Tag Archives: Brandin Cooks

Via google search for New England Patriots

Unfinished Business

Leave a reply

The Patriots just finished up winning their Sixth Super Bowl. After seeing Brady, Edleman, and Belichick embracing and talking about still being here, and the post-game comments from Robert and Jonathan Kraft that were giddy but edged, it all adds up to one thing: The Patriots have unfinished business. What else do they need to accomplish? They are being compared to the greatest dynasties in all sports. Brady arguments are starting with Jordan and Russell, not Montana and Starr.

This team once finished a season 18-1. That nasty taste in the back of all Patriots fans throats is still there. The Patriots have very few goals left to achieve. Let’s look at what might very well be in store for the 2019 off-season.

It Starts With Motivation

The Patriots 13-3 win was by the biggest margin in their Super Bowl history. But according to most outlets, this was a boring Super Bowl. No buzz. More an indictment on the Rams and Sean McVay than a Patriots win. Sure, there’s the occasional 2/3rds of the Ringer football staff, or Greg Bedard, who champion this team’s accomplishments. But this is a taste of what you get when you search ‘Patriots boring’ into google:

Don’t think for a minute Coach Belichick hasn’t noticed. We just saw what happens when Belichick regains control of the team and uses motivation to maximum effect.

Again, the Patriots just pulled into a tie with the Steelers for all time Super Bowl wins. Tom Brady stands alone as the player with the most Super Bowl rings. Coach Belichick can do things like this:

Freddy Mitchell, a part time player, was used as motivation against the Eagles in Super Bowl 39. What do we think a national movement belittling this Super Bowl can do?

Salary Cap & Draft Capital

The NFL salary cap can be convoluted. But the bottom line is the Patriots currently have around $18 Million in cap space. Between potential retirements and restructurings that number could grow to around $50 Million or more. That’s enough cheddar to do some serious damage.

As far as draft picks, the Patriots have 5 in the first four rounds. When have they ever used all their draft picks? Now they have an extra upper round pick to parry with.

All this adds up to a lot of possibilities.

Potential Moves

What are the kind of players we could be talking about? Randy Moss was traded for a 4th round pick in 2007. Aqib Talib was traded for a 4th round pick in 2012. Brandin Cooks was traded for first and third round picks in 2017.

There is a certain Steeler wide out who has just requested a trade. Yes, Antonio Brown, probably the best wide receiver in the NFL, is not outwardly Patriot material. He put the post-game locker room on Facebook live. He doesn’t show up for work at times. Brown also just missed a court date, so is now a convicted reckless driver.

The Steelers will have to be desperate to trade Brown to the Patriots, but his radioactivity might make it possible. With him missing the final game of the season, and now a reckless driving conviction in Pennsylvania, the price could be coming down from 1st round pick territory. Brown is owed a lot of money, around $12 to $13 Million a year for the next three years. But his contract isn’t guaranteed. It’s easy to see a reworked one or two year deal, a la Darrelle Revis in 2014. It’s also easy to see a hardworking, nose to the grindstone Antonio Brown looking to rebuild his value.

Brown on his own wouldn’t be enough. Belichick is always ready to praise the opposition. He just saw the Rams defense do a great job against Brady and Co. Someone like linebacker Donte Fowler, Jr., who is a free agent, would look great next to Dont’a Hightower in the Patriots defense.

Re-signings to look for

A push for an undefeated season would include convincing Gronk to go for it one more year as well. Why go through the pain and hard work? The same reason Belichick and Brady are still doing it. To achieve the unattainable, the immortal.

And of course this would include bringing back Trey Flowers. As stated above, there is room on the Patriots cap, with some massaging, for a few big moves.

The Patriots have the motivation and ability to go all in for an undefeated season in 2019. Let’s put those ’72 Dolphins out to pasture, we want our own insufferable undefeated toasts every year.

Uncovering Patriots Weaknesses

Uncovering New England’s Offensive Weaknesses- Part 1

Leave a reply

Introduction

Every football team has at least one weakness. Honestly, it may be fair to say two weaknesses. Usually one on the offensive side of the ball, and one on defense. This article I will be dissecting any potential weaknesses on the offensive side of the ball.

Hopefully you can relate to this: when the Patriots have been eliminated from the playoffs, it damn near always catches me off guard. I can’t remember a playoff game that the Patriots have lost and I wholeheartedly expected them to lose. That just doesn’t happen. Us Patriots fans have built this expectation to win the Super Bowl every single season, and anything short of that is a failure. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have instilled this into us.

Year after year winning Super Bowls or being in contention has plateaued our standards at ‘Super Bowl or bust’. So, when the Patriots are in fact eliminated from contention, I am initially in a stage of anger and shock. Naturally, because of how great the Patriots always are, when they are eliminated, it seems like a blown opportunity. A few days after the loss, ‘hindsight 20-20’ becomes reality to me. I begin to understand why they lost, and that their weaknesses couldn’t be masked by Brady and Bill.

As a Patriots fan, even with the weaknesses that the team has, it becomes easy to overlook them or minimize them because “we have Brady and Belichick”. By the end of this article, I intend for you to fully understand the Patriots offensive weakness.

My Attempt at an Non-Bias Uncovering of the Patriots’ Offensive Weakness

Whether you want to use statistics or the eye test, the Patriots’ offense this season has been elite. Arguably they are the best in the NFL. They finished top-2 in total yards, points for, turnovers lost, and total first downs. This New England offense seems like one without a weakness.

One may in fact have a point in believing that, had the Patriots never traveled to Miami this season. In by far the worst offensive performance of the season, the Patriots were 0-11 on third down conversions. A usual staple of success for the Patriots became what derailed the team that week.

Brady Isn’t Connecting with His WRs

Taking a deeper look at what went wrong that game, it became clear that the Patriots could not throw the football down field. To be fair, they didn’t have Rob Gronkowski, who was serving a one-game suspension. Without Gronk up the middle demanding two sets of eyes, there was nothing the Patriots could do to free up their wide-receivers vs Miami’s press-man-coverage. Xavien Howard led the Miami CB group through to a no-hitter vs Tom Brady and company. Playing straight up man-coverage, with a plethora of different blitzing schemes, the Patriots were helpless.

Heading into the next week vs Pittsburgh for the biggest game of the season, New England clearly had to clean up its act. A team that usually plays zone-coverage, played tight man-coverage vs New England, following the blueprint that Miami put together the week before. The difference this time, was Rob Gronkowski, who ate up the Pittsburgh defense. While it was nice to see Gronk back, the Patriots still only completed nine passes to wide-receivers that game.

The next two games against the Bills and Jets, with the season all but locked up, the game plan seemed to revolve around running the rock. Opportunities to throw were still there, and so were the issues. Brady missed Cooks wide open deep down the field vs Buffalo that should have been a touchdown.

Cooks(36yd line) has the safety beat over the top.

An under-throw by Brady towards the middle of the field forced Cooks back inward, helping the safety catch up. Incomplete.

Against the Jets, Cooks stopped running too early, resulting in an incompletion that should have been a deep touchdown.

The Numbers

According to NFL Research, over the first 11 games this season, Tom Brady completed 42.3% of his passes of 20+ yards and had a TD/INT of 5/1. Over the last 5 games, Tom Brady has completed only 27.3% of his throws of 20+ yards and has a TD/INT of 0/3.

Through those first 11 games as well, Brandin Cooks averaged 79 yards per game. Over the last 5 games, however, Brandin Cooks has averaged 42.6 yards per game and has spit out his only two ‘under 20 yard’ games.

The Reason(?)

I want to tread lightly here, but maybe this bye-week is exactly what Tom Brady needs. I am not saying that Tom Brady is done, or seriously regressing, the G.O.A.T will probably win the MVP for crying out loud! What I am saying, however, is that Tom Brady only had to play a twelve game season last year. He had five weeks off. As fit as Tom Brady is, at age 40 the human body needs more time to recover. Tom Brady, to my estimations, has at least two years of great football left.

With that being said, he is going to have to rest more, and continue to nurture his body as he gets older, like anyone would. Tom Brady from weeks 12-16 threw at least one interception in each game. It was the first time he had thrown an INT in five straight weeks since 2002. This bye-week could indeed be what Brady’s body needs to help get him back on track.

It is also completely fair to credit this issue to injuries that transpired throughout the season. Losing Edelman in the preseason changed the entire dynamic of the offense. Before Hogan was knocked out with his shoulder injury, he was on pace for his best season. At the same time, Brandin Cooks was tearing up the field with his deep crossing and go routes. On top of that, Malcolm Mitchell, a Brady favorite, has been out for the entire season.

Hope

The good news is that both Hogan and Mitchell are likely to be back in the playoffs at some point. This would be crucial for the Patriots offense. To have weapons like Gronkowski and Lewis grouped with a dangerous wide-receiver group *that Brady trusts* could make this offense unstoppable. Right now, however, throwing outside is still a big weakness for this team.

Jardine’s Means: The Keys To Beating The Saints

Leave a reply

Well folks, as Coach Belichick would say “we are onto New Orleans”.  It will be refreshing for players and fans alike to get to the next game.  We all just hope that that first game was just a reminder to “do your job” and play.  Let me give you my keys to the Patriots beating the Saints tomorrow.

 

HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 05: James White #28 of the New England Patriots with the ball against the Atlanta Falcons during Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The Patriots defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

USE THE RUN TO SET UP THE PASSING GAME

One key to beating the Saints this week is controlling the game on the ground.  This will accomplish many things if executed properly.  First, it will allow the offense to get into the game and draw the Saints’ defense closer to the line of scrimmage.  By drawing the defense closer to the line over time this will allow for play action passing.  Brady is a master at reading the defense.  The more of them at the line the better.

Running the ball also eats up the clock nicely.  This allows the Patriots’ defense limit time on the field which keeps them very fresh.  Running the ball accomplishes the most important goal of all, keeping Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense on the sidelines.  They cannot score when they are on the sidelines looking at their tablets.  The Patriots really failed at this in their first game.  I guarantee you that Coach Belichick chewed the ear off Coach McDaniels about this very subject.

Expect a big ground game from Gillislee after Coach Belichick’s comment that “he could be a little better”.  Yes Gillislee scored three touchdowns.  But that was about it for positives in game one.

 

USE THE ENTIRE PASSING GAME

Anyone that watched the first game against the Chiefs probably shouted at their TV at least once during the game.  The most likely phrase screamed at the TV was probably “why the hell are the Pats throwing it deep all the time?”  Maybe that was just me, because I know I shouted that at least once.

The Patriots will move into their passing attack mode after running the ball.  This strategy will also be much more effective than my “spreading the ball around” and not just throwing deep.  Having Cooks and Hogan down the field was almost having a new toy for Brady last week.  Like anything new, you don’t want to wear it out from overuse.  The Pats have so many weapons in their passing arsenal that they should be OK.  By spreading the ball to Gronk, Burkhead, White and friends, then it should allow for deep throws sometimes.   Just don’t fall in love with the deep ball, Tom, because you don’t have to.

This so called spreading of the offensive wealth should allow for a better result then last week.  The Patriots have such a wide and varied offensive attack that things should work themselves out this week.

BACK ON TRACK

With the slight change of our teams’ offensive outlook, the result of this game should be better.  Keeping the Saints’ offens,e off of the field as much as possible, and grinding their D are going to be the keys to victory.  T,ake a deep breath Patriot Nation, because I think that loss last week will be a blessing.  Let’s Go Patriots.  Check out more great Patriot articles at BostonSportsExtra.com

Patriot’s Scary Offense: A roster analysis Part 2

Leave a reply

Now that the glory of the 2017 NFL season is upon us and the anticipation of training camp behind us, we can take stock of the roster as it heads into the early part of the year. The situation is very fluid and much of the bottom of the roster will be churned in an effort to repeat as Super Bowl Champions. The offense had quite a few surprises. How does it look for this season? How is it shaping up for the next two to three years? Read on and find out.

 

Quarterbacks

 

Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo

FOXBORO, MA – SEPTEMBER 07: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots reacts on the sideline during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium on September 7, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The surprise trade of Jacoby Brissett really sent shock waves throughout the fans. It answered one question; are we carrying three quarterbacks this year? And raised many others. Is Jimmy G  tagged or extended after this year? Is it Tom Brady’s last year? Will TB12 be extended too? Unfortunatethird we will most likely have to wait for the playoff run to end before we get our answers. But I can tell you this; getting an asset that you can play for even 25% of the snaps is better than a 3rd QB who you hope to never have to see throw the ball. And the Patriots figure to sign a guy to the practice squad once some of the injuries at other positions clear up.

 

Running Backs

 

Mike Gillislee, Rex Burkhead, James White, Dion Lewis, Brandon Bolden (ST), DJ Foster (PS)

After all the drama of the running back competition, it looks surprising similar to the off season roster. Even Bolden made it back after a couple of days unemployment. This could be the most talented group of ball carriers that Tom Brady has ever shared the backfield with. Ground and pound the ball, check. Pass protectors, check. Dynamic pass catchers, check. The only downside to this unit is that two of them are UFA and even Gillislee is expendable if he doesn’t perform to expectations. That means that it could be facing a large amount of turnover in the off season again.

 

Wide Receivers

 

Danny Amendola, Brandin Cooks, Phillip Dorsett, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell, Matthew Slater (ST), Demarcus Ayers (PS), Cody Hollister (PS)

Disaster struck when Julian Edelman went down in the preseason with a torn ACL.  This could’ve been a record-setting unit, but without Elelman  wel’l have to settle for merely scary. Instead, the bombshell of trade that sent Jacoby Brissett to the Colts for their speedy wideout Phillip Dorsett brought back those thoughts. It will take some time for him to gel and for it to transition from a dink and dunk with a gritty Edelman getting those third to bombs away, chunk grabbing TD machine, wiith Cooks, Hogan and Dorsett. Mitchell and Amendola are great depth receivers but both are injury-prone and should not be counted on extensively. Even with Edelman’s and Mitchell’s injury worse the Pats have a very deep and scary unit this season.

 

Tight Ends

 

Dwayne Allen, Rob Gronkowski, Jacob Hollister

And the last man standing in the battle royale for the 3rd tight end is – Jacob Hollister. Showing up for big stretches in all the preseason games and practices, the undrafted rookie out of Wyoming secured his spot on the roster. A naturally fluid route running and great hands won him his job and as a better blocker will have him stick. And when you consider he gets to learn behind one of the young greats at that position in Rob Gronkowski, his future looks bright. Dwayne Allen as the backup on an offense that likes its two tight end sets appears extremely fortuitous.

 

Offensive Line

 

David Andrews, Joe Thuney, Marcus Cannon, Cole Croston, Cameron Fleming, Shaq Mason, LaAdrian Waddle, Nate Solder, Willie Beavers (PS), James Ferentz (PS), Ted Karras (PS)

If the shockwaves from the Brissett/Dorsett trade registered an 8.0, then the surprise cut of Ted Karras as the backup interior lineman in favor of Cole Croston was a mere 3.0. But have no fear Karras fans (@stevenviner1).   He made it back on the practice squad. Other than that,- this is the unit that completed the comeback for the Super Bowl. Everyone is back and getting healthy. With another year under offensive line maven Dante Scarnecchia we should really see some wire-to-wire improvements. Next year will provide some uncertainty as Fleming, Waddle and Solder are all free agents after the season. Rookie Tony Garcia will spend the season on the Non-Football Injury list.   Hopefully he’ll compete next year for a depth spot.

All in all a very powerful unit to begin the season with. They’ve already weathered several injuries and upheavals and there will undoubtedly be more. As long as Tom Brady is back there healthy and slinging the football the team will be competitive and a threat to win every game. If the injury fairy has completed its visit this season and the newcomers and young guys all step up, they have the potential to break some records this season as they begin their quest for the sixth ring.

Be sure to share this and all the articles from @BosSportsExtra.

Follow me on Twitter @ALykins32

How Will Tom Brady Share the Wealth?

Leave a reply

Tom Brady has a bevy of quality receivers at his disposal for this upcoming season. We all know Tom Brady is not only the best quarterback in the NFL, or even just the best quarterback in NFL history, but in fact the greatest being to ever grace this Earth with his presence. He will get everyone their looks, each receiver will have their day. But how can we expect those receptions to be split up?

Wide Receivers

Julian Edelman #11 of the New England Patriots makes a catch during a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on January 1, 2017 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Julian Edelman is the old standby at wide receiver. He is Tom Brady’s most trusted target. The two of them know what each other is thinking and Brady can rely on Edelman being where he is supposed to be. Edelman is 31 now and has been banged up in recent years, but he will still get fed. In his four years as a starter he has averaged 104 receptions per 16 games played. Problem is, he doesn’t usually play in all 16. With Cooks in the fold there is a chance we see a slight decline in targets this year, but I don’t think it will be much. If Edelman can stay on the field I would expect to see 90+ receptions from him again this year. About 6 receptions per game seems about right for him.

Brandin Cooks is the hardest to predict since he is the newcomer. Yes, he is coming to New England with Tom Brady, but he was already in a great offense in New Orleans. Also, with New Orleans he had less competition for targets. The Patriots are loaded with pass catchers, the Saints were mostly Cooks and Michael Thomas. Cooks averaged 81 catches the last two years for 1156 yards and 8 touchdowns. I know a lot of people are expecting huge things from Cooks, but I think that sounds about right for him again this year. He can help spread the field and open up more lanes underneath, he can also catch some of those short screen passes at the line and try to make something of them. But with 4 good wide receivers, a few pass catching backs and Rob Gronkowski I don’t see Cooks suddenly increasing his catch total. If anything goes up I think it will be his touchdown total.

Malcolm Mitchell is a good receiver, capable of starting on most teams. On the Patriots he is behind a wealth of others on the pecking order. He will keep a role in the offense however, provided he can stay healthy. Mitchell caught 32 passes and 4 touchdowns in his rookie season last year. He really came on late in the year though, catching 21 passes between weeks 9 and 12 while scoring all 4 of his touchdowns. He even caught 6 passes in the Super Bowl during the Pats late comeback. There will be some weeks where we don’t see much of Mitchell and others where he is thrown to quite a bit. I think the Patriots “3rd” wide receiver will be matchup based, Mitchell and Hogan both having their days in the sun. I’m thinking 40-45 receptions for Mitchell this year if he can stay on the field. He has had knee problems dating back to college. The larger likelihood is Mitchell winds up missing a few games and finishes closer to 35 receptions.

Chris Hogan is the forgotten man. After bringing Cooks into the fold people have seemingly forgotten about Chris Hogan. He had 38 catches last year for 680 yards, leading the league at 17.9 yards per catch. He then came up huge in the postseason with 17 catches in 3 games and 19.5 yards per catch. His play will be a bit sporadic, matchup based. Teams that are susceptible to the long ball Hogan will be given a lot of run. Teams beat more by good route running and shorter to medium range passes I think Mitchell will see the field more. Counting the playoffs Hogan had two 100 yard games and three 90 yard games last year. I expect his stats to be hit and miss again this year. 35 catches with 600 yards seems to be doable.

Danny Amendola is still around after taking a third pay cut to stay in New England. I don’t see him doing a whole lot though unless injuries ahead of him free up targets. If everyone stays healthy Amendola may fall short of 30 catches for the third time in five seasons.

Tight Ends

Rob Gronkowski #87 of the New England Patriots makes the Broncos defenders look silly. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Rob Gronkowski hasn’t played in all 16 games since 2011 (though he did play 15 two years ago). I see no reason why the Patriots wouldn’t scale back his snaps with all these other offensive weapons they have. There is no reason to risk injury by sending Gronk onto the field for 60, 70 snaps a game. They have another tight end who is also a good blocker, and they have plenty of good to great pass catchers. Gronkowski’s snaps should be limited in an effort to keep him healthy and playing through January. Due to this, I don’t see Gronk catching 70, 80 balls like he has in the past. If he can stay on the field for all 16 games maybe 65 catches, but that’s a big if given his history. The touchdowns should still be there regardless. When healthy Gronkowski is an unstoppable force, impossible to cover and dragging defenders down the field like a man playing amongst boys. In a full season double digit touchdowns is still likely, but I’d hope and expect his snap count is brought down this year.

Dwayne Allen was brought in to fill the Martellus Bennett role. He is a younger, cheaper version of Bennett. Biggest problem with him is he has missed games in each of the past 4 seasons. Hopefully he can stay on the field and take some pressure and snaps off of Gronkowski. Allen is a good blocker, but also has capable hands. He scored 8 touchdowns in 2014 and 6 last season. I see him still catching some touchdowns down near the goal line. Opposing defenses will focus on Gronkowski, or maybe on the run game, freeing up a lane for Allen to slip free unnoticed. For catches I see him in the 35 range, but coming with about 6 touchdowns. That’s if Gronk can stay healthy. If Gronk goes down we could see Allen creep up closer to Bennett’s 55 receptions from a year ago.

Running Backs

HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 05: James White #28 of the New England Patriots with the ball against the Atlanta Falcons during Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The Patriots defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

James White is the main pass catching back. Honestly, that’s why he is here. He doesn’t make many guys miss and isn’t a huge threat as a runner. White is out there on the field to catch passes, create mismatches lined up against linebackers who can’t cover him. In fact, although he is a running back White has caught 35 more passes in his career than he has carries! He caught 60 balls a year ago and then added 18 more in the playoffs. He will still be the Patriots top receiving back, but they now have 4 capable runners who all have decent hands as well. They don’t have anyone like Legarrette Blount this year who has to be taken out on passing downs. All of them can catch the ball and make things happen. I see White’s receptions dropping some this year, maybe into the 45- 50 range.

Mike Gillislee has been assumed to be the main runner all offseason, and I think that will still be the case. However, the Patriots have always loved to play the matchups and I think each of their running backs will have their Sunday in the sun. Each will have a big game, but overall Gillislee probably leads the team in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. He is also a capable pass catcher, so unlike with Blount last year it won’t be obvious the Patriots are running when their main back is in the game. I think he stays in the game and becomes a dump off option on passing plays, picking up 25-30 receptions.

Rex Burkhead is making some late noise in the competition for reps at running back. Burkhead was given a chance to start in week 17 last year with the Bengals and ran for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns. He is in the same kind of mold as a Danny Woodhead, if he carves out a starting role over Mike Gillislee he could catch 40+ balls this season. As it stands now I expect Gillislee to get the most work, but I think Burkhead will have a couple big games. I have him pegged for 25 receptions, with the ability to corral a lot more with playing time.

Dion Lewis is the shiftiest of the Patriots running backs. He can make guys look downright silly out on the field when the ball is in his hands. Lewis gets banged up though and misses a lot of time, so it’s hard to envision him having a huge role. In 2014, Lewis caught 36 passes in only 7 games as the Patriots featured him a lot more that year. Given his injury history he won’t be as heavily used. However, he did manage to catch 17 passes last year in his 7 games after returning from injury. This leads me to believe Lewis will still have some sort of role. Even with the crowded backfield he could catch 2-3 balls per game.

The Brandin Cooks Effect in New England

Leave a reply

The Archer has found a new home in Foxborough

Back on March 11th, the Patriots agreed to trade their first and third (No. 32 and 103) picks in the 2017 Draft to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for their 23-year-old star wide receiver Brandin Cooks and their fourth round pick (No. 118). As a personal fan of Cooks since he entered the league in 2014 from Oregon State, coach Bill Belichick has since been ecstatic about adding him to the Patriots’ already talented receiving corps. Belichick commented on Cooks’s raw talent when the Patriots and Saints held joint practices and played each other in the preseasons of 2015 and 2016.  “I’m glad we don’t have to play him twice a year and he’s not in our division. He’s a really good player”.

Cooks made a splash in his three seasons in New Orleans, racking up 2,861 receiving yards from 215 receptions and catching 20 touchdown passes. Although the number-one wide receiver on the Saints early in his career, the team deemed him expendable after rookie receiver Michael Thomas had proved his worth. The Saints have not fallen under fourth place in total offense since 2010.   However, on the other side of the ball, their defense struggled, ranking thirty first in points allowed this season.  To improve their ailing defense, the Saints begrudgingly parted ways with their emerging receiver Cooks this off season.

Patriots 2017: all the more scarier on offense

Brandin Cooks’s incredible speed is his primary weapon to make some of the unbelievable catches that he has hauled in during his three-year tenure in the league.  This clearly aids him in evading the opposing cornerback and creating separation as he runs routes with ease.  Cooks possesses extraordinary awareness when running routes with his ability to place his hands in the perfect position to haul in any pass. Cooks has averaged a 69.5% catch percentage in the 315 times he has been targeted in the NFL, which illustrates his reliability as a receiver, even when he runs deep.

Image result for brandin cooks gif

Versatile Cooks Meets Indomitable Brady

Tom Brady finally has a new a new deep-threat star receiver.   One that already has been drawing comparisons reminiscent of Randy Moss’s  time with the Patriots.  No stranger to working alongside an elite quarterback, Cooks holds praise for Tom, saying, “To play with a guy like that is special. The way that he pays attention to the game, he makes you up your level a little more.” Cooks intends to do whatever he can to quickly become a valuable receiver for Brady, and has proven himself thus far on the practice field.

For the first time in his NFL career, Brandin Cooks will be part of a deeply talented and competitive group of wide receivers. He will likely not face the same workload that he did in New Orleans, with split reps, but he will enjoy being part of such a selfless group. Cooks will presumably assume the role of running go-routes and streaks down the sideline as a deep threat, a duty Chris Hogan possessed last season. Cooks will definitely run many diverse routes as well, but his speed makes him a front-runner to be the offense’s new vertical threat.

Brandin Cooks will show quickly that he will fit into the Patriot’s aggressive offensive scheme and has a chance this season to build off of having two consecutive years with 1100+ yards.

Image result for brandin cooks patriots practice