Dallas gambles on Cooper
Desperate for offence, Cowboys shell out first-rounder for underperforming receiver
News and views from around the NFL, with Week 8 underway:
1.
Is Amari Cooper worth anything close to a first-round pick? NEWS: The Dallas Cowboys this week acquired wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Oakland Raiders in a trade for a 2019 firstround draft pick.
VIEW: On the face of it, no, a now under-performing receiver selected No. 4 overall four years ago is still not worth a first-round pick. And the buzz was, the Cowboys’ division rivals who won the division and the Super Bowl last season, the Philadelphia Eagles, apparently were willing to part with a second-round pick for Cooper. Like the Cowboys, the Eagles need a legit deep threat at wide receiver to loosen up defences. Dallas couldn’t let the Eagles get Cooper, thus had to outbid them.
2.
Has John Elway become a failure as Broncos GM?
NEWS: Since luring free agent Peyton Manning to Denver in March 2012 leading up to Denver’s 2015 Super Bowl championship, Elway has struck out on every quarterback acquisition through 2017. Maybe this year, too. The majority of locals believe Elway has failed again in signing Case Keenum as a free agent in March. In seven starts this season, Keenum has thrown more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (eight).
VIEW: Denver hasn’t had a reliably good passer since early in 2014, Manning ’s last full season as starter. Since Manning retired as Super Bowl champion with the Broncos, Elway has swung and missed on four QBs and, after this year, maybe a fifth: Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, Brock Osweiler redux (last year) and, this week, Chad Kelly. Elway last year had used the last pick of the draft to select serially troubled Ole Miss QB Kelly, who this summer and fall had worked up to No. 2 behind Keenum, only to blow it Monday night.
Kelly — who was kicked off a Pennsylvania high school team before transferring to one in Buffalo, then off the Clemson Tigers before transferring to Ole Miss — was arrested for first-degree criminal trespass. After causing a scene at a team party, the nephew of Jim Kelly left and, according to police, plopped himself down on a couch in the home of a young family he doesn’t know before eventually being arrested. Elway waived Kelly on Wednesday.
3.
New England is Buffalo’s opponent in the Bills’ first Monday night home game in 10 years. NEWS: The Bills will trot out yet another quarterback at home: Derek Anderson. This is only Anderson’s third week with the Bills and second start for the Bills. VIEW: Poor Anderson. He has a terrible O -line and a poor receiving corps, and his star running back (LeSean McCoy) was still in concussion protocol on Thursday. The Bills (2-5) are in as bad a position to beat New England (5-2) as at any time this century, which, of course, is quite an indictment.
Patriots QB Tom Brady, meantime, is going for career victory No. 15 in 17 starts at Buffalo’s New Era Field.