Amari Cooper Pre-Season 2015

#89

6'1", 211 lbs

31 1/2" arms

10" hands

4.42s* 40-yard

33" vertical

120" broad

6.71s 3-cone (5th among WRs)

3.98 short shuttle (1st among WRs)

* note : While Cooper's official 40 yard time is listed as 4.42s, the NFL informed teams that the actual time should be somewhere between 4.35 and 4.38 based on the following video. Kevin White's official 40 yard time is listed as 4.35s and NFL Network's Simulcam of Cooper, White, and DeVante Parker shows Cooper just inching out White at the finish line (Parker's time was 4.45s). It also appears that Cooper is just starting to pull away from White a little bit, indicating possibly higher top-end speed.

click the image to watch the GFY

As an interesting side note. Here is Odell Beckham's Combine stats :

4.43s 40 yard

38.5" vertical

122" broad

6.69s 3-cone

3.94 short shuttle

Taking particular note of the 3-cone drill and the 20 yard short shuttle, we see that they were remarkably similar.

Totals for the pre-season

15 targets, 8 rec, 124 yards, 15.5 avg. 0 TDs.

* * *

Week 1 v STL

4 targets, 3 rec, 22 yards, 7.3 avg.

1 carry, 3 yards

Cooper's professional debut was an unremarkable one: A handful of short passes and an end-around play.

But the first glimpse of Cooper was an interesting one. He's thicker than some may have expected and was fairly physical against the Gregg Williams defense that is known for testing the mettle of their opponents.

On his second reception, Cooper introduced himself to #21 Janoris Jenkins with a nice hard stiff arm. In true NFL form, on Cooper's third reception, Jenkins came back and laid a big shoulder high up into Cooper shoulders. Amari secured the catch and then absorbed the hit as he went out of bound.

In 4 touches, Cooper never went to the ground.



Unfortunately, the evening was marred by the only incompletion on a pass thrown to him. A miscommunication / misunderstanding when Cooper made a move and then went to the corner when Carr expected a cut inside. The result was the ball thrown into multiple defenders and an interception.

Here's the Gamelog :

# Q T Dn-Dist Yards Play TV Replay Replay 2 1 1 11:54 1. 2-7-OAK 23 12 (Shotgun) 4-D.Carr pass short left to 89-A.Cooper to OAK 35 for 12 yards (21-J.Jenkins). GFY 2 1 11:14 1. 1-10-OAK 35 2 (Shotgun) 4-D.Carr pass short left to 89-A.Cooper to OAK 37 for 2 yards (56-A.Ayers). GFY 3 1 10:00 1. 1-10-STL 46 3 89-A.Cooper right end to STL 43 for 3 yards (52-A.Ogletree). GFY GFY 4 1 8:03 1. 1-10-STL 34 8 4-D.Carr pass short left to 89-A.Cooper to STL 26 for 8 yards (21-J.Jenkins). GFY GFY 5 1 :07 2-6-STL 6 (Shotgun) 4-D.Carr pass short right intended for 89-A.Cooper INTERCEPTED by 22-T.Johnson at STL -1. Touchback. GFY GFY

* * *

Week 2 v MIN

The Raiders' starters were slated to play the entire first half, but the Game was interrupted by Lightning at 6:36 in the 2nd quarter. Once play resumed after the long break, Jack del Rio elected not to have the starters return to the field.

The benefits of playing an additional couple of series were offset by the risks of cooling down and attempting to warm back up again. But as a result of this shortened evening and a rather inefficient offense in general, the offensive unit had very little playing time : 16 plays in 4 drives.

2 targets, 1 rec, 40 yards

But even in that limited playing time, Amari had the opportunity to give the Raiders' fans a reason to cheer.

His first target was a Derek Carr overthrow on a very nice out-cut. The ball was a little bit late and a little bit high.

The second target was a beautiful 40 yard over the shoulder reception. Unfortunately, because the Vikings' TV crew did not give a decent isolation or full-field replay, we never get to see how Cooper beats the CB #30 Terrance Newman.

What we can see is that Newman is lined up in off coverage and that Cooper appears to run a quick out and up. Perhaps Newman jumped the initial move and slowed his feet, allowing Cooper to get by him.

# Q T Dn-Dist Yards Play TV Replay Replay 2 1 1 9:56 3-8-OAK 4 (Shotgun) D.Carr pass incomplete short left to A.Cooper. GFY GFY 2 1 4:00 1-10-MIN 48 40 (Shotgun) D.Carr pass deep right to A.Cooper pushed ob at MIN 8 for 40 yards (T.Newman). GFY GFY GFY

Here's the Gamelog :

* * *

Week 3 v ARI

9 targets, 4 rec, 62 yards, 15.5 avg

Week 3 is when Raiders' fans got their real look at Cooper and what he can do on the field. The offense opened up a little bit more, the plays were changed up and the offense had Cooper doing many different things.

The highlight was when Cooper faced off against Pro Bowl CB Patrick Peterson.

Cooper sells the downfield fade route and then breaks it off hard on the comeback. Peterson loses his footing trying to make the break and gives up the easy catch. But it's the after-catch run where Cooper really shines.

The ball is thrown to the inside so Cooper is able to loop into the ball and away from a potential tackle. He then turns upfield and creates space. Peterson comes back and tries to Tomahawk strip the ball to no avail; instead, Cooper is able to continue to power his way downfield. He drags Peterson for another 5 yards until safety #22 Tony Jefferson comes over to help out.

# Q T Dn-Dist Yards Play TV Replay Replay 2 1 1 11:45 3-7-ARZ 31 (Shotgun) D.Carr pass incomplete short left to A.Cooper. GFY GFY 2 1 :38 1-10-ARZ 19 4 (No Huddle, Shotgun) D.Carr pass short left to A.Cooper to ARZ 15 for 4 yards (J.Powers). GFY 3 2 5:41 2-6-OAK 43 D.Carr pass incomplete short left to A.Cooper. GFY GFY GFY 4 2 5:37 3-6-OAK 43 (Shotgun) D.Carr pass incomplete short left to A.Cooper (J.Powers). GFY GFY GFY 5 2 3:33 3-11-OAK 43 36 (Shotgun) D.Carr pass short right to A.Cooper to ARZ 21 for 36 yards (P.Peterson). GFY GFY 6 2 3:11 1-10-ARZ 21 13 (No Huddle, Shotgun) D.Carr pass short right to A.Cooper to ARZ 8 for 13 yards (T.Jefferson). Penalty on ARZ-L.Alexander, Defensive Offside, declined. GFY 7 2 1:03 1-10-ARZ 29 0 (Shotgun) D.Carr pass short left to A.Cooper pushed ob at ARZ 20 for 9 yards (C.Campbell). GFY GFY 8 2 :52 1-10-ARZ 14 (Shotgun) D.Carr pass incomplete short left to A.Cooper. GFY GFY GFY 9 2 :42 3-10-ARZ 14 (Shotgun) D.Carr pass incomplete short left to A.Cooper [A.Okafor]. GFY GFY GFY

Here's the Gamelog :

* * *

Smooth

He is so smooth and fundamental. Some have described him as "The Tim Duncan of the NFL," which seems an apt comparison. Both have fantastic fundamentals and technique and neither are flashy and showboatish.

Cooper gets quick wins at the line of scrimmage not by coming off hard and quick or by making many moves, but by being so very neutral and compact. There's little wasted motion and he gives little indication of where he is going.

This lack of "telegraphing" his intentions makes him seem even quicker and more sudden. And he has good enough speed so that he can gain and hold separation if the defender makes a false step. That forces the CB to honor those deep routes because there's little worse than being beaten for a long touchdown pass.

Here's a quick look at one of Amari's releases, slowed down to show how he gets CB #25 Jerraud Powers to bite on a couple of moves.

Take notice of Cooper's jab steps. Often young WRs will over-emphasize the fake, giving an unusual "accent" to the step that gives it away; sometimes the step will be over-extended, outside the natural framework of a step and so unlikely to be a real break.

Here, Cooper's attribute is that he is very natural and that his steps don't give much away. On his first break, he's just as likely to break to the inside and to the outside. If the CB cannot get a good read on Cooper, then it puts them in a reactionary position and that's puts gives Cooper an immediate advantage.

click the image to watch the GFY

Being clean, quick, sudden, and putting defenders off-balance is a great trait to have. If Cooper is able to win quick at the line because the CBs cannot get a read on him, then they will have to adjust. One way of taking away Cooper's advantage is to play the physical game with him.

* * *

Press Coverage

Here's an example from the 2014 season. Buffalo's WR Sammy Watkins v Cleveland's Joe Haden.

Off the line, Joe Haden sticks his hand right into the middle of Watkins' chest, disrupting his release. Then, after he recovers and gets into his quick slant, Haden bumps him again and undercuts the route.

The play depends on timing and so the ball is delivered as it was meant to be, but when the release is disrupted and when Watkins can't win off the line, Haden is able to beat him to the spot and make the interception.

click the image to watch the GFY

This isn't an indictment on Watkins, but rather an indication of one way that a high-level, veteran CB is going to do to attack a rookie WR.

Here's another example of a CB may try to play press.

New York's Odell Beckham, Jr against Dallas' Orlando Scandrick. Here, Scandrick wants to get both hands on Beckham and throw him off the route, but Beckham shows quickness and elusiveness to get away from that press and get a clean release.

click the image to watch the GFY

* * *

WWAD (What Will Amari Do?)

There's no question that Amari Cooper is going to face many tests in his rookie year and that he'll have to face some physical play. So how will he do?

He's given a little clue that not only is he up for that challenge but that he's prepared for it.

In the Preseason against Arizona, 7th year CB Jerraud Powers will use a one-hand punch similar to what Joe Haden did against Sammy Watkins and notice the difference in how Cooper plays it.

Cooper sees Powers lined up close on the line and expects press. As he comes off the line, Cooper takes a hard jab step to the inside and gets a little body twist. This changes the spacing between them and also makes his torso a smaller target. Then as Cooper breaks to the outside, he brings his left hand across to swat Powers' arm away.

As a result, Powers swats at air and can't get a hand on Cooper.

Avoidance and then some prepared hand-fighting. It's very nice and this should serve him well as he works his way thru the league's defenders.

click the image to watch the GFY

Later in the game, Powers again squares off against Cooper. This time Powers will bring a two-hand chuck.

Cooper's listed at 6'1", 211 lbs, but he looks like he's thicker than that. Here he gives an indication that he may be not be so easy to push around at the line of scrimmage.

Notice that Cooper reads and expects the contact and instead of waiting for it, Cooper delivers the blow and actually lifts and pushes the CB off to create space.

click the image to watch the GFY

Cooper will see a lot of physical play and the early indications are that he should be up to meet the challenge. In fact, I'm now excited to see how he matches up against some of the better CBs in the league.

* * *

Hands



After years of watching Darrius Heyward-Bey struggle and fight the ball, it's a joy to behold a WR who is so very natural at hands-catching the ball.

Cooper tracks the ball well and when the ball is not on his body, he just reaches out with both hands and takes the ball out of the air. There's no bobble. There's no double-catch. There's no jumping for a ball thrown chest level. There's no waiting for the ball to hit him in the chest and then wrapping his arms around it.

Just a clean catch, tuck, and then run.

* * *

Hip Sink

There's a lot to enjoy about watching Cooper run a route and we should be so very thankful to NBC for giving us some fantastic isolation shots of him. Hopefully CBS will follow suit and 2015 will give us a load of beauteous GFYs to watch.

When watching Cooper play, it's natural to wonder "How does he make such hard breaks", especially when he's running so fast.

One thing to watch is the so-called "Hip Sink" and how Cooper gets into his breaks. Here's a still image from the isolation of Cooper against Peterson.

On that replay, we can see two notable things :

First, how compact he is. His upper body is held tight and while his arms do swing to run, they are not wild, but rather under control and close into his body .

Second, when he decides to "hit the brakes" and get into his comeback, Cooper drops his hips hard and so very low to the ground. That's what enables him to stop and to flip 180 degrees and drive upfield, a few steps ahead of his opposition.

What allows Cooper to get this deep sink is his technique. He has to stay compact in order to effectively and suddenly drop his hips; he also has to have fantastic hip placement and body alignment to stay on balance and put himself into position to break out, especially when NFL defenders will be showing great recovery reactions.





* * *

True #1 Receiver

The meaning of a "true" #1 receiver is not that he puts up good stats, but that he is so dangerous that he forces defenses to scheme against him. A #1 WR means that an opposing defense has to design their defense in such a way as to contain him and minimze any meaningful catches. This may mean rolling a safety to that side or to work "HALO" (Bracket High / Low) coverages against him.

There are a few cascading effects of having a true dominant #1 WR.

One natural effect is that it creates holes in the secondary. If the secondary coverages favor Cooper's side, then there will be larger open gaps available on the opposite side. Cooper's deep routes may open up holes underneath him and his underneath routes may draw safeties away and create downfield holes.

2-on-Cooper means Crabtree, Streater, Rivera, et al should have opportunities. This also means that those receivers have to be able to beat isolation 1-on-1.

The second effect is that the running game opens up. Two Deep Safeties (Cover-2 Shell) means that there's one less run defender available. If Cooper and the WRs can make plays deep, then it will take away a defense's ability to stack the line of scrimmage.

With a minimal Box, Lats and the OL have to be able to make their plays. If so, then it forces opposing defenses to adjust and that may again open up the passing game.

Cooper has the look to being a true #1 WR in the making.

We'll know he has arrived as such when he gets that kind of respect from the defense and when the opportunities are created for other members of the offense.



* * *

Finale

It's only Preseason. It's only Preseason. It's only Preseason.

Obviously you can't put too much weight into preseason performances and statistics. But what we can do is to see what the players are doing. What successes they have and what deficiencies they may have and then observe how they appear to adjust / grow / change over the games.

Even then, it's only just a hint, a quick, fuzzy glimpse of what the regular season will hold.

But it's hard to not be excited about what Amari Cooper has shown. While his raw physical skills are very good, he's not one of those "freak athletes." But watching him, it's clear that he is technically and fundamentally sound. And perhaps those technical traits are underrated.

"You can always teach someone to run routes"

"You can always teach someone to read coverages"

"You can always teach someone to catch"

We've heard it all before, but the question is not whether a WR can be taught these things or whether they can improve in these areas. They certainly can. But the question is really what level can they achieve and how long will it take? DHB worked on his technique as hard as anyone could ask (perhaps even moreso) and there was substantial growth in his route running and his catching skills. But 3-, 4-, and 5- years later, he's barely marginal at that.

What is so exciting is that Cooper is already at a very high level. "NFL-Ready" was the common description of him during the pre-draft process. And in the preseason, we've seen exactly that. A player that already looks like he belongs and perhaps more importantly, he looks like he knows that he belongs.

Cooper still has a lot of work to do. He's going to face a number of tests, including many of prepared defenses that will be have complicated looks and designs. He'll be tested mentally to learn and read those defenses. He'll be tested physically as the defenders attack him over and over and as the year wears on, Cooper's body will have to hold up.

Cooper is going to have to get synchronized with Derek Carr. The two are showing the natural growing pains you'd expect. Two young players, both learning a new offense, and both trying to understand what to do. Carr has a year of experience on Cooper, but it doesn't mean that he's always right. So, we'll likely see quite a few plays where they are seeing different things. But at some point (hopefully very soon) that chemistry will grow and then we'll really see the offense explode.

Cooper is going to be a star in the league; it's just a question of when.