Howe said in that Overlap interview that he'd rather go forward from the back in 1 or 2 passes instead of 5 or 6 and wants to progress up the pitch as quickly as possible. Doesn't want 10 passes in our own box etc.
On Pope, It's hard to say what he's personally responsible for but his numbers for us are fantastic. Just in the league, he is averaging about 2.5 saves a game, which is low, and has conceded only 46 in 51 games with 20 clean sheets. If we can do that with him (and a fit defence) then he's probably not a priority upgrade just yet if money is tight.