Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden says he wants his offense to get Amari Cooper going in Week 2. Cooper was on the field for all but five of the Raiders' offensive snaps in their 33-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. Despite being on the field so much, he was only targeted three times. Cooper recorded a single catch for 9 yards. Gruden emphasized that his team needs to utilize the talents of their most dangerous weapon more.
From Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle:
“We’ll have to get Amari going this week,” Gruden said. “It’s easier said than done when you’ve got (Denver cornerback Bradley) Roby and Chris Harris, and a fierce pass rush that doesn’t let you drop back and let these routes develop.”
Derek Carr was only sacked once against the Rams, but Gruden expects the Denver Broncos to bring a different kind of pressure. His priority is getting Carr time to find his playmakers down the field.
“You’ve got guys that can really hum around the edge, and you’ve got to be creative in how you get guys the ball deep. And we’re going to have to try to get Amari going.”
Cooper recorded over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons in the NFL. He battled injuries in 2017, but he still finished with 680 receiving yards and scored a career-high seven touchdowns for the season. Cooper is off to a slow start this year, but if Gruden is as good as people say he is, he'll figure out a way to get the ball into his star receiver's hands.
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