Amari Cooper was overrated here. Look at the numbers

Bobhaze

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THIS IS NOT A HATE AMARI COOPER THREAD. I like Cooper. But I also think it was a smart move for the Cowboys, both for obvious cap reasons and the fact that he was overrated here.

Now that I have that out of the way, let us count the reasons why Cooper’s release could be a good thing:
  • Amari Cooper is a very good receiver. He’s an excellent route runner. BUT- he is not a great 3rd down receiver (when you need a 3rd down conversion)
    • In 2021, Cooper was 26th in the league in 3rd down receptions for a first down. For $20 mil a season, that’s not great. (Btw- Cedee Lamb was 16th)
  • He’s not as much of a big play guy as he used to be- In YAC yardage, Cooper was way below avg- GET THIS- Dalton Schultz, Cedric Wilson and Tony Pollard all had better YAC numbers than Coop in 2021.
    • Cooper has never been that great in YAC numbers in his career. He’s really more of a possession receiver which makes both his price tag and his lack of big 3rd down plays a problem.
    • His last two seasons, he’s only averaging about 12 yards per reception. Again, more of a possession receiver than a big play receiver.
  • He has tended to disappear in the bigger games when your big play receiver is MOST needed. Not all big games. He did have some big games. But not enough to make him a star. Here are some examples:
    • In both playoff losses Cooper played in, (2018, 2021) he averaged less than 70 yards per game.
    • In 2019’s most critical game that decided the NFC East vs Filly, Cooper had 4 receptions for 24 yds and famously stood on the sidelines in the last drive.
    • Another critical game in 2019, vs NE on the road, Coop got shut out with zero catches. (Randall Cobb and Gallup had 86 and 55 yds that day)
    • In that terrible loss against Arizona last year that cost us the #2 seed, Coop had 3 catches for 18 yds, despite 8 targets and two drops.
I’m not here to bash Amari Cooper. He’s a very good receiver. But Cowboys fans, let’s be honest. Is he a top 20 receiver in this league? NO. Not in receptions, YAC, 3rd down conversions…etc, etc. We cannot pay a WR $20 mil a season with that kind of return.

Will we miss Cooper? Maybe some. But the cap savings could provide more help at other positions without losing much on offense.

In my book letting him go is the right move.
 

Jake

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THIS IS NOT A HATE AMARI COOPER THREAD. I like Cooper. But I also think it was a smart move for the Cowboys, both for obvious cap reasons and the fact that he was overrated here.

Now that I have that out of the way, let us count the reasons why Cooper’s release could be a good thing:
  • Amari Cooper is a very good receiver. He’s an excellent route runner. BUT- he is not a great 3rd down receiver (when you need a 3rd down conversion)
    • In 2021, Cooper was 26th in the league in 3rd down receptions for a first down. For $20 mil a season, that’s not great. (Btw- Cedee Lamb was 16th)
  • He’s not as much of a big play guy as he used to be- In YAC yardage, Cooper was way below avg- GET THIS- Dalton Schultz, Cedric Wilson and Tony Pollard all had better YAC numbers than Coop in 2021.
    • Cooper has never been that great in YAC numbers in his career. He’s really more of a possession receiver which makes both his price tag and his lack of big 3rd down plays a problem.
    • His last two seasons, he’s only averaging about 12 yards per reception. Again, more of a possession receiver than a big play receiver.
  • He has tended to disappear in the bigger games when your big play receiver is MOST needed. Not all big games. He did have some big games. But not enough to make him a star. Here are some examples:
    • In both playoff losses Cooper played in, (2018, 2021) he averaged less than 70 yards per game.
    • In 2019’s most critical game that decided the NFC East vs Filly, Cooper had 4 receptions for 24 yds and famously stood on the sidelines in the last drive.
    • Another critical game in 2019, vs NE on the road, Coop got shut out with zero catches. (Randall Cobb and Gallup had 86 and 55 yds that day)
    • In that terrible loss against Arizona last year that cost us the #2 seed, Coop had 3 catches for 18 yds, despite 8 targets and two drops.
I’m not here to bash Amari Cooper. He’s a very good receiver. But Cowboys fans, let’s be honest. Is he a top 20 receiver in this league? NO. Not in receptions, YAC, 3rd down conversions…etc, etc. We cannot pay a WR $20 mil a season with that kind of return.

Will we miss Cooper? Maybe some. But the cap savings could provide more help at other positions without losing much on offense.

In my book letting him go is the right move.

Classic case of the Jones boys paying a good player like an elite one, yet again. They end up with nothing to show for all of that spending.

I guess it's a good thing that it's their money. Otherwise, they'd have been fired a few times by now.
 

StarLord

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I largely agreed with your take. Dak won't target him seemingly, so why pay for a #1. I mean he's not a check down RB or TE?

I will say this twitter post made me question my stance..

Maybe we're paying him to make Dak better across the board?
 

Motorola

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THIS IS NOT A HATE AMARI COOPER THREAD. I like Cooper. But I also think it was a smart move for the Cowboys, both for obvious cap reasons and the fact that he was overrated here.

Now that I have that out of the way, let us count the reasons why Cooper’s release could be a good thing:
  • Amari Cooper is a very good receiver. He’s an excellent route runner. BUT- he is not a great 3rd down receiver (when you need a 3rd down conversion)
    • In 2021, Cooper was 26th in the league in 3rd down receptions for a first down. For $20 mil a season, that’s not great. (Btw- Cedee Lamb was 16th)
  • He’s not as much of a big play guy as he used to be- In YAC yardage, Cooper was way below avg- GET THIS- Dalton Schultz, Cedric Wilson and Tony Pollard all had better YAC numbers than Coop in 2021.
    • Cooper has never been that great in YAC numbers in his career. He’s really more of a possession receiver which makes both his price tag and his lack of big 3rd down plays a problem.
    • His last two seasons, he’s only averaging about 12 yards per reception. Again, more of a possession receiver than a big play receiver.
  • He has tended to disappear in the bigger games when your big play receiver is MOST needed. Not all big games. He did have some big games. But not enough to make him a star. Here are some examples:
    • In both playoff losses Cooper played in, (2018, 2021) he averaged less than 70 yards per game.
    • In 2019’s most critical game that decided the NFC East vs Filly, Cooper had 4 receptions for 24 yds and famously stood on the sidelines in the last drive.
    • Another critical game in 2019, vs NE on the road, Coop got shut out with zero catches. (Randall Cobb and Gallup had 86 and 55 yds that day)
    • In that terrible loss against Arizona last year that cost us the #2 seed, Coop had 3 catches for 18 yds, despite 8 targets and two drops.
I’m not here to bash Amari Cooper. He’s a very good receiver. But Cowboys fans, let’s be honest. Is he a top 20 receiver in this league? NO. Not in receptions, YAC, 3rd down conversions…etc, etc. We cannot pay a WR $20 mil a season with that kind of return.

Will we miss Cooper? Maybe some. But the cap savings could provide more help at other positions without losing much on offense.

In my book letting him go is the right move.
'CZONERS, Cowboys Fans, NFL followers, lend me your eyes;
I've come to bury Cooper, not to praise him.'
NFL "Ides of March" - March 14th - 16th
 
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MonsterD

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I think the main reason he was here was to help Dak feel comfortable. He was like the Dak talisman charm for a while, now he is suddenly out of favor.

Defo was not worth that contract as we knew before either the trade or contract that he always had nagging injuries that kept him from being the best receiver.

But in typical Jones fashion they ignored it and gave him a contract that paid him as the best thinking he suddenly would be 100% healthy throughout and never get hampered down.

Poor judgement again and then they regret it, start to make up the stuff about him losing a step or not getting along with people or whatever the excuse to their mistake.
 

TexasBoys2288

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THIS IS NOT A HATE AMARI COOPER THREAD. I like Cooper. But I also think it was a smart move for the Cowboys, both for obvious cap reasons and the fact that he was overrated here.

Now that I have that out of the way, let us count the reasons why Cooper’s release could be a good thing:
  • Amari Cooper is a very good receiver. He’s an excellent route runner. BUT- he is not a great 3rd down receiver (when you need a 3rd down conversion)
    • In 2021, Cooper was 26th in the league in 3rd down receptions for a first down. For $20 mil a season, that’s not great. (Btw- Cedee Lamb was 16th)
  • He’s not as much of a big play guy as he used to be- In YAC yardage, Cooper was way below avg- GET THIS- Dalton Schultz, Cedric Wilson and Tony Pollard all had better YAC numbers than Coop in 2021.
    • Cooper has never been that great in YAC numbers in his career. He’s really more of a possession receiver which makes both his price tag and his lack of big 3rd down plays a problem.
    • His last two seasons, he’s only averaging about 12 yards per reception. Again, more of a possession receiver than a big play receiver.
  • He has tended to disappear in the bigger games when your big play receiver is MOST needed. Not all big games. He did have some big games. But not enough to make him a star. Here are some examples:
    • In both playoff losses Cooper played in, (2018, 2021) he averaged less than 70 yards per game.
    • In 2019’s most critical game that decided the NFC East vs Filly, Cooper had 4 receptions for 24 yds and famously stood on the sidelines in the last drive.
    • Another critical game in 2019, vs NE on the road, Coop got shut out with zero catches. (Randall Cobb and Gallup had 86 and 55 yds that day)
    • In that terrible loss against Arizona last year that cost us the #2 seed, Coop had 3 catches for 18 yds, despite 8 targets and two drops.
I’m not here to bash Amari Cooper. He’s a very good receiver. But Cowboys fans, let’s be honest. Is he a top 20 receiver in this league? NO. Not in receptions, YAC, 3rd down conversions…etc, etc. We cannot pay a WR $20 mil a season with that kind of return.

Will we miss Cooper? Maybe some. But the cap savings could provide more help at other positions without losing much on offense.

In my book letting him go is the right move.

Well thought out post as usual and I agree the numbers don't look so good. I'd love to keep Cooper, but that damn contract is a problem. That said, I think a lot of Cooper's numbers are due to how the offense is being run, and Dak not trusting his receivers to win in one-on-one situations. Lamb seems to have the dropsies more than all the other receivers. My memory may be weak due to heavy alcohol consumption on gameday. Just sayin'.
 

Praxit

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..well, the heuristics have spoken. Many times they're the best trust. ;)..

Rid of the bum.. just kidding..
 

Bobhaze

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Classic case of the Jones boys paying a good player like an elite one, yet again. They end up with nothing to show for all of that spending.

I guess it's a good thing that it's their money. Otherwise, they'd have been fired a few times by now.
My take on Cooper is he is at best a top 25 receiver, which is very good. But the Cowboys needed him to be bigger based on what they were paying and counting on for production. His lack of YAC is what makes him far less valuable. I was shocked to see that Dalton Schultz and Cedric Wilson had more YAC than he did.

He’s a top 5 best route runner in the league but we’ve been paying him like he’s a star and he’s just not THAT kind of receiver. He was at times the best receiver here, but when you look around the league at so called #1’s, he simply doesn’t stack up.
 

quickccc

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Better yet ,.. instead of the stats ... look at the game tape ...

is Coop beating the more elite, competitive CBs he's facing ? the Lattimores, the Wards,.. the Slays,... the Gilmores, ..etc. ?/
 

Bobhaze

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His numbers make it crystal clear. I still can’t believe he had less YAC last year than Dalton Schultz, Cedric Wilson and Tony Pollard. He avg a little over 12 yds per reception the last two seasons. That’s possession receiver numbers not star #1 receiver numbers.

He’s a great route runner which makes him very valuable. But he’s not a big play threat every down like about 20 other receivers in this league. This team needs more than he can give.

Again, Coop is a very good receiver. At this point in his career, I see him as a really good possession receiver. Not a $20 mil a year star like he was being counted on to be.
 

Dak_Attack_09

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THIS IS NOT A HATE AMARI COOPER THREAD. I like Cooper. But I also think it was a smart move for the Cowboys, both for obvious cap reasons and the fact that he was overrated here.

Now that I have that out of the way, let us count the reasons why Cooper’s release could be a good thing:
  • Amari Cooper is a very good receiver. He’s an excellent route runner. BUT- he is not a great 3rd down receiver (when you need a 3rd down conversion)
    • In 2021, Cooper was 26th in the league in 3rd down receptions for a first down. For $20 mil a season, that’s not great. (Btw- Cedee Lamb was 16th)
  • He’s not as much of a big play guy as he used to be- In YAC yardage, Cooper was way below avg- GET THIS- Dalton Schultz, Cedric Wilson and Tony Pollard all had better YAC numbers than Coop in 2021.
    • Cooper has never been that great in YAC numbers in his career. He’s really more of a possession receiver which makes both his price tag and his lack of big 3rd down plays a problem.
    • His last two seasons, he’s only averaging about 12 yards per reception. Again, more of a possession receiver than a big play receiver.
  • He has tended to disappear in the bigger games when your big play receiver is MOST needed. Not all big games. He did have some big games. But not enough to make him a star. Here are some examples:
    • In both playoff losses Cooper played in, (2018, 2021) he averaged less than 70 yards per game.
    • In 2019’s most critical game that decided the NFC East vs Filly, Cooper had 4 receptions for 24 yds and famously stood on the sidelines in the last drive.
    • Another critical game in 2019, vs NE on the road, Coop got shut out with zero catches. (Randall Cobb and Gallup had 86 and 55 yds that day)
    • In that terrible loss against Arizona last year that cost us the #2 seed, Coop had 3 catches for 18 yds, despite 8 targets and two drops.
I’m not here to bash Amari Cooper. He’s a very good receiver. But Cowboys fans, let’s be honest. Is he a top 20 receiver in this league? NO. Not in receptions, YAC, 3rd down conversions…etc, etc. We cannot pay a WR $20 mil a season with that kind of return.

Will we miss Cooper? Maybe some. But the cap savings could provide more help at other positions without losing much on offense.

In my book letting him go is the right move.


Are these given to you by Daddy Jones?
 

JBond

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My take on Cooper is he is at best a top 25 receiver, which is very good. But the Cowboys needed him to be bigger based on what they were paying and counting on for production. His lack of YAC is what makes him far less valuable. I was shocked to see that Dalton Schultz and Cedric Wilson had more YAC than he did.

He’s a top 5 best route runner in the league but we’ve been paying him like he’s a star and he’s just not THAT kind of receiver. He was at times the best receiver here, but when you look around the league at so called #1’s, he simply doesn’t stack up.
I love many of your posts, but we must look at who is throwing the ball.
 

Aerolithe_Lion

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We need to run qbr/yards/TDs thrown by Dak in the same games which Cooper is getting called out on. Put Cooper with Russel Wilson/Rodgers/Mahomes/Allen, we will see him

The problem with that Logic is Lamb this year, and Gallup a few years ago had seasons with Dak that were about the best that Cooper has ever had. Even if the QB is the problem, AC should be able to separate himself from perceived lesser receivers
 

Malhavoc

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THIS IS NOT A HATE AMARI COOPER THREAD. I like Cooper. But I also think it was a smart move for the Cowboys, both for obvious cap reasons and the fact that he was overrated here.

Now that I have that out of the way, let us count the reasons why Cooper’s release could be a good thing:
  • Amari Cooper is a very good receiver. He’s an excellent route runner. BUT- he is not a great 3rd down receiver (when you need a 3rd down conversion)
    • In 2021, Cooper was 26th in the league in 3rd down receptions for a first down. For $20 mil a season, that’s not great. (Btw- Cedee Lamb was 16th)
  • He’s not as much of a big play guy as he used to be- In YAC yardage, Cooper was way below avg- GET THIS- Dalton Schultz, Cedric Wilson and Tony Pollard all had better YAC numbers than Coop in 2021.
    • Cooper has never been that great in YAC numbers in his career. He’s really more of a possession receiver which makes both his price tag and his lack of big 3rd down plays a problem.
    • His last two seasons, he’s only averaging about 12 yards per reception. Again, more of a possession receiver than a big play receiver.
  • He has tended to disappear in the bigger games when your big play receiver is MOST needed. Not all big games. He did have some big games. But not enough to make him a star. Here are some examples:
    • In both playoff losses Cooper played in, (2018, 2021) he averaged less than 70 yards per game.
    • In 2019’s most critical game that decided the NFC East vs Filly, Cooper had 4 receptions for 24 yds and famously stood on the sidelines in the last drive.
    • Another critical game in 2019, vs NE on the road, Coop got shut out with zero catches. (Randall Cobb and Gallup had 86 and 55 yds that day)
    • In that terrible loss against Arizona last year that cost us the #2 seed, Coop had 3 catches for 18 yds, despite 8 targets and two drops.
I’m not here to bash Amari Cooper. He’s a very good receiver. But Cowboys fans, let’s be honest. Is he a top 20 receiver in this league? NO. Not in receptions, YAC, 3rd down conversions…etc, etc. We cannot pay a WR $20 mil a season with that kind of return.

Will we miss Cooper? Maybe some. But the cap savings could provide more help at other positions without losing much on offense.

In my book letting him go is the right move.
Spot on
 

Whyjerry

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THIS IS NOT A HATE AMARI COOPER THREAD. I like Cooper. But I also think it was a smart move for the Cowboys, both for obvious cap reasons and the fact that he was overrated here.

Now that I have that out of the way, let us count the reasons why Cooper’s release could be a good thing:
  • Amari Cooper is a very good receiver. He’s an excellent route runner. BUT- he is not a great 3rd down receiver (when you need a 3rd down conversion)
    • In 2021, Cooper was 26th in the league in 3rd down receptions for a first down. For $20 mil a season, that’s not great. (Btw- Cedee Lamb was 16th)
  • He’s not as much of a big play guy as he used to be- In YAC yardage, Cooper was way below avg- GET THIS- Dalton Schultz, Cedric Wilson and Tony Pollard all had better YAC numbers than Coop in 2021.
    • Cooper has never been that great in YAC numbers in his career. He’s really more of a possession receiver which makes both his price tag and his lack of big 3rd down plays a problem.
    • His last two seasons, he’s only averaging about 12 yards per reception. Again, more of a possession receiver than a big play receiver.
  • He has tended to disappear in the bigger games when your big play receiver is MOST needed. Not all big games. He did have some big games. But not enough to make him a star. Here are some examples:
    • In both playoff losses Cooper played in, (2018, 2021) he averaged less than 70 yards per game.
    • In 2019’s most critical game that decided the NFC East vs Filly, Cooper had 4 receptions for 24 yds and famously stood on the sidelines in the last drive.
    • Another critical game in 2019, vs NE on the road, Coop got shut out with zero catches. (Randall Cobb and Gallup had 86 and 55 yds that day)
    • In that terrible loss against Arizona last year that cost us the #2 seed, Coop had 3 catches for 18 yds, despite 8 targets and two drops.
I’m not here to bash Amari Cooper. He’s a very good receiver. But Cowboys fans, let’s be honest. Is he a top 20 receiver in this league? NO. Not in receptions, YAC, 3rd down conversions…etc, etc. We cannot pay a WR $20 mil a season with that kind of return.

Will we miss Cooper? Maybe some. But the cap savings could provide more help at other positions without losing much on offense.

In my book letting him go is the right move.
Jerry traded a lot to get him. Then he signed him to a big deal. All the while he pumped up a guy that is a good but not great receiver with a penchant for taking games off. Typical Cowboys PR superstar. I can’t believe they didn’t franchise him last season and kicked him to the curb now. I also can’t believe they can’t work a trade for the guy. Gallup was always the better option as soon as they drafted CeeDee. The stupidity in the front office is astounding.
 

Aerolithe_Lion

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I largely agreed with your take. Dak won't target him seemingly, so why pay for a #1. I mean he's not a check down RB or TE?

I will say this twitter post made me question my stance..

Maybe we're paying him to make Dak better across the board?


That adds a new question though:

If Amari Cooper played in 15 games, how was he on the sideline so much that Dak’s overall QBR dipped to 50? 50 is halfway between Cooper’s on and off accredited rating. How in the heck…

That may be where the Jones’s frustration lies.
 
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