Amari Cooper anyone?

[Low Positive]

44 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

I've been a Chark fan for a long time. What scares me off him right now is he couldn't get playtime in a horrible Charger WR room last year. When asked about it several times Harbs made it a point to say he wasn't playing because the other guys were better. Yikes.

He had fewer targets than Darius Davis, Simi Fekho, and all-time draft bust Jalen Reagor. That seems personal.

[MJS]

No thanks.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

On 4/27/2025 at 9:45 AM, SoMAn said:

Regardless of his skills, my sense is that Cooper’s personality doesn’t fit with the character of this team.  He’s like the guy at a party who doesn’t move from his corner chair and barely engages with any of the others. 

Lol...I usually just stood by the wall...

[DapperCam]

On 4/26/2025 at 4:13 PM, HomeskillitMoorman said:

Absolutely not. The guy literally disappeared. We need guys who actually might make plays on the big stage. 

I think he was fairly injured. Between the messed up wrist and smacking the back of his head hard on one of his TD catches. I actually credit him for gutting it out.

[BuffaloBillyG]

9 minutes ago, Low Positive said:

He had fewer targets than Darius Davis, Simi Fekho, and all-time draft bust Jalen Reagor. That seems personal.

Can't see targets if you can't earn the snaps to be on the field 

[Low Positive]

Just now, BuffaloBillyG said:

Can't see targets if you can't earn the snaps to be on the field 

Seems personal. Did he tell Harbaugh that his butt looks big in kakkis? 

[RochesterLifer]

16 minutes ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

Hope he bounces back. He had a knee injury. He dropped the ball with his hands. It was a difficult catch. Elite athletes make difficult catches look routine. 

You can't blast Steph or Davis for their prior drops and give Kincaid a pass. 

If he can be a 80 + catch guy with 7 TDs it will transform the offense.  

This is a perfect example of not respecting the impact of an injury.

 

With an injured knee, Kinkaid did not have his full base strength, negatively impacting his core. His quickness, mobility, and flexibility were all diminished. If you think that hands are the only element contributing to catching a football, I doubt you have ever played a "hands-based" (basketball, baseball, rugby, etc.) sport in your life. Tweak one part of your body's capabilities, and the entire machinery is impacted.

 

Did he not catch ("drop" is a ridiculously harsh assessment) that pass because of his knee? I really don't know. But your response perfectly illustrates a non-athlete's ignorance regarding the impact of playing with injuries.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

3 hours ago, RochesterLifer said:

This is a perfect example of not respecting the impact of an injury.

 

With an injured knee, Kinkaid did not have his full base strength, negatively impacting his core. His quickness, mobility, and flexibility were all diminished. If you think that hands are the only element contributing to catching a football, I doubt you have ever played a "hands-based" (basketball, baseball, rugby, etc.) sport in your life. Tweak one part of your body's capabilities, and the entire machinery is impacted.

 

Did he not catch ("drop" is a ridiculously harsh assessment) that pass because of his knee? I really don't know. But your response perfectly illustrates a non-athlete's ignorance regarding the impact of playing with injuries.

I didn't say it was an easy catch. But it hit his hands. Even he would say he should have caught it. It's not an indictment of the player or indicative of future issues. 

It actually is reassuring that he was injured because that would explain his lack of deep targets last year.  Almost everyone during the season was questioning why he was mainly running 5 yard out patterns and not the deep seam routes like the TD he scored against the Steelers in the playoffs.   He has enough tools to be a great WR even if he will never be a great blocker. 

[todd]

I'd like to give both cooper and kincaid the benefit of the doubt regarding injury. 

 

I do not have elite athletic skills, but I used to be a decent golfer. I was certainly not as long as a pro, and I wasn't scratch. But I could hit it pretty good. I had lower back surgery (removed my tailbone and 1/2 of my sacrum, moved my glute muscles around to deal with that) and looking at me, you'd never know. I'm essentially the same guy. Nobody can tell. But I can. I have the same swing, but I've lost 30 yards of distance off the tee, and it isn't just age. My rounds under 80 are not common now. Occasional, not regular.

 

My point is that people have no idea what an injury can do to an athlete. My swing changes are minor to the untrained eye. Imagine an elite athlete dealing with an injury that impacts their training and what they do. Your brain thinks your body can do what it used to, but somehow your body just doesn't respond. Fans like us can't see the difference. But players can feel it and it is a real thing. 

 

I expect Kincaid to bounce back after he fully heals. Cooper isn't the same story. He's older, and just won't bounce back. Don't underestimate the impact of a lower body injury on an elite athlete. Kincaid will be fine.

 

Edited Thursday at 11:44 PM by todd

[Don Otreply]

Evidently not, 

 

 

 

😁

[NoSaint]

6 hours ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

I didn't say it was an easy catch. But it hit his hands. Even he would say he should have caught it. It's not an indictment of the player or indicative of future issues. 

It actually is reassuring that he was injured because that would explain his lack of deep targets last year.  Almost everyone during the season was questioning why he was mainly running 5 yard out patterns and not the deep seam routes like the TD he scored against the Steelers in the playoffs.   He has enough tools to be a great WR even if he will never be a great blocker. 

yea im not giving a pass on the drop but im hoping it explains the overall usage for the season. Was frustrating not to see him putting more pressure on defenses given what he was drafted to be. 
 

should’ve caught that pass but statistically they will happen sometimes. Hopefully no trend but a bad play. 

[Richard Noggin]

On 4/27/2025 at 9:45 AM, SoMAn said:

Regardless of his skills, my sense is that Cooper’s personality doesn’t fit with the character of this team.  He’s like the guy at a party who doesn’t move from his corner chair and barely engages with any of the others. 

 

You're not exactly wrong with the illustration of him as an introvert, but that's completely FINE in my book if he's selfless and hard working, and there are other guys in the room with more bombast and collaborative nature. As the 2024 season progressed, Cooper repeatedly saw/earned like NO TARGETS and yet still made comments to the effect of this team being special and him enjoying football for the first time ever? 

 

One could argue Cooper is a guy at this stage who isn't desperate to play for just anybody (in the absence of a serious FA offer), but he might be someone the Bills call (again) in-season if they suffer WR injuries? I think he's almost perfect as a fill-in X for Brady's offense, even if the most recent stats definitely do not support that claim. He'll be healthy, at least. And still capable of making a play, even if he's lost a couple steps. 

[NeverOutNick]

I think we’re fine with our one year contract wide receivers but if anyone gets hurt, I’d be all about bringing in Cooper. I like him still I think he can still bring it.

[Richard Noggin]

3 hours ago, todd said:

I'd like to give both cooper and kincaid the benefit of the doubt regarding injury. 

 

I do not have elite athletic skills, but I used to be a decent golfer. I was certainly not as long as a pro, and I wasn't scratch. But I could hit it pretty good. I had lower back surgery (removed my tailbone and 1/2 of my sacrum, moved my glute muscles around to deal with that) and looking at me, you'd never know. I'm essentially the same guy. Nobody can tell. But I can. I have the same swing, but I've lost 30 yards of distance off the tee, and it isn't just age. My rounds under 80 are not common now. Occasional, not regular.

 

My point is that people have no idea what an injury can do to an athlete. My swing changes are minor to the untrained eye. Imagine an elite athlete dealing with an injury that impacts their training and what they do. Your brain thinks your body can do what it used to, but somehow your body just doesn't respond. Fans like us can't see the difference. But players can feel it and it is a real thing. 

 

I expect Kincaid to bounce back after he fully heals. Cooper isn't the same story. He's older, and just won't bounce back. Don't underestimate the impact of a lower body injury on an elite athlete. Kincaid will be fine.

 

 

This is also an interesting lens through which to view Deone Walker, given the injury he battled through last season (pars fracture). Beane projected near certainty that Walker would be ready for camp, and hinted at him maybe not doing much until then. He directly suggested we shouldn't read into it or be worried if he doesn't participate much this offseason. 

 

Kincaid, on the other hand, I don't know if injury is really the big thing there. Would seem like he's born to split the seam and attack LBs and Ss...but that has rarely been where he flashes. There's obviously the post TD against Pitt 2 years ago in the playoffs, but otherwise, is there really another similar play that stands out? I don't know. Hoping for him to find his place in Brady's offense. Worth noting that Knox isn't seemingly being targeted on those routes either. 

 

 

[Low Positive]

11 minutes ago, Richard Noggin said:

 

This is also an interesting lens through which to view Deone Walker, given the injury he battled through last season (pars fracture). Beane projected near certainty that Walker would be ready for camp, and hinted at him maybe not doing much until then. He directly suggested we shouldn't read into it or be worried if he doesn't participate much this offseason. 

 

Kincaid, on the other hand, I don't know if injury is really the big thing there. Would seem like he's born to split the seam and attack LBs and Ss...but that has rarely been where he flashes. There's obviously the post TD against Pitt 2 years ago in the playoffs, but otherwise, is there really another similar play that stands out? I don't know. Hoping for him to find his place in Brady's offense. Worth noting that Knox isn't seemingly being targeted on those routes either. 

 

 

Kincaid suffered a PCL injury in week 10 against the Colts and never had time to recover.

[Mike in Horseheads]

I saw in The Athletic Dallass might bring him back since they did nothing in the draft or FA

[davefan66]

Liked the idea of bringing him back and hopefully he played up to his old potential.  Seems like a team guy and he would have a handle on our offense.

With the signing of Moore, don’t see him as an option any longer or needed.  Unless he signs at vet minimum, which I do not see happening.

 

[GunnerBill]

10 hours ago, todd said:

I'd like to give both cooper and kincaid the benefit of the doubt regarding injury. 

 

I do not have elite athletic skills, but I used to be a decent golfer. I was certainly not as long as a pro, and I wasn't scratch. But I could hit it pretty good. I had lower back surgery (removed my tailbone and 1/2 of my sacrum, moved my glute muscles around to deal with that) and looking at me, you'd never know. I'm essentially the same guy. Nobody can tell. But I can. I have the same swing, but I've lost 30 yards of distance off the tee, and it isn't just age. My rounds under 80 are not common now. Occasional, not regular.

 

My point is that people have no idea what an injury can do to an athlete. My swing changes are minor to the untrained eye. Imagine an elite athlete dealing with an injury that impacts their training and what they do. Your brain thinks your body can do what it used to, but somehow your body just doesn't respond. Fans like us can't see the difference. But players can feel it and it is a real thing. 

 

I expect Kincaid to bounce back after he fully heals. Cooper isn't the same story. He's older, and just won't bounce back. Don't underestimate the impact of a lower body injury on an elite athlete. Kincaid will be fine.

 

 

Yep agree. I was a pretty decent semi-pro soccer player over here. I was never gonna make it pro but between 18 and 22 I earned decent money from playing in the leagues just below the professional pyramid. I had a knee cartilage op at 22 and I was just never the same. I never had the same confidence in my body, in my ability to explode into a sprint, in my ability to leap into aerial challenges.  Even in my ability to plant with my right leg when I really wanted to strike full force with my left foot - which as a left back was a pretty key component of my game, I'd get the ball and had the passing range to drop the ball short, intermediate or long into that left channel for team mates to run onto. I lost control of my long ball totally. By 24 I'd slipped down three tiers of the pyramid (i.e. was playing in a league three standards lower) wasn't enjoying it and quit. So I do cut Kincaid some slack. It's fair to do so. But year 3 is massive for him. The Bills need to take a view on his option at the end of this season. Right now I'm not sure they'd pick it up.

[frostbitmic]

Seeing as Amari hasn't signed anywhere by now, I'm going to guess that either he hasn't recovered from his wrist/arm injury or he's asking for too much money.

 

I expect someone will sign him before the season but I think his best days are well behind him.

[JP51]

11 hours ago, Richard Noggin said:

 

You're not exactly wrong with the illustration of him as an introvert, but that's completely FINE in my book if he's selfless and hard working, and there are other guys in the room with more bombast and collaborative nature. As the 2024 season progressed, Cooper repeatedly saw/earned like NO TARGETS and yet still made comments to the effect of this team being special and him enjoying football for the first time ever? 

 

One could argue Cooper is a guy at this stage who isn't desperate to play for just anybody (in the absence of a serious FA offer), but he might be someone the Bills call (again) in-season if they suffer WR injuries? I think he's almost perfect as a fill-in X for Brady's offense, even if the most recent stats definitely do not support that claim. He'll be healthy, at least. And still capable of making a play, even if he's lost a couple steps. 

This I could see... he is available... its week 11, we have a couple injuries at WR... I could see them pulling a Beasley/J Brown thing with him in a pinch. Outside of that... not so much...