Amari revisited

[MWH1967]

He is worth the first round pick. consider it smart and done at this point. I'm impressed. He is what Dak needs. When Dak gets seasoned he will be a weapon,right now he's just "Dak friendly". Give it time.

 

[ClintDagger]

It will be many seasons before we can actually judge this trade. I think the biggest reason the Raiders dealt Cooper was because of a lack of motivation / effort on his part—at least in their eyes. Right now we are getting a very motivated Amari Cooper and he looks like a legit #1. But there’s no guarantee he stays that way. Much like the Maher vs Bailey debate you can’t judge this decision on 1 game, 2 games, or even 10 games. We’ll have to see what kind of contract Cooper gets and whether or not he lives up to it.


I will say this, the top of the draft as a whole looks weak to me so if Cooper can prove to be a top 5-10 WR for many years to come I think it’s hard to judge this as a bad move. But that’s a big if.

 

[AmericanCowboy]

I think most people knew the value of Amari Cooper and thought that he was worth the trade. That is except for the "sky is falling" crowd. Heck, I am surprised that the Raiders traded him away for a 1st. The dude is a beast and was one of the best players coming out of college. He accelerates with ease and has a array of moves to create separation. He has made an effort to improve is craft and use finesse. Watch his arms on a stop-and-go or dig route, somehow he keeps them moving to give an illusion of going somewhere else. On his deep route last night he lifted his right leg and paused before accelerating, the DB had zero chance.

I still can't figure out why they wanted him gone. He is quite, hard worker, that tries to improve daily. It makes zero sense that Gruden let him go for a draft pick that is a roulette.

Dallas stole this trade.

I have read a lot of rose colored glasses posts in here over the years- but this takes the cake.

You are literally the only person in the planet who thinks Dallas stole this trade.

 

[JW82]

Not because of the player.

People are / were upset about giving up a 1st rounder, the timing of the trade, and Dak's lack of throwing ability which in turn makes cooper limited and not much of a difference maker.

OK. It's still adding a great player who is only 24 to the roster. I value those 1's also, but as much as I want Garrett gone, if you are giving him a playoffs or bust ultimatum, you have to give him every chance to win too, IMO.

 

[Ranching]

I have read a lot of rose colored glasses posts in here over the years- but this takes the cake.

You are literally the only person in the planet who thinks Dallas stole this trade.

It was a good trade. Not a steal, but a good trade. If you don't see it you're either not football smart or just a stubborn.

 

[Redball Express]

I think we can all say he has had a very positive effect upon this team..O still not great overall, but Zeke, Gallup, Bease, etc...all benefiting from having him on the field. Imagine if we were healthy on the OL?

Amari is playing for his new contract.

Nothing wrong with that.

Let's just hope he doesn't have Earl Thomas' problem..

Season ending injuries.

 

[Trouty]

The thread I was gonna post this in was merged or deleted as I was writing it. Same topic, Amari. Where each of us are with the trade, two games and three weeks after it went occurred:

For me, I thought it was a bad trade on two fronts -- The first hang up I had was da Raidahs return, a possible top-10ish pick. That pick is incredibly valuable, and at the time of the trade, for me, Cooper wasn't worth that kind of price, as his play had regressed, production dipped, and there were other concerns floating around him. He is young, had value as a high-reward gamble, but our 1st was too rich for my blood. The news slapped me in the face. I was stunned, and it lasted for some days. On top of that, I couldn't buy into the notion that the FO knew we were gonna draft a WR with that pick, 5 months before the draft, with a full college season still to be played before the then. I thought that line was just rhetoric to help people, like myself, rationalize the trade. A regressing Carr or otherwise, I didn't see Cooper as a no-doubter current 1WR. Or that he would ever be what he was his first two years. There's, what, ~10-15 true 1WR in the NFL at any given time? Probably closer to ten if we're being truly honest and critical about the players.

Now, with that said, through two games with us, I think he's back on that trajectory as an elite WR. Running just exquisite routes. He is damn near breaking ankles out there. I don't remember him being this kind of route technician in Oakland those first two years. He was dynamic, but through two games, he's wow'ing me. The talent and skill he's flashed thus far is undeniable and exciting in my eyes. And for that I feel a lot better about the price we paid. I don't like that we get zero cheep years from him, but if we landed one of the league's top 5-10 WRs for the next 4-5 years in Amari, I can live with getting no cheap years. So be it. We also have to hope and have faith that he remains focused, driven, hungry after his eventual extension. Dude is hungry right now, no denying that. He's making it work with a QB whom, on any given drive, you have no clue what your getting. Cooper's play smacks in the face from the TV.

Second issue I had was the notion that getting a supposed good WR, even true #1 in Big D, was gonna save our floundering 3-4 season, and turn us into a contender. And that a paid Cooper was worth more to our org and future than 5 years of cheap rookie contract. No matter the position, if you hit on that first rounder, those rookie contracts are crack for a functioning, viable org. I didn't view us as contenders on trade day, and still don't... but I didn't even view us as a team that would sniff the division title and a one-and-done exit in the playoffs.

We just beat the Eagles (did you hear!?) and Cooper was a large part of it, I feel. We are back in the hunt for the NFCE crown. For now. And probably still one-and-done if we somehow happen to make it... but I didn't think we stood a chance in Philly yesterday and here we are. I thought last night was going to be the game, the Sunday night massacre, that brought wholesale changes to the Cowboys. But alas. Live to fight for our season next Sunday. Hopefully we don't go into the fetal position @ ATL... like we did @ Skins, a team that isn't good, a week after we exposed the Jags to the NFL. A week after using Dak differently. Letting him run. We didn't use Dak's legs till the fourth quarter against the Skins, but by then it was too little too late. We have Cooper now, and he will help us win, and eternal optimist in me, which has been mostly dormant this season, is starting to percolate.

I don't know how to evaluate professional athletes -- for every one I get right, I get three or more wrong -- so there's no ego about being wrong about Cooper. It's only been two games so far, but his talent is undeniable, and I believe the trade will grow on me. I want Dallas to be great again, and am more than fine suffering with the team and our fellow fans to get there, provided there's a clear vision, direction, executive leadership coming from the front office. Right now, it doesn't seem that way. And that is putting it very nicely. I am terrified of Dak, too. I was one of his most ardent supporters here for a year and half, maybe two. It's hell seeing Dak play like this. I had hoped for a 15 year starter, and through last season into this, I thought we had a chance for that in Dak. Now it's looking to be an NFL career that tops out as a good backup and nothing more, imo. The first 8 words of this paragraph, tho.

TL/DR: I don't blame ya!

 

[Batman1980]

trouty - Cooper is a better 1B than Dez was after 2014. With our running game and RB1, that could be enough as long as Gallup keeps progressing and our OL continues to improve.

 

[Pants]

he was a difference-maker in the eagles game - he was also open on a few of those deep balls that were overthrown....so far, so good....he should do well v. Atlanta...one game at a time


the only BAD thing so far is that he is extending the lives of Linehan and Garrett

 

[Batman1980]

he was a difference-maker in the eagles game - he was also open on a few of those deep balls that were overthrown....so far, so good....he should do well v. Atlanta...one game at a time


the only BAD thing so far is that he is extending the lives of Linehan and Garrett

Which other than jersey sales and giving Dak help, is exactly why Jerry made the trade.

 

[VACowboy]

I think we can all say he has had a very positive effect upon this team..O still not great overall, but Zeke, Gallup, Bease, etc...all benefiting from having him on the field. Imagine if we were healthy on the OL?

And along with the OL getting more time with Columbo, the O is gonna get better. Last night shoulda been a 10-17 point game.

 

[ConceptCoop]

Yes, as anyone who realizes that >60% of 1st rounders bust said, it was a smart trade.

It's not that simple. Rookies come cheap for 4, potentially 5 years. If Cooper keeps it up, we're going to be paying him 18M a year, or so.

 

[ConceptCoop]

This is not the guy that had a sub-1000 season last year.

He's a legit #1.

I just wish he was opposite Dez.

That woud be nice. Cooper could be the #1 between the 20s and Dez could be the top RZ target. Similar to Cooper/Crabtree a couple years ago.

 

[Batman1980]

I'd give him Dez Bryant numbers, $14 million a year.

 

[tyke1doe]

I don't know if his production declined, but he looks pretty good. I don't see a WR coming out worth a 1st.

Also, they let K Mack go - his production certainly isn't declining.

K Mack never reported for camp. Gruden didn't want to deal with him. Nothing was said about any decline in his game. It was said about Cooper.
Now maybe I'm operating off bias and history, but wide receivers really have never made the difference in a football team in terms of elevating a team to a Super Bowl or Super Bowl win.
Randy Moss didn't do it. Cris Carter didn't do it. TO didn't do it. Joey Galloway didn't do it. Roy Williams didn't do it.
In fact, only six wide receivers have ever won a Super Bowl MVP. All-world Jerry Rice is the exception, and even he had a great team around him AND a Hall of Fame quarterback (two actually).
Hines Ward, Lynn Swann and Santonio Holmes played for the Steelers, who have an eye for drafting complementary players but who rely on the running game.
Fred Biletnikoff (Mr. Stick'em) and Deion Branch are the other receivers. And Branch wasn't really considered a franchise-type receiver.

Again, I don't think Amari Cooper is bad. I just think a first-round pick was too high for him, and I think Jerry got desperate and jumped the gun. I think we could have had him for a lower pick because it was common knowledge Gruden wanted to move him.

 

[TasteMyScythe]

Still think a first round pick was too high and could have gotten him for a second.

A 2nd wouldn't have done it...The Titans offered a 1st for Amari,but they also wanted to swap 2nd round picks with the Raiders to kind of balance it out. The Raiders liked the Cowboys offer better for a straight up 1st.

 

[mattjames2010]

So, your saying that only the established teams , should take that # 1 receiver? huh?

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. Unless there is a Randy Moss in the freakin' draft, WRs are overrated as whole. Elite wide receivers don't win you championships.

 

[mattjames2010]

I get it and like I said I’m still not happy about the 1st pick, but from what I’m reading and I’m very far from knowing much about college football, it sounds like there is very little high end wr help in the draft next year and that it is going to be a loaded defensive draft.

If that’s the case and we end up picking say in the high teens, or should I say Oakland, then I might be able to get comfortable with the trade given the value we can still get at other positions later in the draft bc of the depth.

Bottom line is this team needed a wr and a te in the worst way....they also need a safety and one more lb to have what I would consider a complete team...assuming health....

They got the wr early, need to be players in fa next year and hit on the 2nd and 3rd rounders....do that and this makes sense....do it not and well we know where that takes us

No, it didn't. It needs a better QB and we could have found one in FA this off-season.

Both WR and TE are such low priorities in the grand scheme of things - with the rules of the NFL average talent at the WR position can get you by.

Giving a first for Amari Cooper will never be justifiable. And if we don't trade back up into the first, you'll see down the line losing that first round pick for a WR will come back to haunt us.

 

[mattjames2010]

A 2nd wouldn't have done it...The Titans offered a 1st for Amari,but they also wanted to swap 2nd round picks with the Raiders to kind of balance it out. The Raiders liked the Cowboys offer better for a straight up 1st.

Where did you read this? I read we were fighting against the Eagles who offered a second.

 

[mattjames2010]

When your O- line is struggling & you don't have a #1 receiver, it affects your run game too. Defenses stack the box, etc. Now, safeties have to help because Cooper is such a great player, he needs doubled. That frees up your running game, as well as the other receivers. Dak is not Brady or Brees. He can't carry a team with average receivers.

...this isn't a justifiable reason to give up a first.

You just pointed out how dumb it is - if you're saying your QB is struggling that bad, maybe...just maybe, you need to use that first round pick on his replacement? You know, the position that is known to win you super bowls?