Jared Cook: 19 Straight Games w/o a TD + Most Drops for TE's

[Corbin]

I'm still waiting for the Cook homers to come out " But, but he's the leading WR..." Argument is invalid and old. Time to move on.

 

[Athos]

Shows Fishers frustrating blind loyalty.

How many of his former guys or chums has he brought in? Only Britt has been successful.

A TE should be a QBs BFF. Cook is like the friend who pretends to be your BFF while secretly boning your GF.

Time for him to go. You need reliability at the TE. It's not in Cooks DNA.

I want our own Reed, Eifert, Ertz, etc.

I'd say a stud TE is more important than a stud WR.

 

[BonifayRam]

Jared Cook is said to be ready to represent a Ram Cap hits for 2016/2017 for over 16.7 million. Looks like a sure no brainer here that with so many on field producers already departed & headed into free agency i.e. Jenkins, Johnson, Barron, Hayes, McLeod, Barnes, Sims & Fairley......in my small mind those large bundle of millions could help big in secure several of the UFA's in that list.

What possible excuse or basis could Jeff Fisher come up with that would make any sense to not release Jared Cook?

 

[bwdenverram]

Have to agree with most. His production isn't close to his pay check. Time to draft a young player at a much lower cost.
I don't know the stats but I would bet our TE collection of Cook and Kendricks might lead the league in drops.
Ton of talent but average results.

 

[Merlin]

Jared Cook is where third down passes go to die.

IMO the fact that he's still on the roster is Fisher's ego. He was certain the guy would be a player in this league but needs to accept what the guy is now. Britt at least has shown some ability to help this team with deep routes, but Cook? Dude makes me so angry I swear my effin head is gonna explode if he's on this roster come the spring.

 

[Dieter the Brock]

Jared Cook's first game in a Ram uniform was the only good game he ever played...

2013 --- 7 rec - 140 yards - 2 TD's

 

[fearsomefour]

Can we trade Roger Saffold for Troy Drayton?
blue font

 

[snackdaddy]

Guy's like Cook and Quick are enigmas. All that raw ability but not enough between the ears. Both guys have the size and athletic ability but how many times do you see them contest for balls much less win those contested balls? They don't have that "throw me the ball" mentality. Rams need to move on from both of those guys.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Cook is the most obvious of all the pending cap casualty cuts I expect to see this offseason. He has good size and speed for a TE but he has never exhibited the soft hands the great ones have. In Cook's defense I think his blocking has improved this year and QB play has hurt his pass game production but the bottom line is that he did not play up to his 7 million base salary cap / 8.3 million cap number. His 2016 cap number will be $8.4 million but most of his guaranteed money has ben paid so he if he is cut the Rams would only carry $2 million in dead money but save $6.4 million in cap space in 2016, plus $8.4 million in cap space for 2017.

Agree with a lot of this...
Still, I'd hope to re-structure....His last 8 games were pretty good. I don't look at drops as some do. It would be like Cam not going to Ted Ginn because he dropped one. You never should do that...In fact, you go outta your way to keep going to a player. He'll show you if he's really a choker, or can play. Drops happen, so do fumbles. What does a player do when he does catch the ball? That matters the most.
Not the best hands...I get that...And not happy about it at all. We actually had a TE with some hands a few years ago, right?...and dumped him...
Cook is still effective...but clearly I'd draft one with some mitts. And re-structure Cook, if he doesn't take it, cut him... still, that's too much dead money laying around (Cook, Foles, ????). We need better solutions than just cutting these guys....

 

[MountainRam]

Don;t want to bad mouth a guy who will be going out the door this off season. Thanks for the help Jared.

 

[Dieter the Brock]

Guy's like Cook and Quick are enigmas. All that raw ability but not enough between the ears. Both guys have the size and athletic ability but how many times do you see them contest for balls much less win those contested balls? They don't have that "throw me the ball" mentality. Rams need to move on from both of those guys.

I agree with this, we need that receiver who is gonna demand the ball, like get in the QB's face and say throw it my way I'll catch it!!
Those are the guys I'm hoping the Rams draft, ferocious players at WR

 

[MFaulk107]

How are you that height and weight, and you suck?
I will be soooooo pissed if he is with us next season.

 

[LosAngelesRams]

Just me banging my cut Cook drum, as usual. dudes paid way too much to suck the way he does. Use the money to sign the guys we actually need to retain. If we lose Tru or Jenkins or miss on signing a good FA because we don't have the funds and keep this guy I'll be pissed.

 

[CGI_Ram]

 

[Moostache]

Jared Cook could easily be replaced by one of the Indy tight ends.

Jared Cook can be replaced by an orange practice cone and a bag of chips...at least the coaches could get something out of the bag of chips and the orange cone would help cue the QBs to look somewhere else for potential receivers...

 

[RAMpage28]

This must be an all time free agent bust.

Damn is that contract terrible.

 

[Debacled]

Bright side? His blocking improved drastically this season.

Not so bright side? He still cannot figure out how to catch the ball when being contested at all, and visibly throws a fit anytime the ball doesn't come his way when he thinks he is open....which seems to be always.

 

[CGI_Ram]

I've defended Cook.

And... I still have some concerns about taking any talent away from an offense that seems to be lacking of it.

But... Cook seems to lack "quickness". Everything he does seems to be "slow motion".

Hear me out...

His hands are slow to the ball. Instead of snatching the ball, he has a type of clutch to compete most catches. This leads to drops or knockdowns by defenders.

He is slow once he completes the catch. Yes, he has speed, but it's a lumbering speed. He just lacks a certain grace with the ball in his hands.

Now... All that said.... I think any swipe at his fire is invalid. Dude has competitiveness. He is also a good pro. Just watch his interviews. He's not a dope. He's also very athletic, despite my critique.

 

[BonifayRam]

..... I still have some concerns about taking any talent away from an offense that seems to be lacking of it......

The current Ram situation of 2015 TE's Jared Cook- Lance Kendrick- Cory Harkey and Justice Cunningham is certainly non dynamic & under productive in the passing game. No brainer based on what we saw Lance & Jared are seriously overpaid! So I would agree with you CGI that bona fide NFL talent is lacking.

But does Jared Cook really add much to this foursome? If you thinking is he does then add in that estimated 16.7 million yoke of a cap burden for the next two seasons & that cap hit would dramatically erase any plus's form that total equation being discussed here. Jared's third straight unsuccessful season here. I think we can say safely FAIL has occurred here.

Did it seem way out of the norm that in the last game of the season we saw Lance Kendricks so heavily involved in the passing offense? It was his best game of the season. LK was targeted 5 times & caught the ball 5 times against SF. JC was targeted 4 times & caught the ball ZERO time against SF! That last game displayed in bold colors the difference between JC & LK. I do not think that LK use was just a fluke. I am sure what we saw will come into play in what we will do with JC.

Demoff & the Rams Org. first must complete a tender to RFA TE/HB/FB Cory Harkey. Cory Harkey has proved on few occasions to make a play when used in the passing side. I really like CH he is our strongest & biggest TE. Now I know CH is not fleet of foot but he does produce when given the opportunity! I can not say that about Jared. No one here can be happy & excited enough to brag to anyone that Fisher went to Jared. CH was a RFA last yr & he signed a 1 year, $1,542,000 contract then. CH was used rarely in 2015. It my belief that CH can be placed on the LOS & utilized similar to how Lance is used right now. CH has been on this team now since 2012. CH has 28 starts the last 3 seasons & has proven to be a solid healthy player since his arrival in 2012 where CH has only missed one game due to injury!

The 24 yr old TE/FB/HB Justice Cunningham should be an easy Ram resign here. Justice has been a Ram now since the later half of the 2013 season. Most of his time was on the PS but was activated this season & was on the master roster for over 2 wks. Justice is a brute in run blocking & resembles Cory is terms of size & ability. Justice needs to work harder in the pass catching side of his game. I am thinking we will see Justice resigned off the 2015 practice squad here very soon. I think that Justice will figure in here in future plans for the position that Cory plays. Thus freeing up CH to be on the field much more in 2016 paired with LK as LOS TE's if desired.

The only other player here that might be mention here in this area is Fullback Zack Laskey who was a former RB who rushed for 2,033 rushing yards for Georgia Tech. ZL has played many positions in his time RB-FB-LB-SS. He was on the PS for the entire 2015 season listed as a FB. ZL will have to put on some serious muscle & power in this up coming off season to become an active Ram. I would caution many ROD members not to be quick to dismiss ZL so early. ZL is very smart & athletic to become QB & Gurley best friend.

In summary I usually have the tendencies is to look to the Rams NFL draft to replace a Jared Cook.....but I think that this 2016 Ram team could take a strong look as some veteran UFA's TE's in March like Zack Miller, Coby Fleener & old timer (but still very good) Ben Watson as our main 2016 pass receiving TE candidate....in order to remove CGI's concerns.