I suspect that Cooks is being underestimated by some...

[jap]

That's why I like this offense too. Every week you aren't sure who the star is going to be and neither do the defenses. McVay wants a WR to take the top off/run sweeps/play the edge, a couple receivers to exploit the middle, and a RB/TEs to exploit underneath and seams. We've got it all now. Cooks is actually an upgrade over Watkins for this offense. I was just thinking the other day about who I thought would lead in receiving next year and I couldn't decide between 4 players. I actually wouldn't be surprised to see Cooks, Woods, and Kupp all at or slightly over 1,000 with Gurley not far behind. But no one will be over 1,200. Going to be so fun to watch.

Most DCs would initially opt to take away the deep threat . . . in other words, they hate the quick death more than the slow death. Therefore, Brandin would be the one being harassed early on. This should open windows for Robert, Cooper (Kupp), and Todd to exploit underneath. The young TEs should figure in this passing party as well as the defenders would tend to flock towards last season's top threats. The not so secret weapon is Tavon. With so many playmaking teammates sharing the field with him, he might actually get lost in the defensive shuffle from time to time, and we all know both Todd & Tavon can carry the rock to the house on any given play. If the short to intermediate passing game is executing consistently, the defenders are probably gonna start cheating to stem the flow. That's when we ought to go deep to Brandin, Robert, Josh, even Tavon if he manages to sneak open downtown.

We did not really have this last season because the Jared to Sammy battery was never really in sync. I expect Brandin to become one of Jared's favorite practice buddies, and it will be so beautiful if he can refine that accuracy & touch at long distances.

 

[fearsomefour]

obviously there are two sides of the coin.

I accidentally listened to Doug Gottlieb show yesterday and he was talking about all the moves Rams have done, including adding cooks. Needless to say he wasn't a fan of the moves the Rams have done so far. His opinion is that the Rams don't have a good plan. Whatever. Just typical blah blah opinions.

....and I accidentally have Duran Duran on my play list....

 

[LACHAMP46]

Cooks can do what Austin never could (and never will) do in taking the top off the defense by catching the long ball.
I am excited about the possibilities...

Last year Watkins was drawing two defenders a lot, Cooks will demand the same respect and if you watch highlights he is often beating two guys, the defender on the LOS and the safety help coming over.

His value as a WR is to blow the top off the defense on long and shorter passes. He can split and beat double coverage. He can be used in the screens, crossing routes and stop and goes for long gaines. He is a big peace to the Sean McVay offensive puzzle. He will keep things opened up for Gurley, clear out space for Kupp and Woods. He will make plays on short and deep pases. He will have great YPC average. It will be interesting to see how the Rams spread the ball around. Cooks is going to need his touches just like Sammy wanted. I expect him and Goff to be more connected and hit on more of those deep passes having worked together longer.

Sammy's deep ball threat last season, the NFL still has yet to see this offense---last season's best---raised by a couple of levels as it would have been had Jared & Sammy achieved a solid rapport.

If the short to intermediate passing game is executing consistently, the defenders are probably gonna start cheating to stem the flow. That's when we ought to go deep to Brandin, Robert, Josh, even Tavon if he manages to sneak open downtown.

We did not really have this last season because the Jared to Sammy battery was never really in sync. I expect Brandin to become one of Jared's favorite practice buddies, and it will be so beautiful if he can refine that accuracy & touch at long distances.

Something a buddy I call Gamo pointed out....

https://brickwallblitz.com/2018/03/28/the-2017-18-deep-ball-project/

17. Jared Goff
Efficiency Score: 0.99

From laughing stock to taken seriously, Jared Goff’s fortune has taken a dramatic shift thanks to the arrival of Sean McVay and plenty of dangerous assets at his disposal. Come to think of it, that describes the Los Angeles Rams as well!

Goff was never on the 2016-17 Deep Ball Project, but I imagine his deep accuracy would’ve been dead last or something. Anyway, his role in his sophomore season suggested he was a game manager, which is a hell of a lot better than what he was in his rookie season.

Still, Goff had the 4th most inaccurate completions with 8, and newcomer Robert Woods had a couple of them against the 49ers. His accuracy and arm strength still aren’t good, but at least he’s processing things more consistently now. Incredibly, Goff’s accuracy was excellent on throws of 30-34 and 40+ air yards, but was also the 6th least accurate quarterback under pressure.

The main problem I had with Jared Goff in 2017 was he kept missing Sammy Watkins, now with the Chiefs. Goff was only accurate on 6 of 20 throws of 16+ air yards to Watkins. According to my math, that is a 30.0 accuracy percentage on such throws, which is not good.

Can Goff continue strides in improvement without Watkins opening up space, or has he reached his ceiling? Who knows, but man I’d rather have him being carried by an awesome offense than sink it, that’s for sure. All things considered, Goff’s deep efficiency went better than expected thanks to a limited amount of dropped picks.

Best Downfield Throw

Under pressure and to a receiver that isn’t open in the abstract sense? Yes please! The Rams lost this game, but still have this awesome throw from Goff to Tyler Higbee, as well as the ass kicking they gave Seattle later in the year.


This trade hinges on the ability to get the most out of Cooks....

 

[Loyal]

The main problem I had with Jared Goff in 2017 was he kept missing Sammy Watkins, now with the Chiefs. Goff was only accurate on 6 of 20 throws of 16+ air yards to Watkins. According to my math, that is a 30.0 accuracy percentage on such throws, which is not good..

Wow Champ, you are missing a critical ingredient as to judging whether a QB is accurate or not. IF a WR isn't running a route correctly (or if QB & WR didn't work together when the offense was installed) and a QB is throwing to a spot where the receiver isn't, whose fault is that? If Watkins quits on routes, which he did on occasion, or if he didn't run them like he was getting the ball and then Goff throws the ball his way because of a progression of choices and it's off target...whose fault is that?

My point is, long range accuracy measurements by looking at stats are misleading..we DON"T KNOW who is fukking up because we were not on the field during closed practices or in the classrooms watching film or drawings on the dry-board used for training. You are laying the total blame on Goff, because you are a Wentz homer, ya bastid!

 

[Loyal]

For those like LACHAMP46 who believe Goff is inaccurate on long throws because he just plain sucks, instead of being due to other mitigating factors, Cooks is the acid test. I think Cooks is a more diligent guy, and they (Goff & Cooks) will have a full off-season to perfect their timing. I am not ready to pronounce Goff a limp noodle arm, game manager yet, myself.

Talk among yourselves, I'm getting a Jim Beam and Coke.

 

[Merlin]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTkZ74o7_Uk

That vid is a good watch, but it misses on Cooks a bit. His route running is very good, first off. He is fast in and out of breaks, and the analyst cherry picking a vid where he had to slow considerably and then assuming that Tom Perfect didn't underthrow him, that it was the wideout's fault, is bad analysis IMO.

The out pattern he showed was more demonstrative I think. It shows how the Pats value guys who are thinking/preparing with incredible detail, and the fact that Cooks wasn't in a damn mind meld with Brady means they didn't want to upset things in NE and pay him more than their future HoF tight end. But Cooks is going to get a similar next-level coaching here in LA to work on that, and hopefully he'll sign a damn contract and quit jumpin around so he can get settled in an offense and max his potential.

What you get with Cooks is a guy with elite speed and who can run the precise routes this offense requires. In that regard he is a better fit than Watkins (whose routes are good moreso than great), and while Watkins "ceiling" in this offense if he had signed might have been higher (he is a super rare athlete and strong as F both in traffic and vs the jam) I believe we'll get more production out of Cooks.

 

[Mackeyser]

That vid is a good watch, but it misses on Cooks a bit. His route running is very good, first off. He is fast in and out of breaks, and the analyst cherry picking a vid where he had to slow considerably and then assuming that Tom Perfect didn't underthrow him, that it was the wideout's fault, is bad analysis IMO.

The out pattern he showed was more demonstrative I think. It shows how the Pats value guys who are thinking/preparing with incredible detail, and the fact that Cooks wasn't in a damn mind meld with Brady means they didn't want to upset things in NE and pay him more than their future HoF tight end. But Cooks is going to get a similar next-level coaching here in LA to work on that, and hopefully he'll sign a damn contract and quit jumpin around so he can get settled in an offense and max his potential.

What you get with Cooks is a guy with elite speed and who can run the precise routes this offense requires. In that regard he is a better fit than Watkins (whose routes are good moreso than great), and while Watkins "ceiling" in this offense if he had signed might have been higher (he is a super rare athlete and strong as F both in traffic and vs the jam) I believe we'll get more production out of Cooks.

The only issue was Cooks taking a third step in his deceleration before breaking. If you watch him, he had to do that because of the speed going in.

That should have been handled in practice. If TB is the guy who can’t/won’t adjust, then they have to make sure Cooks isn’t pressing so that he could pop to the outside on his second step as Brady clearly expected. That’s just a detail.

I feel VERY confident that Goff won’t have such fixed expectations and they will find excellent chemistry.

 

[OnceARam]

Just want to put this out there.

In this O there is no #1 receiver and nobody is going to put up 100 a game.

I think people need to grasp that, it will help them understand the personnel moves.

Last year the #1 offense in the NFL, the Rams, had a 100 yard game from a pass catcher five times. All year. Yes thats with Watkins, Woods, Cupp, Gurley..........

So say it out loud 5 times..........There is NO #1 WR in this scheme.

LOL.

Cooks is a #1 receiver in that other teams will be rolling coverage toward him.

 

[snackdaddy]

Cooks is a #1 receiver in that other teams will be rolling coverage toward him.

I think the number 1 receiver thing is overrated. How many teams have a true number one? And how many teams have 3 receivers in the class of Cooks, Woods and Kupp?

 

[MrRiceGuyRJ]

I like him as a player. I think he can do great things with our system. I'm just annoyed we gave up our first round for a 5th year (final year) contract player. I think we're gonna have sooooo many cap casualties coming soon. I feel like this is a Super Bowl or bust season

 

[Merlin]

I think the number 1 receiver thing is overrated. How many teams have a true number one? And how many teams have 3 receivers in the class of Cooks, Woods and Kupp?

Agreed. Depth of matchup problems is the measurable that is important to sustained success in the passing game. GSoT had four legit matchup problems for defenses (Ike, Holt, Faulk, and Az), all of whom were capable of converting critical short yards or big plays for field position flips. Last year's Rams weren't quite at that level, but they did have four matchup problems that weren't contained until the playoff loss.

This is why I am happy with Cooks' addition even though I don't consider him in the elite WR range. He's near that level (susceptibility to reroutes and physical play, and his inability to consistently win contested catches keep him from elite status to my mind), but what matters most is his fit with this offense and the fact that we now will have four matchup problems once again (Gurley, Cooks, Woods, and Kupp). If teams go out of their way to remove Cooks so be it, the other guys feast.

As much as I loved Watkins in this offense and wanted to see what he could do with more coaching from McVay and company, the addition of Cooks makes this WR group better than last year. Should make for a fun year offensively.

 

[Rams43]

Brandin Cooks?

Let’s see...

Good hands? Check.
Runs good routes? Check.
Blazing speed? Check.
Football smart? Check.
Doesn’t “give up” on plays? Check.
Wins his share of contested catches? Check.
Highly (or very highly) productive every year in the league? Check.
Improved his production each year in the league? Check.
A near Pro Bowl player? Check.

Ummmmm...

What’s not to like about this addition to the McVay/Goff O?

 

[Mackeyser]

Agreed. Depth of matchup problems is the measurable that is important to sustained success in the passing game. GSoT had four legit matchup problems for defenses (Ike, Holt, Faulk, and Az), all of whom were capable of converting critical short yards or big plays for field position flips. Last year's Rams weren't quite at that level, but they did have four matchup problems that weren't contained until the playoff loss.

This is why I am happy with Cooks' addition even though I don't consider him in the elite WR range. He's near that level (susceptibility to reroutes and physical play, and his inability to consistently win contested catches keep him from elite status to my mind), but what matters most is his fit with this offense and the fact that we now will have four matchup problems once again (Gurley, Cooks, Woods, and Kupp). If teams go out of their way to remove Cooks so be it, the other guys feast.

As much as I loved Watkins in this offense and wanted to see what he could do with more coaching from McVay and company, the addition of Cooks makes this WR group better than last year. Should make for a fun year offensively.

How can you not include Ricky Proehl? He was a tremendous receiver on clutch 3rd downs...and his catch against Tampa's vaunted D got us to the Super Bowl.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Wow Champ, you are missing a critical ingredient as to judging whether a QB is accurate or not. IF a WR isn't running a route correctly (or if QB & WR didn't work together when the offense was installed) and a QB is throwing to a spot where the receiver isn't, whose fault is that? If Watkins quits on routes, which he did on occasion, or if he didn't run them like he was getting the ball and then Goff throws the ball his way because of a progression of choices and it's off target...whose fault is that?

My point is, long range accuracy measurements by looking at stats are misleading..we DON"T KNOW who is fukking up because we were not on the field during closed practices or in the classrooms watching film or drawings on the dry-board used for training. You are laying the total blame on Goff, because you are a Wentz homer, ya bastid!

No....I didn't lay blame...I just posted an article....that was written by....IDK....it was pointing to targets....and completions....take from the numbers what you will....it just shows deep ball accuracy %%%.

We all know completions require QB, WR, lineplay...to be...in sync...cohesion...coordinated...

I get we're all HAPPY we got Cook....but we didn't utilize Watkins to his maximum...what is supposed to change? A couple extra months of camp? Cook is....smarter???? Jared is now a "sophomore"?

Just watch....the Falcons game...very good man to man corners...and safeties...and backers...that team is young like ours...pretty much the same players out there....what's gonna get a team that scored 13 points...AT HOME....better? Is it Cooks all by himself? Cause he's supposedly "better" than Sammy Watkins???? I don't think so.

How many teams have a true number one?

Philly has Alshon Jeffery...he's targeted more than every other receiver...I'd call him a #1....Pats have Gronk (but when healthy I'd say Edelman)...he was hurt a bunch so I'd say that TB12 used Danny A (NOT Cooks) as HIS #1....Pitt has Antonio Brown...I'd guess we'd all call him a #1....Jags HAD Hurns....and Allen....not a true #1....but I'd still consider Allen a #1 type-ish player...
So 3 out of 4 teams in the AFC/NFC championships had #1 type receivers.....what's your point?

 

[Mackeyser]

No....I didn't lay blame...I just posted an article....that was written by....IDK....it was pointing to targets....and completions....take from the numbers what you will....it just shows deep ball accuracy %%%.

We all know completions require QB, WR, lineplay...to be...in sync...cohesion...coordinated...

I get we're all HAPPY we got Cook....but we didn't utilize Watkins to his maximum...what is supposed to change? A couple extra months of camp? Cook is....smarter???? Jared is now a "sophomore"?

Just watch....the Falcons game...very good man to man corners...and safeties...and backers...that team is young like ours...pretty much the same players out there....what's gonna get a team that scored 13 points...AT HOME....better? Is it Cooks all by himself? Cause he's supposedly "better" than Sammy Watkins???? I don't think so.
Philly has Alshon Jeffery...he's targeted more than every other receiver...I'd call him a #1....Pats have Gronk (but when healthy I'd say Edelman)...he was hurt a bunch so I'd say that TB12 used Danny A (NOT Cooks) as HIS #1....Pitt has Antonio Brown...I'd guess we'd all call him a #1....Jags HAD Hurns....and Allen....not a true #1....but I'd still consider Allen a #1 type-ish player...
So 3 out of 4 teams in the AFC/NFC championships had #1 type receivers.....what's your point?

It's not about the legos, it's what you build with them.

The 2011 Eagles were a team that was great legos that built something mediocre.

Snead, McVay et al are very mindful of trying to build something exceptional. The lego isn't the issue.

Be nice to have all super SPARQ guys, but teams aren't made of just those guys.

 

[Merlin]

How can you not include Ricky Proehl? He was a tremendous receiver on clutch 3rd downs...and his catch against Tampa's vaunted D got us to the Super Bowl.

Good point. But Ricky wasn't really a matchup problem for the most part. He was a great possession receiver but not a guy you'd gameplan for. Of course when he's matched up against whoever you got left after the other four I suppose he would be a matchup problem.

Going back to the whole depth of matchups type thing, though, I think it's why teams who have that one super elite type wideout struggle in the playoffs. They cruise through the regular season and then run into a guy like Belicheck who has made a lot of money removing your top option. So personally I've never really felt like a freak #1 WR is an absolute requirement. I mean if you look at Ike Bruce he wasn't a prototypical #1, he was a route running savant. Holt was probably the closest thing we had to that type of WR but he was no Julio Jones either. And yet that offense was one for the ages.

Either way, I really like the way Cooks fits and the way the room looks now. And if Everett can have an impact second season we might have the kind of offense you can't slow even in the playoffs.

 

[ReekofRams]

For those like LACHAMP46 who believe Goff is inaccurate on long throws because he just plain sucks, instead of being due to other mitigating factors, Cooks is the acid test. I think Cooks is a more diligent guy, and they (Goff & Cooks) will have a full off-season to perfect their timing. I am not ready to pronounce Goff a limp noodle arm, game manager yet, myself.

Talk among yourselves, I'm getting a Jim Beam and Coke.

yin
There were several times when Goff would throw the ball deep to Watkins, and for some reason Watkins would slow up making it look as if Goff had over thrown him, when it was Watkins being lazy. I am so glad we got rid of Watkins and got Cooks instead; someone who the Rams were trying to get last year but were forced to settle for Watkins instead.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Be nice to have all super SPARQ guys, but teams aren't made of just those guys.

Sure would....but to me....Cooks IS a sparq guy....Watkins more so....
Suh is a sparq guy

Talib is probably a sparq guy....

Never checked Peters numbers much...saw him play....hoped we'd draft him....

Shields IS a sparq guy...

So, we don't have the ALL....but we're adding em wherever we can.:yay:

And @Merlin
Bruce better than Holt (just a lil)....damn similar to Julio...Ellard...Jackson....

Rams have always been known for having dynamic receivers....Since Snow, NVB....and others....I believe Croyell and a couple others....Braddenkoff???? Well, some coaches out here TOOK the forward pass to the next level....which ushered in the #1 wr era....that's my story...and I'm sticking to it:neener:...help me out @DaveFan'51

 

[DaveFan'51]

Sure would....but to me....Cooks IS a sparq guy....Watkins more so....
Suh is a sparq guy

Talib is probably a sparq guy....

Never checked Peters numbers much...saw him play....hoped we'd draft him....

Shields IS a sparq guy...

So, we don't have the ALL....but we're adding em wherever we can.:yay:

And @Merlin
Bruce better than Holt (just a lil)....damn similar to Julio...Ellard...Jackson....

Rams have always been known for having dynamic receivers....Since Snow, NVB....and others....I believe Croyell and a couple others....Braddenkoff???? Well, some coaches out here TOOK the forward pass to the next level....which ushered in the #1 wr era....that's my story...and I'm sticking to it:neener:...help me out @DaveFan'51

You know I'm Big on SPARQ Scores Champ!! And I'm Not the Only one, So are Snead and McVay!! They proved it last year and spoke of the Fact the used it a lot! They said they especially looked at Short Shuttle-Long Shuttle and 3-Cone Drill scores!

 

[Rams43]

Let’s look at the current Ram receiving weapons from the opposing DC’s pov.

It’s freaking scary, isn’t it?

Cooks
Woods
Kupp
Everett/Higbee
Gurley

On every snap?

Geez... Who do you cover? Or rather, not roll coverage toward?

And cheat on pass D? Gurley will kill you running the ball behind that OL. They’ve gotta pick their poison.

I’m truly looking forward to watching this O this year.