Report: Brandin Cooks is growing frustrated with Saints’ offense

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The Saints’ offense scored seven touchdowns in Sunday’s win over the Rams, so surely everyone must be feeling good, right?

Wrong.

Saints receiver Brandin Cooks, who did not have a pass thrown his way on Sunday, is apparently getting upset with his role. Mike Triplett of ESPN reports that Cooks has felt a growing frustration with his usage in the offense, thinking that he ought to be the primary option.

Cooks posted a cryptic social media message this week saying, “I guess I have to turn into a businessman,” perhaps implying that if the Saints aren’t going to use him the way he thinks he should be used, he’s going to save his body for when he can hit free agency and go to a team that values his services.

Still, it’s not like Cooks is being ignored in the passing game: He’s second on the team in catches (51), yards (736) and touchdowns (six). Until Sunday, Cooks had been getting plenty of balls thrown his way, and as long as he doesn’t let his frustration get the best of him, he’s sure to continue getting plenty of balls thrown his way.

64 responses to “Report: Brandin Cooks is growing frustrated with Saints’ offense

  1. He is another look at me player who has not grown up yet. Cut him from the team before he becomes a cancer in the locker room. Bill

  2. Frustrated with an offense that just dropped damn-near 50 this weekend, and averages 30+ per game?

    Are you are frustrated with your Hall-of-Fame QB? Or is it your all-time great play caller, Sean Payton? To be “frustrated” as an offensive player, in that potent an offensive system, WHILE IT IS CLICKING ON ALL CYLINDERS, seems like the height of selfishness.

    The only logical explanation must be that he owns himself in fantasy.

  3. With the numbers Drew Brees puts up on a weekly basis, it’s amazing that every receiver on that team doesn’t have 100 yards and a touchdown

  4. Colston, wherever you are, please mentor this young man and save him from the WR diva rabbit hole!

  5. that’s why I never draft a saints WR in fantasy…too many options and every week is different

  6. Didn’t the Saints win????

    Guess I’m a fossil. I remember when winning was the most important thing!

    Go sit down somewhere Cooks. Your team won the freak’n game! And how the Saints are doing it with absolutely no defense is amazing in itself.

  7. Wow and the Saints just 49 points in a huge team win. But I hear what he’s saying. I hate playing Saints WRs in fantasy football because you never know who’s going to get thrown to. I guess that’s an advantage for the Saints. Opposing defenses hate it. Maybe that’s also why Detroit seems to be doing better without Calvin Johnson. Teams are harder to plan for when they spread it around. Cooks should have kept his mouth shut. I’ll bet they were planning on throwing to him a lot next week. But I guess it’s good that he showed his true character. His agent must be hating it and probably drafting a letter right now saying that his words were taken out of context. It’s a shame. The guy is a true #1 WR.

  8. Its gotta be tough! The kid has spent hours practicing his celebration dances that are literally boiling inside of him. He’s a time bomb waiting to explode!

  9. Cooks was also heard to ask “What is this team concept thingie people keep mentioning to me?”

  10. If you want to know what happens to squeaky wheels in that offense, see: Graham, Jimmy.

    Colston was under-utilized for most of his career. Reggie Bush was probably a victim of the way they spread things around. But that is what makes the offense so good: You can’t focus on any one part, because Brees will expose everything else.

    Cooks will go somewhere else, do the Mike Wallace tour where he finds some cash and a bunch of bad quarterbacks, and hope to find a QB with a cannon who will force-feed him deep balls occasionally.

  11. Ahh, the diva gene. It is mostly dormant in the male of the football species but often becomes pronounced in those at the WR position

  12. With no cap room because Brees takes all the money, he’ll be out of town anyway. The saints dont want any player with talent to emerge, as they simply cannot afford them-see Sproles and Graham

  13. First, they draft Mike Thomas, then they take away his bow and arrow BS and then they double cover him. What next?
    Hasta La Vista baby

  14. Lol. All this praise for Brees when just this summer during contract negotiations at least half of posters were saying the Saints shouldn’t pay him top dollar, he’s regressing (wasn’t a true statement), Saints need to just start over. Blah, blah.

    The Saints without Brees would be the Cleveland Browns. Maybe even worse considering how bad their defense is. Brees puts up huge numbers no matter who he’s throwing to. How many receivers with Cooks’ Physical skillset have gone elsewhere and not been relevant again? Kenny Stills isn’t doing much in Miami. Even Jimmy Graham who was pushing Gronk for the crown of top receiving tight end just a few years ago hasn’t been able to duplicate the same level of production in Seattle.

  15. No matter how upset you are or how much you want to be passive aggressive via social media, you can never hit the “post” button. I wish that everyone would follow that mantra, then again, the internet would be a lot less entertaining if that was the case.

  16. Just what we’ve come to expect from this franchise.

    Geaux Saints! And take the Pelicans with you.

  17. I have no dog in this fight and am not a Saints or Brandin Cook fan. I’m going to take devil’s advocate and point out that players’ salaries are based on numbers, especially for his position as wide receiver. If he’s an upcoming free agent, then his numbers need to be high. You can’t measure a “team player” and guys across the negotiating table are going to scoff at that. Plus bonuses are based on # of catches.

    He’s coming across as being very selfish, perhaps deservedly so, considering they just won big. However, this is a business and players have to look out for themselves at some point.

  18. teammosie says:
    Nov 29, 2016 5:04 PM
    Isn’t this what Jerry Rice did with the 49ers, and how he achieved all of his success? Good move…

    ******************************
    Actually not. Early in Rice’s career when they were force feeding him the ball and he was dropping all those passes, he came out and said “let’s get back to 49ers football. It seems like all they want to do is throw the bomb to me”. Rice never asked for the ball. He joined a team that had just gone 18-1 and had already won two super bowls, then they didn’t win a single playoff game in each of Rice’s first three seasons while they were forcing the ball to him. They were easier to defend than when Montana spread it around. That’s the whole point. Please pick another example. The Rice one is a bad one.

  19. scoops1 says:
    Nov 29, 2016 3:57 PM
    so you’re saying I should bench him this week in Fantasy??
    ——
    Nope. Start him proudly. Brees will feed him. Can’t be having malcontents ruin the good vibes.

    Bad for me. I got Snead. Was thinking about starting him but not so sure now.

  20. The Saints will never have a #1 WR week to week. Brees has always used 5+ WRs each week. Who was covering Cooks last week? Was he open at the time Brees looked his way? I don’t consider this game to be a trend for Cooks. As far as fantasy, I tend to stay away from Saints WRs. It’s too much hit or miss.

  21. If Brees can’t find you open, you’re not getting open. If you’re not getting open, you’re not getting the ball. This isn’t rocket science. Want the ball? Play better. If you can’t then you don’t deserve the money you think you do.

  22. Cooks is not a diva.. but Triplette IS a hack looking for some click bait. I can’t wait to see how he handles those Sean Payton death lazers next week when he asks his typical stupid questions.

  23. Cooks and the Saints water boy were the only people not to score a td on Sunday.

    Sincerely,

    Long suffering Rams fan

  24. Cooks is 5’7″ there are going to be some defenses that he is not going to match up as well against. It’s just part of the game.

    He needs to decide if he wants to win and be part of a team or no. The sad truth is that he is never going to put up Megatron, Rice, Harrison numbers. He’s just not that type of a receiver.

    He’s landed on the best team for him and doesn’t appreciate it. When he walks and has someone like Robert Griffin or Kapernick throwing to him he’ll realize what a sweet deal he had.

  25. Another typical arrogant WR in the NFL who cares more about himself than his team.

    The egos on some of these NFL guys are simply amazing. I honestly don’t know how their coaches deal with them. They must go in another room and scream.

  26. Look Cooks, when your team hangs up 49 points on a defense that was averaging 18pts a game you shut up.

  27. Brees doesn’t play favorites. If you’re open, you get the ball. I just finished scouting the game and you weren’t open. Who’s fault is that?

  28. If you are open Brees will throw you the ball, he wont force the pass because you run really fast dude. Get real, you guys got the win and pounded a good D, be happy.

  29. A WR has a right to be frustrated if the QB is terrible, like Mark Sanchez or Geno Smith.

    Drew Brees is a HOF QB, and if you get open you will get the ball, provided you don’t drop it too much.

    How can a WR be frustrated with a HOF QB? Would you rather have Alex Smith or Andy Dalton or Sam Bradford? Would most WRs want that?

  30. Relax Brandi. With the Browns penchant for tiny WR’s, you could’ve been drafted by them. Then, who would throw you the ball??? Johnny Football? RGknee? Grandpa McCown?

    Shut your pie hole or you may catch the eye of Sashay Brown and the Harvard Front Office in Cleveland….they do have the draft picks to trade.

  31. Your team won 49-21. The Saints scored points before you got there and will after you leave. Just ask Jimmy Graham. Shut up and play.

  32. He’s starting to sound like Keyshawn Johnson. His team, the Buccaneers just won the Super Bowl and he was STILL unhappy. Me, me, me. He was the original Meshawn.

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