WR Amari Cooper (12.21.23)
So on second and third watch, that throw that Joe (Flacco) made to you on that touchdown. How much more amazing does it look when you kind of see it from the all 22 angle?
“Yeah, just him threading the needle, just him trusting in the throw, trusting in me to be where I was supposed to be, even though it seemed like to the, I guess you would say untrained eye, like it was a bad decision, but obviously it wasn’t. He had enough faith and trust in his arm and what we practiced to understand that it would be a successful play, and I would be where I was supposed to be. So, it looked truly amazing on film as well as in person.”
How’s your connection going to grow with Joe (Flacco) over these three games?
“Yeah, I mean, every quarterback is a little bit different in terms of their timing and everything like that. So, I would say with each week, I’m learning him more, picking up on his time and how he likes to throw certain routes. So, I would say we’re growing for sure.”
When you look at the Texas secondary what challenges do they present?
“Yeah. I mean, their defense as a whole, you know, they’re pretty sound. They have a good D line, they have good DBs, and they play hard. They’re playing good football right now, so definitely presents a challenge to us. But as long as we still have to change, as long as we execute, we’ll be fine.”
Amari, have you seen David (Njoku) grow since you’ve been here?
“David has always been the man. He’s the kind of teammate that binds everybody together. I would say in terms of his ability, you know, he’s always been a fast player, especially in terms of him being a tight end. So, it’s always been a mismatch for guys guarding him in that respect. But also, other than his speed, he has good hands, good understanding of the game. And one thing about David is he’s forever learning, getting better at the things that he feels like he needs to get better at. I would say that’s what’s most impressive about him is his willingness to learn year in and year out.”
You just mentioned he’s the kind of teammate that binds people together. I guess we’ve heard people talk about how good of a teammate he is. What is it that he brings? Is there anything specific?
“I guess I would say his energy. It’s hard to explain. I guess the best way I would explain it is we’re here together every day. Some days are good days for an individual, some days are not. I think he can kind of pick up and sense when a guy is down, the guy may be going through something, and he has that ability to uplift that guy and talk to him when they need to be talked to. So, I would say that’s the thing for sure.
You have another thousand-yard season within your reach. It’s not unusual for you. Do you realize no Cleveland Browns receivers have back-to-back thousands?
“Yeah. I heard.”
Should have happened over the last few years. Surprised you?
“It is kind of surprised a little bit, but at the same time, it’s not. Things happen throughout the course of the season. Obviously, there have been a lot of guys who played here who definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, have had the ability to go back-to-back thousand-yard seasons, but extenuating circumstances happen. Guys get injured and whatnot. So, it’s definitely something I don’t take for granted just to come out here every day and be able to grind, be able to be consistent for my teammates and for the group.”
We’ve asked you a lot about quarterbacks this year, especially coming in here. It feels like on the outside looking in that he’s (Joe Flacco), I don’t know, added an unqualifiable element to the locker level outside of just the physical ability that he brings. Can you sense that and can you, I guess articulate that as far as those intangibles he’s injected into this locker room?
“Yeah, no, 100%. I think the best way to probably describe it is he’s like a faith multiplier. When he came in, guys were like a weight lifted off of our shoulders. This is a guy we trust in him for whatever reason because a lot of guys, they know of Joe, but they haven’t seen him play every game. It’s just his credentials. Super Bowl winner, consistent quarterback, throws a great ball, has a great understanding of the game. So yeah, I think that’s what draws everybody to him.”
How are a chance this weekend to clinch a play on earth given everything the team’s been through this year, injury wise and otherwise, how much of a relief will it be for you guys to check that box for one of the goals that you want to accomplish this season?
“Obviously, making the playoffs, that’s pretty much the first goal of everything, just to be able to get there. You worry about the gravy, so to speak, after you actually make the playoffs. So yeah, it’ll be a great feeling and then we would just go from there.”
When you talk about the back-to-back thousand-yards receiving with the Browns, you’ve had a bunch (?). So how important is that consistency two years that you’re doing, a year in?
“It’s very important. Like I said before, just to be consistent, just to be reliable, just to be available. It means a lot to me being able to play through whatever circumstance and still be able to do my job. It definitely means a lot that I’m able to do that.”
Has the arrival of (Joe) Flacco Invigorated you. As the recipient of some of the cannon strikes
“I’ll be lying if I said it didn’t because he throws such an easy ball to catch. So, yeah, I mean, receivers, if you ask any receiver, they love a very catchable ball.”
Is that the accuracy or the tight spiral?
“Obviously, it’s the accuracy, but not necessarily a tight spiral. I would more so say velocity and trajectory of the ball. The ball has a little less velocity, but because he’s on time with the throw, it’s not a late throw, it’s still on time. But it’s just easy to catch. Receivers, even though they shouldn’t, we all like to think about the yards after the catch. Sometimes we neglect actually the catch point. That’s how a lot of receivers drop balls. But you know, it seems with a quarterback like Joe, you can kind of get away with that because you don’t really have to think about catching the ball because it’s such an easy grab.”
Did the touchdown one come in with a lot of velocity?
“No. So, it might have looked like it, but that’s the thing. Even his straight-line balls, they don’t come in with a lot of velocity, but they’re on time. So, it was an easy grab.”
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