{"id":14309,"date":"2024-10-18T08:04:20","date_gmt":"2024-10-18T08:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=14309"},"modified":"2024-10-18T08:04:20","modified_gmt":"2024-10-18T08:04:20","slug":"packers-squeezing-more-juice-out-of-edgerrin-cooper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=14309","title":{"rendered":"Packers Squeezing More \u2018Juice\u2019 Out of Edgerrin Cooper"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Green Bay Packers rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper continues to impress, which is why he continues to play more and more headed into Sunday\u2019s game against the Texans.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) sacks Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. \/ Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

GREEN BAY, Wis. \u2013 \u201cCoop brings a lot of juice,\u201d defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said last week about Green Bay Packers rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper.<\/p>\n

The Packers squeezed more out of Cooper against the Arizona Cardinals. Not only did the second-round pick play a career-high 38 snaps, he played the second-most snaps among Green Bay\u2019s linebackers and more than veteran Isaiah McDuffie for the first time.<\/p>\n

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It could be a sign of things to come for Cooper entering Sunday\u2019s home game against the Houston Texans.<\/p>\n

Cooper is in the middle of one of those cycles that coaches love to see from young players. The more he plays, the better he performs. The better he performs, the more snaps he plays. That\u2019s why his weekly snap count has gone from 11, seven and 18 in Weeks 1 through 3 to 21, 30 and 38 in Weeks 4 through 6.<\/p>\n

\u201c100 percent,\u201d Cooper agreed. \u201cI feel like these last two, three weeks, I was able to settle in and just be myself and play and relax and play what I see. \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cJust being out there more and getting more snaps and [the coaches] just seeing what I\u2019ve been able to do. Just not having a mentality of trying to be too perfect and just trusting my eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

An All-American last season at Texas A&M, Cooper is a superb athlete, which is why he was the first linebacker off the board in this year\u2019s draft. He missed the entire preseason with a hip injury but has been coming on strong, his talent too obvious to keep off the field.<\/p>\n

As the trust in his eyes and the trust from the coaches continues to growa \u2013 a maturation process that stems from comfort in the defense and knowledge of how offenses want to attack \u2013 he\u2019s made more and more plays.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe\u2019s starting to understand what he\u2019s doing,\u201d Hafley said after Thursday\u2019s practice. \u201cHe\u2019s practicing more, he\u2019s stayed healthy, he\u2019s practicing better and he\u2019s proving to us and his teammates that he knows what he\u2019s doing and he can execute at a high level. The more he does that and the better he plays, the more he\u2019ll play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cooper had seven tackles last week, moving into a tie for fifth on the team with 23 tackles while ranking 16th in defensive snaps.<\/p>\n

Viewed from more of an apples-to-oranges way, Cooper is averaging 5.43 snaps per tackle. That\u2019s the best among the linebackers, with Eric Wilson at 6.17, Quay Walker at 7.65 and McDuffie at 7.84.<\/p>\n

The NFL\u2019s leading tackler, Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane, averages 6.21 snaps per tackle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s coming along,\u201d coach Matt LaFleur said. \u201cHe\u2019s getting better and better each and every week. You always see him make splash plays. There\u2019s still some mental mistakes that we\u2019ve got to clean up, whether it\u2019s misalignments or whatnot, but you tend to go through that with younger players, but I\u2019m excited about the growth that we\u2019ve seen over the course of the last few weeks and anticipate him becoming a better player the more reps he gets.\u201d<\/p>\n

What was startling in college was his big-play production as an off-the-ball linebacker. Cooper led the SEC in tackles for losses last season. That\u2019s usually the domain of the pass rushers.<\/p>\n

With 1.5 sacks, two tackles for losses and three quarterback hits, Cooper has shown that type of skill to start his career. According to Pro Football Focus, 68 off-the-ball linebackers have had at least 12 pass-rushing snaps. (That\u2019s Cooper\u2019s number.) Cooper ranks fourth in PFF\u2019s pass-rush productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing opportunity because of Corvette-like acceleration and ability to bend like the elite edge rushers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just something I do well, something I bring to the table,\u201d he said, \u201cand I feel like that\u2019s what they\u2019re trying to use me and put me in more positions to blitz more and rush the passer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The more Cooper can handle, the more roles he\u2019ll be given, just like the rest of the team\u2019s promising rookies on defense.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe\u2019s another guy when you watch his skill-set, I think there\u2019s places where we can put him that are a little bit different, too, because I think he has a unique skill-set,\u201d Hafley said. \u201cThere\u2019s some things that can do on different downs-and-distances that I think he gives us a pretty good chance to have success.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, you don\u2019t want to rush some of these rookies into having to learn too much because then they\u2019re not going to be good. You\u2019ve got to be careful there, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cooper and safeties Javon Bullard and Evan Williams have been instant contributors to a young and improving defense.\u00a0Cooper and Williams rank among the NFL\u2019s best rookies<\/u>, according to PFF, and all three should be key factors for a potential playoff run.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe came in and we came into play and tried to make an impact. Every time we get our opportunity on the field, just come in and make plays and do our assignments. That\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

More Green Bay Packers News<\/h3>\n
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