Guard Jonathan Cooper anxious for 'fresh start' with Patriots

[zydecochris]

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?

Although there are similarities in that both were highly drafted and had injuries as you correctly said, I think Deus was pointing out the differences. Gallery had a solid career as a guard, he never made the pro bowl but there was discussion of him as a candidate. Cooper has had a much weaker career so far.

Of course, the other major difference is that Gallery was 32 when he came to the Patriots and Cooper is only 26. I would think that Cooper is a true reclamation project. I would argue that Gallery was more of a re-tread, i.e., someone who had arrived at the end of a solid (if somewhat disappointing given his draft status) career.

As to where he should have been drafted, that is a question more for someone like OTG. I think his career would have been considered solid for a second round pick or so. What do you draftniks like OTG think?

 

[Deus Irae]

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.

Clearly

 

[Rhodey]

The NEP didn't approach Cooper in the 2013 Draft. They didn't stand a chance!

However, they did stand a chance further on down the road.

Ergo, they scouted him like this:

""Tough to beat in pass protection, possesses foot quickness, bend, and arm extension to mirror. Excellent mobility behind the line, regularly pulls to the left and right. Excellent at adjusting quickly to negate moving targets on the second level. Springs out of his stance to reach linebackers in the run game or to jump inside of tackles to seal off a rushing lane.""

Does that sound like a NEP player?

Article: Patriots take a step toward fixing offensive line problems with Jonathan Cooper

 

[captain stone]

Nothing in that report is true at the NFL level, unfortunately.

 

[Rhodey]

“I almost feel like, I hate to say that he was in the doghouse, it just wasn’t a good fit (in Arizona),” said Kapilovic, who came to UNC for Cooper’s senior year in 2012 and is now also the team’s co-offensive coordinator. “For whatever the reason, when I saw that he got picked up by the Patriots, I was ecstatic because I really believe in my heart that he needs just a fresh start, and I just believe in his ability. I just knock on wood and pray and everything else that he’s going to have a stellar career somewhere.”

“When he first got there, he was performing at a very high level,” Kapilovic said of the seventh overall draft pick in 2013. “They were really, really happy with him. The D-line coach Brentson Buckner I kind of knew and was full of praise. He said he was already a leader. He was dominating in practice. They were really high on him. He was performing at a high level in the preseason. Then he breaks his leg. And this is something he never had to deal with."

Boston Herald Article: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/patriots/2016/03/former_coach_still_believes_in_patriots_jonathan_cooper

 

[BradyFTW!]

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?

Cooper is 26 years old. He's still on his rookie contract, not really later in his career.

As far as Gallery's career retrospective, when you're talking about a #2 overall pick there's a pretty wide gap between disappointing and bust. Sure, Gallery's career was a disappointment, to the extent that he didn't develop into the Pro Bowl-caliber LT that you expect to be drafting at that position. But he was one of the best guards in the NFL for a number of years, so he can't reasonably be called a bust.

 

[TheFlyingWedge]

Cooper is 26 years old. He's still on his rookie contract, not really later in his career.

As far as Gallery's career retrospective, when you're talking about a #2 overall pick there's a pretty wide gap between disappointing and bust. Sure, Gallery's career was a disappointment, to the extent that he didn't develop into the Pro Bowl-caliber LT that you expect to be drafting at that position. But he was one of the best guards in the NFL for a number of years, so he can't reasonably be called a bust.

In my original post I didn't call Gallery a bust, I referred to him as a "top prospect that never panned out", and I acknowledged the age difference between Cooper and Gallery so this isn’t an apples to apples comparison. I just don't think as highly of Gallery's career as some people on this board. He was a very good guard for a few seasons in Oakland, but keep in mind that he was always hurt and never went to a Pro Bowl. The main issue with Gallery “never panning out” in my mind is that he was drafted to play Left Tackle, not Guard. Left Tackle is one of the most important positions in Football, and in the words of Bill Belichick “you can always find a guard.”

Regardless, my original post wasn’t whether Robert Gallery had a career worthy of a 2nd overall pick. My point is that Belichick loves to swoop in on these former first rounders when their stock is down. How many of these guys have been picked up so far this year alone? (Shea McLellan, Jonathan Cooper, Chris Long, and Donald Brown). Personally I think that this comes from Belichick's confidence in his coaching ability to get more out his players than other coaches.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

Personally I think that this comes from Belichick's confidence in his coaching ability to get more out his players than other coaches.

Maybe the Pats need a new name : Reclamations_R_Us

Come here on a cheap 1-year contract and turn your career around. It's a win-win. Lot easier to play well (or at very least seem to play well) when on a winning team surrounded by good and well-coached players that make you look good and help cover for your mistakes. Or you can get a few bucks more on a losing team where you will likely share blame for the mistakes of others.

Even Revis might have been in this category, albeit obviously at a very much higher level than the other reclamation projects.

 

[archstanton543]

Can he learn how to do a silent count (and switch it up if necessary) for loud games on the road?