There seems to be a large group of people here that love Amari Cooper
Do we already have him? Remember Lane Kippen was the coach for both players so he ran the same system.
M. Lee 118 catches Sophomore Year
1,721 yards
14 TD
A. Cooper 124 catches Junior Year
1,727 yards
16 scores
Cooper played in one more game. The other college years stats were real close with Lee being a little better.
Wait till Lee gets used to the NFL. We could see a major development by the end of the year in the way Lee played. I expect him to be a lot better this year.
I think Cooper is the better prospect. Better hands and route-running than Lee. Lee is a bit more explosive though IMO, but Cooper is good here too.
Both guys have the rare ability to stop on a dime, and accelerate back to full speed immediately, it's impossible to cover guys like that. I believe Amari has better long speed, both are phenomenal athletes however.
Honestly, I'm probably first on the bandwagon. Great size, crafty, good hands, excellent route runner- and most importantly- he's going to stay hungry to develop.
I know this is a lot of praise for a rookie- but his game reminds me of Tim Brown. Just an excellent player who people want to bash because he's not some freak athlete. As if being 6'1 211 and running (probably) a 4.4 isn't good enough physical ability.
Quote:Honestly, I'm probably first on the bandwagon. Great size, crafty, good hands, excellent route runner- and most importantly- he's going to stay hungry to develop.
I know this is a lot of praise for a rookie- but his game reminds me of Tim Brown. Just an excellent player who people want to bash because he's not some freak athlete. As if being 6'1 211 and running (probably) a 4.4 isn't good enough physical ability.
Anyone that runs a 4.6 and below and can jump 35 inches+ is a freak athlete, Amari Cooper is the definition of a freak athlete, the knock on him is his size, 6'1 211 Lbs is certainly big enough to play on the outside, he's going to be an instant stud.
Quote:Anyone that runs a 4.6 and below and can jump 35 inches+ is a freak athlete, Amari Cooper is the definition of a freak athlete, the knock on him is his size, 6'1 211 Lbs is certainly big enough to play on the outside, he's going to be an instant stud.
A 4.6, 35 inch-vert guy is NOT the definition of "freak athlete." And this is coming from somebody who loves Amari Cooper. He is not a freak athlete.
If Lee didn't have waffle iron hands then it would be a decent comp I guess.
Quote:A 4.6, 35 inch-vert guy is NOT the definition of "freak athlete." And this is coming from somebody who loves Amari Cooper. He is not a freak athlete.
If you run a 4.6 (and below) and jump 35 inches you're a division one athlete, hands down. Whether it be track and field, football or basketball. There aren't many human beings that are that fast and can jump that high. You don't think Amari Cooper is a freak athlete? A guy that runs a 4.4 (Olympic speed) and has incredible agility, you obviously never played any sport at a significant level, as only someone who did can truly appreciate those numbers.
Comparing player to player instead of stats to stats, I see someone more like Marvin Harrison.
Quote:If you run a 4.6 (and below) and jump 35 inches you're a division one athlete, hands down. Whether it be track and field, football or basketball. There aren't many human beings that are that fast and can jump that high. You don't think Amari Cooper is a freak athlete? A guy that runs a 4.4 (Olympic speed) and has incredible agility, you obviously never played any sport at a significant level, as only someone who did can truly appreciate those numbers.
He may have Olympic speed on a track, but he doesn't play quite that fast. He'd thrive more in a quick release offense with more short and intermediate routes. He's not necessarily a burner, but relies more on beating his opponent than burning them to toast.
Quote:He may have Olympic speed on a track, but he doesn't play quite that fast. He'd thrive more in a quick release offense with more short and intermediate routes. He's not necessarily a burner, but relies more on beating his opponent than burning them to toast.
Pirk- I think he certainly plays that fast, particularly in and out of his breaks, that’s why gets so much separation. In regards to the Olympic speed comment, the point was any athlete that has Olympic speed is certainly a "freak" athlete.
Quote:If Lee didn't have waffle iron hands then it would be a decent comp I guess.
Cooper dropped A TON of passes. I followed him very closely in college. He improved his senior year but still had the drops
Quote:If you run a 4.6 (and below) and jump 35 inches you're a division one athlete, hands down. Whether it be track and field, football or basketball. There aren't many human beings that are that fast and can jump that high. You don't think Amari Cooper is a freak athlete? A guy that runs a 4.4 (Olympic speed) and has incredible agility, you obviously never played any sport at a significant level, as only someone who did can truly appreciate those numbers.
I guess I consider a freak athlete to be a player whose athleticism stands out in a league full of very good athletes. Calvin Johnson, Sammy Watkins, young Randy Moss. Guys like that. I think there is a clear distinction between a good, very good, and "freak" athlete. I wouldn't consider a guy that will likely run a 4.5-6 who doesn't have exceptional leaping ability (again, when compared against other athletes, not your average American) to be a freak athlete. Jerry Rice was the greatest receiver of all time -- he wasn't a freak athlete.
Eye of the beholder.
The one thing I see in Amari Cooper and what worries me about Marqise is durability and tendency to get hurt.
I think Marqise could be really good if he can just stay on the field.
I don't recall Amari Cooper being injury proned.
Also, Kiffin ran a Saban style offense at Bama. His offense was a lot more wide open at USC. Kind of like Roper @ Duke vs Roper @ UF.
Quote:I guess I consider a freak athlete to be a player whose athleticism stands out in a league full of very good athletes. Calvin Johnson, Sammy Watkins, young Randy Moss. Guys like that. I think there is a clear distinction between a good, very good, and "freak" athlete. I wouldn't consider a guy that will likely run a 4.5-6 who doesn't have exceptional leaping ability (again, when compared against other athletes, not your average American) to be a freak athlete. Jerry Rice was the greatest receiver of all time -- he wasn't a freak athlete.
Eye of the beholder.
I agree, a freak athlete suggests that even amongst athletes he's a freak, Amari cooper is not, dgb is!
Quote:I don't recall Amari Cooper being injury proned.
Also, Kiffin ran a Saban style offense at Bama. His offense was a lot more wide open at USC. Kind of like Roper @ Duke vs Roper @ UF.
Absolutely not this was a complete change in offense by Saban this year. He let Kippen do what he wanted to. Ask any Alabama fan. By the way it was the best offense Alabama has ever had statistically
Amari was hurt his Junior year and had only had 700 yards. He had nearly 200 in the Auburn game which means in 12 games he had 500 yards.....not good..
Cooper is much more polished coming out than Lee.
Lee was injured the last year or so of his collegiate career, which lead to a huge disappointment production wise. Prior to that, his stock was just about as high. Being hurt and playing through it, he developed into somewhat an afterthought.
I don't think the top of this WR crop is exceptional, as the entire class is deep.
Quote:Cooper dropped A TON of passes. I followed him very closely in college. He improved his senior year but still had the drops
He dropped 8 passes in 130 targets this past season. Stop exaggerating.