I don't know what his final stats will be, and honestly, they could range from 60-700-5 to 100-1400-14. But what I think we will certainly see is an even more efficient and explosive Patriots offense as a whole, because either Cooks will be getting the ball or he will be opening things up for other players.
White or Lewis in the backfield. Hogan on one side, Cooks on the other, with Edelman in the slot and Gronk at TE.
White or Lewis can just tear defenses up from the backfield. Hogan led the NFL in yards per reception last year at 17.9, so he's a real deep threat. Cooks finished at 15.0 ypc last year and can burn you at every level. Gronk is Gronk, and he didn't qualify for the NFL stat leaders but he finished with 21.6 yards per reception! You simply cannot cover each of these guys one-on-one. You can't, or they'll absolutely torch you.
And that still leaves Edelman, who can run every route as well and is one of the most dangerous underneath receivers in the league. He can't really be defended on those short crossing routes one-on-one. So a defense needs to commit 7 or 8 guys to pass defense against this offense. That's what Cooks does, but not just Cooks. Cooks plus a healthy Gronk both command double teams or it's huge chunks of yards, like playing pitch and catch. So you commit four pass defenders to Gronk and Cooks, leaving you with three or four to cover White, Edelman, and Hogan. Good luck with that. You'd better get a TON of pressure on Brady using just three pass rushers.
Long story short: I don't know if Cooks' individual numbers will be spectacular. But the offense as a whole will be more explosive and more efficient and more devastating than ever before.
Assuming they stay healthy (a big assumption, I grant), I see this team putting up 35+ points a game on average, maybe even closer to 40, especially because the defense is really good too, and should be getting the ball back to the offense quickly.
Hard not to be excited about this upcoming season.
White or Lewis in the backfield. Hogan on one side, Cooks on the other, with Edelman in the slot and Gronk at TE.
White or Lewis can just tear defenses up from the backfield. Hogan led the NFL in yards per reception last year at 17.9, so he's a real deep threat. Cooks finished at 15.0 ypc last year and can burn you at every level. Gronk is Gronk, and he didn't qualify for the NFL stat leaders but he finished with 21.6 yards per reception! You simply cannot cover each of these guys one-on-one. You can't, or they'll absolutely torch you.
And that still leaves Edelman, who can run every route as well and is one of the most dangerous underneath receivers in the league. He can't really be defended on those short crossing routes one-on-one. So a defense needs to commit 7 or 8 guys to pass defense against this offense. That's what Cooks does, but not just Cooks. Cooks plus a healthy Gronk both command double teams or it's huge chunks of yards, like playing pitch and catch. So you commit four pass defenders to Gronk and Cooks, leaving you with three or four to cover White, Edelman, and Hogan. Good luck with that. You'd better get a TON of pressure on Brady using just three pass rushers.
Long story short: I don't know if Cooks' individual numbers will be spectacular. But the offense as a whole will be more explosive and more efficient and more devastating than ever before.
Assuming they stay healthy (a big assumption, I grant), I see this team putting up 35+ points a game on average, maybe even closer to 40, especially because the defense is really good too, and should be getting the ball back to the offense quickly.
Hard not to be excited about this upcoming season.
