Worried about Cook……is it too early?

[Billz4ever]

1 hour ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

How do you know if McDermott and company are giving Cook "a fair shake"..........are you at practice and seeing if he is doing his job?

 

The mother hen fans are ridiculous..........it's OK that he needs to earn playing time in small sample sizes.

 

 

 

And occasionally some players don't have the cognitive function to ever learn..........see CJ Spiller.

All I know is the RB that turned the ball over today isn't named Cook, yet Cook who had one target today and dropped the ball, is somehow the problem here and according to many clowns in this thread are calling him a bust 4 games into the season.

 

 

[ArtVandalay]

We spent 2 3rds and a 2nd on RBs the last 4 years...  at least Cook is an explosive athlete but another mental error again today. Not good. 

 

He's had limited opportunities but he routinely has a brain fart in those.  We desperately need his athleticism in this backfield. 

 

What kills me is watching Dameon Pierce look incredible since this offseason. 

 

Hoping he comes around soon ee need his dynamic ability. 

[Norcalbillsfan]

Just now, Victory Formation said:

You have to think, they see him in practice though.

Same people that watch Zach moss in practice, then watch him cut away from the hole right into the backs of 2 blockers on a big 3rd down lol. But in all seriousness your right they do see him in practice so we don't know what the case is on cook behind the scenes.

[Billz4ever]

1 hour ago, EasternOHBillsFan said:

You know, those of you who said he hasn't got enough opportunities or there isn't enough of a sample size, did you ever consider that maybe he's not getting that because of his effort and attitude? We don't see what is going on behind closed doors and player interactions between themselves and coaches. There has to be a reason why Moss is getting a bulk of the other carries and Cook hardly sniffs the ball.

 

I just cannot process how the scouts and McBeane got him this wrong... not in their nature to get a guy who lacks effort and passion. We shall see...

And what you just said is just as much speculation as anything anyone else has said, but the fact remains, he hasn't been given many opportunities.

 

[Brand J]

58 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

If you gotta' make a special plan for a RB..........you haven't made a good personnel decision at RB. 

 

He just needs to not put the ball on the carpet and then start making plays when they give him the ball.

 

RB is far from a big concern with this team...........the lack of explosiveness at receiver has been the problem the past two weeks.    

 

Too many small plays.   Too many 3rd downs.  

 

Producing MORE small plays by giving the ball to RB's isn't a solution to scoring just 20 offensive points per game the past 2 weeks.

I commented in the game thread that it was odd Allen’s vision was 10 yards and in on almost every play in the first half. He had WRs running open deep and intermediate, had time in the pocket, but didn’t take advantage. If one pass in particular was thrown to McKenzie who was wide open in the middle, he could’ve outraced the DBs to the endzone. Another had Diggs frustrated because he was open about 15 yards down the field but the ball was again thrown short of the sticks. Receivers are open for explosive plays, Allen just needed to get that aggression back he seemingly misplaced in Miami. We saw more of that in the 2nd half. 

[Billz4ever]

6 minutes ago, Victory Formation said:

You have to think, they see him in practice though.

So if he's bad in practice, why would they put him in the game at all then? 

 

Let's at least try to use some logic here.

[Bimmer323i]

Like some of the other posters said pick one guy and run with it… This monkey business of switching backs every other play or series didn’t work last year and it isn’t working this year….I believe Josh was our leading rusher again today

[Brand J]

1 minute ago, Billz4ever said:

So if he's bad in practice, why would they put him in the game at all then? 

 

Let's at least try to use some logic here.

I heard the opposite, that Cook was all world in practice. Von even said something similar after his fumble against the Rams, that he consistently made plays and he told the rook “take the next one for 80.” Many beat reporters who showed up at camp said “Cook just looks different. He’s the most explosive back the Bills have.” We’ve seen none of this in games though, his opportunities have been limited, which doesn’t help his confidence.

[Billz4ever]

3 hours ago, Solomon Grundy said:

I only remember Shakir missing a block. Never dropping passes. I'm not putting my eggs in Cook's basket!! 

And I'm not writing him off and calling him a bust because of a fumble and a dropped pass.

8 minutes ago, ArtVandalay said:

We spent 2 3rds and a 2nd on RBs the last 4 years...  at least Cook is an explosive athlete but another mental error again today. Not good. 

 

He's had limited opportunities but he routinely has a brain fart in those.  We desperately need his athleticism in this backfield. 

 

What kills me is watching Dameon Pierce look incredible since this offseason. 

 

Hoping he comes around soon ee need his dynamic ability. 

Cook's drop pass was one of many today.  Some had more than one and still got other opportunities to make up for it.  Cook had 1 target and somehow people are actually claiming he's a bust because of a fumble in game 1 and a dropped ball in game 4.

 

Unbelievable 

[Billz4ever]

8 minutes ago, JayBaller10 said:

I heard the opposite, that Cook was all world in practice. Von even said something similar after his fumble against the Rams, that he consistently made plays and he told the rook “take the next one for 80.” Many beat reporters who showed up at camp said “Cook just looks different. He’s the most explosive back the Bills have.” We’ve seen none of this in games though, his opportunities have been limited, which doesn’t help his confidence.

Agreed.  These claims his performance must be lacking in practice too contradicts literally everything we've heard about him from other players and coaches.  It's people making crap up is all it is.

Edited October 3, 2022 by Billz4ever

[L Ron Burgundy]

20 minutes ago, EasternOHBillsFan said:

 

You need to read what I said again before saying that... I NEVER SAID I knew one way or the other... I said that I CANNOT PROCESS HOW they could draft a guy like that, so ease up there, buddy.

That doesn't make sense exactly but fair enough.   I mean , one normally wouldn't be thinking about how they could draft a guy like that unless you thought of him in that way.  To me he seems like a quiet dude but I'm guessing based on little I've seen on TV and interviews. 

 

I want him to succeed so I'm definitely biased.  Our run game (and blocking) has been horrible.   If we can get him going it would help a ton.

[LABILLBACKER]

The Bills are about as good at picking RB's as NE is picking WR's.  

[Joe Ferguson forever]

in the last 5 years, there have been 34 rookie rb's with over 500 yards rushing (including Singletary-moss had high 400's)- almost 7 a year. the idea that it takes time for a high pick rb to produce isn't supported by  this.

Edited October 3, 2022 by redtail hawk

[BADOLBILZ]

27 minutes ago, Billz4ever said:

All I know is the RB that turned the ball over today isn't named Cook, yet Cook who had one target today and dropped the ball, is somehow the problem here and according to many clowns in this thread are calling him a bust 4 games into the season.

 

 

 

 

To quote @GunnerBill from earlier today...........RB's are the least important player on the field.    In non-special teams situations......truth.   It's the only position teams might draft early with no intent on giving them a second contract if they pan out.   And that being said.........when they are drafted early they have very little runway to get off the ground before they are seen as disappointing.   Getting exercised about that is futile.  

[Billz4ever]

6 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

To quote @GunnerBill from earlier today...........RB's are the least important player on the field.    In non-special teams situations......truth.   It's the only position teams might draft early with no intent on giving them a second contract if they pan out.   And that being said.........when they are drafted early they have very little runway to get off the ground before they are seen as disappointing.   Getting exercised about that is futile.  

Yep, and Cook ain't the RB that fumbled the ball today that lead to 7 pts for the other team.

 

So if you want to make the focus about the guy who dropped the ball on his one and only target, that's on you, but it doesn't make much sense.

[BADOLBILZ]

30 minutes ago, JayBaller10 said:

I commented in the game thread that it was odd Allen’s vision was 10 yards and in on almost every play in the first half. He had WRs running open deep and intermediate, had time in the pocket, but didn’t take advantage. If one pass in particular was thrown to McKenzie who was wide open in the middle, he could’ve outraced the DBs to the endzone. Another had Diggs frustrated because he was open about 15 yards down the field but the ball was again thrown short of the sticks. Receivers are open for explosive plays, Allen just needed to get that aggression back he seemingly misplaced in Miami. We saw more of that in the 2nd half. 

 

 

Maybe.   Or maybe he's trying to keep the chains moving because his "playmakers" are making too many mistakes.   Just because Diggs and Davis were open today doesn't mean they were going to catch it.    They put footballs on the turf they should have caught.    And McKenzie?   Nothing he has done as a pro leads me to believe that he's a deep threat.   Tracking the ball deep down field and catching it are not something he has proven he can do.   You don't hear about it in practice either.   You can't cover everyone on defense so they will look for things they don't have to cover.    Remember the ham-handed former Bills TE Robert Royal?   When teams realized he couldn't catch a pass to save his life they literally stopped covering him.   That's McKenzie 25-30 yards upfield........a non-threat.

[ghostwriter]

40 minutes ago, Billz4ever said:

So if he's bad in practice, why would they put him in the game at all then? 

 

Let's at least try to use some logic here.

If he is playing great in practice, why isn’t he playing in games? What’s your logic for that?

 

?

[Billz4ever]

4 minutes ago, Victory Formation said:

If he is playing great in practice, why isn’t he playing in games? What’s your logic for that?

 

?

You tell me considering other players and the coaching staff have been singing his praises since training camp.

 

Now you provide any evidence at all that shows he's been underperforming in practice.  That's nothing but pure speculation.

Edited October 3, 2022 by Billz4ever

[HappyDays]

4 hours ago, DuckyBoys said:

rbs need touches  He gets in for a play and immediately back to the bench  Maybe give him a full series and see how he does

 

The coaches dole out snaps based on how the player looks in practice. Cook isn't getting snaps presumably because he isn't proving himself worthy of them. If he produced in his limited snaps maybe they give him a bigger role. But you can't drop the one opportunity you have in a big moment. I was excited about the pick because I thought he would be the pass catching back we have so desperately needed. Problem is he is having trouble catching passes... It's weird because that's all he did at Georgia, I'm not sure why it isn't translating to the NFL.

[Aurelius]

6 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

The coaches dole out snaps based on how the player looks in practice. Cook isn't getting snaps presumably because he isn't proving himself worthy of them. If he produced in his limited snaps maybe they give him a bigger role. But you can't drop the one opportunity you have in a big moment. I was excited about the pick because I thought he would be the pass catching back we have so desperately needed. Problem is he is having trouble catching passes... It's weird because that's all he did at Georgia, I'm not sure why it isn't translating to the NFL.

Or he isn’t getting snaps because the Bills played the Superbow champ Rams, the tied for #1 dolphins and a surging Baltimore team in a tough early schedule.  He played in our blowout and played well.  I think he will get more consistent opportunities moving forward. Maybe even Pittsburgh this week if we come out stronger than we have last 2 games.