The Atlanta Falcons are Super Bowl contenders. That's what 10-year veteran safety Chris Hope told the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Tuesday. And it's the reason he signed a one-year contract with Atlanta.
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"They have the makings of being a Super Bowl team," he said. "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."
As he said, Hope has one title under his belt. He spent four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers before joining the Tennessee Titans in 2006, and was a member of the Steelers team that won Super Bowl XL.
"They (the Falcons) are serious about not just being a good football team," Hope said. "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. Matt Ryan is a great quarterback. (Michael) Turner is a great running back. They have two high-powered receivers in Roddy White and the young guy from Alabama (Julio Jones). They have all the tools and the keys to be a Super Bowl contender."
The defensive back had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2011 when he recorded 25 tackles and one interception in two starts for the Titans. He appeared in a career-low 10 games.
"It was a sad way to end my career in Tennessee if I may say so," Hope said. "I played some good football at a high-level and it was sad that my last year ended with an injury. I did not get a chance to go out and show everybody in the league that I can still play at a high-level."
