Cowboys' Amari Cooper explains lack of targets in passionate rant
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper is speaking out against his production in the team’s offense. He spoke about the shortfall in targets he is getting to The Athletic:
“I really know that, if given the opportunity, I can lead the league in all categories. That’s just how I feel about my skill set that I’ve been blessed with. Obviously, that’s a goal of mine. But it’s just like basketball. If you want to make a hundred 3s, you got to shoot over a hundred. It’s the same with me.”
The four-time wide receiver went on to talk about his targets:
“If I want to catch a hundred balls, I’ve got to have those targets, and that’s not really in my control. You know what I mean? I just play my part.”
Amari Cooper is such an awesome wide receiver.
Maybe the Cowboys should - idk - throw him the ball a whole lot all of the time and make doing so a top priority.
This is not the first time that the wide receiver has been outspoken regarding the Cowboys offense.
The CDC recommends that Kellen Moore starts getting Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb involved in the passing game early on in games.
On 105.3 The Fan, a Dallas-based radio station, Cooper talked about the defense doing better than the offense:
“I got to be honest, it actually does [bother me]. Because, yeah, we’re winning, but the defense is playing a huge part in that. We’re not really as explosive as we should be. We’re not converting a lot of their turnovers into touchdowns. A lot of them are field goals. And I feel like I could be a huge part of that, so that’s what frustrates me.”
Cooper and his production this season
Back in Week 16 versus the Washington Football Team, Cooper was targeted 11 times and had seven receptions for 85 receiving yards with a touchdown catch in a 56-14 win.
The following week versus the Arizona Cardinals, he had seven targets and just three receptions for 18 yards as Dallas lost to Arizona 25-22.
In the final game of the season, he had seven targets and five receptions for 79 yards in a 51-26 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Dak Prescott threw 5 TDs. None of them to CeeDee Lamb or Amari Cooper.
This should be illegal and no this has nothing to do with my having the Cowboys to cover parlayed with Lamb to score why do you ask
Cooper, the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, has 104 total targets in the regular season with 68 receptions, 865 yards receiving and eight touchdowns.
It is important to note that he missed three games this season due to a hamstring injury and being on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
With the Cowboys heading to the playoffs, will Cooper get more targets in the offense?
Fans of the storied franchise certainly hope so.