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No Jared Cook is not injured (that I know of).
But this defense was tailor made for the tight end to have a huge day.
We all saw what happened on the first drive. We thought, okay, should have been caught, bad bounce, but these thing happen. No problem.
That was in field goal range.
Second drive you saw why the tight end should of had a huge day. The Rams were predominantly playing two-high safety. The middle of the field was open. Third down, pressure comes, Brees throws to the open middle of the field, Cook keeps running up the seam instead of going where the coverage told him to go. That was inside field goal range and the defense would have been chasing him towards the goal line. Instead we punt.
Third drive, Bridgewater is in. They have Cook run a cross and go to Hill instead down the middle for a first down in field goal range. What happens? Illegal block in the back by Cook. Completely unnecessary as the play was behind him.
Cook did make a good play on the next drive that resulted in 3 points and a tie at halftime, but we can only imagine what could have been had to free agent we brought in for just this kind of defense would have executed how an 11 year veteran would be expected... Maybe that was why it was Cook over Hill the rest of the game and he did make another good play on a late throw from Bridgewater. But Bridgewater is not Brees.
Should we give up on him? Probably not. But we could have gotten similar results from a talented rookie.
But next game vs. the Rams it won't be Cooks up the middle of the secondary. He'll stay back to block, maybe outlet (which Bridgewater sorely needs for his style of play). It will be the slot receiver exploiting the area between the safeties.
But this defense was tailor made for the tight end to have a huge day.
We all saw what happened on the first drive. We thought, okay, should have been caught, bad bounce, but these thing happen. No problem.
That was in field goal range.
Second drive you saw why the tight end should of had a huge day. The Rams were predominantly playing two-high safety. The middle of the field was open. Third down, pressure comes, Brees throws to the open middle of the field, Cook keeps running up the seam instead of going where the coverage told him to go. That was inside field goal range and the defense would have been chasing him towards the goal line. Instead we punt.
Third drive, Bridgewater is in. They have Cook run a cross and go to Hill instead down the middle for a first down in field goal range. What happens? Illegal block in the back by Cook. Completely unnecessary as the play was behind him.
Cook did make a good play on the next drive that resulted in 3 points and a tie at halftime, but we can only imagine what could have been had to free agent we brought in for just this kind of defense would have executed how an 11 year veteran would be expected... Maybe that was why it was Cook over Hill the rest of the game and he did make another good play on a late throw from Bridgewater. But Bridgewater is not Brees.
Should we give up on him? Probably not. But we could have gotten similar results from a talented rookie.
But next game vs. the Rams it won't be Cooks up the middle of the secondary. He'll stay back to block, maybe outlet (which Bridgewater sorely needs for his style of play). It will be the slot receiver exploiting the area between the safeties.
