Fans, once you’re done reading “Inside the Helmet” with Derrick Pope, be sure to check the Vikings Blog to stay on top of all the Alltel Vikings Training Camp action.
If you ask any NFL head coach or personnel director what he looks for in a player, you’ll likely here the term “position flexibility” somewhere in the answer. And if you ask any player on the open market what he looks for in a new team, you’ll likely here the term “winning atmosphere’ somewhere in his answer.
So it should come as no surprise that linebacker Derrick Pope decided to land in Minnesota following his first foray into free agency.
The 6-0, 232-pound Pope is a versatile athlete who joined the Vikings after four seasons in Miami. Those four seasons produced zero playoff appearances and only one winning season.
“A winning team,” Pope quickly said when asked what brought him to the Vikings. “They’ve been on the rise for the last couple years, and I want help this team win. That was my main focus. I wanted a great atmosphere, a team atmosphere.”
In Minnesota, Pope joins a team that features the reigning NFL Rookie of the Year and the league’s 2007 sack leader. He is focusing primarily on learning the middle linebacker position with the Vikings, but he will eventually learn the role of all three linebacker positions in assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier’s defense.
“I’m learning all three linebacker positions,” Pope said. “So, right now I’m competing for the fourth linebacker spot and if everything works out I’ll be the backup at each position.”
The Vikings/Pope union gives each side a desirable outcome – Pope joins a team on the rise and the Vikings gain a player with position flexibility. But there’s even more good news for Pope.
A native of Galveston, Texas, Pope played football at the University of Alabama and then joined the Dolphins in the NFL; he’s used to playing football in sizzling temperatures. But in Minnesota, Pope will experience modest training camp temperatures compared to what he’s used to, and even more tolerable weather once fall approaches.
“I’m used to training in 100-degree heat and playing games in similar temperatures,” Pope explained. “So here it’s not so bad. I’ve really enjoyed the weather.”
The Vikings will enjoy having Pope on the team. He may be the smallest linebacker on the team, but his role will be anything but minimal. Vikings coaches know about his work ethic – he joined the league as a seventh-round draft pick and eventually played in 55 games for the Dolphins – and they know that will translate into on-field success.