We are just making an observation. He’s a good receiver and gets his catches and yards. This thread is about his extension and we’re makings points in regards to that.
What it sounds like to me is folks bending over backward to nitpick Cooks' 2017 performance (out of context) in an attempt to justify their contention that he "is not worth" and "should not be paid" some arbitrarily-derived $$ amount (stated without even bothering to try to understand the current WR market and its trends within the context of an ever-increasing salary cap, or how the APY for an extension signed this spring will compare to other WR contract by the end of its term) "because he is not" some completely-undefined, arbitrary standard and/or doesn't fit in to some mythical category of #1 WR, #2 WR, etc. that the market likely won't care about when determining the amounts for his next contract.
It’s been said he wants to be paid like a top wr in New Orleans. It seems you agree with that? I don’t think so because he has difficulty getting separation consistently.
"It seems I agree with ... " ... what, exactly?
"It's been said that he wants ..." Yeah, I agree with
that.
It's been said over and over again in the thread by folks who obviously have greater telepathic powers than I do (or who simply buy whatever ESPN and the other mediots are selling). That doesn't make it true, no matter how many times it's repeated.
"... like a top WR." Again referencing an undefined standard that many (or most) of the 31 participants in the market may blithely ignore.
Here's what I know about Cook's performance during his
first season grappling with the Pats' offensive system:
... he hasn't missed a game due to injury this season (and, according to BB, hasn't missed a snap in practice).
... his 65 catches were 2nd on the team to Gronk's 69
... his 4.1 receptions per game was tied with Amendola for 2nd behind Gronk's 4.9
... his 1082 receiving yards were 2nd only to Gronk's 1084 ... which also makes him the third player ever - along with Troy Brown(2001), Moss and Welker (2007) - to crack 1000 receiving yards in his first season catching passes from Brady, and the first player to do so in 11 seasons
... his 1122 yards from scrimmage was tops on the team
... his 7 receiving TDs were 2nd only to Gronk's 8
... his 67.6 receiving yards/game was about 10 less than Gronk's 77.4, and almost 20 yards better than #3 Hogan at 48.8
... his 64-yard TD catch against the Raiders in week-10 was the longest reception of the season for the Pats
... his 18 receptions for 20+ yards tied Gronk for the lead in "splash plays" (no one else was even close)
... his 44 1st downs were 3rd behind Lewis' 59 and Gronk's 57
... and he didn't fumble once.
And yet ... all of that represents, for Cooks a down year (slightly) in some catgories and an up year in a couple others - compared to his last two seasons in NOLA.
COOKS .....
2017 ........
2016 .......
2015 (league rankings in parentheses)
YDS ..... 1082 (11) ... 1173 (7) ... 1138 (13)
Yds/gm .. 67.6 (10) ... 73.3 (9) ... 71.1 (22)
YPC ..... 16.6 (7) .... 15.0 (14) ... 13.5 (45)
20+ ....... 18 (7) ...... 15 (16) ..... 18 (10)
TDs ........ 7 (15) ....... 8 (9) ...... 9 (11)
1Dn ....... 44 (19) ..... 46 (27) ..... 47 (22)
BTW, Cooks hasn't missed a game since 2014.
He's been consistently in the top-15, if not the top-10 in nearly all of those categories for the past two seasons. If he just matches his 2017 performance in 2018, his 3-year and 4-year averages will easily put him in the top-10 ... at age 26.
What's his current $APY value for the Pats
from their perspective? I have no clue how
they perceive his value.
What's his $APY value likely to be on the open market in the spring of 2019? Given the current WR market price and cap space trends -
IF Cooks matches his 2017 production in 2018 - $15M APY or more seems like a reasonable guess. But that's just my opinion.
Would that outrage some folks on the forum? That also seems like a reasonable guess.
Would that constitute "#1WR money"? ROTFLMFAO.
Will the Pats pay that in 2019 - assuming they haven't signed him to a (likely cheaper) extension before then? I have no clue as to what they're thinking NOW, much less what they'll be thinking in 14 months from now.