Guard Jonathan Cooper anxious for 'fresh start' with Patriots

Rhodey · Mar 16, 2016

“It’s more family-oriented than I would have imagined. I’ve heard nothing but great things… I realized it’s a great opportunity, fresh start… there’s definitely a lot worse places I could go. This is a heck of an organization to play for.”

“I just want to come in and work as hard as I can and help wherever I can,” Cooper stressed. “Wherever the coaches tell me, I’m willing to work to be there. I feel like I’m a decent teammate – a hard worker who’s going to try to motivate everyone around me. Brotherhood is a big thing to me. I love to be in a room with a bunch of great guys who are working hard to be successful together.”

Guard Jonathan Cooper anxious for 'fresh start' with Patriots

long distance · Mar 17, 2016

sorry but its hard not to have a good feeling about this one
(and its not for what he says here)
I see it happening close to what happened with Hicks

DarrylS · Mar 17, 2016

Say the right things, now lets do the right things, provide him with high quality coaching.. hopefully he stays healthy.

stinkypete · Mar 17, 2016

If he emerges as half player he was projected to be 3 years ago, we may be looking at an offensive juggernaut.

BTTA · Mar 17, 2016

long distance said:
sorry but its hard not to have a good feeling about this one
(and its not for what he says here)
I see it happening close to what happened with Hicks

I don't think any of us need to apologize for having a good feeling about this one, and what he says here should be part of that. It clearly isn't something that an agent spoon fed him.

long distance · Mar 17, 2016

"It's a little more -- not relaxed, I feel like that would be a little bit of an extreme," Cooper said. "But, you know, you see it on TV and it seems like it's a little super-strict, but it's more family-oriented than I would've imagined."

When asked about hearing the news, Cooper didn't exactly make it sound convenient, the three-year NFL veteran had stuff to do on an otherwise quiet offseason Wednesday.

"I was actually stepping out of the shower and my agent called me and he texted me, so I figured it must be pretty important, and I get out and I see I was traded to the New England Patriots," Cooper said. "...and I had a dentist appointment in a couple hours, so (I was) trying to figure out how to balance that and the flight to New England."

Of course the family will let him know he doesnt need to be so thorough with the media ...

BelichickFan · Mar 17, 2016

He's supposed to be a great guy, good worker, etc. It just didn't work out and perhaps "too nice". Maybe we'll get lucky. At worst, he's a below average starter, respectable backup who can compete for a backup spot. Maybe Scar can work some magic with him.

Sicilian · Mar 17, 2016

The way I'm trying to look at Cooper is this: He's basically about a $2.5m player, since that is what he's counting against our cap. But I feel like he has a better chance to contribute, either as a starter or a primary backup, than the average $2.5m player you bring in. Now, he may fail altogether, who knows, but for that price he's a nice chip to throw in the mix.

zipster9 · Mar 17, 2016

Dante please do your magic on Coop!

woolster22 · Mar 17, 2016

Dante's School of Dancing Bears just got their newest lead. I hope like hell he can come in and fall right in with the ZBS he was supposed to be so perfect for out of school. Hopefully his legs are healed and he can get after for the first real time since being drafted.

captain stone · Mar 18, 2016

Talk is cheap. Cooper has sucked whenever he's been on the field, and he was probably talking the
same talk back then too.

Dante's a good teacher, but he's not a miracle worker. Cooper's too soft to take hard coaching well.

We are still without a starting-caliber LG and a legit Swing Tackle with LT-starting athleticism.

If Bill is counting on one of Cooper, Shaq Mason or Kline to become our starting LG, then Brady is in
deep, deep trouble.

Bill should've signed one of the several vet UFA LGs who were available this month and who would've
been a capable bridge into 2017 for either Cooper, Mason or whatever 2016 draft pick will be added.

50-yard-line · Mar 18, 2016

captain stone said:
Talk is cheap. Cooper has sucked whenever he's been on the field, and he was probably talking the
same talk back then too.

Dante's a good teacher, but he's not a miracle worker. Cooper's too soft to take hard coaching well.

We are still without a starting-caliber LG and a legit Swing Tackle with LT-starting athleticism.

If Bill is counting on one of Cooper, Shaq Mason or Kline to become our starting LG, then Brady is in
deep, deep trouble.

Bill should've signed one of the several vet UFA LGs who were available this month and who would've
been a capable bridge into 2017 for either Cooper, Mason or whatever 2016 draft pick will be added.

Dion Lewis, Akiem Hicks, Akeem Ayers, and Jonathan Casillas all told me to say hi.

Galeb · Mar 18, 2016

captain stone said:
Talk is cheap. Cooper has sucked whenever he's been on the field, and he was probably talking the
same talk back then too.

Dante's a good teacher, but he's not a miracle worker. Cooper's too soft to take hard coaching well.

We are still without a starting-caliber LG and a legit Swing Tackle with LT-starting athleticism.

If Bill is counting on one of Cooper, Shaq Mason or Kline to become our starting LG, then Brady is in
deep, deep trouble.

Bill should've signed one of the several vet UFA LGs who were available this month and who would've
been a capable bridge into 2017 for either Cooper, Mason or whatever 2016 draft pick will be added.

Why speak with such certainty about something that you can't possibly know?

TheFlyingWedge · Mar 19, 2016

Belichik loves these reclamation projects with top prospects that never panned out: Robert Gallery and Jonothan Sullivan come to mind. I know Gallery was a lot older when he came to New England, but i wonder if BB was as high on Cooper when he came out compared to those other guys.

Deus Irae · Mar 19, 2016

TheFlyingWedge said:
Belichik loves these reclamation projects with top prospects that never panned out: Robert Gallery...

????

woolster22 · Mar 19, 2016

Deus Irae said:
????

Gallery was a similarly rated guard prospect coming into the league. Mid to late 1st round pick iirc, with a questionable possibility of playing tackle. Again, iirc, he had a so so 7ish year career before landing here, never amounting to his draft position. To be honest, I'm not sure he even made our team out of camp when he was here.

Edit: My memory served me well, according to wiki:
2nd overall pick by Oak in 04. Played with them through '10. Seattle the next year, didn't make it out of camp in 2012 with us.

TheFlyingWedge · Mar 19, 2016

Deus Irae said:
????

Gallery wasn't a complete bust because, unlike Sullivan, he arguably had a career. But he was drafted as a blue chip tackle and couldn't hold down the job so ended up playing guard. Belichick went on the record to say he was the best player in the draft the year he was drafted so we know he loved him coming out of college. Are you questioning whether he was a bust or what?

Deus Irae · Mar 19, 2016

TheFlyingWedge said:
Gallery wasn't a complete bust because, unlike Sullivan, he arguably had a career. But he was drafted as a blue chip tackle and couldn't hold down the job so ended up playing guard. Belichick went on the record to say he was the best player in the draft the year he was drafted so we know he loved him coming out of college. Are you questioning whether he was a bust or what?

He was clearly not a bust. He didn't work out at tackle, but he became a very good guard. He was not a reclamation project.

50-yard-line · Mar 19, 2016

woolster22 said:
Gallery was a similarly rated guard prospect coming into the league. Mid to late 1st round pick iirc, with a questionable possibility of playing tackle. Again, iirc, he had a so so 7ish year career before landing here, never amounting to his draft position. To be honest, I'm not sure he even made our team out of camp when he was here.

Edit: My memory served me well, according to wiki:
2nd overall pick by Oak in 04. Played with them through '10. Seattle the next year, didn't make it out of camp in 2012 with us.

He didn't make it out of camp because he retired in early August. He was 32 and had been plagued with injuries the previous couple of seasons. He had nothing left in the tank and just retired before the PS games even began.

He had a decent career, but not at the level that was predicted.

TheFlyingWedge · Mar 19, 2016

Deus Irae said:
He was clearly not a bust. He didn't work out at tackle, but he became a very good guard. He was not a reclamation project.

In my original post. I was drawing parallels between Cooper and Gallery. Both players were originally blue chip top ten draft picks. Both have had injury-riddled careers. Both couldn't hold onto their original positions. Both lost out at two positions actually! Both acquired by New England later in their careers.

By the way, your comment that he "was clearly not a bust" suggests that there isn't even an argument that his career was a disappointment. Given how things turned out for him, where do you think he should have been drafted I wonder?

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