Because the Cowboys were 3-4, stuck with a conservative coach, void of a No. 1 receiver and going nowhere fast, some of us loved the Oct. 22 trade for Amari Cooper.
Richie Whitt, PressBoxDFW:
With this trade, owner Jerry Jones is both stripping Jason Garrett of excuses and re-booting hopes of making the playoffs this season. You can’t convince me that’s a bad thing.
The haters, however, were plentiful. Arrogant. Loud. Boisterous. Smug. Cackling. Derisive.
“Of course I heard it, I saw it,” Cooper said in the locker room after Sunday’s dazzling three-touchdown performance that beat the Eagles in overtime and all but clinched the NFC East. “If you’re on social media, you can’t help for see it. I knew it was out there, but I know I can play football and help this team. I know what I’m worth. Just happy to get a chance to show it.”
Those same naysayers today are – in the wake of another exhilarating Cooper show in another Cowboys victory – as hushed as butterflies exchanging sign language in a cotton field.
Then: Critics. Now: Crickets.
Unless … Let’s throw a challenge flag, commence a “further review” and revisit their snide remarks, shall we?
The Cowboys, after all, are the NFL’s hottest team, boasting football’s most dynamic receiver. And the trade that sent next season’s No. 1 draft pick to Oakland in exchange for this season’s playoff savior is looking better by the “Wow!”.
Adam Rank, NFL Network:
A first-rounder for Amari Cooper? The Cowboys are your friend that pays $179 for a T-shirt that could have bought at Target for $12.
Since his arrival, Cooper has yet to drop a pass. He’s caught everything thrown his way – to the tune of 642 yards, most by any receiver over the last six weeks.
With each crisp route, ball adjustment and sneaky speed by Cooper, Dez Bryant’s memory – and legacy – fades a little more. In 29 games with Prescott, Bryant had three 100-yard games. In six with the same quarterback, Cooper already has two.
Peter King, NBC Sports:
What do I think of the trade for the Cowboys? Well, I think the Raiders made a heck of a trade.
It’s been widely reported that the Eagles offered a second-round pick for Cooper. Instead of getting lambasted for recklessly overspending, Jones should have been lauded for outbidding a division rival for a mutually coveted weapon.
While the Cowboys have Cooper, the Eagles settled on Golden Tate, who has produced a measly 19 catches for 189 yards and one touchdown in five games.
Vincent Frank, Forbes:
The Cowboys overpay … spectacularly.
Seems to me almost every team would love to have an elite, game-changing receiver that can produce on the field without a hint of off-field controversy or sideline tirades masqueraded as “passion.”
Cooper gets open. He makes catches. He scores. He celebrates, but humbly. He’s the closest thing to former Colts star Marvin Harrison.
“I know that in this game I’m going to have valleys and peaks,” Cooper says of his middling demeanor. “I try to stay at an even level, so that’s what you’ll see.”
Nate Davis, USA Today:
Cowboys would be foolish to count on Amari to be a cure-all.
Since Cooper’s arrival the Cowboys are 5-1, with wins over the NFC-leading Saints and a sweep of the defending Super Bowl-champion Eagles. He’s softened defenses for Zeke Elliott and given Prescott the confidence to throw the ball deep.
In short, Cooper has changed an entire offense’s potential, as well as its persona.
James Seltzer, Philadelphia radio host:
Only Jerry Jones could make Jon Gruden win a trade.
Thanks to Cooper, the Cowboys are indeed the fan in the TV commercial that pushes floors 6 and 7 on the way out of the elevator to the playoffs, leaving the Eagles on the slow, simmering ride to the 2019 NFL Draft up on 8.
His 217 receiving yards against Philadelphia are the most in the league this season, and he became the first player in history with three go-ahead touchdowns in the fourth quarter/overtime of a game.
Newy Scruggs, NBC5 sports anchor:
Who were the #Cowboys bidding against? Who else was willing to give up a one for Amari Cooper? I don’t get it. Feels like Roy Williams 2.0.
Cooper’s impact might already – just six games in – top that of former big-trade receivers Joey Galloway and Williams.
In his first six starts (interrupted by a torn Achilles) after arriving from the Seahawks in exchange for two first-round picks in 2000, Galloway caught only 21 for 251 and one touchdown as the Cowboys went 2-4.
Williams, acquired from the Lions for first- and third-round picks in 2008, produced just one touchdown and 177 yards on 13 catches in his first six games as Dallas went 4-2.
Dieter Kurtenbach, San Jose Mercury News:
Don’t let the Cowboys’ ridiculous overpay make you forget that Jon Gruden found no use for Amari Cooper in his offense.
In six games with the Raiders, Cooper caught 22 passes for 280 yards and one touchdown.
In six games with the Cowboys, Cooper has 34 catches for 642 yards and six touchdowns.
Says Cooper of his new environment: “It’s a dream come true. When I was young and I thought about playing in the NFL, this is the experience I thought about. Everything from the city, the facility, winning, playing with passion. It’s exciting.”
Daniel Beyer, Fox Sports:
The headline of this trade isn’t what Gruden is doing…it is by far that the Cowboys just gave up a 1st round pick for an underachieving WR that is under contract only through next year, w/ the final year of that deal $14 million AND…. This could be a Top 10 pick!!! UNREAL
The Cowboys are headed to the NFC Playoffs as division champs. The Raiders own Dallas’ 2019 first-round draft pick, currently 25th overall.
“He’s a hell of a football player,” head coach Jason Garrett said of Cooper. “He’s made a huge impact on our team since we’ve gotten him. He’s just a damn good football player, and we’re lucky to have him.”
Jason McIntyre, FoxSports1:
Jerry Jones, my goodness. What are you doing? A 1st round pick for Amari Cooper? Go back to being totally irrelevant.
Because Cooper won him the NFC East via the “Immaculate Deflection”, Jones will instead go back to being totally in the playoffs.
Says Elliott of his receiver: “I didn’t know we were going to get all that, honestly. But when I finally saw him in person, when I saw him catch the ball, I saw him run around and run after the catch, that’s when I really realized he’s truly special. You guys saw that (Sunday). He took over that game at the end when we needed him. I’m glad to have that guy on the same side as me.”
Rich Eisen, NFL Network:
If Amari Cooper is worth a first-round selection, then Patrick Peterson should require a draft equivalent of Powerball to acquire.
Said Prescott Sunday night in the locker room about his shiny, new toy: “I’ve seen this guy play for a long time. Playing against him in college, I knew just how great he was. I was almost astonished we were able to get that trade. I thought if we were getting a trade like that, what’s wrong?”
To the critics, enjoy the crow in your stockings.
To the Cowboys, a very Amari Christmas.