Cooks traded to Rams for 23 overall pick

[Bradybranch]

Never paid Welker, Jules big money either.

Randy got paid but he was, well Randy

And you just contradicted yourself

 

[ivanvamp]

Cooks was solid for the Pats. He played really well and the play he got knocked out in the SB...well...it was a bummer and I was yelling for him to get down but the guy was trying REALLY hard for extra yards.

Anyone denigrating the guy is a loser. He was really good for the Pats, period. Was he Randy Moss? Of course not. But he was really good. The team, right NOW, is worse off. But of course that doesn't make it a bad trade. It was a good trade.

 

[Bradybranch]

I'd like to hate this trade but then I think about two #1 picks and two #2 picks...


So it's Dorsett's fault Ryan Grigson was a fool who reached entirely too high for a WR?

The point is there were people saying Edelman wasn't good because he didn't play.

Thurman Thomas kept Barry Sanders on the bench at Oklahoma State, was it because Barry sucked?

Yeah ok nobody was saying that. You must not remember 2012 when Edelman was taking Welker's reps in 2 wide sets.

 

[Bradybranch]

There any receivers left to sign? I hope we don’t use a high pick on one, Bill and co don’t have a stellar track record there. I’d rather they just snag a vet.

They've never drafted a wr on the 1st round so there is no track record at all

 

[festy1986]

"On his case"? Yeah, THAT I believe.

Well, y'know, I don't actually watch the games. Or re-play plays with the DVR while the game is in progress. Or re-watch games, or watch the All-22 or any of that silly stuff.

Nope! All I do is look at stats, completely out of context! So, you obviously have me at a distinct disadvantage there, since you've "seen with your eyes."

Still, "padded stats loser" seems more emotional than "factual" to me.

I'm happy to see him go.

 

[maineman209]

Brady was never good at throwing bombs anyway.

Brady in his prime had a very good deep ball

I don't think that Brady's accuracy on deep throws has ever been elite, but it's improved a lot over the past decade or so. His success with it has been enhanced by having receivers who have a very good eye for the incoming pass and who are capable of making precise adjustments quickly.

Moss was a master at this (Ted Williams-like in "seeing" the throw). It's also an overlooked part of Gronk's skill set. Hogan's, too.

OTOH, it was one of the flaws I saw in Cooks' game. While he occasionally made some spectacular adjustments, he just wasn't very consistent and sometimes seemed to not really "see" the ball until it was too late to adjust. I'm not saying that he can't or won't improve this aspect of his game, just that it wasn't quite "there" this past season with Brady and the Pats.

 

[festy1986]

Yet another sorry fan whose kicking cooks on his way out. Classless

I've been kicking him the entire time he was here.

This is a absolute steal for him and instead of focusing on if cooks was any good or not let's celebrate that bill sent him packing for more than his actual worth.

 

[maineman209]

I've been kicking him the entire time he was here.

Clearly.

 

[NG Pats Fan]

I've been kicking him the entire time he was here.

This is a absolute steal for him and instead of focusing on if cooks was any good or not let's celebrate that bill sent him packing for more than his actual worth.

Kick a guy who put up 1100 yards 7 TDs and won us the afc championship game in just his first year in our offense at a young age of 24....man you must have high standards

 

[festy1986]

Kick a guy who put up 1100 yards 7 TDs and won us the afc championship game in just his first year in our offense at a young age of 24....man you must have high standards

Yes. I do.

 

[PatsFan2]

So you would pay a complimentary WR $14m a year or lose him for a comp pick?

Sorry Rob when some of us was saying he was the BB disciples didn't think so...most on PatsFans.com "bend with the wind". If BB trades Gronk right now the disciples would find a way to spin it. Like I said in my original post hypocrites are never wrong and it's plain to see why.

 

[Triumph]

Yeah, this Rotoworld blurb struck me as wrong when I first read it. Not only did Waddle perform admirably as a pass blocker last season, he only "lost his job" to Fleming because of injury. Waddle's a better player than he's given credit for, but even if he performs well he's just going to walk in free agency with a big contract next season so he's not a long-term solution.

Realistically, Garcia's the best option for a long-term solution at tackle considering the weakness of this year's class. He was a very good prospect in a good tackle class last year. There are also some hints that the health issue was known to teams going into the draft, which is why he was drafted at the end of the 3rd rather than the top of the 2nd. With Cannon, the Patriots have had good luck finding value on top-40 talents on the offensive line who fall to the mid-rounds because of health flags. Wouldn't shock me if Garcia turns out to be Cannon Part Two.

Waffle has started 4 games for NE and is not the panacea that you make him out to be. He is serviceable, but has not shown that he is ready to protect Bradys left side. LaAdrian Waddle

With Cannon not that reliable and pushing 30, Waffle can move to RT and see how that plays out. http://www.patriots.com/team/players/roster/marcus-cannon

Rolling the dice on Bradys last few years with Waffle and Garcia is suicide.

 

[50-yard-line]

Cooks was solid for the Pats. He played really well and the play he got knocked out in the SB...well...it was a bummer and I was yelling for him to get down but the guy was trying REALLY hard for extra yards.

Anyone denigrating the guy is a loser. He was really good for the Pats, period. Was he Randy Moss? Of course not. But he was really good. The team, right NOW, is worse off. But of course that doesn't make it a bad trade. It was a good trade.

Perfect summary, right there.

 

[PatsFan2]

We traded a QB at mid season who was not under contract the follow year. How much do you think a team would be willing to give up? Keep in mind the 49ers had give Garoppolo a record contract on top of giving us a top 50 pick.

B6 with all do respect it seemed like anything or anybody was fetching a First Round pick. Jimmy should have fetched a First Rounder or at the very least Two Second Rounders on Potential alone. It's a business BB should have trade his @ss to Cleveland for a haul.

 

[Deus Irae]

No its not.

If you think that these aforementioned number are some coincidence youre sadly mistaken.

Almedola 71%
Gonk 65%
Lewis 91%
Burkhead 83%
White 77%
Dorsett 67%

Bradys completion rate is 66% - 2 out of 3 passes completed not because his weapons are in the Cooks range.

Cooks 57%
Hogan 57%

Are low end on totem pole, but Hogan doesnt cost much as a situational WR and had a down season in 2017.

Randy Moss catch % in New England (full seasons only):

61.3
55.2
60.6

Deep ball receivers are going to have lower catch percentages.

 

[Soliel]

No, he's not 96% of Moss or Gronk. But he is very, very good. I loved having him on the Pats and wish, all things being equal, that he'd remain here. But this was a very good trade for the Patriots, so I'm on board with it.

Ok, point taken. Maybe not 96% of moss but he’s still around that and is as good as Odell almost.

 

[RobertWeathers]

And you just contradicted yourself

Not really. They didn't overpay Randy for the production he gave them

 

[primetime]

Had something turned up in the Combine med-check that we haven't heard about?

There were some whispers that there were "issues" impacting his NFL future that would lead to a tumble to the 4th or 5th rounds. I'm extrapolating here but I'd guess those were the clots.

 

[Froob]

They've never drafted a wr on the 1st round so there is no track record at all

I don’t think that means they would never do it though. I don’t think there’s any hard rules with BB and co, all situational. Seems like the only high round receiver that worked out was Deion Branch. Most of our success is late in the draft.

 

[Triumph]

Those numbers aren't telling the story you think they are. The guys who work deeper on the field will obviously have lower catch percentages as those are more difficult plays and harder to catch throws

Granted, Cooks dropped a few short ones - everyone does. But using 57% catch star without context is laughably bad logic

Youre placing too much stock in this fallacy of a NE downfield passing attack. You people yourselves are telling me that long passes are low percentage success plays. They are, so why would Brady and company run those type plays? They hardly do and only run them sparingly.

Cooks struggles were also on shorter NE routes. Brady is not a bomb QB. There is not time to throw that many homeruns with every team knowing that Brady is less effective if you make him move.

.......................................................................
Cooks was good and, at 24, he’s bound to get better. But he wasn’t a seamless fit with the Patriots. He’s a vertical, downfield, outside-the-numbers receiver and the Patriots are not a vertical offense, they are a horizontal offense.

Cooks was meant to be a complement for this team, a field-stretcher who would help take middle-of-the-field heat off of Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski.

When Edelman got hurt, the Patriots’ 2017 offensive approach changed a bit. Nobody could replicate Edelman’s ability to uncover in short spaces so Brady was suddenly tasked with holding the ball a beat or two longer and throwing outside. And Brady took a ton of punishment in the early part of the season as a result.

When more was asked of Cooks in terms of working the middle of the field, he and Brady had a hard time getting on the same wavelength. The Patriots’ offense is a nuanced one that relies on option routes and the ability to be almost telepathic. Cooks didn’t pick it up to Brady’s satisfaction and the frustration was sometimes apparent. It was a misfire to Cooks by Brady that led to the sideline dustup between Brady and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Patriots come out ahead after dealing underappreciated Cooks