USA TODAY International Edition
Cooks dominates Jaguars’ secondary
Patriots receiver impresses in drills
FOXBOROUGH, MASS. If Monday’s joint practice session is any indication, the New England Patriots offense is poised for more explosive plays with the addition of wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
Cooks, whom the Patriots acquired from the New Orleans Saints for a first- round selection in an offseason trade, blew past Jacksonville Jaguars defenders for big plays several times in the session at New England’s facility.
The play of the day, though, wasn’t a deep pass. It came on one in which the Jaguars had a breakdown in coverage.
Playing in the slot during 11on- 11 drills, Cooks streaked down the seam, past the linebacker and safety who had been assigned to cover him. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady felt pressure in the pocket, stepped up and launched a pass that looked like it was going to sail out of the end zone before 5- 10 Cooks leaped and snagged the pass with a dazzling one- handed catch.
“Oh, yeah,” Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski said in a news conference when asked about his thoughts on Cooks’ playmaking ability. “He’s a great player, great dude, and he works super hard. Not surprised at all to see him making plays like that ( when) you see how hard the kid works.”
Added cornerback Malcolm Butler, “Pretty good.”
On four separate plays, Cooks sped past the Jaguars secondary and found himself wide open.
The first instance came early in the 21⁄ 2- hour practice in an 11on- 11 rep, when Cooks sprinted past new Jaguars cornerback A. J. Bouye and safety Tashaun Gipson down the middle of the field. Brady geared up and heaved a deep pass that Cooks hauled in near the end zone for a gain of about 60 yards.
On the second deep pass, Cooks again ran past Jacksonville’s secondary and made an over- the- shoulder grab for what would have been a gain of about 45 yards. The play, however, was called back because of a penalty by referees that both squads used for team drills.
Cooks’ day would’ve been even better if not for a dropped pass on a deep throw after he slid past cornerback Tyler Patmon. Cooks had several steps on the defender but appeared to misjudge the ball and slowed down, only to come up short and have it bounce off his fingertips.
During a one- on- one drill against Bouye, Cooks and Brady seemed to have a miscommunication on a back- shoulder pass that the cornerback nearly picked off. It appeared Brady expected Cooks to stop short and come back for the ball while Cooks continued to run upfield.
Cooks caught 78 passes last season for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns, including ones that went 98, 87, and 65 yards.
Cooks speaks to reporters once a week and is scheduled to answer questions Tuesday.
“I think I’m acclimated pretty well,” Cooks said Aug. 1. “It’s football at the end of the day. Just paying attention, staying focused, doing your job — as long as you do that around here, I think you’ll be all right.”