Is Cook the best RB right now?

[Simon]

53 minutes ago, Offside Number 76 said:

 I'll also note that if Allen has a weakness, it's passing to backfield receivers.

 

I'm going to disagree with this.

Allen has clearly worked on it and I think he's gotten very good it hitting those swings accurately and on time.

He's holding 'backers with his eyes and waiting til the last second to commit and then hitting backs in stride with a perfect combination of velocity ( so the D can't recover) and touch (so Cook or Johnson have an easy catch) and accuracy (so they have the opportunity to get upfield fast and make hay).

I don't know if there's anybody in the league throwing better to the flats than he is right now.

[Offside Number 76]

1 minute ago, Simon said:

 

I'm going to disagree with this.

Allen has clearly worked on it and I think he's gotten very good it hitting those swings accurately and on time.

He's holding 'backers with his eyes and waiting til the last second to commit and then hitting backs in stride with a perfect combination of velocity ( so the D can't recover) and touch (so Cook or Johnson have an easy catch) and accuracy (so they have the opportunity to get upfield fast and make hay).

I don't know if there's anybody in the league throwing better to the flats than he is right now.

 

Yesterday he missed a guy by several feet, and I believe that has happened a few other times this season, as well.

[Sojourner]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFan said:

Who were the young guys re-signed this past offseason? Rousseau, Benford, Bernard, and Cook.  Cook was the one many people here didn’t think should happen.   Now it looks like the best deal of the 4 with Benford right there as well.
 

Are there any Cook haters left? 
 

 

 

Don’t think anyone was a Cook disbeliever or hater at all. Many just didn’t want to pay him in the $20m p/y range that CMC and Saquon got. In hindsight, he’d be well worth that for what he’s producing. 

[Doc Brown]

4 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

I'm going to disagree with this.

Allen has clearly worked on it and I think he's gotten very good it hitting those swings accurately and on time.

He's holding 'backers with his eyes and waiting til the last second to commit and then hitting backs in stride with a perfect combination of velocity ( so the D can't recover) and touch (so Cook or Johnson have an easy catch) and accuracy (so they have the opportunity to get upfield fast and make hay).

I don't know if there's anybody in the league throwing better to the flats than he is right now.

One way to motivate Josh to work harder at throwing to running backs is to provide him with a bottom of the league WR core.  Beane knows this.

[DrDawkinstein]

4 minutes ago, Sojourner said:

Don’t think anyone was a Cook disbeliever or hater at all. Many just didn’t want to pay him in the $20m p/y range that CMC and Saquon got. In hindsight, he’d be well worth that for what he’s producing. 

 

Oh there were definitely straight-up HATERS here who took great personal offense to his couple of comments on Social Media and posting his $15M number and made numerous posts attacking his skills, and personally attacking him and his brother. I wont name them because we're all moving on and that doesnt do anything constructive. But the posts live on.

 

And $20M was NEVER in the discussion.

 

Agreed he's worth every penny and glad it all worked out even better for the Bills. 

 

11 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

I'm going to disagree with this.

Allen has clearly worked on it and I think he's gotten very good it hitting those swings accurately and on time.

He's holding 'backers with his eyes and waiting til the last second to commit and then hitting backs in stride with a perfect combination of velocity ( so the D can't recover) and touch (so Cook or Johnson have an easy catch) and accuracy (so they have the opportunity to get upfield fast and make hay).

I don't know if there's anybody in the league throwing better to the flats than he is right now.

 

This is a tough one because I dont know if its just recency bias, or only remembering the bad plays, but it sure feels like there have been a bunch of bad misses to the flats that leave me bewildered.

 

He's definitely better than when he started. But it also seems he's easy to knock off that part of his game with pressures.

 

I dunno. Happy for you to prove me wrong.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

Cook is elite.  It's so hard to compare across teams with their different schemes and usages.  By the eye test I think only JT is a better betweeen the tackles runner and then you've got Gibbs, CMC and Bijan with their overall skill sets.  But maybe Cook on the Falcons also gets 6 targets a game and excels in that capacity?

 

[technobot]

I'm worried he'll be on fumes come playoffs with his "bell-cow" workload but man:

 

1) for a guy not considered "large" or a thumper... he does not shy away from the contact that he knows is coming at the end, and is always churning for that last bit

2) RE: his workload, I'm sure he's begging for it/insisting. He WANTS to be known as a a top 3 RB/THE RB in the league, and has said he wants to be out there all the time. Love his energy, even when he's pissed because they pull him and his TD goes to Allen or another RB.

[HamptonBillsfan]

2 hours ago, Dillenger4 said:

I love Cook - But not sure he is the "best #1" in the NFL. He is in the top 5 for sure and that's pretty sweet.

Top 5? Give me the other 4 after Taylor. Saquon got paid and is mostly a non-factor. The Eagles are offensively challenged because Barkley took a step back. McCaffrey is great but not the runner that Cook is. He’s terrific in the pass game but Cook would be also if given the touches. After that’s all of competition.

[Sojourner]

4 minutes ago, HamptonBillsfan said:

Top 5? Give me the other 4 after Taylor. Saquon got paid and is mostly a non-factor. The Eagles are offensively challenged because Barkley took a step back. McCaffrey is great but not the runner that Cook is. He’s terrific in the pass game but Cook would be also if given the touches. After that’s all of competition.

Yup. It’s Taylor, CMC, Gibbs, Cook, Bijan and Saquon in the down year. 

Those are my top 6. Hard to say who’s out but it would be Saquon given this years performance. Dont think you can remove any of the other 5 for top at the position for 2025. 

 

[BillMafia716ix]

James Cook the best RB? But I thought Josh doesn’t have any help

[balln]

Hes 4th RB in pff grade for the season 84

 

he had an eye popping league leading 93 grade for the Steelers game …. 
 

so for me hes “top 5” with the ability from game to game to be best rb in nfl 

 

pretty awesome 

[DCOrange]

1 hour ago, balln said:

Hes 4th RB in pff grade for the season 84

 

he had an eye popping league leading 93 grade for the Steelers game …. 
 

so for me hes “top 5” with the ability from game to game to be best rb in nfl 

 

pretty awesome 

I don't have PFF anymore, but I don't think that's true. Based on what I can see it seems like Ray Davis and Ty Johnson both received higher grades for the game than Cook did. Guessing due to the fumble, and in Davis' case, he was credited with the same number for missed tackles forced as Cook on 22 fewer carries. 

[balln]

5 minutes ago, DCOrange said:

I don't have PFF anymore, but I don't think that's true. Based on what I can see it seems like Ray Davis and Ty Johnson both received higher grades for the game than Cook did. Guessing due to the fumble, and in Davis' case, he was credited with the same number for missed tackles forced as Cook on 22 fewer carries. 

There’s always a qualifier * minimum of x number of carries. I don’t think you can compare rb 1 with rb 3. Edit - looks like the 93 was week 8. Darn Google

Edited 1 hour ago by balln

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

2 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

One way to motivate Josh to work harder at throwing to running backs is to provide him with a bottom of the league WR core.  Beane knows this.

4D chess baby! 😂

[Chaos]

Cook is very good.  But I am not sure he is the best RB on the team.  If I need 1 yard on fourth and one, or a guy to plow through the defense for an 11 yard TD run , to set the all time team record for rushing TDs, I am turning to #17. 

[Process]

4 hours ago, ngbills said:

Surprised CMC is not getting more mentions. He is having a historic season.

 

Cook is a top 5 or 10. Here are others in that group:

 

Taylor - Obviously

CMC - Will have over 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving; Possible NFL record for scrimmage yards

Bijan R - Also closing in on the 1,000 mark in both rushing and receiving

Gibbs - Another dual threat back, lighter workload

Henry - still a legit threat

Barkley - still a legit threat

Achane - under the radar legit dual threat

 

 

Cmc is VERY quietly having a ridiculous season. He is fourth in the NFL in receptions.... as a RB. I swear I haven't heard a peep about him all year. 

[DaVinci]

AFC offensive player of the week?

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

5 hours ago, ngbills said:

Surprised CMC is not getting more mentions. He is having a historic season.

 

Cook is a top 5 or 10. Here are others in that group:

 

Taylor - Obviously

CMC - Will have over 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving; Possible NFL record for scrimmage yards

Bijan R - Also closing in on the 1,000 mark in both rushing and receiving

Gibbs - Another dual threat back, lighter workload

Henry - still a legit threat

Barkley - still a legit threat

Achane - under the radar legit dual threat

 

 

CMC never gets due credit for being one of the best. His receiving really sets him apart. He inherited that from Ed

 

In regards to thread… 1228 rushing yards with FIVE games to go is very hard to argue with. With the amount the Bills run it and the Cincinnati defense coming up, it’s not impossible for him to eclipse 2K if he has a monster game next week. 

Edited 8 minutes ago by ChronicAndKnuckles

[HamptonBillsfan]

2 hours ago, Sojourner said:

Yup. It’s Taylor, CMC, Gibbs, Cook, Bijan and Saquon in the down year. 

Those are my top 6. Hard to say who’s out but it would be Saquon given this years performance. Dont think you can remove any of the other 5 for top at the position for 2025. 

 

I love all of your 6 but Cook is the only one that looks like a threat to go all the way every time he gets to the 2nd level and also can get the edge with one cut and beat DBs around the corner with ease. Cook is a matchup nightmare in the passing game and if given the touches can be as prolific as CMC. Listen I’m an unapologetic homer, but between having a nose for the end zone and amassing 1500 yards if given the carries, Cook is #1 and we got him for as long as we can legally keep him. Last reason, he’s always available.

[MJS]

On the team? In the AFC? In the league? In the history of the NFL? What "best" are we talking about?