Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › TEs/WRs & what adding Cooks does
- This topic has 5 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 10 months ago by
zn.
-
AuthorPosts
-
April 17, 2018 at 11:27 pm #85216
znModeratorRams hope Brandin Cooks is the deep-ball threat they wanted Sammy Watkins to be
http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-receivers-20180417-story.html
For a short time, after Sammy Watkins signed a huge free-agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs in March, there was a deep-threat void in the Rams’ receiving corps.
The Rams flirted with the New York Giants about trading for Odell Beckham Jr., but ultimately replaced Watkins by sending their first-round pick in this year’s draft to the New England Patriots for Brandin Cooks.
“If there is one thing that Brandin has done a nice job of, specifically the last few years, it’s being able to go get that deep ball,” coach Sean McVay said Monday as the Rams opened voluntary offseason workouts.Cooks, who has 27 touchdown catches in four seasons, joined a Rams receiving corps that includes fellow starters Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, along with Pharoh Cooper, Josh Reynolds, Mike Thomas and Tavon Austin.
“Great receiver, great talent,” Woods said of Cooks.
Austin, the eighth pick in the 2013 draft, was recovering from wrist surgery during last year’s offseason program. He then suffered a hamstring injury during training camp and served mainly as a decoy during the season, finishing with just 13 catches for 47 yards.
Can McVay find a way to utilize Austin, who had 181 catches including 12 for touchdowns in his first four seasons?
“This offseason will provide an opportunity for him to go in healthy and really compete and develop him as a receiver — where we’re playing him in the slot, we’re playing him outside,” McVay said, adding, “He never really got a chance to compete to the best of his ability and get involved in this system like we would’ve liked going back to a year ago.
“I think now we get that opportunity.”
McVay came to the Rams after relying heavily on tight ends as the Washington Redskins’ offensive coordinator. But the position group was seemingly under-utilized last season.
McVay is expected to raise the profile of tight ends Gerald Everett, Tyler Higbee and Temarrick Hemingway. Everett, if he improves, could replace Watkins as a go-to receiver in the red zone.Receivers under contract: Robert Woods ($9 million), Brandin Cooks ($8.4 million), Tavon Austin ($7 million), Cooper Kupp ($878,000), Pharoh Cooper ($769,000), Mike Thomas ($659,000), Josh Reynolds ($717,000), Fred Brown ($480,000), Gerald Everett ($1.3 million), Tyler Higbee ($775,000), Temarrick Hemingway ($670,000), Henry Krieger-Coble ($555,000), Johnny Mundt ($480,000).
Free agents: Cooks fit under the salary cap but there’s no room for someone such as Dez Bryant.
Draft: The Rams went heavy on receivers in the last two drafts, taking Cooper and Thomas in 2016 and Kupp and Reynolds last year. Their draft capital would be better spent on other positions.
Roster decisions: Cooks is in the final year of his rookie contract and the Rams have talked about trying to extend him. Austin appeared on his way out, but he agreed to restructure his contract, which is now a one-year deal with a base salary of $1 million.
April 18, 2018 at 1:56 pm #85219
AgamemnonParticipantDraft: The Rams went heavy on receivers in the last two drafts, taking Cooper and Thomas in 2016 and Kupp and Reynolds last year. Their draft capital would be better spent on other positions.
Actually the Rams were heavy in this year’s draft too. They gave a #1 for Cooks this year and a #2 for Watkins last year.
AgamemnonApril 18, 2018 at 10:08 pm #85226znModeratorGoff, Cooks will Establish Chemistry in Offseason Program
Myles Simmons
When the Rams acquired wide receiver Sammy Watkins in 2017, they completed the trade during training camp.
Watkins was certainly still effective last year, helping Los Angeles lead the league in scoring to the tune of 39 receptions for 593 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns. But by Watkins’ own admission, arriving in Southern California in the middle of training camp likely set the wideout back in terms of learning and truly becoming comfortable with the offense.
That’s part of why having wide receiver Brandin Cooks with the team for the start of the offseason program can have significant benefits down the road for L.A. The Rams, of course, traded for Cooks at the beginning of the month.
“I think it’s really important,” head coach Sean McVay said. “I think that rapport that exists between a quarterback, receivers, tight ends, and backs is really important. The more time they get to be comfortable and familiar with each other, I think the better that we’ll be served as an offense.”
L.A. may specifically see benefits when it comes to deep passes, which often require significant chemistry between quarterback and wide receiver.
“With some of those deep balls, those are always things that we’ll continue to work,” McVay said. “I thought there was a handful of instances last year where Sammy did draw some PIs, where maybe we didn’t connect on some things, so you still kind of get that same result.
“But if there is one thing that Brandin has done a nice job of specifically the last few years, it’s being able to go get that deep ball,” McVay continued. “I thought the quarterbacks he’s played with have done an excellent job of giving him a chance, and putting them in the right location. Those are things that we’ll try to utilize moving forward.”
On Monday, quarterback Jared Goff said he was planning to throw with Cooks for the first time this week after watching film with him over the past weekend. He, too, recognizes the benefits of having Cooks around for the start of the offseason program.
“It’s all rhythm. It’s all timing,” Goff said. “I think any time you can get this extra time with guys like that, especially, like you’re saying, the deep stuff, it can help. I look forward to working with him and I know he’s excited, and we’re both excited to get to work and see what we can do.”
April 18, 2018 at 10:10 pm #85227znModeratorIn Their Own Words: Brandin Cooks on His Outlook for 2018
Kristen Lago
The Rams became wide receiver Brandin Cooks’ third team in three years when Los Angeles acquired him from New England. Drafted as the Saints’ 20th overall pick in 2014, Cooks was then traded to the Patriots after three seasons in exchange for a first-round draft pick.
One year after that, the Rams made a similar deal — sending a first rounder of their own to the Patriots to pick up the dynamic wideout.
While some players would complain about the rapid change, these factors don’t seem to phase Cooks. Instead the self-described “silent assassin,” views Los Angeles as a city of opportunity and the chance to play under head coach Sean McVay as a blessing.
Here is Brandin Cooks in his own words:
On how it feels to be a Los Angeles Ram:
“I’m overcome with joy and gratitude to be able to have a special opportunity like this. It’s an extreme blessing. Words can’t explain it. I’m glad to be back on the West Coast and I’m looking forward to playing for such a great organization. To be closer to home where the sun is shining every single day, you can’t complain about that.”
On being traded in back-to-back years for first-round Draft picks:
“The way I look at it and people have asked me, are you upset? Absolutely not. I’m able to play this game that millions would love to be in my shoes. And the fact another first rounder? My family, they joke about it like you’ve been drafted in the first round three times, has anyone done that? So we try to take the positive out of everything. There’s a lot of positives in this one just like the last one. I can’t complain at all.”
On how he would describe himself as a player:
“Silent assassin. I come and I just go to work. I don’t want the glory, I don’t want to fame. I just come in and always my whole life just wanted to do the best that I can do and be the best that I can be to help my team. I’m not looking for anything selfishly, I just want to help my team whatever case I can to be able to win games at the end of the day and do it in a quiet format.”
On what picture he wants to put out to fans hers in Los Angeles:
“I’m just coming here humbly and I’m coming in here with the mindset of team first. I know that can be so cliche, but that’s how I believe that you build a better team is when you start to think about others’ dreams and you’re playing for other guys around you and not necessarily yourself. So, I just want to come in here and be the best that I can be, listen with my head down and go to work.”
April 18, 2018 at 11:05 pm #85230znModeratorRobert Woods says practicing against Rams’ revamped secondary will help WRs
Cameron DaSilva
Robert Woods says practicing against Rams' revamped secondary will help WRs
With Trumaine Johnson and Nickell Robey-Coleman set to hit free agency, and Kayvon Webster recovering from a torn Achilles in December, the Los Angeles Rams saw a hole in the secondary. There was a chance they’d head into 2018 with three new starters at cornerback, which would’ve been a difficult situation.
As it stands right now, they’ll have one returning starter at the position in Robey-Coleman, but Johnson and Webster won’t return. Fortunately for the Rams, they upgraded at both spots by trading for Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib – two of the best ball hawks in the NFL.
The Rams’ secondary, paired with Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Michael Brockers wreaking havoc up front, give Los Angeles one of the top defenses in football. Not only should that strike fear in every team the Rams face next season, but it’ll help sharpen their own offense.
Getting open in practice will be substantially harder for guys like Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, who will have to face Peters, Talib and Robey-Coleman every day. None of them will be afraid of the increased competition, though. Rather, it’ll have just the opposite effect.
“For us, we get to go against those guys every day,” Woods said. “We’re going to improve in our receiver room going against that kind of talent, going against guys who go after the ball and play throughout the whistle, play until the whistle is done.”
Woods said during his media session that Jared Goff “was on the money with the timing” during the Rams’ first workout session on Monday, which is obviously a good sign. With another year under his belt, Goff should continue to improve and build upon his Pro Bowl season from 2017.
April 18, 2018 at 11:21 pm #85231znModeratorBrandin Cooks is getting what Sammy Watkins didn’t: time with Jared Goff
Alden Gonzalez
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The Los Angeles Rams didn’t get their vertical threat until August of last year. An entire offseason program and training camp had come and gone, preseason games were about to begin, and Jared Goff had spent too much time working with other receivers to build any real, significant accord with Sammy Watkins.
Their clunky chemistry manifested itself mainly on deep balls, the ones Goff and Watkins were expected to connect on. They hit on only three of 15 passes that traveled at least 20 yards through the air, placing Watkins 55th among 65 receivers with at least 10 of those targets. That brings us to Brandin Cooks, the new Sammy Watkins in many ways except for one notable difference: Cooks is here now, early enough to build chemistry with Goff before the throws start to count.
“It’s all rhythm. It’s all timing,” Goff said Monday, which marked the start of the Rams’ offseason program. “I think any time you can get this extra time with guys like that, especially the deep stuff, getting open — I look forward to working with him, and I know he’s excited.”
In Brandin Cooks, coach Sean McVay and the Rams will be getting a receiver who has surpassed 110 catches, 1,000 yards and six touchdowns in each of the past three seasons. AP Photo/Greg Beacham
Phase 1 of the offseason program, which comprises the first two weeks, consists merely of classroom work and on-field strength and conditioning. Goff won’t start throwing to Cooks until Phase 2, which coincides with the start of May.
The Rams gave up this year’s No. 23 overall pick to acquire Cooks from the New England Patriots two weeks ago. The Rams were relatively deep at receiver, but Watkins’ offseason departure left a void for a vertical presence who could take the top off a defense and open the rest of the field for Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp.
Cooks is only a year away from free agency, but the Rams are hopeful of signing him — and Aaron Donald, who wasn’t with the team on Monday — to a long-term contract. Still only 24, Cooks has surpassed 110 catches, 1,000 yards and six touchdowns in each of the past three seasons while catching passes from two future Hall of Famers in Drew Brees and Tom Brady. Last season, he tied the Houston Texans’ DeAndre Hopkins with 16 receptions on passes that traveled at least 20 yards through the air — and he needed only 35 targets to do so.
“I think that rapport that exists between a quarterback, receivers, tight ends and backs is really important,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “The more time they get to be comfortable and familiar with each other, I think the better that we’ll be served as an offense. I think the learning curve won’t be quite as steep.”
Cooks isn’t as physically imposing as Watkins, whose size helped him make seven touchdown catches in the red zone. But he is faster, which will require an adjustment from Goff.
Goff called this his “first real offseason.” In 2016, when he was the No. 1 overall pick, Goff transitioned to the NFL. In 2017, a season that ended with a Pro Bowl invite, Goff transitioned to McVay’s offense. Now he’s settled in. And now he has a new receiver to break in, one who if maximized can take the Rams’ offense to a whole new level.
“If there is one thing that Brandin has done a nice job of, specifically the last few years, it’s being able to go get that deep ball,” McVay said. “I thought the quarterbacks he’s played with have done an excellent job of giving him a chance and putting them in the right location. Those are things that we’ll try to utilize moving forward.”
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
