Oakland Raiders: A Few Players Who Must Step Up Against Baltimore
By Kevin Saito
Amari Cooper
As if this offense didn’t have enough issues already. The re-emergence of Cooper’s butterfingers is making life difficult on his quarterbacks and is really putting a crimp into the offense as a whole.
In his rookie year, Cooper was among the league leaders in dropped passes. But over that offseason, he worked on it, refined his craft, and the hard work paid off in year two, as Cooper cut his number of drops and became one of Carr’s most reliable receivers.
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This year though – Cooper’s third – has gotten off to a disastrous start. His problem dropping catchable passes has re-emerged with a vengeance.
Through four games this season, Cooper leads the league in drops, with seven. Per PFF, Cooper has dropped 37 percent of catchable passes thrown his way – which is the worst rate of any receiver who’s had 15 targets or more this year.
Needless to say, Cooper’s recurring case of the dropsies – at a time when Oakland’s offense is struggling overall – isn’t helping. Like, at all.
In a recent inteview with Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Cooper says he sees the reason for his problem with drops this year and is working to correct them.
"“Most of the balls that I’ve dropped have been the result of trying to run before I catch the ball. … It can be a little frustrating, but you just have to go and fix it.”"
To provide a little context, Cooper shared that insight with Gehlken before the Denver game – a game in which he dropped yet another pass. So, obviously, Cooper’s issues with drops is still a work in progress.
With Crabtree still perhaps, not at 100 percent, this offense needs Cooper to step up and play like the superstar many believe him to be. More than that though, they just need him to hold on to the ball.