Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Big words from the star wide receiver.
We are just about two weeks away from free agency officially beginning across the NFL and obviously there are a lot of things that the Dallas Cowboys have to take care of. They need to take care of star players Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper, while many have accepted that Byron Jones is set to move on. It will be very expensive for the Cowboys to keep the two weapons associated with their potent aerial attack, but sometimes that is what has to happen in the NFL.
Amari Cooper wants to be a Dallas Cowboy for life
It has been a minute since we have seen any members of the Cowboys make any sort of media appearance. That’s what happens in March. But Amari Cooper took to the radio airwaves of 105.3 The Fan on Thursday night. Yes, Amari Cooper. Really.
The often-quiet wide receiver spoke about a variety of things (he noted that he took a trip to Bali... you can see him having fun there right here) and obviously his contractual situation came up.
Cooper noted that the 2019 season was the most difficult one that he has ever had from an injury perspective but that he is feeling healthy these days (he added that he’s working out and running). When asked if he wants to stay in Dallas the star wideout essentially spelled it out.
“Listen. I love being a Dallas Cowboy. I love everything about it. I was just thinking about that today. I think about it almost every day, really. Just primetime games. It seems like more night games than everybody and that always feels good to a football player. You know everything. The facility, I love it here in Frisco where I stay at now. Just the aura of being a Dallas Cowboy, you can’t beat it.”
“I want to be a Dallas Cowboy for life.”
Cooper also addressed how he generally had more success in home games last season (as opposed to away) saying that if he had as many targets on the road as he did at home that the math of it all would work out. Cooper actually addressed a variety of things including that it would be “great” to play with Dez Bryant on the Cowboys.
Something that people will likely latch on to is that Cooper said he had not spoken to new Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy yet.
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet. What I can see from, obviously the outside looking in, that he’s an accomplished coach. He’s been to this stage before. It’s always good to have that experience on your side because you can learn from it. I’ve never been to a Super Bowl before, I’ve never won a Super Bowl before. So just to be a part of a potential culture that he’s bringing I think it means the world.”
It’s curious that Mike McCarthy has gone almost two months as serving as the Cowboys head coach without talking to the team’s top wide receiver, but it is worth mentioning that coaches can’t talk to players about football at this time of year; however, a simple introduction would have likely calmed some of the unease people are now likely feeling.
Amari doesn’t know why there was a difference at home and on the road in 2019
One of the bigger questions about Amari Cooper last season was why he seemed to be so dominant at home and not as much on the road. It perplexed people.
The numbers of it all are undeniable, but there are a lot of potential explanations. Cooper is a thoughtful person and said that he really couldn’t figure out why it was like that, but he did note that he had more targets at home than on the road.
Question: You seem to perform really really well at AT&T Stadium. But your numbers have declined a little bit on the road. Is there anything to that? Are you just more comfortable in the home environment? Or is it just circumstantial?
Amari Cooper: I think it’s just simple math to be honest. I think people look right past that. If you look at the numbers home versus away, obviously I perform better at home. That’s evident. But I have a lot more targets at home. Played the same amount of games away as I did at home and the targets are probably more than double what they are away. I don’t know why it’s like that. But I think if I had the same amount of targets in away games it would be a no-brainer that I would perform the same way. We’re still on the football field, it’s just in a different state. It’s really no different.
For what it’s worth Cooper had 67 targets at home last season and 52 on the road.
Amari Cooper wants Dak Prescott as his Cowboys quarterback
As you are aware Cooper is one of two big-time free agents that the Cowboys are having to work something out with here in 2020, quarterback Dak Prescott is the other. That is sort of an important position in relation to Cooper.
He was asked how important Prescott being his Cowboys quarterback is in relation to his own desire to sticking around with America’s Team is.
“Very important. We’ve built a good relationship so far. From the time I got here we were able to hit the ground running and just from my experience in being in the NFL I wouldn’t say that that’s a common thing. Sometimes you can line up with a quarterback after getting traded or going to a new team, whether it’s the draft or whatever, and it not go so smooth. And so I wouldn’t try to trade that for anything because I know what can be on the other side of that. I would say it’s very important.”
Cooper said all of the right things in his radio appearance, but the fact that he made one at all is very interesting on its own. He is a very reserved player and so for him to do a Thursday night phone call with the home of the Cowboys to talk about all of these things in great detail, well, it would seemingly suggest that things are looking up with him and the team.
Right?
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