Veteran Safety Chris Hope feels Atlanta Falcons ready to challenge for Super Bowl
Last year the Atlanta Falcons once again dropped out of the playoffs at the first hurdle and things were made worse as the offence failed to score a single point in the wildcard game against the New York Giants.
The Falcons have qualified for the playoffs thrice in the four years since head coach, Mike Smith, took over yet have failed to move beyond the first game in the postseason each time.
With such poor performances in the postseason, the Falcons are far off from being Super Bowl contenders yet one new player believes that the franchise is right on the verge of lifting the Lombardi Trophy.
Veteran safety, Chris Hope, recently signed a one-year deal with the franchise after being released by the Tennessee Titans.
Hope had a poor 2011 campaign as injuries hampered his production on defence significantly, however, he feels elated at joining the Falcons.
Speaking in an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday, he said that he had just signed for a Super Bowl ready team and feels that the Falcons provided him the best opportunity to get another ring so late in his career.
He said:
"They have the makings of being a Super Bowl team. I think that they are right there, knocking on the door. I feel like, for where I'm at in my career, I want to play for something. I don't want to play for a check. I want to play for an opportunity to win
another ring."
Hope has already lifted the Lombardi Trophy once in his career when he won Super Bowl XL with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He continued by praising the players on the Falcons roster and said that all of them have the potential to make the Falcons as the best team in the league.
He said:
"They (the Falcons) are serious about not just being a good football team. They want to be the best football team. Going out and getting (cornerback) Asante Samuel and signing the guys back from last year was big.”
This year the Falcons are looking to break their playoff hoodoo and with Hope on their side who knows if this is the year for Atlanta.
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