Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks didn’t have a pass thrown his way in last week’s win against the Rams, which led to a report that Cooks has been frustrated by his role in the team’s offense.
Cooks confirmed as much on Thursday, calling football an emotional game and saying that sometimes you have to express those emotions because “closed mouths don’t get fed.” Cooks went on to say that his frustration is “not coming from a selfish standpoint.”
“It’s one of those things, as a competitor, I was frustrated. But at the same time, our offense was moving the ball and we won the game, so that was the bright side of it,” Cooks said, via ESPN.com. “I’m just thinking from a competition standpoint, I always want to help, I feel like, and I necessarily didn’t that game. I feel like from my mindset, when I touch the ball, things happen, and I just want to help my team in that way.”
Saints coach Sean Payton said he wasn’t concerned by any frustration because Cooks’ shutout was a result of coverages rather than the team’s desire to avoid throwing him the ball. Cooks said he got the same message from quarterback Drew Brees, although he added that he still wants “that opportunity to find a way even though I’m being double-covered” so there may still be a slight difference in the way the receiver believes things should work in the Saints offense.