James Cook: "Business" man

[mjt328]

37 minutes ago, Ga boy said:

Saquon and King Henry were essential last year to their teams, and I think Cook helped us in the W column.  I think we’ll win more games with him, maybe even the Lombardi.  Go Bills!!

The Eagles were a pass interference play away from winning the 2023 Super Bowl, two years before Barkley.  It can be argued the defense was the biggest difference-maker this time around.  

 

And technically, the Ravens went a round farther in the playoffs the season before they signed Henry.

I agree that RBs have been undervalued for most of the last decade.  But we need to be careful not to over-correct the other direction.  This is still a passing league.  By far.
 

Cook is a nice weapon.  But even without him, this offense is still among the NFL’s best.  And this team is still s Super Bowl contender.

[gonzo1105]

I think things need to be looked at both ways. Cook realizes he’s a big part of the Bills offense and he is a big part of it. He also needs to realize that his role and schematic fit are also a big part of his success. 
 

I think the 11-12 million dollar AAV is fair for Cook. He’s a really good player in a really good situation for him. Is the extra 3 million over 3 years worth it to him to have less success? Only his people know that and Beane 

[Ga boy]

40 minutes ago, mjt328 said:

The Eagles were a pass interference play away from winning the 2023 Super Bowl, two years before Barkley.  It can be argued the defense was the biggest difference-maker this time around.  

 

And technically, the Ravens went a round farther in the playoffs the season before they signed Henry.

I agree that RBs have been undervalued for most of the last decade.  But we need to be careful not to over-correct the other direction.  This is still a passing league.  By far.
 

Cook is a nice weapon.  But even without him, this offense is still among the NFL’s best.  And this team is still s Super Bowl contender.

Yes, we are a Super Bowl contender without him, but we’d be a stronger contender with him.  He is special and makes our offense even better.

Edited August 12 by Ga boy
Spelling

[DapperCam]

59 minutes ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

Cook is far better than the 8th best RB and Davis and Johnson are probably not in the top 25. I will concede that we don't know if Davis will get better and so far he looks like a faster version of Moss. So that is good. But the talent difference between Cook and the backups is significant. 

Cook is not far better than the 8th best RB. That’s about where he is. I can’t see any argument to have him higher than 5th (and I wouldn’t put him there). There is an argument he’s as low as 12th (that is where PFF ranks him). The only category he was high in this past season was TDs, and it was an outlier season. I see the tiers like this:

 

Henry

Barkley

——

Robinson

Gibbs
——
Jacobs

Irving

Taylor

McCaffrey (bump up a tier if healthy)
——

Cook

Williams

Walker

Conner

Achane

Mixon

 

I also think Jeanty will be really good and immediately slot into tier 2 or 3.

[RochesterLifer]

16 minutes ago, Ga boy said:

Yes, we are a Super Bowl contender without him, but we’d be a stronger contender with him.  He is special and makes our offense even better.

This, I agree with. It is different than calling him “essential.”

[Ga boy]

13 minutes ago, RochesterLifer said:

This, I agree with. It is different than calling him “essential.”

Good point.  JA17 is the key essential in the strictest sense, but Cook is essential for speed which we wouldn’t have otherwise.  I bet JA17 considers Cook essential, just like he prolly considered Diggs essential which is why he tolerated him.  JA17 and JC4 are our difference makers.  Teams that win SBs usually have speed.  Tom Brady could be cited as an exception, but he had the coach.

[RochesterLifer]

22 minutes ago, Ga boy said:

Good point.  JA17 is the key essential in the strictest sense, but Cook is essential for speed which we wouldn’t have otherwise.  I bet JA17 considers Cook essential, just like he prolly considered Diggs essential which is why he tolerated him.  JA17 and JC4 are our difference makers.  Teams that win SBs usually have speed.  Tom Brady could be cited as an exception, but he had the coach.

I appreciate your passion for Cook. I have to respectfully disagree with labeling him essential in any way. While he is very good and valuable, I believe we can win the Super Bowl without him. “Essential” means we cannot. It would be harder, but we would still be capable.

 

BTW - I enjoyed your use of the term “prolly.” 😊 You truly are a Ga boy.

[SoonerBillsFan]

1 hour ago, mjt328 said:

The Eagles were a pass interference play away from winning the 2023 Super Bowl, two years before Barkley.  It can be argued the defense was the biggest difference-maker this time around.  

 

And technically, the Ravens went a round farther in the playoffs the season before they signed Henry.

I agree that RBs have been undervalued for most of the last decade.  But we need to be careful not to over-correct the other direction.  This is still a passing league.  By far.
 

Cook is a nice weapon.  But even without him, this offense is still among the NFL’s best.  And this team is still s Super Bowl contender.

The defense won Philly their title,Barkley was shut down.  2.3 yards per carry I believe.  

 

I would rather have a better DL than pay a RB top money.  

[Ethan in Cleveland]

1 hour ago, DapperCam said:

Cook is not far better than the 8th best RB. That’s about where he is. I can’t see any argument to have him higher than 5th (and I wouldn’t put him there). There is an argument he’s as low as 12th (that is where PFF ranks him). The only category he was high in this past season was TDs, and it was an outlier season. I see the tiers like this:

 

Henry

Barkley

——

Robinson

Gibbs
——
Jacobs

Irving

Taylor

McCaffrey (bump up a tier if healthy)
——

Cook

Williams

Walker

Conner

Achane

Mixon

 

I also think Jeanty will be really good and immediately slot into tier 2 or 3.

Let's see...  He's 5th in YPC ahead of Robinson and Taylor.  So I guess that is an argument.  Gibbs had 43 more carries than Cook. Every other player you listed above Cook had 100 more carries than Cook did.  Cook did more with less opportunity. 

He only had one fumble (none lost). That's tied with Robinson and better than every other RB you have listed ahead of him.  

Cook had more yards receiving than Henry and just about the same as Barkley. 

 

All that said your rankings are quite good for the top 5.  Let's spin it another way, how much money do you think Robinson, Gibbs, are going to get paid?  When their deals are done, my guess is they will be above Henry and Barkley.  Jacobs just got 4 yrs for $48M after only rushing for 800 yards and less then 4 YPC the year before. 

 

Cook may not be worth $15M per year, but he is worth $13-14M for this team and this SuperBowl window.   

 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

1 hour ago, SoonerBillsFan said:

The defense won Philly their title,Barkley was shut down.  2.3 yards per carry I believe.  

 

I would rather have a better DL than pay a RB top money.  

LOL...I think you could actually get near 100% consensus on that!  Even on this board. Problem is Beane can't get the DL right. His draft picks and FA signings have been - to not sound sound too negative - underwhelming.  He's wasted more money on DL than just about any GM in the league.  Let's hope Bosa and some of the kids pan out.  Cook is a great player. Pay him. Keep scoring. Hope Kincaid, Coleman, and Palmer play well.