Cooper’s struggles don’t faze Del Rio
Less than 24 hours after his team was thoroughly beaten on the field and his wide receivers were verbally trashed by Washington cornerback Josh Norman following the game, Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio didn’t sound too concerned with Amari Cooper’s troubles holding onto the ball.
Cooper has had a history of drops since entering the NFL as the fourth overall pick in 2015. The receiver had another during Sunday’s 27-10 loss at Washington on a night when the entire Oakland offense sputtered.
One website tracking drops has Cooper with six this season, and another has nine. Because dropped passes are a subjective stat, it’s unclear exactly how many Cooper has.
Del Rio acknowledged that Cooper’s drop against Washington was “a big one” but didn’t seem too worried.
“He’s a dynamic player for us,” Del Rio said Monday. “Not a good thing when he’s not catching the ball and making those plays. We’ve gotta find a way to help that be rectified.
“We’d like to find a way to help him get through that, He’s a dynamic play-making option for us, and when we get him free and get the ball to him delivered like that, we’ve got to be able to catch it and go get busy.”
Cooper and fellow wideout Michael Crabtree were nonfactors almost the entire game. Cooper had one catch for 6 yards. Crabtree also had one reception for 7 yards before leaving in the fourth quarter with a chest contusion.
Crabtree was cleared by doctors to fly home with the team but will be evaluated.
“He took a good shot,” Del Rio said. “It was a clean hit. Crab’s a tough guy, so I’m sure he’ll bounce back.”
Both Cooper and Crabtree were the verbal targets of Norman after the game. The cornerback criticized the two receivers for what he felt were disrespectful comments by the two.
“What was personal, other than them getting their tails whupped?” Norman said. “I mean, first and foremost, you don’t come up in here and say what you’re going to put up on somebody. Two hundred yards? (Crabtree) didn’t catch two balls. He only caught one, huh? So, please, whatever you do, do not run your mouth if you’re a wide receiver and expect to show up on Sundays, because I’m telling you, we are here and we are waiting.
“Whatever that young cat said, Coop, go and take it back. Crabtree? I have nothing to say to you. Yes, I may be Cover 2, but I’m Cover 1, too. I’m Cover 1, Cover 2, Cover 3 and Cover 4. All of them. All of the ingredients to make a perfect attack. We do all the extra stuff. When you come out on this field, you’re going to see about us.”
Norman pointed to the dispute Crabtree previously had with Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman when Crabtree was with the 49ers.
“Sherm was right, (Crabtree) ain’t going to say he’s sorry, but I don’t think he’s sorry. He sucked, to be honest with you. You don’t come out here and do that extra stuff, man. We don’t play that out here.”