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ALAMEDA — It’s a quarter of the way through the season, and Amari Cooper looks nothing like the thoroughbred who sprung from the gate in each of the last two years.

The man who caught more passes than anyone in the history of the Raiders en route to the Hall of Fame thinks he knows why.

And it has nothing to do with dropped balls.

While Cooper is very good at hiding his frustration, the exasperation level of Tim Brown was clearly evident over the phone.

“I just believe this is a byproduct of not being involved in the offense,” Brown said Wednesday night. “You’re not getting many opportunities, you look up the field and then — boom — you forgot to do the most fundamental thing of being a receiver and that’s catch the ball.”

With 12 receptions for 110 yards, Cooper isn’t anywhere near his four-game totals as a rookie (24 catches, 339 yards) or a second-year player (20 catches for 318 yards).

Cooper has dropped passes — the unofficial count is up to seven — and had difficulty gaining separation from admittedly solid corners Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby in a 16-10 loss to Denver. For complete Oakland Raiders coverage follow us on Flipboard.

Brown’s analysis is an Al Davis staple. The job of coaches is to put players in position to make plays regardless of what kind of defense is being played. And while Brown said he didn’t want to be overly critical of the offensive coordinator, he put first-year play-caller Todd Downing directly in the middle of the problem.

“I don’t care if he’s having trouble getting off bump and run or if they’re double-teaming him,” Brown said. “Put him in motion, throw him a little short pass. Put him on the punt team if you have to. Give him something with the ball in his hands so he can feel like he’s part of the game.

“If he is your money guy, the first round draft pick and the guy that’s supposed to be taking you to the promised land, why in the world does he have 12 catches after four games?”

Downing’s offense has bottomed out in the last two games after a promising start in wins over Tennessee and the New York Jets.

There’s a new challenge for Downing Sunday when the Raiders host the Baltimore Ravens — putting together a game plan and a call sheet for backup quarterback EJ Manuel, who will start in place of the injured Derek Carr.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who has seen Cooper catch 12 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown against his defense in two games, called him “a game-wrecker. He got us in the game out there two years ago right out of the gate on the first drive. He’s not the kind of player you want to break out on you.”

Manuel is hoping Cooper is involved early against the Ravens.

“I think we can do a great job allowing Coop to be who he is,” Manuel said. “There’s no pressure on him because he’s a great player . . . get his confidence rolling and everything like that and get him some touches early on so we can make some plays.”

Against Denver, Cooper didn’t have a pass thrown his way until eight seconds remained in the first quarter, by which time Cordarrelle Patterson had already caught three short passes.

Of Carr’s first 10 passes, nine went to other receivers.

Cooper, who to his credit hasn’t gone into hiding, isn’t the type to demand the ball, although he did concede, “I think it’s always good to get a ball early.”

What’s puzzling is that the Raiders started the season force-feeding Cooper, going his direction 13 times in the opener. He caught five passes for 62 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown in which he willed himself over the goal line.

While it’s true there’s no sense throwing to Cooper if he’s not open, former Raiders quarterback and CBS analyst Rich Gannon is in agreement with Brown about finding ways to get him the ball. Like our Oakland Raiders Facebook page for more Raiders news, commentary and conversation.

“I say this all the time with receivers, you’ve got to make sure there’s a package of plays in there to help get him going early in the game,” Gannon said on 95.7 The Game. “I think, particularly when Michael Crabtree wasn’t playing, you’ve go to make sure you get him some touches.”

Gannon said that even with Brown and Jerry Rice at an advanced age, coaches Jon Gruden and Bill Callahan managed to find ways to get them open looks.

“We had to do some things, get them in stack releases and bunch sets and move them across formations so they could win against tight press man-to-man coverage,” Gannon said.

Through four games, Carr and Manuel have completed 12 of 31 attempts for 110 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions and a 33.0 passer rating on passes intended for Cooper.

Both interceptions have come on deep throws down the sideline.

“I don’t call throwing the ball downfield like as a target,” Brown said. “That’s a 50-50 ball. That’s not a real opportunity to catch a pass unless some guys falls down. I’m talking about running a short crossing route, a deep crossing route. Run a little bubble screen to him. Get the ball in the man’s hands. It’s not that hard.”

Go ahead and assume Raiders coach Jack Del Rio has been in Downing’s ear about jump-starting their most explosive play-maker.

“I believe Amari’s a good player and we’ll take advantage of that,” Del Rio said. “We’re going to make sure we’re getting him the ball and that we’re utilizing the strengths that he brings.”