What Sets Amani Hooker Apart From Safeties Robert Saleh's Coached

You could tell that the Tennessee Titans missed having Amani Hooker in Week 5 against the Houston Texans. 

He was ruled out with a concussion he suffered in the 24-18 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Tony Adams started in his place; he had previously been with Robert Saleh at the New York Jets. 

The Titans looked lost with Hooker in the secondary against the Texans. C.J. Stroud threw for 261 passing yards and one touchdown. The Titans couldn't stop the Texans' passing attack throughout the game. 

The Titans weren't without injuries heading into Sunday's game. Kevin Winston Jr. was ruled out with a quad injury. 

The team got Hooker back, and he had a very good game. He intercepted Daniel Jones during the Indianapolis Colts' first drive. It was a huge play because the Colts were driving and marching closer to the Titans' end zone. 

Jones overthrew a receiver, and Hooker made an impressive catch on the sidelines, keeping both feet in bounds. 

Hooker nearly had another interception later in the game, but he couldn't bring it in for a catch. 

The safety had a big part in Tennessee's win. Head coach Robert Saleh couldn't say enough great things about him. 

He mentioned that something about Hooker set him apart from other safeties he had coached in the past. Saleh has been in defensive assistant roles with the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets. 

What makes Hooker stand out? Saleh said it was his instincts that put him in the right place at the right time during Monday's Zoom call. 

"But you know, when you look at Hook, his instinct and where he ends up on the field, I've told him several times on certain calls he ends up in certain plays; he ends up on an area of the field that I've never seen a safety end up on in our system," Saleh said. "You know, he's just so instinctive. ...So, he's a ball hawk. He finds himself around the ball. He's an eraser. Elite communicator. Executes his technique at a very high level and then on third down, you know, we've been able to utilize him as a dime backer. Bringing him down, and he plays all those roles. So, he's fun. He's a heck of a football player, man." 

Hooker was drafted in 2019 out of Iowa. When he first joined the Titans, Kevin Byard was the defensive leader. 

The Titans eventually parted ways with Byard when they traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles halfway through the 2023 season. Fast forward to this year, and Hooker is one of the longest-tenured Titans, along with Jeffery Simmons. 

Hooker has been tasked with bringing many of the younger players up to speed, like Marcus Harris, Micah Robinson, and Winston. 

We've been waiting for Hooker to step into that leadership role ever since Byard left the franchise. He is now starting to play at the level we expect. 

The Titans' secondary is clearly much better with him on the field. It's a good thing that he is still around, or we don't know where the secondary would be without him. 

There are a lot of things you can coach. Instincts aren't one of them, which is why Hooker is such a special player.