Brandon Cooks Traded to Cowboys

[DaBoys]

Y’all are making me hungry with all this Jacoby Brisket talk. 

[elevators_rule]

Man, Dak has literally 0 reason not to win a superbowl this year. Our team might have more talent than anyone in the entire NFL atm.

[DaBoys]

2 hours ago, elevators_rule said:

Man, Dak has literally 0 reason not to win a superbowl this year. Our team might have more talent than anyone in the entire NFL atm.

I mean winning the super bowl is hard. A million things could go wrong. Dez non catch, Patrick Crayton drop, Aaron Rodgers having 38 seconds. Things happen. He just needs to not be the REASON we lose in the playoffs, like he was the last two years. Had he just been average against SF we would have won the game. They only scored 19 points on us. He threw 2 picks and the defense held them to FGs. That was ultimately the difference. Then there’s under throwing Lamb deep, missing a wide open TY Hilton in the endzone. He was bad that game. His performance directly contributed to the loss. 
 

He has no excuse to do that again(not that he had one before). 

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

59 minutes ago, DaBoys said:

I mean winning the super bowl is hard. A million things could go wrong. Dez non catch, Patrick Crayton drop, Aaron Rodgers having 38 seconds. Things happen. He just needs to not be the REASON we lose in the playoffs, like he was the last two years. Had he just been average against SF we would have won the game. They only scored 19 points on us. He threw 2 picks and the defense held them to FGs. That was ultimately the difference. Then there’s under throwing Lamb deep, missing a wide open TY Hilton in the endzone. He was bad that game. His performance directly contributed to the loss. 
 

He has no excuse to do that again(not that he had one before). 

Couldn’t agree more.

Now back to Cooks - are you out on taking a receiver early now? I’m not totally against it, but I’d have to be surprised by a player being available. I haven’t seen a recent sim or mock where a WR available at our spot was who I’d have wanted to take.

[matt79511]

2 hours ago, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

Couldn’t agree more.

Now back to Cooks - are you out on taking a receiver early now? I’m not totally against it, but I’d have to be surprised by a player being available. I haven’t seen a recent sim or mock where a WR available at our spot was who I’d have wanted to take.

Yeah, doesn't feel like much of a draft priority, especially with just 7 picks remaining. I might even put QB or kicker over it in terms of what I'm looking at late Day 3.

If none of Tolbert, Fehoko, Houston, etc. emerge as a viable WR4, it's a position where there's always a vet available. Can always re-sign TY.

[DaBoys]

4 hours ago, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

Couldn’t agree more.

Now back to Cooks - are you out on taking a receiver early now? I’m not totally against it, but I’d have to be surprised by a player being available. I haven’t seen a recent sim or mock where a WR available at our spot was who I’d have wanted to take.

Depends on what you mean by early. The first round? Yeah I’m probably out, but to be fair I was kind of out on first round WRs before the trade. Addison showed up to the combine super tiny but didn’t run that way. Hyatt was billed as the track star but didn’t run that way. jSN and Johnston didn’t even run. JSN did agility drills and Johnston jumped which is how they win I guess, but it’s a little disappointing when talking about a 1st rounder. Having said that, I’m intrigued by the late round 2 - round 3 guys. Marvin Mims, Tank Dell, Josh Downs because the value starts to make more sense outside the first round. 

You have to think the Cowboys will start CD Lamb, Cooks, and Gallup. So any WR they draft is going to struggle to find the field outside of injury. They spent a 3rd on a WR last draft so that 4th WR spot is no lock either. I don’t think they want to draft a guy in the 1st round who will immediately be buried in the depth chart. Especially when the 1st round WRs don’t seem like slam dunks. 
 

But with Lamb approaching contract time, Cooks being 30, and Gallup potentially not ever returning to form, WR still has to be on the radar. I just think the value is in rounds 2-4. 
 

26. O’Cyrus Torrence 

58. Zach Charbonnet

90. Tank Dell

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

6 minutes ago, DaBoys said:

Depends on what you mean by early. The first round? Yeah I’m probably out, but to be fair I was kind of out on first round WRs before the trade. Addison showed up to the combine super tiny but didn’t run that way. Hyatt was billed as the track star but didn’t run that way. jSN and Johnston didn’t even run. JSN did agility drills and Johnston jumped which is how they win I guess, but it’s a little disappointing when talking about a 1st rounder. Having said that, I’m intrigued by the late round 2 - round 3 guys. Marvin Mims, Tank Dell, Josh Downs because the value starts to make more sense outside the first round. 

You have to think the Cowboys will start CD Lamb, Cooks, and Gallup. So any WR they draft is going to struggle to find the field outside of injury. They spent a 3rd on a WR last draft so that 4th WR spot is no lock either. I don’t think they want to draft a guy in the 1st round who will immediately be buried in the depth chart. Especially when the 1st round WRs don’t seem like slam dunks. 
 

But with Lamb approaching contract time, Cooks being 30, and Gallup potentially not ever returning to form, WR still has to be on the radar. I just think the value is in rounds 2-4. 
 

26. O’Cyrus Torrence 

58. Zach Charbonnet

90. Tank Dell

I agree. I just don’t really expect the draft to fall in a way where I will like the value. If Hyatt or Flowers are there at 58? Or Tank Dell or Marvin Mims are there at 90? Certainly. But that’s what I meant when I say I’ll have to be surprised by a player on the board. I feel very little pressure to draft a WR that isn’t a locked and loaded value pick.

[DaBoys]

1 minute ago, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

I agree. I just don’t really expect the draft to fall in a way where I will like the value. If Hyatt or Flowers are there at 58? Or Tank Dell or Marvin Mims are there at 90? Certainly. But that’s what I meant when I say I’ll have to be surprised by a player on the board. I feel very little pressure to draft a WR that isn’t a locked and loaded value pick.

I’d have to jump on Flowers at 58. Honestly he’s one that I wouldn’t cry about at 26. 

[D82]

 

[Dallas94Ware]

Sorry gang, I just bought a new 4wheel drive SUV and have been on the road in upstate New York beating the hell out of it on the off road trails or I'd have commented much sooner ...

So Brandin Cooks eh?

Best pick up Dallas has pulled the trigger on in AGES!!

Brandin Cooks is fast, both in long stride and off the snap. His route running is severely underrated. And while he has a tendency to miss a couple easy ones per season, his hands are more than adequate (as evidenced by multiple 1000 yard seasons being thrown to by some of the leagues bottom dollar starters at QB).

He can play outside, he can play inside, and he is surprisingly good with the ball in his hands too. Both on a hand off and on short passes. 

This is the kind of player that can make teams pay for biting on the playaction.

This is the kind of player Dallas lost when they let Cooper go. Except he is possibly faster on the long stride, and probably not as tough to bring down as Amari. 

This is certainly the kind of WR that helps CeeDee be CeeDee on the other side (or even the same side). The kind of WR that allows McCarthy to "run the ball" like he said he wants to and capitalize on defenses keying in to stop that run. The kind of WR that Dallas needed sorely last year.

Lamb is damn good. But he is not that top end speed guy, and his slight frame and short area quickness really helps escape tackles and be a tough guy to cover in the short and midrange game, converting third downs for first downs and occasionally breaking free for the big play. Cooks allows Lamb to play to that strength by filling in the other gap - working further down field, opening the underneath for Lamb and Pollard, or making a safety cry when it's Lamb and Pollard that defense put their attention to.

Even if this essentially amounts to a one year rental, which contract situation being what it is, likely is the case. It's an inexpensive all in bid for a team that truly was a weapon away from being arguably the most potent offense in the league, even with Dak at the helm.

 

[Dallas94Ware]

On 3/22/2023 at 8:41 PM, D82 said:

 

I still don't get why so many people attribute separation to how fast receivers is. I enjoy the occasional BTB post but some kind of make me shake my head. This is one of them apparently...

Boldin was one of the slowest receivers in the league, and also one of the best at separation. Dez was deceptive in his speed, but was constantly forcing Romo and then Dak to throw tough, tight window, contested balls - which doesn't work for Dak and why Dez was let go.

Can speed help with separation? For sure - but mostly only on straight ahead deep routes against man coverage and cover 1 or zero coverage over the top, where the receiver can out run a slower DB and have no safety waiting to assist. Then yes, speed will separate them. 

But the majority of NFL level separation is not done by out running a defender. It's done by properly reading the coverage, properly adjusting the route to that coverage (unlike in video games, real route running is not a stagnant point A to point B path, but an adaptable, adjustable, malleable concept that allows for a QB and WR to attack gaps in coverage and exploit weaknesses), by tripping up a defender with footwork, hipwork, and even a very savvy fake of the head. It's achieved by being smart, and even patient, when coming off the ball. It's achieved by being deceptive, and even by being physical mid route and off the snap.

And above even all that, it's achieved by the play caller designing his play calls around deceiving the defense. Or what the Tv crews often refer to as "scheming the player open." For a very basic example.. Lamb runs a slant, burns the DB for a first down against a press man corner and a cover 2 up top. Later in the game, on third down, he does it again. Then the defense, on third down and seeing Lamb likely moving to that same spot, prepares for Lamb to run that slant again...the call now is a  robber zone so the safety moves down, the Mike linebacker plays a step deeper and the DB is ready for it, knowing he has help now. And then boom .. Lamb stutter steps, breaks inward...then cuts up field. The corner stumbles, the safety is out of position now, and it's a 60 yard slant and go for 6 points.

That's building on the playcalling and setting up a defense for a future call. That's scheming a player open. And that is how you create wider windows of separation in the NFL. 

In college, most separation is done by speed. But in the NFL, everyone is fast. So that speed is only getting you so far. 

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

13 hours ago, Dallas94Ware said:

Sorry gang, I just bought a new 4wheel drive SUV and have been on the road in upstate New York beating the hell out of it on the off road trails or I'd have commented much sooner ...

We forgive you, just don’t do this to us again, ok?

[Rtnldave]

On 3/22/2023 at 8:41 PM, D82 said:

 

Just a guess here, but perhaps his windows are "tight" is because he cannot throw his receivers open and his delivery is always slow and a hair late.

Dak's decision making on his reads often seems hesitant. Example: int at the end of the 2nd quarter in Div loss to SF. Lamb was open 2 seconds before Dak's throw. The defender recognized this and had the opportunity to jump the route and make the pick.

And sometimes when he does make a quick read he misses a wide open opportunity. Example: same game, he missed Hilton for a very easy score and threw to Lamb in double coverage. If you watch the replay, he was going Lamb all the way before he even surveyed the field.

He just has to do better job of reading the defense, anticipating where and when  the receiver will be open and making the decision more confidently.

He's not a bad QB, in my opinion, he has a confidence issue and it's getting in the way of his reaching his potential.

Now that is about as nicely as I can assess Prescott's game. And if that doesnt change this offseason, no Corp of receivers is going to make any bit of difference.

[the lone star]

Amazing move! Love It!