OK, he fumble(s)d, but can we talk about Cook's season, historically, please?

[SoCal Deek]

So he only needs 700 yards on Sunday to pass the mark that OJ set in a 14 game season? Come on boys! Put your backs into it…dammit! 

[WotAGuy]

1 hour ago, hondo in seattle said:

Cook is a good back, and I like watching him work.  But he wouldn't achieve the stats he's attaining now on the 1970s Bills versus 1970s run-first defenses.  

I think he would still be very successful if transported back to the 70s. He’s not built to take the pounding RBs had to back then, but his burst and vision translate to any era.  Cribbs did ok in 1980, so I feel like Cook would have good numbers (e.g. YPC), just not a heavy workload like OJ got. 

[hondo in seattle]

56 minutes ago, WotAGuy said:

I think he would still be very successful if transported back to the 70s. He’s not built to take the pounding RBs had to back then, but his burst and vision translate to any era.  Cribbs did ok in 1980, so I feel like Cook would have good numbers (e.g. YPC), just not a heavy workload like OJ got. 

 

I agree with your remarks about his burst and vision.  

 

He's not elusive like Barry Sanders, nor powerful like Earl Campbell, nor a freakishly elite athlete like OJ.  But sometimes I'm amazed at the creases Cook sees, and how quickly he gets to them.    

[Ray Stonada]

Burst, vision, grace and surprising power.

[HappyDays]

3 hours ago, Buffalo Ballin said:

Cook needs a rebound game this Sunday.

 

New England is the only team we've faced all year that I thought flat out beat us with their run defense. I know Miami did as well but I attributed that more to the Bills coming in lazy and getting surprised by a Miami team that was still fighting. New England we came into with our normal juice and still got stuffed. They had Milton Williams though and now he's on IR so hopefully we'll get them back this week.

[Matt_In_NH]

Beane cant draft on day two.  

[Da webster guy]

personally i think Ty Johnson is just as good of a runner.  He's almost 5 yards a carry this year and like 5.2 last year.    Ty's 40yd time was significantly faster than Cook's combine time, doesn't fumble, better blocker, equally good receiver.   I'm glad we have them both, but honestly I trust Ty with the ball running in traffic, he's not fumbling.

[Einstein's Dog]

2 hours ago, GASabresIUFan said:

The Cin fumble was a bad personal decision in redzone short yardage.  In the cold and snow, you leave the ball with the 6-5 240 lbs QB/Monster named Josh Allen vs the 5-11, 190 non-bruising RB. 

I was with you until you suggested that they should have called J Allens number - no.  Stop that until it matters.  All the talk about it being a "must win" game was just blather - using the "must win" moniker was much more relevant to Cincy.

 

They should make R Davis the short yardage back.  Increasing the role for R Davis not only reduces the wear and tear on Cook and Allen) but also better prepares Davis for a larger role if needed (it is a long season -look how many RBs go down).

[RyanC883]

Unlike some other players, this guy got better after the contract.  Might be the best back in the NFL. 

[DrDawkinstein]

1 hour ago, Da webster guy said:

personally i think Ty Johnson is just as good of a runner.  He's almost 5 yards a carry this year and like 5.2 last year.    Ty's 40yd time was significantly faster than Cook's combine time, doesn't fumble, better blocker, equally good receiver.   I'm glad we have them both, but honestly I trust Ty with the ball running in traffic, he's not fumbling.

 

This was silly when people were trying to make this argument over the summer. It's even sillier now.

 

And for the record, Ty has a fumble this year. On only 25 rushes and 16 receptions. So do that math to get to his average rate vs Jimbo.

 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by DrDawkinstein

[Augie]

5 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

But, is he... worth it? 

 

side note to Beane: going forward, pick more players who contribute to National Championships. This aint rocket surgery

 

He’s worth what they paid him, yes. The Bills were not the ones to handle that awkwardly, but it’s all water under the bridge now.

 

Let’s finish strong and feel like we got an even better deal! I like how hard he’s playing after getting paid. Not every guy is like that, and yes, I’m having visions of sailor caps…..

[dollars 2 donuts]

Just a clarification…I am not saying Cook is better than OJ.

 

I’m just saying that when the dust settles this year he will likely have the 3rd highest rushing total in franchise history.

 

…I maybe should have said that from the start.

 

Go Bills!

Edited 1 hour ago by dollars 2 donuts

[chris heff]

4 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

Brother Dollars, thanks for the kind words! 

 

I don't think Fergy passed for more than 3,000 yards his first 6 or 7 years with the Bills.  But he played a long time and eventually had a couple of productive seasons.  But in the beginning, it was all OJ, all the time.  And since our D was usually poor, the entire game plan of the opponent was SLOW OJ DOWN.  If they could do that, they'd win.  

 

Well, in 1974, we were invited to play on Monday Night Football (a big cultural phenomenon back then as you might recall) for the very first time.  Our opponent would be the Oakland Raiders who were good enough to get several MNF games and had won them all.  This was, btw, the first and only Bills home game I would see in person at the Ralph.

OJ was off to a good start, though frustratingly he seemed close to breaking one but hadn't yet.  And then he got hurt right before half if I recall correctly.  The game was basically over.  We couldn't win without OJ.   

 

But Fergy threw a 13-yard TD strike to Ahmad Rashad with 13 seconds left to win the game 21-20.  As it unlikely as it seemed at the time, it was Fergy, not OJ, who was the hero of our first MNF victory.   Although I'm glad to see Allen rising ahead of him on the passing yards list, Fergy will always hold a hallowed place in my old heart.   

I was at that game, George Blanda missed a 50 yard field goal a few seconds after he turned 47 years old. Ferguson had Ahmad Rashad, J. D. Hill and Bob Chandler .

[Augie]

20 minutes ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

Just a clarification…I am not saying Cook is better than OJ.

 

im just saying that when the dust settles this year he will likely have the 3rd highest rushing total in franchise history.

 

…I maybe should have said that from the start.

 

Go Bills!

 

It does seem that so far he has been a much better citizen, but then we never know. 

[GASabresIUFan]

1 hour ago, Einstein's Dog said:

I was with you until you suggested that they should have called J Allens number - no.  Stop that until it matters.  All the talk about it being a "must win" game was just blather - using the "must win" moniker was much more relevant to Cincy.

 

They should make R Davis the short yardage back.  Increasing the role for R Davis not only reduces the wear and tear on Cook and Allen) but also better prepares Davis for a larger role if needed (it is a long season -look how many RBs go down).

The problem here is Davis slimmed down this offseason and hasn’t been used in that bruiser role.  Instead Josh has been in the short yardage role whether that the best use of our QB or not.  
 

I understand wanting less wear and tear on Josh and Cook, but a play on the 2 years line to take the lead isn’t the time to change what you have been doing well all season.

[ganesh]

6 hours ago, BuffaloBill said:

Cook is absolutely vital to the success of this team and as a help to Josh Allen. He just needs to not try to do superhuman stuff like reaching for the pylon. Keep the ball and go down at the 1/2 yard line. This is what helps your team win.

 

Keep in mind if it were not for Benford’s pick 6 this game statistically was looking like a loss.  We all get to celebrate the W but like JA has had to learn, there is a time to be Superman and there a time to simply be a super human. If Cook learns the latter quickly he will be a phenomenal back. 

On the flip side his similar play against the chiefs in the playoffs resulted in a TD. TDs are at a premium in the playoffs and he willed his way to get that score with the extra effort 
 

it goes both ways 

[Einstein's Dog]

26 minutes ago, GASabresIUFan said:

The problem here is Davis slimmed down this offseason and hasn’t been used in that bruiser role.  Instead Josh has been in the short yardage role whether that the best use of our QB or not.  
 

I understand wanting less wear and tear on Josh and Cook, but a play on the 2 years line to take the lead isn’t the time to change what you have been doing well all season.

IMO, the sooner they start doing it the better - but it probably won't happen, at least not this year.  I think the Bills FO might be getting too caught up in the "we paid him $12M, we have to use him" philosophy.  

 

R Davis may have slimmed down in the offseason in the hopes of a J Cook holdout, and Davis would get the RB1 gig.

 

Wish we had a sure handed, non-fumbling bruiser for the short yardage role.  But I kind of think both Josh and Cook kind of like the TDs.

[hondo in seattle]

55 minutes ago, chris heff said:

I was at that game, George Blanda missed a 50 yard field goal a few seconds after he turned 47 years old. Ferguson had Ahmad Rashad, J. D. Hill and Bob Chandler .

 

We did have some good receivers in those days!

 

As for Blanda, young people think of Tom Brady as the poster child for NFL longevity.  But old timers like us remember when George was both throwing and kicking the ball at the ripe old age 48!

[Olaf Fub]

Joe Ferguson lead the league in passing in 1977. 

 

NFL QB 1977 Stats

[GASabresIUFan]

12 minutes ago, Olaf Fub said:

Joe Ferguson lead the league in passing in 1977. 

 

NFL QB 1977 Stats

OJ was injured and only played 7 games.