candidate for the Hall of Fame once his playing days are over.
Due to the Texans’ QB inconsistency & his own learning curve as an NFL rookie in 2013, Hopkins finished his inaugural season with 52 receptions for 802 yards & 2 TDs. Not exactly All Pro numbers, but a solid start & something to build on for 2014.
“I have the same mentality that I had last year,” Hopkins said. “I put last year behind me. I’m just coming out here with a new focus & just trying to be the best player I can be.”
Having swagger at the wide receiver position is nothing new, as Terrell Owens, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson & Dez Bryant have all made headlines, as much for their outspokenness as for their accomplishments on the field. However, one thing is certain under new Texans head coach Bill O’Brien. He is not for individualism at any position. As he said in his introductory press conference last January, O’Brien desires players that buy into the team concept & understand “it’s not about individual stats or individual performances. It’s about doing what’s best for the team & being a good teammate.“
Having taken note of his new coach’s attitude, DeAndre worked hard in the offseason to prepare himself for the rigors of the NFL schedule. He worked out at Clemson with other NFL players such as Andre Ellington, Jarvis Jenkins, and C.J. Spiller, and felt the regimented activity back home sharpened him for the upcoming season.
“That was helpful,” Hopkins said about the experience. “Just training with guys that I played with in college to push each other. It’s always a competition when we are out there training.”
DeAndre Hopkins has a new QB throwing him the ball the season with veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. He’s been impressed with DeAndre’s playmaking ability in their time together in camp.
“DeAndre has done a great job,” Fitzpatrick said. “He works hard, comes every day. He wants to win.”
Fitzpatrick has also observed Hopkins desire to have the ball thrown to him, an attribute of a number one receiver in the NFL.
“If you’re a guy who wants the ball thrown to you, I’ll throw to you. You catch it; I’ll throw it to you again. You saw that yesterday in practice, kind of some of the spectacular plays that he made.”
Andre Johnson has definitely taken notice of DeAndre Hopkins, and while not ready to concede his own number one receiver status, he is enthused about how comfortable DeAndre has looked in camp.
“The plays he was making out there were awesome,” Johnson said after a recent training camp workout. “It’s great to see & I just keep telling him—I keep saying do what you’re doing. Don’t be satisfied with it. Just keep working. And that’s the thing about him. He works hard to be great. That’s a great thing to see in a young guy like that.”
While he may not ever supersede Andre Johnson, Hopkins is showing early in camp the elite talent to take his game to the next level. And even with a down-to-business head coach like Bill O’Brien, DeAndre is enjoying the team game & the renewed commitment to success.
“We’re out here having fun. You know you have to have fun on your job, or why else would you do it?”
-R.G. Seal
