Thoughts on Amari Cooper?

[Doc]

He's drawing the opponent's top CB when he's on the field, right?

Edited December 28, 2024 by Doc

[Cubanmist]

Seems like his best days are behind him. He is still quick, but not really quick. 

[Mr. WEO]

3 hours ago, Blackbeard said:

Very possible. 
 

but we’ve seen him make some amazing, contested catches.  
 

perhaps it’s playoff related and a vanilla-ing of the offense for now?  Or that’s just absurd logic?

 

It might be absurd.  You maximize your weapons to your advantage in every game----he joined the team months ago.  He's had 12 catches since Halloween.  

[Mr. WEO]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

He's drawing the opponent's top CB when he's on the field, right?

 

you tell us...in the KC game he had 2 nice catches--both times covered by a single Safety (Nazeeh Johnson).  Perfect throws by Josh who saw (again) Cooper in Safety single coverage. 

 

hang in there, doc!

[FireChans]

On 12/26/2024 at 10:46 PM, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Congratulations for accurately predicting that I wouldn't accept LESS than what you claimed was the norm and I took exception to.

 

What's more, there is no context whatsoever to your stats.   

 

Cooper has never been considered a top 2 WR in the league like Hopkins or Diggs.......but for the sake of argument and to illustrate my point that your now upwardly adjusted stats aren't nearly as compelling as you want them to seem...........I pulled ONE random, corresponding mid-career season from DeAndre Hopkins and Stef Diggs to see how their best 4-5 games impacted their totals.    

 

2018.

 

In their 4 "best" games Hopkins and Diggs produced 41% and 48% of their receiving yardage, respectively.

 

Oh my........it seems those numbers track with most of the years you claimed that Cooper was some kind of distant outlier among high producing WR's, don't they?

 

Do you feel like Cooper disappears more than the other big name WR’s though?

 

I always kinda felt that way in Oakland or Dallas.

 

I say that all to say he’s still clearly WR1 on this roster by a mile, but he’s probably WR3 in Cincy. 

[Blackbeard]

48 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

It might be absurd.  You maximize your weapons to your advantage in every game----he joined the team months ago.  He's had 12 catches since Halloween.  

Not if you’re trying to NOT show off your weapons, especially at the ramp up of playoffs.  There’s another level of strategy you’re forgetting or unaware of, especially when clinched. 
 

Hell, Allen even said it and McD eluded to it.  
 

Why show off your 4 of a kind right off the bat if the other guy has a pair?  Basic teams do that.  
 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2024 by Blackbeard

[Mr. WEO]

3 minutes ago, Blackbeard said:

Not if you’re trying to NOT show off your weapons, especially at the ramp up of playoffs.  There’s another level of strategy you’re forgetting or unaware of. 
 

 

 

what other team uses this plan of not really using their "top WR" for months prior to the end of the season....as "another level of strategy"?

19 minutes ago, FireChans said:

Do you feel like Cooper disappears more than the other big name WR’s though?

 

I always kinda felt that way in Oakland or Dallas.

 

I say that all to say he’s still clearly WR1 on this roster by a mile, but he’s probably WR3 in Cincy. 

 

If Cooper is, "by a mile", what is a WR1?

[Since1981]

Just now, Mr. WEO said:

Not if you’re trying to NOT show off your weapons, especially at the ramp up of playoffs.  There’s another level of strategy you’re forgetting or unaware of.

No. Hard no. Coop is just covered and that’s freeing others up. No WR is on a pitch count unless they’re hurt 

[Doc]

45 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

you tell us...in the KC game he had 2 nice catches--both times covered by a single Safety (Nazeeh Johnson).  Perfect throws by Josh who saw (again) Cooper in Safety single coverage. 

 

hang in there, doc!

 

Anyone else care to comment?  Besides someone who watched just 2 highlights?

[Mr. WEO]

Just now, Since1981 said:

No. Hard no. Coop is just covered and that’s freeing others up. No WR is on a pitch count unless they’re hurt 

 

quoted the wrong dude...

 

 

3 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

Anyone else care to comment?  Besides someone who watched just 2 highlights?

 

now you're asking for help?  you've been stating this as fact this whole thread.  

[FireChans]

11 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

what other team uses this plan of not really using their "top WR" for months prior to the end of the season....as "another level of strategy"?

 

If Cooper is, "by a mile", what is a WR1?

Cooper is the best boundary WR on the roster, by a mile. Feel free to dispute that lol. 

[BADOLBILZ]

3 minutes ago, FireChans said:

Do you feel like Cooper disappears more than the other big name WR’s though?

 

I always kinda felt that way in Oakland or Dallas.

 

I say that all to say he’s still clearly WR1 on this roster by a mile, but he’s probably WR3 in Cincy. 

 

 

Who are the "big name" WR's that you compare him to?   Cooper has never been elite.   He's never finished higher than 8th in the NFL in receiving yards in his decade in the league.  Guys like Jordy Nelson and Kenny Golladay, just to name a couple of many, have had higher ranks.   The question isn't whether he disappears it's when has he ever produced enough to warrant being a "big name"?   When you get drafted early and then play for Dallas you will have a spotlight on you but it's a little late in the process of a career where he's averaged about 900 yards per season to still act like any of that is relevant.   

 

He got a big contract from Dallas because of timing........but so did Mike Williams with the Chargers.   If people are worried about Cooper demanding big money they don't know how free agency works.   He's going to be 31 next season.   He's in a category like post-PED suspension DeAndre Hopkins now.    Those guys aren't/weren't getting $20M-$30M aav multi-year deals.  Cooper gives the Bills that big play threat that they need on he perimeter.   But Allen isn't great at the deep ball and has little margin for turning the ball over and 3-and-outs with the rookie Babich defense this season........so Cooper isn't going to get the targets he got with a deep ball specialist like Joe Flacco.   

[FireChans]

2 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

Who are the "big name" WR's that you compare him to?  

The class of guys that he was supposed to be in when he was drafted #4 overall?

 

You are right that the predraft expectation of Cooper is a little irrelevant at this point because it was 10 years ago. But the reason he is on his 4th team and been traded 3 times is because while he’s a good WR with the ability to put up monster individual performances, he’s never shown the ability to be as consistent of a producer as he should have been. 

[Mr. WEO]

13 minutes ago, FireChans said:

Cooper is the best boundary WR on the roster, by a mile. Feel free to dispute that lol. 

 

 

maybe...so what?  No one is talking about who or what the best "boundary receiver" is.  we are talking about why he hasn't made much of an impact yet. 

 

I keep reading that he's drawing all of the coverage (he's not) and that he's being shelved so that he can be unleashed in the playoffs (come on).

[GoBills808]

5 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Who are the "big name" WR's that you compare him to?   Cooper has never been elite.   He's never finished higher than 8th in the NFL in receiving yards in his decade in the league.  Guys like Jordy Nelson and Kenny Golladay, just to name a couple of many, have had higher ranks.   The question isn't whether he disappears it's when has he ever produced enough to warrant being a "big name"?   When you get drafted early and then play for Dallas you will have a spotlight on you but it's a little late in the process of a career where he's averaged about 900 yards per season to still act like any of that is relevant.   

 

He got a big contract from Dallas because of timing........but so did Mike Williams with the Chargers.   If people are worried about Cooper demanding big money they don't know how free agency works.   He's going to be 31 next season.   He's in a category like post-PED suspension DeAndre Hopkins now.    Those guys aren't/weren't getting $20M-$30M aav multi-year deals.  Cooper gives the Bills that big play threat that they need on he perimeter.   But Allen isn't great at the deep ball and has little margin for turning the ball over and 3-and-outs with the rookie Babich defense this season........so Cooper isn't going to get the targets he got with a deep ball specialist like Joe Flacco.   

He's been elite adjacent imo

 

Athletically I do believe he has (had) the tools. Powerful route runner, strong at catch point, good hands, good body control and fast enough etc...i think that's why he got thrown into the elite category. Looks the part w out quite having the production to justify it

 

Still the best WR on roster by far tho

[FireChans]

12 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

He's been elite adjacent imo

 

Athletically I do believe he has (had) the tools. Powerful route runner, strong at catch point, good hands, good body control and fast enough etc...i think that's why he got thrown into the elite category. Looks the part w out quite having the production to justify it

 

Still the best WR on roster by far tho

He was SUPPOSED to be elite. He was the #1WR in that class by a mile.
 

It’s been confusing honestly why he hasn’t been better. 

[Blackbeard]

41 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

what other team uses this plan of not really using their "top WR" for months prior to the end of the season....as "another level of strategy"?

 

If Cooper is, "by a mile", what is a WR1?

Hold up now.  Cause now you’re inserting “for months”.   No one said that.  Coopers had some marvelous catches.  
 

All teams shut down a bit once clinched. Why do you think starters are rested??  

 

We can agree to disagree, but I hold that the team isn’t showing its cards.  Hence the vanilla plan against the Pats.  They want the win, but don’t want to risk the playbook.  This isn’t anything new or groundbreaking. 
 

 

[GoBills808]

Just now, FireChans said:

He was SUPPOSED to be elite. He was the #1WR in that class by a mile.
 

It’s been confusing honestly why he hasn’t been better. 

Some of it was coming up in a Cowboys offense riding Zeke 

 

Bit of a victim of circumstances tbh

 

But he definitely underproduced relative to his talent 

[Doc]

Just now, Blackbeard said:

Hold up now.  Cause now you’re inserting “for months”.   No one said that.  Coopers had some marvelous catches.  
 

All teams shut down a bit once clinched. Why do you think starters are rested??  

 

We can agree to disagree, but I hold that the team isn’t showing its cards.  Hence the vanilla plan against the Pats.  They want the win, but don’t want to risk the playbook.  This isn’t anything new or groundbreaking.

 

Josh said this in the post-game presser last weekend. 

[Mr. WEO]

Just now, Blackbeard said:

Hold up now.  Cause now you’re inserting “for months”.   No one said that.  Coopers had some marvelous catches.  
 

All teams shut down a bit once clinched. Why do you think starters are rested??  

 

We can agree to disagree, but I hold that the team isn’t showing its cards.  Hence the vanilla plan against the Pats.  They want the win, but don’t want to risk the playbook.  This isn’t anything new or groundbreaking. 
 

 

 

I'm not "inserting it"...it's fact.  he has 12 catches since the end of October. when did the Bills "clinch"?  Who else have they shut down like this?  what other team has "hidden" their "top WR" the past 2 months in anticipation of the playoffs?

 

 

 

 

1 minute ago, Doc said:

 

Josh said this in the post-game presser last weekend. 

 

he said that when talking specifically about why he's not looking Cooper's way?