Revisiting the Cook Signing

[iced]

Agree with the last two thoughts as well. Schotty really seems to not commit to the run at all. I know he stuck with it vs. the Jags....this week vs. Houston it will be needed more and tougher to stay commited to it. But, if the Rams dont do something to slow the passrush and create mismatches Bradford is going to get battered again.

they actually had a couple of screens called to combat the rush, one of 'em in particular looked like it could have gone for a huge gainer (pending flags or players getting blocking assignments right)... they just couldnt execute

 

[iced]

I'm not missing that point,, Cook was NOT brought here to be an "in line" TE. Never has been throughout his career. Its pretty basic math. For all intents and purposes, he is a TE in name only. He is truly an oversized slot receiver, and thinking he is anything but that, is where fans get fooled.

Even with him and Kendricks on the field at the same time, with Cook used wide or in the slot, they will now be running against a SIX MAN BOX. If Kendricks was as productive as before as a lead blocker, they would be running against similar numbers, without the need for an in line TE.

That he hasn't, forces them to use Harkey. The alternative, IMO, would be to see packages where they have Harkey AND COOK on the field, and you would see the results on the running game they need.

The issue then becomes, Harkey vs. Kendricks as a threat in the passing game. And we both know where that goes.

Well if he's meant to block here then why the hell is schotty using him as one? I specifically remember him getting blown up on plays in both the run and passing game vs dallas and niners...hell it was near the goal line where kendricks got noticed for missing ware but cook was blown up as well and the play was going to result in a tackle for loss no matter what.

He's not being used properly...I don't believe it's Kendricks vs Harkey in the passing game, I believe its Harkey vs Cook when it comes time to run the ball...and Cook is the odd man out.

it's not like he missed just a couple run plays - it was a significantly noticeable difference

 

[Yamahopper]

Cook is what he is.
He's a guy that if he can get in open space he can make some plays. Problem is getting him to space. Rams are failing at this like the Titans did. One word...Seams. That's where he has to eat. But it takes the right route tree's to get him to the promised land. The WR's can"t work off him, he has to work off them. WR's have to clear areas for him to fill. The Rams aren't to the point yet where they can stretch the D deep enough to clear out the middle for him. Or he needs to be the trailing rec. after TA or Givens passes through.

He's not bad playing against the sideline, he can own the fade and the out. But he runs really bad routes, he rounds everything off and is slow getting in and out of his breaks. I would like to see McNeil used the same way as Cook for a comparison.
It's a process.

Forget the TE crap, he's not now or nor will ever be a TE. He's a Z or Y. So run as many inline TE's as you want...He can just watch them block.

Or maybe Cook just isn't that good. All the tools but no sack to carry them in.

 

[Thordaddy]

I don't care what he's been used to do in the past nor what people think his future use is nor should be, blocking is mostly an attitudinal ability and when called upon to do it he is a pussy,if Isaac Bruce could be called upon to block ,so can Cook.
I'm disappointed he hasn't realized and or embraced that the better blocker he is the more he'll get free releases and resolved to BECOME better at what he isn't naturally talented doing.
The GSOT was partly a function of the YAC we got because those guys blocked . he's not "too good" to do it and he needs to get better at it.

 

[V3]

Cook wasn't brought in to block.

The coaching staff isn't putting Austin or Cook in the right positions.

This.

I don't consider Cook as a TE. I see him more as a WR and I thought the Rams said the same thing when they signed him to justify the cost?

 

[iced]

Cook wasn't brought in to block.

The coaching staff isn't putting Austin or Cook in the right positions.

This.

I don't consider Cook as a TE. I see him more as a WR and I thought the Rams said the same thing when they signed him to justify the cost?

Even wide receivers run block,and the good running teams have receivers that do so

 

[V3]

Cook wasn't brought in to block.

The coaching staff isn't putting Austin or Cook in the right positions.

This.

I don't consider Cook as a TE. I see him more as a WR and I thought the Rams said the same thing when they signed him to justify the cost?

Even wide receivers run block,and the good running teams have receivers that do so

I understand that but blocking is much more critical for a TE than a WR.

 

[iced]

Cook wasn't brought in to block.

The coaching staff isn't putting Austin or Cook in the right positions.

This.

I don't consider Cook as a TE. I see him more as a WR and I thought the Rams said the same thing when they signed him to justify the cost?

Even wide receivers run block,and the good running teams have receivers that do so

I understand that but blocking is much more critical for a TE than a WR.

which was my point....

 

[V3]

Cook wasn't brought in to block.

The coaching staff isn't putting Austin or Cook in the right positions.

This.

I don't consider Cook as a TE. I see him more as a WR and I thought the Rams said the same thing when they signed him to justify the cost?

Even wide receivers run block,and the good running teams have receivers that do so

I understand that but blocking is much more critical for a TE than a WR.

which was my point....

I'm saying I'm much less worried about Cook's blocking because I consider him a WR. I'd rather him be used as such to get value out of the signing. I don't consider Cook to be a true TE. Sure, it'd be great if Cook would learn to block as well since it would help the running and passing games but that's not what Cook does and the Rams should have known that before they signed him. You spend that kind of money on a player that will get open and score TD's so I'm not worried about if he can block. Just put him in to get open and catch balls.

 

[BonifayRam]

.... I'm not worried about if he can block. Just put him in to get open and catch balls.

You should be worried because he has been used much in the last 5 games as a Line of scrimmage blocking TE where his job was to make a Block... & he has FAILED much more than he has been successful if any! How can you not be worried about that? Help me out please?

Shotty finally put in Lance & Cory @ the expense of Jared's TE play time and we won our first game in the last four with our first glimpse of a running game.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Shotty finally put in Lance & Cory @ the expense of Jared's TE play time and we won our first game in the last four with our first glimpse of a running game.

Interesting.

 

[V3]

.... I'm not worried about if he can block. Just put him in to get open and catch balls.

You should be worried because he has been used much in the last 5 games as a Line of scrimmage blocking TE where his job was to make a Block... & he has FAILED much more than he has been successful if any! How can you not be worried about that? Help me out please?

Shotty finally put in Lance & Cory @ the expense of Jared's TE play time and we won our first game in the last four with our first glimpse of a running game.

If I'm worried about anything it would be the fact that this coaching staff thinks it's a smart idea to use him as an inline blocker. He can't block so stop trying to make him do it. Use him like they said they were when they signed him- that is, a weapon.

 

[RamsFanCK]

Right now the top priority is still to develop a running game. All else is just secondary. Sam must have a running game to be able to do what Shotty's offense is built around. I guess Fisher & Shotty thought that the five OL starters were good enough to produce the required run game that is mandated. WRONG! so we have a fail here where the Ram coaches overestimated the ability of this OL to run block. Thus now we have to utilize a FB/H-back Cory Harkey in place of slot Tavon Austin & a LOS TE Lance Kendricks in place LOS TE Jared Cook to help the OL on the run blocks. So it not just about Jared Cook's dismal run blocking but Cook is a big part too.

The OL is the real issue. I am of the opinion that these four starting tackle size types ...Long 6-7 320,Williams 6-6 320,Dahl 6-6 306 & Barksdale 6-5 326..will never be adequate enough to produce any constant run blocking without help from the FB Harkey & TE Kendricks. This OL is a good pass blocking OL when this offense has shown that it can run the ball without it its open season on the QB & this OL has proved it can not hold up & keep Sam up without the run game. So Fisher has a quandary here.

Right now with the current OL Cook can be no more than a part time player as a slot receiver with the other big high cost rookie No 1 draft pick Austin sharing limited time on the field.....This is the worse kind of scenario....declining limited opportunities for the Rams two biggest newest costly offensive weapons (Cook & Austin ).... where now you are increasing playing time for blocking types (Harkey & Kendricks) in order to meet your #1 current priority.

Thread Winner!

 

[BonifayRam]

If I'm worried about anything it would be the fact that this coaching staff thinks it's a smart idea to use him as an inline blocker. He can't block so stop trying to make him do it. Use him like they said they were when they signed him- that is, a weapon.

We agree he is a serious weapon down the field not at the LOS. And....maybe Shotty has gained a clue now from this point on. see you in the Chat room Sunday opcorn:

 

[Stranger]

So 5 games into the season, how does everyone feel about the cook signing?

Only week 1 was he very, productive - since then, we've seen numerous missed blocking assignments and just complete failure in the run blocking game. Even the coaching staff has taken him off the field in a lot of running down, and Kendricks had more targets last week

The coaching staff has gone downhill. They aren't coaching people up from game to game. If it's a flat out refusal by Cook to block, I would think that Fisher would sit him.

you sound like you are where I was last week, after the whiner loss.

 

[…..]

Lets hope something changes soon. If we spent 42m for a bench player, I would start to question the wisdom we so eagerly give Fish and Snead credit for having.

 

[Yamahopper]

Lets hope something changes soon. If we spent 42m for a bench player, I would start to question the wisdom we so eagerly give Fish and Snead credit for having.

Good point. Like the chicken and the egg. Cook was signed first and at that point they had no guarantee they could get Austin. But they were able to trade up for Austin to play the same position kind of. :huh: Make of that what you will.

But do we know how far Austin is in his ability to run many different routes and line up at different positions? As special as he is, he is still a rookie.

 

[Zaphod]

Cook is playing his own way to the bench. He doesn't run routes like a receiver and he doesn't block like a tight end, so instead of creating mismatches, he ends up not fitting in anywhere.

I'm fine with this. Honestly, Cook was signed before they drafted Bailey and Austin, and with Pettis coming on and Quick steadily improving his game they have functional depth.

 

[jap]

We don't need Jared to be a world class blocker. However, just effectively screening off defenders is still a significant contribution. Generally speaking, when you see an RB make a long run, especially around the end, you can pretty much bet your life a WR made a critical block that sprung that RB. The critical point is: with a monster talent like Tavon on the field, everyone else! on the offense has to contribute to the blocking effort, no exceptions allowed!!!

If Isaac Bruce can rack up 14 pancake blocks in a single game, why can't Jared make just one single effective screening block? Is that really too much to ask from your highly paid FA TE/WR? :roll:

 

[iced]

We don't need Jared to be a world class blocker. However, just effectively screening off defenders is still a significant contribution. Generally speaking, when you see an RB make a long run, especially around the end, you can pretty much bet your life a WR made a critical block that strung that RB. The critical point is: with a monster talent like Tavon on the field, everyone else! on the offense has to contribute to the blocking effort, no exceptions allowed!!!

If Isaac Bruce can rack up 14 pancake blocks in a single game, why can't Jared make just one single effective screening block? Is that really too much to ask from your highly paid FA TE/WR? :roll:

exactly

i cant believe people are downplaying the blocking by a TIGHT END, even if he is more a receiver - he has been used in the traditional role...by its semantics even still at that point,because even receivers block. the fact that he's closer to the line makes it even more important..

also makes him more effective,as well as the playcalling (wonder what the offense is gonna do when a receiving only tight end comes into the game..hmmm..)