Amari Cooper says he’s been invigorated by the arrival of strong-armed Joe Flacco
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from Browns practice and interviews …
Amari Cooper has played two full games with Joe Flacco at quarterback plus one quarter in which he suffered a concussion. He said Flacco has made a major impact on the team in that short time.
“100 percent,” Cooper said. “I think the best way to probably describe it is he’s like a faith multiplier. When he came in, guys were like a weight lifted off our shoulders. This is a guy we trust in.
“It’s just his credentials. Super Bowl winner, consistent quarterback, throws a great ball, has a great understanding of the game. So yeah, I think that’s what draws everybody to him.”
In his two full games with Flacco at the helm, Cooper has 11 catches on 22 targets for 186 yards and one touchdown of 51 yards on a spectacular throw by Flacco and a tight-rope run to the end zone by Cooper.
Amari Cooper's 51-yard catch-and-run TD against the Bears was the result of Joe Flacco's 'catchable ball' and Cooper's tight-rope run down the sideline.
Cooper admitted he has been invigorated by the arrival of Flacco.
“I’ll be lying if I said it didn’t [invigorate me] because he throws such an easy ball to catch,” Cooper said. “So, yeah, I mean, receivers, if you ask any receiver, they love a very catchable ball.”
I asked Cooper what makes Flacco’s ball so catchable. Is it the accuracy? The tight spiral? The strong arm?
“Obviously, it’s the accuracy, but not necessarily a tight spiral,” Cooper explained. “I would more so say velocity and trajectory of the ball. The ball has a little less velocity, but because he’s on time with the throw, it’s not a late throw, it’s still on time. But it’s just easy to catch.
“Receivers, even though they shouldn’t, we all like to think about the yards after the catch. Sometimes we neglect actually the catch point. That’s how a lot of receivers drop balls. But you know, it seems with a quarterback like Joe, you can kind of get away with that because you don’t really have to think about catching the ball because it’s such an easy grab.”
Kicking the record book
Dustin Hopkins is on the verge of breaking one of the oldest single-season records in Browns’ annals.
Jim Brown holds the franchise record for points scored with 126 in 1965. Hopkins is at 121.
Hopkins already has smashed Phil Dawson’s record for field goals with 33. Dawson also previously held the record for points (120) by a Browns kicker.
“He’s earned every bit of credit he deserves and I think he should really be, in my mind, get every accolade you could get,” said special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone.
When you add the fact Hopkins has made four game-winning field goals, including three in the final minute, he should be considered the favorite to earn the AFC Pro Bowl berth.
Baltimore’s Justin Tucker, naturally, would be the top challenger. Tucker trails Hopkins in field goals (33 to 27), field-goal percentage (.917 to .844) and in total points (121 to 120).
More Myles accolades
Not even Ventrone, however, would vote for Hopkins as Browns team MVP this season.
“Jeez, I probably shouldn't even answer that question, but I'll answer it for you,” Ventrone said. “Obviously, I'll say, Dustin aside, I would say 95 [Myles Garrett]. He's just ridiculous. I've never seen a player -- I've been in the league since 2005 -- I've never been around a football player like that guy. It's unbelievable.
“And I think when you actually get to see him in person, it just looks way different. And to me, he's hands down. It's not even a question. He's hands-down the best football player in the league. Defensively, he's hands down the best. There's no one that's even remotely close to him, in my opinion.”
Brownie bits
Left guard Joel Bitonio has not practiced since suffering back spasms prior to the Chicago game, which forced him to leave in the first quarter. But he reported progress. “I do feel a lot better,” Bitonio said. “I mean, Monday morning was very difficult for me to get out of bed and make it … just those backs, you never know. But I’m feeling a lot better now and hopefully that continues to progress.” …
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said that linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will take on more responsibility going forward. “He’s played at a really high level the last month or so, and we’ve made a big point to try to get him more on those things. It puts more on his plate having to do techniques that he hasn’t done before -- lead the huddle, do those kind of things that he hasn’t done before. It’s time for him not to leave the field for us. He’s up for it and he’s an impact player for us. And I’ve been really proud of the progress that he’s made.” …
Center Ethan Pocic (stinger) continued to be limited in practice, which was progress. He hasn’t been ruled out for Sunday in Houston.
