[Elvis]

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/05/22/b ... 1-of-otas/

Bonsignore: Brandin Cooks makes a strong first impression on Day 1 of OTA’s

By VINCENT BONSIGNORE | vbonsignore@scng.com | Daily News
PUBLISHED: May 22, 2018 at 2:34 pm | UPDATED: May 22, 2018 at 2:36 pm

THOUSAND OAKS — As first days of OTA’s go, the Rams workout Monday was about as telling as a table script read upon cast members of a television series gathering back together after a long hiatus. It all looked and sounded good, but there’s a long way to go before the director declares “Action!!!” let alone “That’s a wrap!!!”

About all anyone can say for sure is that the process is now officially underway. But trying to glean anything definitive or conclusive is pure foolishness.

Not that a two-hour practice on the second-to-last Monday of May can’t yield a nugget or two to file away,

Which is why it was impossible for the eyes not to follow the long flight of a Jared Goff-thrown football as it cut across the gray sky hovering above the Rams Thousand Oaks practice field. Or how it fell perfectly into the outstretched hands of wide receiver Brandin Cooks who, thanks to some nifty line of scrimmage scheming by Sean McVay, was able to get an immediate leg up on his defender before exploding down the sideline.

Open. Available. And more than capable of gathering the reception in as he barreled untouched for what would have been a certain deep ball touchdown connection.

And why it was equally impossible for anyone who saw the whole thing unfold not to go, “Hmmmmm. Interesting.”

The Rams don’t appear to have many critical concerns offensively as they transition to year two in McVay’s offense – which defensive newcomers Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters have already declared “crazy good” – but getting Cooks and Goff on the same page as quickly as possible certainly falls under the Must Do list.

All the better if it means a consistent connection on deep balls, which, for as good as Goff was at throwing them last year, you can’t help wonder if he ever came close to maximizing it given the on-and-off chemistry he had with Sammy Watkins.

According to Pro Football Focus, Goff had the NFL’s ninth-best adjusted completion percentage of 42.1 on deep passes last year, and had the 11th-best deep-ball passer rating at 99.5 His 767 yards off long balls was also 11th best in the NFL.

Those numbers were accumulated with just a minimal amount of help from Watkins, who was brought in last year to be the home run threat the Rams have been looking for for years. But while his presence helped direct defensive focus away from other receivers – providing them more room to operate – Watkins didn’t make the major impact the club hoped for upon trading for him. Watkins finished fourth on the team in both in receptions (39) and receiving yards (539) and when he left the Rams in free agency last month, there was an unsatisfied feeling all the way around.

It wasn’t bad. But you were expecting so much more.

Enter Cooks, who is coming off three straight 1,000 yard receiving seasons with 24 touchdown receptions to show for it. With his speed, explosiveness, hands, route running and positional understanding he appears the perfect fit to lift Goff’s long-ball ability to another level..

“If there is one thing that Brandin has done a nice job of, specifically the last few years, it’s being able to go get that deep ball,” McVay said.

Which brings us back to the 60-yard connection between Goff and Cooks on Monday on an otherwise uneventful first day of OTA’s. The cynic will proclaim it amounts to nothing at all, just a couple of NFL players playing pitch and catch in shorts and helmets.

The optimist would counter it’s a tease of what’s entirely possible: Cooks and Goff developing into a dangerous combination to add an explosive new layer to an already dangerous offense. Not just because Cooks brings an elite skill set to the table, but also because of his willingness to bury his head in the playbook and engage with coaches and teammates. A process that actually got a head start earlier this offseason when Goff, Cooks and the members of the Rams receiver group got together for throwing sessions.

“It’s already paying off.” Cooks said.

Still, there’s nothing like live action against fellow NFL players – and in Monday’s case that meant the Rams revamped defensive backfield led by new Talib and Peters, two of the best cornerbacks in the league.

“You can do as much film study as you want, but the beauty is, this is football, so to be able go out there and make some of those mistakes in live action that’s when you really start learning,” Cooks said.

That work ethic – and his intellectual manner – is part of the reason Cooks made immediate impacts in his previous two spots – and in creative, sophisticated offenses for that matter – in New Orleans and New England. And how, based on his approach thus far with the Rams, he should make a rapid transition in his new offense while playing with equally cerebral wide receivers Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp.

“He’s a sponge,” is how Goff described his new teammate. “He wants to be great.”

The feeling is mutual.

“With Jared you talk about a guy who’s a natural born leader who works hard,” Cooks said. “Throughout the offseason we were throwing with each other before all this started and now transitioning into OTA’s. I think it’s been great for (all of us)”

That doesn’t mean what happened on Monday is guaranteed to happen throughout next season. But you might want to file it away just in case.

[TomSlick]

All this dissension in the ranks has to stop.