There are two versions of Amari Cooper this season. There's Amari Cooper the Raider, and there's Amari Cooper the Cowboy.
Same face, different number, completely new player.
Going into Sunday's games, Cooper had played six with the Raiders and six with the Cowboys. He caught 22 passes on 32 targets for 280 yards and one touchdown in Oakland. However, in Dallas, he's earned his star with 40 catches on 53 targets for 642 yards and six TDs.
Cooper went from averaging 46.7 yards per game with the Raiders to 107 with the Cowboys on his way to a possible huge payday this offseason.
So, what's been the difference? Raiders owner Mark Davis had quite the answer.
"Amari had a couple of good years with us and a couple of not-so-good years," Davis told NFL Media's Ian Rapoport earlier this week at the Winter League Meetings in Dallas. "It was more how he was used in our system versus how he actually is as a player. As you see, we don't throw a lot of balls down the field. We started to last week, and it worked out pretty well. ...
"I think (Al Davis) would've loved Amari. But it just didn't work out in our system. In the future, we might be saying, 'Damn!' "
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Let's dissect Davis' comment real quick. Cooper was a Pro Bowl wide receiver in his first two Raiders seasons before seeing his production drop off last year when he totaled 680 yards and seven TDs. Before this year, Cooper worked under the same coach (Jack Del Rio) and quarterback (Derek Carr).
So, is Davis really blaming Jon Gruden's offense for Cooper's lack of production in Oakland this season? That's hard to imagine, considering he handed the coach a 10-year, $100 million contract.
If Davis isn't blaming Gruden, perhaps he believes it's Carr's fault. The quarterback has been blasted this season for checking down too often with short passes to running back Jalen Richard and others, not willing to air it out. At the same time, Carr is averaging a career-high 7.5 yards gained per pass attempt this season.
As for who executed the Cooper trade, the wide receiver has said it was Davis' call, but not according to the owner, who said it was all Reggie McKenzie, the recently fired Raiders GM.
The Raiders desperately need a No. 1 receiver in free agency or the 2019 NFL Draft now that Cooper is gone. But if he can't fit in this offense, who can?
