Chaos Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 3 minutes ago, eball said: That's not particularly relevant to the question of whether Cook is an above-average RB1. By above average, do you mean an RB1 who helps the Bills win more games than the would win with an average RB1? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phypon Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 5 minutes ago, eball said: There are extremely few RBs who should be signed to "big" contracts. That's not particularly relevant to the question of whether Cook is an above-average RB1. I think the statistics (and eye test) clearly show that he is. The question of the topic is "What are your feelings on James Cook RB1". Those are my feelings on the topic. The question was not "is Cook an above average RB1". And, no, I don't think he's an above average RB1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALLinALLEN Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 (edited) Healthy, top 10 OL all year Healthy top 3 QB all year Healthy pro bowl RB all year Top 10 TE in yards all year (Mostly) healthy WR's all year Only won 1 playoff game. I think Cook is fine - maybe just needs to improve his catching. But this team will not advance any further until they upgrade the WR's. They need a HEAVY overhaul there. Every other Offensive position group is pretty highly rated. The WR's are bringing the team down, not Cook. Edited February 8 by ALLinALLEN 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blacklabel Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 I feel like he can be pretty good. I also feel a lot of "dammit dammit summinabish" when he drops touchdown passes that are delivered with a frickin' bow on them. He caught some that were in his area code, ones that went directly to his house he dropped. It made the anger sharks swim in my head. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan_34 Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 Over 1500 total yards…he is a 1 all day long. Ranked 3rd in the league rolling into his prime. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunnerBill Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 39 minutes ago, Chaos said: It the Bills case, Josh Allen is RB 1 in the red zone. The desire for a bruising style runner to compliment and take the burden off of Allen is more important to the Bills, than anything the RBs do between the 20's. The best stat in sports is baseball's WAR. WAR does not work quite as easily in the NFL. My personal OPINION is that there are at least 20 other backs in the NFL that would have allowed the Bills to finish 11-5, and lose in the divisional round of the playoffs. And that there are less than five backs, who individually would have moved the dial forward in terms of wins or loses for the Bills. As mentioned Cook is fine. He is a solid RB on a rookie salary. Perfect for the Bills needs. So was Singletary. And Cook will be likely be gone when he is no longer on a rookie contract, to be replaced by the next guy. Sorry Cook is a clear tier up from Singletary. Is he elite? No. But he is a clear #1 back and Singletary isn't. 1 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stank_Nasty Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 10 minutes ago, GunnerBill said: Sorry Cook is a clear tier up from Singletary. Is he elite? No. But he is a clear #1 back and Singletary isn't. its alarming to me that this needs to be explained.... but here we are. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BullBuchanan Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 He's a pretty good but not great back. I wouldn't give him big money based on what I've seen and I'd keep trying to get better at the position, albeit with minimal investment like late round picks and udfas. I'd try to get him on cheap 2-3 year deal after his contract expires at the end of 2025 or let him walk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyDays Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 4 hours ago, phypon said: Cook is Singletary 2.0. What do you mean by this? They couldn't be more different as players. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedboy7 Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 The "nothing is good enough for us" crowd is at it again I see. Lots of good takes on here about him being a solid RB1. He will be a joy to watch next year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phypon Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 3 minutes ago, HappyDays said: What do you mean by this? They couldn't be more different as players. How are they different? What do you mean by this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedboy7 Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 Just now, phypon said: How are they different? What do you mean by this? You make a strong argument. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phypon Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 Just now, nedboy7 said: You make a strong argument. So does the person that quoted me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phypon Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 5 minutes ago, nedboy7 said: You make a strong argument. Did you read the thread? If you disagree, please share your sentiments and add something to the conversation rather than making it an "argument'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 1 hour ago, phypon said: The question of the topic is "What are your feelings on James Cook RB1". Those are my feelings on the topic. The question was not "is Cook an above average RB1". And, no, I don't think he's an above average RB1. Let's just say for sake of argument that we divide RB1s into three groups: 1-10 (above average), 11-20 (average), and 21-32 (below average). Do you think there are 10 better RB1s in the NFL than Jimbo Cook? 1 hour ago, Chaos said: By above average, do you mean an RB1 who helps the Bills win more games than the would win with an average RB1? I think the words are self-explanatory. A RB who is better than average. See above, and please name all of the RB1s you believe are better than Cook. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyDays Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 6 minutes ago, phypon said: How are they different? What do you mean by this? I don't know how anybody could watch Singletary and Cook play and conclude they are similar in any way. Their respective strengths and weaknesses are virtually inverses of each other. I guess I could list the reasons out just for your benefit, but you should know that exactly zero other Bills fans will share your comparison, even those that don't like Cook as much can still see that his playing style is completely different from Singletary. Yours is probably the weirdest single comparison I've ever seen to be honest, no offense. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T master Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 First Bills RB since Shady to have a 1000 yard season i'm feeling pretty good about that as long as he can keep it up which he should seeing as the O line is coming back intact then i can't wait o see what Brady schemes up in his offense this year . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phypon Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 2 minutes ago, eball said: Let's just say for sake of argument that we divide RB1s into three groups: 1-10 (above average), 11-20 (average), and 21-32 (below average). Do you think there are 10 better RB1s in the NFL than Jimbo Cook? I think the words are self-explanatory. A RB who is better than average. See above, and please name all of the RB1s you believe are better than Cook. You're still focusing on the second question. I already said I think he's an adequate back. I don't think he's "elite". If you think he's elite, so be it. That's fine. I respect your position. I have no issue with him on the team and I hope he continues to grow as a player. 5 minutes ago, HappyDays said: I don't know how anybody could watch Singletary and Cook play and conclude they are similar in any way. Their respective strengths and weaknesses are virtually inverses of each other. I guess I could list the reasons out just for your benefit, but you should know that exactly zero other Bills fans will share your comparison, even those that don't like Cook as much can still see that his playing style is completely different from Singletary. Yours is probably the weirdest single comparison I've ever seen to be honest, no offense. I'm curious, can you please explain that? For real, serious question. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerBillsFan Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 18 hours ago, BillMafia716ix said: How you guys feeling on James Cook as a number 1 back? With Brady taking over full time James Cook should see an increase workload. Fumbles and drops have been an issue with him though. I still think he’s too small to be an every down back. Personally I would like to see use him like Detroit uses Gibbs and find a quality #2. I like Ty Johnson but could we find better? He just needs to work this offseason on being more consistent in catching the football, thats it. Is he a true #1? Hell yes and his 1500 total yards proves it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dablitzkrieg Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 18 hours ago, Beast said: Cook was 3rd in yards from scrimmage for all running backs. What else needs to be said? That he needs to catch the ball when it's thrown to him for TDs 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 He's talented. A real weapon. But he'll break your heart at the worst times. 1 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phypon Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 20 minutes ago, HappyDays said: I don't know how anybody could watch Singletary and Cook play and conclude they are similar in any way. Their respective strengths and weaknesses are virtually inverses of each other. I guess I could list the reasons out just for your benefit, but you should know that exactly zero other Bills fans will share your comparison, even those that don't like Cook as much can still see that his playing style is completely different from Singletary. Yours is probably the weirdest single comparison I've ever seen to be honest, no offense. Aaaannnnd...crickets... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 1 hour ago, GunnerBill said: The people who don't think Cook is a 1 pretty much all fall into this camp. When they say "Cook isn't a #1 back" they mean "Cook doesn't meet my stylistic preference." Buffalo has been blessed with some talented backs over the years. For instance, Cookie was a bruiser. OJ was an elusive artist. Thurman was a Swiss army knife. All were tremendous in their distinctive ways. GB, I don't agree that all the people who want to upgrade Cook want a different style. They just want someone better. I like Cook well enough but if I had the chance to replace him with a clone of Cookie, or OJ, or Thurm, I would. Any one of them. The more potent our running game is, the less defenses can focus on stopping Josh. Imagine if we had a RB who was as talented as our QB. How do you defend that? Where I might disagree with those wanting an upgrade is in the evaluation of the opportunity cost. With only so many cap dollars and draft picks to spend, we can't chase everything we may want. We have bigger needs than RB - positions where an upgrade would provide a bigger ROI. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1ManRaid Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 18 hours ago, Beast said: Cook was 3rd in yards from scrimmage for all running backs. What else needs to be said? Stop dropping easy TD passes? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 I have to say, he had the quietest "3rd in the league in yards from scrimmage" year I can recall. I wouldn't have guessed it after watching the season. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunnerBill Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 3 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said: Buffalo has been blessed with some talented backs over the years. For instance, Cookie was a bruiser. OJ was an elusive artist. Thurman was a Swiss army knife. All were tremendous in their distinctive ways. GB, I don't agree that all the people who want to upgrade Cook want a different style. They just want someone better. I like Cook well enough but if I had the chance to replace him with a clone of Cookie, or OJ, or Thurm, I would. Any one of them. The more potent our running game is, the less defenses can focus on stopping Josh. Imagine if we had a RB who was as talented as our QB. How do you defend that? Where I might disagree with those wanting an upgrade is in the evaluation of the opportunity cost. With only so many cap dollars and draft picks to spend, we can't chase everything we may want. We have bigger needs than RB - positions where an upgrade would provide a bigger ROI. Yea but how many elite backs are there now? Very, very few. Because in the days of OJ and even Thurm the best athletes played running back. Now they are playing Quarterback and Wide Receiver. CMC is literally the only back in the NFL this year who I think has impacted the eventual W-L of his team. And Cook isn't CMC, obviously. But the list of other guys I'd take isn't massive. 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 33 minutes ago, phypon said: You're still focusing on the second question. I already said I think he's an adequate back. I don't think he's "elite". If you think he's elite, so be it. That's fine. I respect your position. I have no issue with him on the team and I hope he continues to grow as a player. We're talking about "above average" -- not "elite." I certainly never used that word. Is it so difficult to admit Cook is above average? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phypon Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 1 minute ago, eball said: We're talking about "above average" -- not "elite." I certainly never used that word. Is it so difficult to admit Cook is above average? We're not talking about above average. You responded to my post where I said he is not "elite" and I also disagreed that he is above average. I don't think he is above average. I've already said that. You feel differently, and that's fine. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Process Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 I don't think Cook has any elite qualities (speed, elusiveness, power, pass catching etc) but think he's overall a good back and a guy I'm happy to have as our starter. Not someone I would give a second contract too. To be clear, there are exactly 0 RBs I would want to give a big contract too. Ride him for the next two years and then on to the next one. Needs to work on the drops. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 2 minutes ago, GunnerBill said: Yea but how many elite backs are there now? Very, very few. Because in the days of OJ and even Thurm the best athletes played running back. Now they are playing Quarterback and Wide Receiver. CMC is literally the only back in the NFL this year who I think has impacted the eventual W-L of his team. And Cook isn't CMC, obviously. But the list of other guys I'd take isn't massive. The bolded is very true. Back in the 60s and 70s, NFL offenses were built around RBs, and college backs were drafted high, often 1st overall. If you were young, fast and athletic, you wanted to be a RB. Slow-footed, less-athletic guys found other positions to play, like QB. Now the best athletes are WRs and DBs. And, as you say, more and more of them are becoming QBs. If the next CMC was in the draft, I'd want him the way an addict wants his next score. But would the level of confidence be high enough to ignore all our other - more blatant - needs? Probably not. Some stats guru, I don't recall which one, once analyzed player injuries. The loss of a starting QB was the only injury that made a measurable statistical difference in W-L probabilities. I imagine that works in reverse, too. Getting a back that's maybe 5% better than your current starting back probably won't impact your season record. Finding someone 20% better, which might, is unlikely unless you have a truly awful starter. Cook isn't truly awful. It's taken a while for me to admit this but he's actually good. Yet, I still fantasize about a backfield that consists of Josh and Thurman Thomas. And when we want power, Cookie Gilchrist comes in at FB. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyCallMeAndy Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 7 hours ago, ddaryl said: him dropping passes is worrisome. 4 of the 7 came in the last 3 games I think. Hit a wall? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LABILLBACKER Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 27 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said: Buffalo has been blessed with some talented backs over the years. For instance, Cookie was a bruiser. OJ was an elusive artist. Thurman was a Swiss army knife. All were tremendous in their distinctive ways. GB, I don't agree that all the people who want to upgrade Cook want a different style. They just want someone better. I like Cook well enough but if I had the chance to replace him with a clone of Cookie, or OJ, or Thurm, I would. Any one of them. The more potent our running game is, the less defenses can focus on stopping Josh. Imagine if we had a RB who was as talented as our QB. How do you defend that? Where I might disagree with those wanting an upgrade is in the evaluation of the opportunity cost. With only so many cap dollars and draft picks to spend, we can't chase everything we may want. We have bigger needs than RB - positions where an upgrade would provide a bigger ROI. I would replace him with those Bills rbs you mentioned because they all had substantially more focus & concentration. That's the biggest thing that's keeping James Cook from an elite top 3 RB. His talent is literally off the charts. We see the speed running and his ability to get separation on wheel routes. But it's all meaningless if he can't finish the play. It's like a shortstop making an unbelievable diving play, only to throw the ball 10 rows up in the stands. The mental toughness, focus and concentration required to play in the NFL must include holding on to the damn ball. This isn't a 1 year problem either. Hopefully this kid figures it out? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunnerBill Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 10 minutes ago, Process said: I don't think Cook has any elite qualities (speed, elusiveness, power, pass catching etc) but think he's overall a good back and a guy I'm happy to have as our starter. Not someone I would give a second contract too. To be clear, there are exactly 0 RBs I would want to give a big contract too. Ride him for the next two years and then on to the next one. Needs to work on the drops. Over the last decade - CMC, Kamara, Henry and I'd have extended Taylor too. That is it. 4. 1 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrivefourfive Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 Definitely RB1 quality. This is either going one of two ways.. use him early and often and he’s toast at 27/28 years old. Or manage handoffs and he gets an extra year or two added on to a career that won’t end in Buffalo. I vote for option 1. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 (edited) 1 hour ago, Dablitzkrieg said: That he needs to catch the ball when it's thrown to him for TDs OK, so you think he needs to be replaced as our #1 back? Because isn’t that the topic of the thread? Edited February 8 by Beast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 2 hours ago, GunnerBill said: Sorry Cook is a clear tier up from Singletary. Is he elite? No. But he is a clear #1 back and Singletary isn't. How many wins more did the bills have in 2023 with Cook, then they would have had with Singletary. if the number is zero, then Cook and Singletary are identical 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunnerBill Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 2 minutes ago, Chaos said: How many wins more did the bills have in 2023 with Cook, then they would have had with Singletary. if the number is zero, then Cook and Singletary are identical Nah it isn't zero. And I am someone who doesn't think RBs matter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddaryl Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 48 minutes ago, TheyCallMeAndy said: 4 of the 7 came in the last 3 games I think. Hit a wall? The part that bothers me is he was open by 5 yards on a few of those drops and I believe at least 1 was a sure TD if he holds on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koufax Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 I love him as RB1. Just really excited that when down 3 with 2:42 to go and first and 10 from the KC27 we don't run him right guard for 1 yard. He is sometimes going to get bottled up and needs holes. He is sometimes going to drop passes, so use him accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 10 minutes ago, GunnerBill said: Nah it isn't zero. And I am someone who doesn't think RBs matter. I as certain as can be that it rounds to zero. Bills would have won 11 games with Singletary. Hell, the Texans won 11 games with him. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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