Oakland Raiders: Preseason/Training Camp thoughts

August 14, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper (89) runs with the football against the St. Louis Rams during the first quarter in a preseason NFL football game at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

AC/DC

I cannot in good conscience start any column about the first preseason game without first mentioning the intrigue that was Amari Cooper and whose connection with his quarterback has already been dubbed the aforementioned AC/DC. Although Amari did not make any huge gains, he gave all of Raider Nation flashbacks to a recently inducted Hall of Fame receiver. The short area explosiveness and agility of Cooper was quickly on display when we saw him accelerate with the ball in his hands after a screen.

The best sign I saw coming from this duo was noticing how comfortable Cooper seemed. He created significant separation on curl routes and was made an integral part of the offense early. Carr seems to have no problems looking his way either. Although the duo never looked to attack the defense deep or show off any route concept that was overly aggressive, once the Raiders made it a point to go to Cooper, it seemingly took a load off of everyone.

Regardless of how Cooper does this season, his biggest impact may be similar to Khalil Mack’s last season. He simply makes everyone else better and that upside will make the Raiders better right away as this is an NFL ready talent who can step in to produce at wideout as a top target for Carr.

Next: Raiders Notebook: Who Rocked My Socks