New Orleans Saints: Brandin Cooks’ Frustration With Offense Misplaced
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks seems unhappy with his role in the offense, but should be more concerned with the lack of wins.
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks became a legitimate star in 2015, hauling in 84 receptions for 1,138 yards and nine touchdowns. Cooks is still performing at a high level—he has 51 receptions for 736 yards and six touchdowns so far in 2016—but he doesn’t appear happy with his role. Perhaps a more accurate explanation would be that Cooks isn’t happy that guys like tight end Coby Fleener and rookie wideout Michael Thomas are cutting into his workload.
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At least, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com believes that Cooks is frustrated with the situation, citing an odd social-media post from Cooks, in which the receiver said the following:
“They tell you it’s a business. Well I guess I have to turn into a businessman”
If Cooks’ statement is indeed meant to insinuate displeasure, it may stem from the fact he was held without a catch during last week’s 49-21 romp over the Los Angeles Rams. Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw for 310 yards and four touchdowns in that game, yet none of his completions went to Cooks. In fact, Cooks wasn’t even targeted, according to Pro Football Focus.
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Until/unless Cooks clarifies what he meant, it’s impossible to know exactly what his “business” talk is supposed to mean. However, there’s a good chance Cooks is talking about his own NFL stock.
More targets and more yards equal more dollars for an NFL receiver. Cooks could be saying he wants to play for a team that will utilize him more. He could also be saying that he isn’t going to put his body and his career fully on the line until he gets there.
Of course, Cooks could also just be saying that he is going to lobby for a bigger role, the same way someone in mid-management might lobby for a promotion. Still, it seems silly to think that Cooks is that frustrated with how he is being used. He’s currently on pace for roughly 74 receptions, 1,070 yards and nine touchdowns—and that’s if you factor in his reception-less game as part of the average.
Realistically, Cooks should be more frustrated that an offense that features so many weapons and a Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback is sitting at 5-6.
The Saints defense has shown some progress this season, but it is still rated just 22nd overall by Pro Football Focus and has often been the reason for losses. If the Saints were, say, 7-4 or 6-5 and staring down a playoff berth, Cooks might not be so frustrated. Winning, after all, does seem to be a terrific mood-enhancer.
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Then again, perhaps Cooks shouldn’t be frustrated at all. With guys like Thomas, Fleener and Willie Snead on the field, he should be seeing a lot more single coverage down the stretch. Instead of griping, maybe Cooks should just be taking advantage and getting open enough that Brees simply cannot overlook him.