Oakland Raiders Notebook: Preaseason Finale Thoughts

KNOCKDOWNS

Amari Cooper isn’t a Star

Yeah, that was me who said that. Despite what my wife might say, I can admit when I’m wrong – this part of this column ends up being that quite often, actually.

Well I was wrong to even question Amari Cooper or his cache last week. Overreact much?

BEST JIM MORA VOICE “PRESEASON?!? WE TALKING ABOUT PRESEASON?!?!”

Clearly what happened was Cooper read my column and decided to go out and do exactly what I said he should to quiet that talk. So thank you, Amari. The read is appreciated. You’re welcome for the advice.

He and Carr were electric together against the Titans, and Cooper’s effort and concentration on his TD grab was exactly what you expect to see from a star receiver. Whoever that lumbering, uninterested guy was in the 89 jersey during the Packers game, it certainly wasn’t the Cooper we saw Saturday.

It also lends credence to the theory that his failure to run down Carr’s errant interception against the Pack was a business decision – and likely a wise one.

The Cooper we saw Saturday is the one we saw much of last season, and we heard about all this offseason. He’s a dynamic route technician who can beat good corners (Jason McCourty is no slouch) routinely and make spectacular plays look normal. The Cooper we all know, love, and expect to see for years to come.

Cooper was already a borderline star coming into this preseason, but he kind of muddled through the first two games. So did the Raiders offense, really. In this game though, Cooper came to play. That was obvious. And that was impossible to stop.

And that was fun to watch.

It’s nice to be wrong sometimes.