Marcus Cooper
 

I kind of get the feeling everybody is writing this guy off. I mean it was obvious he regressed considerably towards the end of this season, but there is no reason to think a 6'2" CB with sub 4.5 speed still learning the position won't continue to improve. He's also got two great coaches in Thomas and Harris to develop him. I also think Parker is a solid piece for the future and I can see him ending up as our nickel at some point next season when the inevitable Flowers injury occurs. Need to add another long CB with good speed in the draft and we can possibly be set for the future.

@adamteicher: No surprise but Charles is Chiefs MVP and Cooper is their Rookie of Year

Agreed. His tape shows promise, but the subtle nuances of the position certainly escaped him against higher competition. He'll improve.

Exactly my point if this guy weren't an UDFA pickup from the 49ers I feel people would be more excited about his potential. Who cares how he got here? The guy is/was a great prospect with great potential. Just very raw with limited time at the position.

I still got hopes for him. He isn't a concern & can help this defense out on the corners but we really need get rid of Kendick Lewis.

Our shitty safety play hurt him more than anything.

This! We use EB as a hybrid LBsafety so that leaves Kendick Lewis to support our corners and the guy is two three steps behind.

I don't think many have wrote him off. He was a rookie who played like one against good competition. The sky is still the limit for him.

38-10 needs to go. He was exposed the last half of the year. Everyone knew it and talked about it.

Great point about the safety play. That and our lack of a pass rush made our corners look bad the second half of the season.

Hasn't been written off in my book.

I haven't seen anyone write him off, at least not here. I think the majority of the board feels the way the OP does. This thread has "it's March let's find anything football related and try to make it relevant" written all over it.

Ok guess I was wrong it seems. The bigger point I guess I was trying to make is we're in a good position at CB we have two veterans that can help us win now and two good young guys behind them with starting potential. We add one more guy like SJB, Desir, McGill, or Gaines in the draft and our future looks bright. We'll also be able to get out of Flowers and Smith's contracts.

Getting torched off the snap and not getting his head around is what hurt him most.

Safety play hurt the team.

Cooper has a lot to improve on in terms of technique. It's not time to give up, but I'm not willing to invent excuses either.

Nobody is writing him off.

I've heard people mention cutting Sean Smith and Brandon Flowers at some point within the next couple seasons but never Coop.

He has the most potential of any CB on the roster, he's so new at that position we've barely scratched the surface with him, I'm not the least bit worried about this kid.

Kid already had a steep learning curve. With the ridiculous limits on rookies practicing with the team, it's become much harder for a raw rookie to show promise in his rookie season. A full offseason of work should help him a lot.

My my, he got torched against a hall of fame quarterback on two separate occasions.

Dump him.

I really like Brandon Flowers think he is freaking good but I got concerns about him staying healthy even the next two seasons. I hope he does but just my concern.

He may be OK... But if we keep running man 90-100% of the time... He will struggle.

how will he struggle? He's not a zone CB, he's a press man. All he can do is run with a guy and has the size/speed to compete for a jump ball.

I really like when a guy with 10 posts chimes in with something he thinks is a fresh take.

I mean, none of us have said the same things before, right.

Whole new perspective.

:hmmm:

The rookie class was pathetic. No need to write him off, but he was a huge liability the 2nd half of the season. The fact he was KC's top rookie shows you how little immediate impact they got out of the draft. People on this board almost universally praise Dorsey, but I don't quite get it.

he gets praise because he's not Fat Scott.

Not writing him off. But it would be unwise to put all eggs in his basket. Depth and competition is always good, unless you have a Superstar player.

He sucks.

I was about to post the same thing...

JFC. Nobody has any idea what we have in our rookies, especially since half our draft picks were injured. Knile Davis looked fine. Commings, Kush, Kelce, Nico Johnson, and Catapano could very well be contributors next year. Maybe even starters.

I just wasn't quite sure if we were all in agreement that we have a legit #1 CB prospect on our roster. I felt like he was a player that everybody was really excited about mid season, but kind of got lost in the way things ended. How do you feel about Parker? I'm curious because like I said earlier we could be just one good young prospect away from having our future set. Desir/SJB, Cooper, Parker

I have high hopes for Cooper. Especially with him surrounded by Flowers and Berry.

I am a lot less optimistic about our defensive coaches - given how we collapsed in the second half of the season. Yes I know we played better QBs but it seemed like we failed to ever adjust to anything.

Why the hell did our backups play better against Rivers than our starters? Maybe because once Manning figured us out everyone else just followed suit and we failed to adjust. With the backups in we ran different schemes or at least our players didn't have the same tendencies or something (which comes back to coaching). Just a theory but I can't think of a better explanation.

Well, that and his inconsistencies showed more when our d line decided they could not get pressure.

He should be a fine DB..

Parker is a solid dime and STs performer.

Our backups played better against Rivers because thet were fresh.

I'm struggling to think of a single play where Kendrick Lewis provided help over the top. A rangy Safety will help tons.

Did Seattle's secondary get crazy amounts of rest? Maybe our secondary needed more rest because they were chasing guys from behind so much (which goes back to my original point).

A Philly fan I know told me Reid's teams always get gassed at the end of the year. I fear we may be back to Herm levels of conditioning.

With a better FS to help him out we will be okay.

Let us pray that the Lord will provide us with a rangy safety then. (heads down)

I haven't seen anyone writing him off. Quite the opposite really.

Not writing him off at all.

Once Cooper learns to turn and locate the ball, he should improve tremendously. He seemed to always have his back to the throw and guys caught it over him in stride.

Uhh, not really. Part of what made him so impressive early in the season was that was brilliant at looking for the ball on downfield throws. That's why he had so many successful big plays early on, and why normally stuff that would get called for ticky-tack pass interference never got called. He was using his skills as a former receiver to play the ball, not the guy.

After teams started to dink and dunk on him on crossing routes and slants (and *cough* illegal picks) he was a hopeless mess and totally unhelpful. But that's okay. He's still learning. He'll figure it out in due time. He's already been stupendous for having only played the position for 3 seasons TOTAL- and two of those were in college.

Nobody here is writing off Cooper.

Now you want to talk about Flowers or Smith? Yeah, they have a lot of us concerned.

The talent is there. I'm still pulling for him.

Why Flowers? IMO Flowers is still the best CB on the team by far. Look at the Colts game. After the first two drives they move Flowers and the Colts O stalls for the rest of the half. Flowers goes out with an injury and the rest is history.

Cooper had to have led the team in pass break ups. Showed a nice knack for getting his hand in the last second to get the ball out. Hope he continues to grow

Flowers had a down year. I'm hoping that was not a sign of things to come.

Cooper perhaps hit the rookie wall. I still have hope that he will improve with more time and development.

Kendrick Lewis? There is no hope for him. We need to replace him and his backup. Really wish they would have kept McDougald. He seemed okay last preseason when he played.

Flowers needs to be the nickel, no doubt about it... he isn't getting any faster or taller, but I still like him in the slot, he still has good quicks and has never been afraid to be physical.

Coopers gonna be fine, 2013 was a whole new world for him, he'll be much better in 14, I bet its a night and day difference... outside of Berry he's our most physically gifted player in the secondary.

Flowers is also not worth anything near his price tag. Release him and sign Captain Munnerlyn for much less and you would still have the same player. I am completely in favor of doing that.

So just cut him and never look back? He's the best corner on the team... Instead of getting rid of the weak players, lets dump the best at his position. Really intelligent thought process. Just ride his contract out. He's been reliable every other season but this last. Lets slow the train down just a bit

If you enjoy having a "#1 CB" who gets crapped on by #1 WRs, then sure, let's keep him and his $10.5 million cap hit while he learns to become a decent slot corner.:shake:

Someone is going to overpay got Munnerlyn. That's my guess...

You're exaggerating. He really only got "crapped on" by Dez Bryant.

Yep. Pure silliness.

Pretty much this. I see OldSchool have more problems than any other player on this team. He's one of the least of our worries

As jkw says "lets just ride his contract out"... it may be a bit high for his skills, but we're not talking about some average scrub, either.

For right now he's an invested Chief who knows the team inside out, that's worth something in its own right.

We know they will do something at safety so I give Flowers a mulligan this year. I put him under the microscope next year though.

Yep, no free passes these days.

Cooper got targetted a ton so it's no surprise he had 20 passes defended.

Flowes had 7.

Smith had 15.

Don't be horrible Bob

Team went full shit storm when he went out

He was completely lock down in the playoff game. Non story. Rookie player hit a wall. Was picked on by who many called the first and second best qbs in football last year in Peyton, and Rivers.

Rookies will have rookie streaks.

moving on.

Eric Fisher

Agreed.

He's still the best CB on the team right now.

But he clearly looks like a guy that is aging, mostly due to the constant injuries. I just don't think he's going to hold up that much longer.

Yeah, he definitely gets injured a lot. Could be more due to size than age, though. He is pretty Damn small. And they've never been terrible, game changing injuries. Although those stack. He was pretty Damn good in the post season, so hopefully that carries over.

Which is a strong reason not to be so cut happy with one of our better players

Yeah, I never suggested he should be cut or anything.

Just that there's reason for concern with him.

I'm comfortable with our current corners starting if we get a safety.

Can we get a copy of it?

This is why I want EJ mother****ing Gaines on this team.

I'm still on the Coop bandwagon, kid has a ton of potential, made some terrific play, but learned some very hard lessons last year. Let's see how he develops thru an offseason of coaching with those lessons in his back pocket. I'm excited for the kid, personally.

RE: Flowers and his injuries, I'll reiterate others pointing out he was $$$ in the playoff game until a total fluke head injury. That kinda thing has nothing at all to do with any injury history or tendency, was a total fluke as a hustle play going out of bounds. This is football, that happens sometimes. BF still got game, and I want to keep him. Would love to reduce his cap# and keep him, but he's worth another year as is, under a strong vet presence for a playoff contender while younger guys continue to develop and improve mindset at least.

football thread bump

Looks like someone wants to be banned.

spamming the board with football threads, do it

All the more reason I'd like to go CB at 1.

People are nutting themselves at WR and I don't get it. This draft is deep and the deepest position out there is WR...

Because there's some elite-level WRs that could be available at #23. This draft is very deep, but there's only a few positions that are great at the top, WR being one of them.

There is something to be said for getting an elite guy.

If we had an elite receiver it would change the way defenses can play us.


If an elite TE fell i would be ok with that too

I remember Kevin Harlan saying on the radio after we extended Flowers that he heard the prevailing sentiment was we extended the wrong Brandon.

I didn't want to believe it.

much like Sweeney and Beltran, we probably didn't have much of a choice


Carr was looking to test FA,go to Texas and/or get paid


Flowers was open to staying and signing an extension, so we did.

Two-Way Athlete: Marcus Cooper Gives, Receives At Bloomfield
Chiefs Cornerback Comes Home For Ceremony

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Jeff Jacobs
9:53 p.m. EST, March 4, 2014

Wednesday is "Marcus Cooper Day" at Bloomfield High School, and Cooper will have a message for students only six, seven years younger than he is.

"I'm going to look back at my personal experiences." Cooper said Tuesday. "I'm going to talk about persevering through whatever trials you face. There are things I had to overcome, and fighting through those moments allowed me to be where I am today."

"I'm really honored by this. I'm excited to be back home, excited to be back at the school and in the community."

Cooper, recently named the Kansas City Chiefs rookie of the year, knows that a life story is a slow evolution. He also knows that it can change in a heartbeat. For it is no exaggeration to say that Marcus Cooper has been burned. And it is scant exaggeration to say that if he hadn't been burned, he wouldn't have gotten the opportunity to be burned by Peyton Manning on any given Sunday.

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It happened during his redshirt freshman year at Rutgers. Cooper had been an All-State wide receiver at Bloomfield. He had been an all-state performer in track and a standout on the Bloomfield basketball team that led a fairy-tale rush to the Class S state title in 2008.

"It was a freak accident, I was cooking myself some dinner," Cooper said. "There was a grease fire. It got my hand good. It caught my leg a little."

The burns could have ended his career. After Cooper finally had recovered, coach Greg Schiano introduced the idea of Cooper's switching to defensive back. Cooper, who had caught 43 touchdown passes and had 3,104 receiving yards at Bloomfield, was reluctant. He had big dreams of catching the ball. Eventually, he would embrace the move. He studied twins Devin and Jason McCourty. He worked at it. He also would start at defensive back in only one season at Rutgers.

"I don't know if [Schiano] lost confidence in me as a receiver, but I had to wear this glove on my hand for a time and it made the ball a little slippery for me," Cooper said. "I believe everything happens for a reason. It seems crazy to say, but a burned hand allowed me to be where I am today."

Athleticism was never a problem. Cooper has run the 40 in 4.45 seconds. He has a 39.5-inch vertical leap. He ran on devastating relay teams at Bloomfield. At 6 feet 2, he has the size that NFL talent scouts love for a corner. The 49ers took Cooper in the seventh round of the 2013 draft. In rebuilding the Chiefs from the ashes to the playoffs, general manager John Dorsey plucked talent off waivers. Dorsey, a former UConn linebacker, has called the process the "second draft." Cooper had impressed the Chiefs in an exhibition game with the 49ers, and after San Francisco waived him the Chiefs claimed Cooper on Sept. 1.

"[The 49ers] told me they had planned to put me on the practice squad," Cooper said. "Things were happening in a flash. I went from being disappointed I wasn't on the 53[-man roster] to looking at a chance at the practice squad and all of a sudden I'm with Kansas City."

Enter the wunderkind.

In his first NFL start, Cooper held Hakeem Nicks of the Giants to three catches for 33 yards. He would eventually set a franchise rookie record with 20 passes defended. Playing in all 16 games and starting six, Cooper had three interceptions and 38 solo tackles. Against the Bills, he forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. He recovered a botched punt in the end zone for his first NFL touchdown against the Titans.

At one point early in the season, according to Pro Football Focus, Cooper had the second-best quarterback rating against among cornerbacks. Out of nowhere, he was emerging as a candidate for NFL defensive rookie of the year (eventually won by Sheldon Richardson of the Jets).

"I was trying hard not to look at the hype, positive or negative," Cooper said. "That stuff just takes you away from the game."

Nobody should forget that Cooper is an NFL embryo at his position. He was a late starter in college. He had to learn Bob Sutton's defense on the fly.

In reading some late-season accounts, I couldn't help but be impressed by how Cooper stood and answered all the questions after difficult games. Manning lit up the Kansas City secondary. Eric Decker caught four touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, there was a four-game stretch in which Cooper was targeted a whopping 41 times and allowed 24 yards per catch during that time.

"I got sloppy on some things," Cooper said. "There was a stretch there, the Denver game, the San Diego game, I let some things get away from me. Hitting the rookie wall or just not being prepared, whatever the case, it's something I had to fight through. I'm told it happens to everybody."

"I want to go into every game next season knowing what the offensive tendencies are beforehand better than I did this year. Also, good technique is what is going to carry you."

So now he arrives at his alma mater. There will be a video presentation and a jersey ceremony. There will be a question-and-answer period with Cooper. He will sign autographs.

"Marcus' voyage has been remarkable, and he has overcome some steep obstacles," Bloomfield athletic director Tammy Schondelmayer said. "He is an extremely talented athlete, but the reason he is realizing his dream of playing in the NFL has more to do with his character and work ethic than his talent."

The Bloomfield football program was struck with double-fisted tragedy in the past year. Former Warhawk Jamar Johnson, about to start his sophomore season at Central Connecticut, was killed in a car crash. The Warhawks dedicated their 2013 season to him. In November, Tarence Mitchell, the state leader with eight interceptions, was accused of fatally stabbing a 27-year-old friend. Coach Ty Outlaw held his team together, won a state playoff game against highly rated Capital Prep.

On the eve of that game, I spoke with Outlaw, and the pain on that man's face screamed even as he spoke softly. He talked about how Cooper came to a game against East Catholic on a bye week. How he came to practice and worked with the kids.

"We are a family," Outlaw said.

From Dwight Freeney and all the big names and state titles, there is no prouder football program in Connecticut. In speaking with quarterback Norvel Stewart, one of the best players in the state, I ran through those great Bloomfield names.

"[Cooper] is my guy," said Stewart, headed to play at UMass. There's a link from Bloomfield players to Bloomfield greats, and the link is at its strongest with those of closest age. Cooper, 24, is important to these kids. They identify with him.

"Obviously, I wasn't directly dealing with [the tragedies] like the guys on the team," Cooper said. "I was upset my guys, guys who look up to me, guys I want to come back and help, had to deal with those most unfortunate situations."

"I'm proud of the way they stuck together and fought through it. I was heartened by the way the guys persevered. We have a rich tradition at Bloomfield. I want them to be proud of it."

Cooper's mom, Lisa, is the cheerleading coach at Bloomfield.

"My mom basically was on the field with me in high school," Cooper said. "I have had such, such, such supportive parents. Even before football, they stressed the importance of a degree. The look on their faces when I got it is one of the most satisfying things for me."

Last winter, he got his bachelor of arts in information technology from Rutgers.

"Marcus is humble," Schondelmayer said. "He remembers where he came from and he understands there were many people along his journey that helped him get where he is today. He's coming home to Bloomfield because he wants to show his gratitude. It's a celebration of Marcus, yes, but it will also be an opportunity for the current students to hear what it will take for them to realize their dreams."

And sometimes you have to burn to reach them.