The one thing I can think of that these guys had in common is they all left upset with the organization. Plus they were all traded for crumbs.
but is hopkins still here? nah. there's a huge difference between adding cooks to hopkins and just adding cooks and having nothing.
They have Fuller and Stills; they've replaced Hopkins with Cooks & Cobb. This gives them a little more depth, a little more versatility. I don't know if *they're* better.... but I don't think they're bad and I certainly think they have more than "nothing." The big issue with the Hopkins trade, at least for me, was the return. Had they gotten an OBJ haul, or maybe even a Diggs return - and fans were able to evaluate this new unit through a less vitriolic lens.... they might see some potential.
the versatility is terrible and not to mention all these guys will be on the IL by midseason. collectively these types of receivers are known for the same types of routes and there isn't anyone that will be demanding the extra attention needed
I would like to like this move, but I don't like the concussion issue. The potential of this offense is real interesting, but I don't trust all of the top skill players to stay healthy and be on the field at the same time (no proof).
Very unlikely that they will all be on IL by midseason. Very unlikely that 3 will be on IL by midseason. Your pessimism is bordering on ridiculous.
Funny thing is, you're not ENTIRELY wrong. As a No.2 option he's great. He was a high producer as the number 2 threat on the teams he played on from 2016-18 despite wearing 3 different Uniforms over that span. I just don't think he's elite but he's an above average starter. Cooks- 2016- New Orleans Saints: HC- Sean Payton: OC- Sean Payton: QB- Drew Brees Top Rec- Micheal Thomas- 92rec, 1137yds 9TDs #2 WR- Brandin Cooks- 78rec, 1178yds 8TDs 2017- New England Patriots: HC- Bill Belichek: OC: Josh Mcdaniels: QB- Tom Brady Top Rec- Rob Gronkowski- 69rec, 1084yds 8TDs #2 WR- Brandin Cooks- 65rec, 1082yds 7TDs 2018- Los Angeles Rams: HC: Sean Mcvay ; OC; Sean McVay: QB- Jared Goff Top Rec- Robert Woods- 86recs, 1219yds 6TDs #2 WR- Brandin Cooks- 80recs, 1204yds 5TDs: 2019- Los Angeles Rams: HC: Sean Mcvay ; OC; Sean McVay: QB- Jared Goff Top Rec- Cooper Kupp- 94recs, 1161yds, 6TDs #2 WR- Robert Woods- 90recs, 1134yds, 2TDs #3 Brandin Cooks- 42recs, 583yds, 2TDs: You have to consider the context. When has Hopkins EVER had the luxury of playing on a team where he is the number 2 option? Michael Thomas is the best WR in football now & Gronkowski is a Hall of Famer. Look at the Head Coaches & Coordinators he's played for. Belichek, Payton, McVay & Mcdaniels? It doesn't get any better than that. He's also played with Brady & Brees as his QB. Is that any good? I believe Watson is better than Goff but Watson doesn't have Mcvay calling the shots either (Goff got to SuperBowl too). Cooper Kupp & Robbert Woods bumped Cooks down to #3 in the pecking order in the Rams passing game last year. Would that have happened to Hopkins? I don't think so. Now Cooks has had multiple concussions & Billy Bob calling the shots. This is going to be a GIGANTIC adjustment in the playcalling & the decision making on offense. If he stays healthy, I think he'll do fine but I don't think he'll be elite.
I think this is a reasonable analysis. I think most of the data would suggest he was a 1B receiver as his numbers are almost equal in these instances and in the case of the Pats he was the no. 1 WR. Fuller and Cobb are really good route runners. When all three are on the field that is a better combo than we have had the last few years. Unfortunately, I have no delusions about how likely it is that Fuller gets hurt for a significant portion of the year. Cooks I am less certain that he will get hurt. His history would suggest he is more likely to stay on the field. Stills is a decent no. 2 if one of fuller or cooks go down. Overall we are deeper at WR, but the floor is much worse than with Hopkins gone. Bob is Bob and that definitely a detriment to the pass game, but it was a detriment to Hopkins and Fuller and they were fantastic when on the field together. Overall I am optimistic for the offense next year, not so much in 2021 when we will probably make tons of salary cap cuts. In 2022 we have all our picks and then some coming back. If we suck in 2021 we can re-build fairly quickly with a solid, young OL and franchise QB.
By Dhop's 2nd year in 2014 and AJ was 33, Dhop became the best receiver here. he wasn't behind AJ after his rookie year
I'll give you Cooks and Fuller. Frankly, it'd be surprising if Fuller wasn't on IR next year, and Cooks's next concussion stands a worrying chance of turning his brain even more into tapioca. But is Stills historically injury prone? His PFR page doesn't seem to say that at all: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/StilKe00.htm
I’ll give you Fuller. Cooks has been on the field a great majority of his career and reports state that the Rams could have easily brought him back last year if they wanted to. Why does most everyone ignore the reports that his concussions were of a minor nature and are not predictive of future concussion occurrence? Fuller has proven to be injury prone and Cobb has been injured a lot in his later years. Odds are that we will have at least two of these 4 available for each game this season. Would have loved to have Nuk, Cook, Fuller, and Stills. Rather than what we ended up with, but have no 2nd round pick in that scenario. We also don’t know how serious Nuk was going to be on re-negotiation of his contract.
Oh, I don't know. Maybe because we all saw him posturing after that one HTH hit? Or because he's had more concussions than seasons in the NFL, and we actually care now (or pretend to) whether their brains get scrambled on the field? It isn't 1995 anymore. Cooks gets hit again like Troy Aikman, they're not letting him back out there when he can't remember which stadium he's in. More concussions than seasons played. Sigh. And we're betting on him staying healthy an entire year. I'd forgotten about Cobb, thanks. Probably who @YOLO was referring to, not Stills. Nuke had, what? Three years left on his (below-market) deal? Thank him for his input, remind him of the fines schedule in his contract and the CBA, and ignore his whining. They couldn't have done that? I was told here all of the time during the Clowney drama that it was a perfectly standard way to handle a player complaining about his compensation. Of course, after this next season, ideally after having signed Watson, and therefore knowing your available resources, you'd have sat down with Nuke and his agent and made sure he had something shiny in his XMAS stocking with a renegotiated deal. If that's how they wanted to go. This way was SO much better than that.
The reports say that his concussions were very minor and even one may not have even qualified as a concussion. They also say that these type of concussions do not lead to a greater chance of concussions in the future. You are fake news, fitting the facts to your narrative instead of looking at things objectively. I didn’t like the Nuk trade but loved the Cook signing and believe he will play a full season for us.
Am I, though?.... Note the difference between the #1s and #2s in '17 and '18 - statistically, there's almost no difference. And the one year where there is a notable difference (2016 - and in receptions only), Cooks significantly narrows the gap with more yards despite fewer receptions. Thomas may have been better but Cooks was objectively more explosive. Right... Brandin Cooks put up Hopkins/#1 option-like #s for a three-year stretch... despite not being a #1 option. And he's *not* elite?.... In fact, the only meaningful statistic in which he trailed Hopkins over that stretch - when, again, Hopkins was a #1 option and, by your own account, Cooks was a #2 - was targets. And, yeah, I know - the counter to this is that he was able to put up these numbers because he had "protection" as a #2 - the defense was focused elsewhere. Right? Brandin Cooks is - if healthy - explosive and, I promise, a genuine concern for opponents - in the same way Tyreek Hill is; frankly, in the same way Fuller is. And given that, you could argue the protection aspect went both ways: his over-the-top threat loosened things underneath, which is where Thomas and Gronk (and Kupp), specifically, operate. (Woods, too - he's not the vertical threat Cooks is.) As for BO'B... look, he's obviously not in Belichick or Payton's stratosphere, and almost certainly not in McVay's, either - but wide receivers have fared pretty well here - like, for example...... Deandre Hopkins. Fuller has also been a game-changing asset (when healthy) and Stills was very productive last year.
someone's fake news alright. but it isn't @Gray_Jay according to you when someone's posturing, this is minor . when he had to go on to see additional specialists. cool. thanks for informing us about real news. and you call your view objective. oh please
I'm not downplaying his concussions and I have no idea where he currently stands on that issue or what his past is (I honestly don't) - but it's worth noting, prior to last year, Cooks played all 64 games between '15-'18 and totaled 129, 117, 114, and 117 targets/year. Clowney's situation is not remotely analogous to Hopkins'. There are football merits to trading Hopkins beyond contract issues. If, on top of those, the Texans identified the contract as a possible issue... I think they made a bad trade. But I don't think trading Hopkins is necessarily a bad idea.
I'm not a doctor and I won't pretend to have ANY knowledge of concussions nor do I want to appear as though I'm minimizing them - I fully admit the NFL's handling of concussions is, at best, sketchy. But........... That play occurred two years ago - and Cooks played the very next week and every game after that, including three playoff games.
