Pope boasts red-zone pedigree

[Shawn]

I'm reading some good things about Pope. I trust Haley's opinion on the guy. If he is signing him up everywhere he goes, he must have some talent. The guy has deceptive speed, clocked at 4.62 coming out of college. And at 6 foot 8 that is ridiculous. He is known for being a terrific blocker. I don't see the down side of the signing personally.

[feltdizz]

I'm reading some good things about Pope. I trust Haley's opinion on the guy. If he is signing him up everywhere he goes, he must have some talent. The guy has deceptive speed, clocked at 4.62 coming out of college. And at 6 foot 8 that is ridiculous. He is known for being a terrific blocker. I don't see the down side of the signing personally.

yep! I think this could do wonders for the running and passing game in the redzone. Our blocking by the TE's has always been a little suspect IMO.

[hawaiiansteel]

Pope likes what he sees with Steelers

Teresa Varley - Steelers.com
June 7, 2012

When Leonard Pope made his free agent visit to the Steelers this past offseason, one of the first things he noticed was the six Super Bowl trophies lined up in the team’s library.

“I looked at all six,” said Pope. “That is the first thing I saw when I went upstairs. That is something I personally want to be a part of and go down in history with these guys.”

Pope was so close to being a part of a Super Bowl winning team when he played for the Arizona Cardinals, but came up short when the Steelers defeated the Cardinals 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII. Pope remembers what the feeling was like watching Steelers players celebrate, seeing the trophy handed to them and then watching the confetti flying down.

When he first met with Coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert, he told them flat out he wanted to be “on the other side of the confetti.” He wanted to win a Super Bowl, and felt signing with the Steelers was his best option to do that.

“When you are playing the Steelers that is one team I always knew we had to buckle up our chin straps,” said Pope. “We knew they were going to bring it. This is a special group of people. Coach Tomlin, you listen to him, the way he speaks, he is well respected.

“I know the feeling to lose the Super Bowl. We have the right type of people and the coaching staff and organization here that winning it can be done again. Everything I thought the Pittsburgh Steelers would be and everything I thought I would be surrounding myself around, this is it. I clearly see why the Steelers are so successful and have been the last couple of years.”

[URL="http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Pope-likes-what-he-sees-with-Steelers/6464fd70-60a5-418c-892a-0e21d6ef5f04"]http://www.steelers.com/news/article...a-0e21d6ef5f04[/URL]

[jj28west]

I remember his catch over Foote in the SB. What about a bubble WR screen with Pope, Lyons & Saunders? Long live BA!

[Jooser]

You're a blight to a message board.

Understated I think. I was thinking more along the lines of a plague. Yo, the owners of the Baltimore Sun Forum called, they want their pet Crash back.

[Crash]

Leonard Pope had no catches in SB XLIII.

[phillyesq]

yep! I think this could do wonders for the running and passing game in the redzone. Our blocking by the TE's has always been a little suspect IMO.

I don't expect Pope to suddently transform the Steelers TEs into Gronk/Hernandez, but I think he can be a nice complimentary piece. His size should be an asset in the red zone.

[grotonsteel]

I don't expect Pope to suddently transform the Steelers TEs into Gronk/Hernandez, but I think he can be a nice complimentary piece. His size should be an asset in the red zone.

I hope i don't see him even in Red Zone. As is Steelers offense struggle in Red Zone and on top of that we don't want holding penalties in RZ.

I am sure one holding penalty on Pope and Steelers fans will be up in arms. Right now its honeymoon period with the template "He was not used properly in AZ, KC"

[Crash]

I agree. For every RZ play Pope is in for? That means one of the YMC isn't.

[phillyesq]

I agree. For every RZ play Pope is in for? That means one of the YMC isn't.

Depends where in the red zone you are talking about. If the Steelers are on the 20? Yes, three wides and Heath is fine. Inside the three? Line up the big bodies and consider play action.

[squidkid]

pleeaase. pope sucks. 24 catches? 9 career td's? this is our redzone threat? pathetic

[grotonsteel]

pleeaase. pope sucks. 24 catches? 9 career td's? this is our redzone threat? pathetic

He was not properly used in AZ and KC....

Add to that 10 penalities last season. 6 of them were drive killers. I think he leads the NFL in penalties for TEs.

[Crash]

What's hilarious is everyone was happy when Yinzer Savior Haley switched DJ to fullback.

Then he comes out and says DJ may still see time at TE.

So what's changed? Nothing.

But no one says a word because we have a local guy running the offense.

[hawaiiansteel]

What's hilarious is everyone was happy when Yinzer Savior Haley switched DJ to fullback.

Then he comes out and says DJ may still see time at TE.

So what's changed? Nothing.

But no one says a word because we have a local guy running the offense.

I don't think too many Steelers fans are happy about DJ playing anywhere, most would be glad to see him cut.

[phillyesq]

What's hilarious is everyone was happy when Yinzer Savior Haley switched DJ to fullback.

Then he comes out and says DJ may still see time at TE.

So what's changed? Nothing.

But no one says a word because we have a local guy running the offense.

There is a strawman argument if I've ever seen one. I don't think anybody really wanted to see DJ anywhere. I think the thought was if the Steelers were going to use a fullback to actually find a natural fullback.