I've taken a lot of flak since early preseason for my assessment of The Pope as being the genuine article and having demonstrated the potential to become a world class RB in the NFL , maybe even becoming a Hall of Famer and having his jersey hung up in the Seahawk stadium one day.
Hell if you think I don't know how crazy that might sound to a lot of you, your wrong, I do. I have a pretty good eye for talent, and I've stepped out on a limb more than once over the years with my crazy predictions or opinions. Shaun Alexander, Marshawn Lynch, Thomas Rawls, to name a few.
I have heard a lot of folks in this forum saying that Pope was to small to be a running back in the NFL, we've heard that before, haven't we? Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, to name a few recently. Pete seems to lean a little bit towards the "small guys", and so far he's had pretty damn good success with his choices.
I'm 6'4", 270, and will tell you the best piece my dad gave me growing up, was that if me and my buddies ever found ourselves in a situation where we going to have to fight with another group of guys, and I assure you in my life, that scenario presented itself a few times, to always avoid the small guy, and instead set my sights on the biggest one. I might not always win that one, but I sure got a lot of entertainment watching my buddies who were dumb enough to think the small one would be a piece of cake, get their asses kicked like they had never been kicked before.
The Pope has already demonstrated that he can play with the big boys. He was on the field during preseason and many of the routes he ran were against 1st string opposition. It might help to refresh everyone's memory that he averaged 8.6 yards per carry and gave defensive players fits.
Ask our defence how he is doing in practice? Don't you think that is why the moved him up to active and waived Christin?
I was so dissapointed when they cut Troymaine at the end of preseason, he came to Seattle and was told if he worked hard, played hard, and met their criteria, that he could successfully compete and win a spot on the team. He gave them that and a whole lot more, only to be cut, in my opinion, because he didn't have the pedigree that others competing for that slot had. It sure wasn't because of his not out performing every other running back competing at the time.
I felt that letting him go was the biggest mistake the Seahawks had made in all the years they have existed. I respect Pete immensley, but I didn't see eye to eye with him on this decision. I was more than frustrated by it, it violated everything I had believed previously to be true about the Seahawk system, and the first time I'd seen someone cut like that , in spite of their efforts and accomplishments.
I heard Pope had been let go by the Jets, who wouldn't know a good running back if they ran the ball straight up their backsides. I then heard something about his maybe going to Dallas. I was hoping that Seahawks management had realized how badly they screwed up when they cut him, and, having seen how their other RBs were panning out, would scoop him up and bring him back home to Seattle, where he truly belongs.
The Pope, fits with the Seahawks, on so many levels. There was a one on one interview that they did with him during the preseason, and in watching that, I felt like he really gave us a look at who he is as a player and as a person.
I know a lot of folks don't put much stock in a players religious convictions. I felt that his was genuine and shared by many of the other Seahawk players. He was committed to being solid on every level, emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally, which is evident in his game on the field and off.
It was also obvious that the rest of the team had bonded with him and fully expected that he would be on the team playing with them this year, based on his performance in practice and in the preseason games. I'm sure a good many of the players were as disappointed with management as were a lot of other fans, myself included.
When they announced The Pope's Seahawk home coming, I said that it was only a matter of time, before someone was going to get bounced, so he could move up on to the 53 man roster, where he rightfully belongs by the way.
For his sake and mine. I hope I'm able to write a boat load of "I told you so" post, here over the next few years. Starting immediately with the first game he plays in, which may be this Sunday if I heard Pete right in a recent press conference.
If I'm all mushed in the head on this one, fear not I'll eat my crow. I have got that feeling that I'm going to be serving up a whole lot of salt and pepper shakers sets to all the naysayers out there who have been given me flack for speaking my mind and sharing my belief in this kid, He is going to do great things for the Seahawks, you can quote me on that.
It's not like I fear having my credibility destroyed by getting on a players band wagon, It would be pretty grandiose of me to think anyone will even remember what I said a few days from now.
Go Seahawks!!!
