NEW ORLEANS -- Sean Payton took a deep breath and then chuckled. It was perhaps the clearest indication about his level of concern over any perceived frustration emanating from his third-year widout Brandin Cooks, who finished Sunday’s blowout win over the Los Angeles Rams with nary a touch or target.
It sounded like the Saints coached expected the question, so if the combination of his reaction to it and the momentary silent pause that followed – during which he seemed to choose his words carefully -- wasn’t clear enough, his response certainly hammered it home.
“Man…I’m not concerned,” Payton shot back during his Wednesday morning conference call. “It’s hard when you do have a game with a lot of numbers like that and a guy like Brandin who works his tail off doesn’t have a target or a touch, and sometimes that can happen. But I would say that’s rare.
“He’s been explosive this season and he’s certainly a primary target for us and what we do and I think that’s evident.”
There’s no question Cooks is having a career year in so many facets of the game beyond beyond the numbers. Still, he entered Sunday’s game leading the team with 736 yards receiving on just 51 receptions. His 14.4 yards per reception is also a team best. Moreover, only five players in the league with at least 50 receptions have a better yard-per-reception average.
Sure, to better his career-best totals from a year ago — 84 receptions for 1,138 yards and nine touchdowns — he definitely needs to pick up the pace a bit.
Plus, if Sunday’s gameplan versus Detroit is anything like last week’s against the Rams, Cooks should see the ball come his way early, and far more often.
Payton made it abundantly clear: the fact Cooks didn’t touch the ball on Sunday wasn’t by design. In fact, the Saints’ first play from scrimmage was meant to be a “shot play” specifically designed to get Cooks the ball deep downfield.
However, as Payton explained, “We got man-to-man coverage different to what we were hoping we’d get. Things happen during a game, a progression takes you off a read high and you end up underneath. It happens.”
The reality is teams are now specifically game planning for Cooks. His play this season demands it. Teams are not only doubling him, they’re shifting coverages his way, acutely aware of his presence. Sometimes teams choose to “travel” with Cooks, meaning they have their best cornerback shadow him throughout the game, no matter where he lines up.
“We’ve had a lot of real good football players here and I don’t think we’ve ever been in a position where they’re doubling such-and-such and there’s panic,” Payton said. “So guys are going to get doubled. …
“Cooks is going to draw those matchups, sometimes it’s not. It depends on the team. But I think it was more the way the game unfolded.”
While Cooks, 5-foot-10 and 189 pounds, certainly isn’t the prototypical big-bodied receiver so many teams covet these days, it’s safe to assume there’s not a team in the NFL that wouldn’t jump at the chance to draft him, as the Saints did with the 20th overall pick in 2014.
From Day 1, Cooks has made no secret of his distaste for being labeled “small. He now resorts to simply rolling his eyes when questioned about his diminutive stature. From his high school days, on to his college years at Oregon State and now in the NFL, his size has always loomed large in the debate about whether he’s truly a No. 1 wide receiver.
During his first two seasons, Cooks was often criticized for shying away from contact; for protecting himself from big hit across the middle of the field. The knock on him was that he’d sacrifice additional yardage to avoid contact. He was often asked about it, choosing simply respond by saying, “You have to be smart.”
He clearly saw himself in a different light; as a physical receiver who welcomed contact.
Now, it’s difficult, not to see him that way, too. He no longer avoids contact. It become apparent he now relishes it while also finding ways to use it to his advantage.
Cooks has come up huge for Saints this season. Remember his 98-yard touchdown in his six-catch, 143-yard, two-touchdown game in the season opener against Oakland? That’s now franchise record for longest play from scrimmage Or how about his 87-yard touchdown en route to a seven-catch, 173-yard performance against the Panthers at home? It’s hard to forget that one, either.
The Saints offense rolled to 555 yards and 49 points on Sunday without Cooks so much as touching the ball. Just imagine the offense’s potential once he does.
Certainly, the Lions aren’t laughing at that thought.
