[ad_1]
On the surface, DeAndre Hopkins might be confused with an eclectic piece of modern art. One look at the Cardinals’ dynamic wide receiver and it’s easy to see a color burst of personality in everything from his unique fashion sense to the different way he displays his signature dreadlocks to his play, which has been originally outstanding for years.
But somewhere between his days with the Houston Texans to now in his second season with the Cardinals, there’s been a perception that most people just don’t know what to truly make out of “D-Hop” or the guy whose teammates and friends simply call “Nuk.”
Is he an indifferent, brooding superstar that sports talk radio hosts love to bash for not always practicing during the week? Or is he more of a highly-competitive, fiery family-first individual who cares about his community and the less fortunate as much as his own brand and career?
“I’ve always played against DeAndre Hopkins and he doesn’t always say much unless it’s something like, ‘You can’t guard me,’ ” veteran cornerback Malcolm Butler said, laughing. “When I came to the Arizona Cardinals, I got to know him. I got to know a little bit more about him, about his mother. That and how he carries himself in the locker room.
“He’s a great guy, a humble guy and he’s a good football player, obviously.”
Most fans probably know the story about Hopkins and his mom, Sabrina Greenlee. She lost her vision almost 20 years ago when a woman she didn’t even know threw acid in her face during a jealous rage. Greenlee, who was in an abusive relationship at the time, became Hopkins’ rock and motivation.
More: NFL Week 1 odds: Money lines, point spreads, over/under for every game
Together, they started a charity called S.M.O.O.T.H, which was established to help women who have been affected by domestic violence. Hopkins also started a foundation to help battle childhood illiteracy and obesity. He’s donated food to the hungry, money and clothing to flood victims in Houston and sent a $150,000 check to the Arizona Coronavirus Relief Fund.
He wants to do more of that type of charity work in the Valley, but as much as anything else, he wants to help the Cardinals win a Super Bowl and be himself along the way. That’s the real DeAndre Hopkins, according to left tackle D.J. Humphries, the longest-tenured player on the team.
“I think he’s about knowing who you are in every situation, being who you are in every situation, and never allowing the situation to alter who you are or alter your mind because everyone else is going in their own direction,” Humphries said. “He’s very much himself. He’s very strong in who he is. He understands that everybody is not the same and everybody is not going to be the same.
“I think I was always kind of that guy, but D-Hop is one of those people you get around and he kind of makes you want to do it even more. It shows who you are, and it shows who you are with confidence. To be around guys like that, that’s definitely something you want to rub off on you.”
Hopkins said his personality and his demeanor isn’t a secret. Those who know him understand him. But what about those who don’t? He was asked how he would describe himself to a perfect stranger.
“I’d describe myself just as a competitor, man,” he said. “Just somebody who wants to go out there and win, no matter where you put me at. I’m not really a high-class, bougie kind of guy. You might see that, you might think that by how I dress. But I’m a dog, man.
“I’ll take licks for my team. I’ll do whatever. I don’t really complain much, and I like working. I like grinding. I love practice.”
Practice? Yes, practice, Hopkins said, even though he gets beat up by the talking heads about missing so much practice time. Kingsbury hasn’t been giving Hopkins any preferential treatment. It turns out Hopkins has just been dealing with a delicate ankle issue the past few seasons.
“A big misperception about somebody like me probably in the media is, ‘He doesn’t like practicing,’” Hopkins said. “But I have what is called a ‘tightrope’ in my ankle and a lot of players don’t go out and really perform very well after that. I’ve had it in there for three years, so I guess coaches sometimes are smart how they manage my hours.
“But I love competing, man. If I could go out there and compete every practice and we go full pads, I’m the guy who would be an advocate of that. I just like playing football. I like competing. … I hate losing.”
More: Cardinals’ Markus Golden expects to rack up the sacks while hunting with Chandler Jones
Cardinals General Manager Steve Kiem thought he knew all there was to know about Hopkins when he traded running back David Johnson, a second-round pick and an exchange of fourth-rounders to the Texans for Hopkins, the five-time Pro Bowl performer and three-time, first-team All-Pro.
But then he discovered another side of Hopkins while spending five to six weeks with him, negotiating a contract extension. Hopkins had fired his agent and decided to represent himself. Sometimes, Keim said, those talks can get awkward. It wasn’t always pretty, either, but both sides emerged in a good spot.
“I’m not going to tell you that sitting with him one-on-one there weren’t some tough conversations, because that’s part of it, that’s the nature of the business,” Keim explained. “But at the same time, over whatever five, six weeks that he and I sat down over and over and talked it through, man, we built a really good relationship and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. I would like to think he feels the same way.
“We communicate and text all the time. He tells me about players he likes and different things that I love to hear from our guys. And he’s got this lovable way about him even though he can bust your chops. You think he’s really sort of disenchanted or he’s mad about something, and really, he’s just messin’ with you. It’s his infectious smile. He’s like, ‘C’mon man, you know you’re my dude.’
“He’s a guy that once you build that trust with him, I’m telling you he’s a special person.”
Throughout training camp, The Republic tried to poll as many players as possible about their thoughts on DeAndre Hopkins, the person and the player. Everyone seemed to have a different, but interesting take.
Running back James Conner, for instance, said, “Hop is a special cat, man. He brings a different type of focus. … Some people will like to say it just comes easy to him, and I’d agree with that, but I also wouldn’t belittle his focus. You can just tell how he goes about his business every day. It’s just a different type of focus.”
Then there was this from fellow veteran wide receiver A.J. Green: “The first thing we talked about, he was like, ‘A.J., if you run a route and I’m on that side, we can switch.’ There’s no egos in this room with us. I’ve been the guy, he is the guy and we’re just trying to win a championship.”
Rookie cornerback Tay Gowan said Hopkins regularly offers him tips on how to handle certain type of receivers, adding he wasn’t expecting the help: “Honestly, no. I really didn’t. I didn’t think his character would be like that, but it turns out D-Hop is a great guy and he’s always reaching out to me. I’ve actually got his number now, so I reach out to him and that means a lot to me.”
Hopkins, who in his first season with the Cardinals last year set a franchise-record with 115 receptions for 14,007 yards, said he can collect all the stats you want. To him, however, he said he isn’t close to reaching his ceiling as an NFL wideout and the only “nirvana” he will accomplish is winning a Super Bowl ring.
As much as Kingsbury said he thinks he knows him, he’s still trying to figure out exactly who Hopkins is and what makes him tick.
“I don’t think anybody knows that,” Kingsbury said. “But I do know this, he’s a very good human being. He’s got a huge heart. You watch how he interacts with the rookies, the young guys, how he takes care of them, how he interacts with some of the older members of our staff. He’s very respectful, very polite. He’s competitive as they come, but he’s a very good person.”
Exactly. He’s like a piece of art, whether you know what it is or not.
More: Cardinals using Isaiah Simmons at multiple spots helps get Jordan Hicks more playing time
Have an opinion on the Arizona Cardinals? Reach McManaman at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @azbobbymac. Listen to him live on Fox Sports 910-AM every Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 on Calling All Sports with Roc and Manuch.
News and information you can trust. Start your online subscription.
[ad_2]
Source link