Do The Bills Need To Raise James Cook’s Snap Count?|Schopp and Bulldog

Do The Bills Need To Raise James Cook’s Snap Count?|Schopp and Bulldog

yesterday. Yes, sir. A couple of things. One I’m going to save, but a couple of things yesterday on Cook. We We got to drive this thing until it craps out. James Cook, right? I don’t mean him. I just mean like the story. All that time talking about whether he would get a contract, what the Bills should do, what should happen, and then he does. And you know, I I I’ve got I’ve got at least a few few minutes, if not another day in me on Cook. Yeah. What one of the maybe central topics about this is his that that 47% number, his usage. Sure. His usage. And at one point yesterday, I think you had said something different. We’ve talked about it enough times, I should know. But I said, I don’t think that I need to care about that for this. And I mentioned I mentioned Mariano Rivera eventually, but also someone else who might be more relevant like Von Miller. It was right. Von Miller played 61% of the snaps in his first year here after a mega contract. And I think I would say it was by design, like it was going the way it was supposed to be going. He was older. He had had injuries already. They didn’t want to burn him out. So, you know, rightly. Yeah. They were getting and they were getting Yeah, I I assume that was the plan. Uh cuz that’s really up until he got hurt, that’s how they handled him. And then once he came back from the injury, that’s when the snap counts were maybe even half of what what it was when he was healthy that first season here. Um, so I yeah, I think that that was the plan and it was fine. Like I don’t remember anyone going he should play more or anything. I don’t either. Yeah, it was it by design. Maybe maybe we we’ll hope he’d be fresh enough to play more if they need him to play more come playoff time, but you know, in November, don’t worry about it. So what is the right approach to James Cook with that in mind? Here’s, you know, it’s not record-breaking money, but it’s good. The Bills are probably happy. Cook has to be happy with what he got. I think like, you know, it’s a maybe a win-win. These things, you know, I want to say at least once when it comes out, it always happens this way. When it comes out in the first place, it looks like it’s way better for the player than maybe it ends it’s likely to end up being, but still, you know, everybody’s, you know, they made the deal. Here we go. Yep. Is it important to talk about his usage with his being paid like this? Like, is that something that has to change? Is that something that really needs to be scrutinized? Like, if you know what I mean, if the Bills don’t use him more often in games, it is that negligent because they’re paying him this much more or does it not matter? I don’t think I don’t think it matters. I I feel like it shouldn’t matter. Um because I mean, frankly, part of the reason I didn’t want to have him go to the top of the market in running back salary or even close to it, like a $15 million contract would have been is because of a year uh of how they use him. I think they they are optimizing their running back room right now. And I think the only way I’m open to him playing a little more um in the fourth quarter in two-minute drill if he can show them if they want to give him the chance to show them that he can do it, that he can be trusted as a pass blocker, then you know I I I would listen to it. But I’m not eager to get him on the field more. In fact, now that I’ve paid him, I I I I might be even more protective of that because it’s worked well. He’s been durable for a number, you know, for for the the top of the pecking order running back, but the snap share is probably a a key part of that. He is not someone who gets overused, and that’s because they’ve got a a good setup and a good room and people they trust in other roles. And I think paying him and then forcing more playing time on him, even if he might want it and welcome it. I think that would be negligent. I think that’s bad process. I think you’re paying him for what you think he can do for you based on what he did for you last year. And you know, the year before, too. Sure, it was only the two touchdowns the year before. Last year was 16. Holy cow. I I don’t think I want to change anything about it. The offense was effective. The other players thrived in their roles enough so that I mean, Davis is just a rookie going into his second year. There’s no big deal in retaining him, but Ty Johnson was a free agent and the Bills made sure they brought that brought him back on a two-year contract. Um, they value him. Josh Alen values him. So, I don’t need to validate the expenditure by playing him more. I I I think that would that would be bad process. I’ll say it again. I I just don’t think that would be where you should be. Um you you got a lot out of him last year and if you want to keep getting a lot out of him, I think the safest way, it’s not to say he couldn’t handle more. I think the safest way to make sure you keep maxing him out is using him the way you’re using him. So, and this would never really happen after a win, I think. But we’re we’re not then to be in here game to game looking at his snapshare percentage and referring back to the contract. Like it that’s not something we’re going to do. I I feel like I will be prepared to fend that off. But will it happen? Yeah, it’s it already happens. Even before he got the contract, I mean, people were out every time we talked about this subject, someone would come through with he’s why is he not that’s negligent uh coaching. It’s a bad job by the coordinator or the head whoever’s decision it is to have him on the sidelines during the final drive against Kansas City. That’s a terrible job. Is it? Was it? I would you say that? I I would not I like I I don’t I don’t need to believe everything they say and everything they do, but I feel like if they trusted him to do everything that needs to be done in that role, then maybe he’d be in it and he’s not. And the guy they have doing it, I think is very good. Like Tai Johnson does not leave me wanting anything in that role as a pass catcher. We’ve seen him make all kinds of plays. his speed is I I don’t know if it’s equal to Cooks, but he’s he’s plenty fast getting around the edge. He’s made catches downfield. The one in the back of the end zone from last season, I can’t remember the game it was, but still it’s a a spectacular catch. Denver maybe. So, he’s he’s he’s checked a lot of boxes for me. So, if they had a weakness in that area, then I might be more invested in exploring ways to get James Cook more involved in that way. But I don’t see that position right now. Third down running back, two-minute drill running back, what whatever that role is actually called as a weakness. I think it’s a strength of the team. So, I don’t But that said, when they lose a game, uh, it’s going to it’s going to, you know, oh, Cook only play. Oh, we’re paying them. You know, that that’s going to that happens. That happens in in every sport. Every time a guy gets paid. Well, you know, Kansas City, it ends. And he’s not on the field, if at all, on the last drive. I don’t know. I mean, the previous drive, which is a touchdown drive by the Bills to tie the game, Cook makes a couple of pretty big plays on that drive, but does he see the field? Do you know like does he see the field at all on that last drive? You’ve got 333 left. The Bills take over after a touchback. Down by three. There’s a Ty Johnson run. First play is a run by Ty Johnson for minus one. That Yeah. And then an Allen scramble. Of course, that works. And then, uh, incomplete. Incomplete. Amari Cooper for five out to the right sideline behind the line of scrimmage, two-minute warning, and then the play to Concaid, and that’s it. I’m assuming he’s not on the field for any of that. The fact that Ty Johnson gets a carry on first down um is, you know, I he could have come off the field and Cook could have been on the field for one of those the Allen scramble or something, but I I I kind of doubt it. I think they’re running their two-minute offense at that point. I think Guy Johnson’s on the field. I don’t know that there was a better complaint. I don’t even love this one, but I don’t know that there was a better complaint about the end of the game than to say where went James Cook. Like I don’t think I would come up with when when I think about that possession and this the end of the game, I think about two things. One is this team that had been so productive all year at scoring points and even in that game they scored 29 points. I mean it’s not to be ignored but they did not they were not throwing the ball down the field at all. Everything was short. A and when I think about that I think about the makeup of the roster that’s right back to wide receivers and they’re not having anybody dangerous. So Amari Cooper, what? He couldn’t run at this point and he’s running sideways. You have a pass to Shaquir, incomplete. You had a pass to Samuel, incomplete. Um Samuel scores the touchdown from four yards out on a fourth down on the previous drive. But when I when I think about the end of that game, I think about we’ve been back and forth on this. I think more about their defense’s failures in that game when I think about that game. But offensively, they just couldn’t or wouldn’t push the ball down the field. And that for me, and it will always be this, is a, you know, a bad turn for the Bills. Like they they ran the ball a lot and six linemen and everything else, but they’re easy to say. I mean, they lost and it was close and it was the the semiis, but I feel like they I’ve said it for years like they won’t win until they win on Allen’s cape. Like, it has to be like a downward down the- field offense. But that doesn’t have to be right. Kansas City two years ago won without that sort of dimension like they’d had it before, too. The league changed. Anyway, I just I think it feels a little bit like the Sabres almost where if it’s Vanic, it’s a long time ago, but if somebody goes into a goalc scoring drought, we’re going to hear about their contract. And I think with Cook, it’s maybe not going to reflect on him as much as it will on them that they made this deal four years even this big, you know, to some extent or another big commitment they make to him. And if he doesn’t play late in a loss or he’s he’s at 47% again, whatever it is, I feel like that’ll be one of the first things that comes up. And I just I go into this not sure that I care about that. Like I said yesterday, I don’t need them to. And you don’t either. I definitely don’t need them. And not only do I not need them to change it, I I will disagree at every turn with the premise. I I I I just will, you know, now if if they if if Tai Johnson suddenly can’t play or something, right? And this doesn’t mean like, oh, Tai Johnson makes a mistake and now like you but but all of the contract opens the door to all of that. Last year there was very I mean there there were people after that game that found it extremely curious, especially with the way Cook played in the game and the dramatic touchdown he scored, the way he scored it with the, you know, the one hand just holding himself up to get the ball over the goal line. Such a great play. You know, people were hot about him not being on the field at the end. And I myself had no problem just saying it’s not his it’s not his role. That this offense was the historically great offense for them. And everybody, this is how they did it all year long. So, I’m I’m not going to change it now. Oh, we’re playing Kansas City. The season’s on the line. Get Cook out there. He’ll he’ll pick up, you know, who on a blitz or something. No, I don’t I don’t want to ask him to do that in that spot. I think that’s inviting trouble. I I think in fact I’d go so far as to say that if the guys in the huddle look around and a different dude is there, they’re going to sense like maybe they’ll sense, oh, this is a very important moment, but I think it would be weird. It it’s like changing tactics at the last moment and that can be a sign of panic. So, I don’t want any of that. So, I I I’m I’m fine with the way they use them. I I don’t I I like the contract more at this time today than I did yesterday at this time. Once we found out more of the actual breakdown of it and it’s really more like three for 30 like okay like I’m that’s that’s pretty that’s not modest. It’s still an investment I didn’t need to make but it keeps the peace and it’s also to me not as uh problematic moving forward uh hopefully. So, um, I don’t want to change anything about what they’re doing. It’s, again, it’s really one of the core reasons why I didn’t want them to to cave into a top of the market uh, running back contract for him because I didn’t want them to change what they do and how they do it. And I really hope and I want to say expect because they did make the effort to resign Ty Johnson. And I think James Cook was in the plans and maybe even a contract extension for him was on the horizon for them and they wanted to keep him all along and they have but they kept Tai Johnson too in the role. So I I just don’t see a need to change it. James Cook or otherwise. Do you want something about the Bills offense this year to be different? 8030550 today. Theo Greinger. We’ll talk some fantasy football with Theo. We’ve talked about James Cook every time he’s been on and I imagine we’ll do so again. And Dalton Concaid probably you can expect that. And at five, Ross Tucker. How about that? What’s Ross up to? I I don’t know. I I Eagles preseason. Eagles preseason. I saw I saw the debut of this season’s tuck spreads. Tuck spreads. But I don’t know where he was. like it was it was this morning and I don’t I’m not sure if that was from the weekend or what that was. Yeah. Where is he in a press box this morning, right? And it said hashtag ad like we uh are told to do, but there was no sponsor mentioned in that one. I don’t know what was going on. I don’t know what’s up. Well, we’ll find out at 5:00. We will try. Lines are open for your calls. 8030550. The offense cook the contract got lots of calls yesterday. takeaways. Uh reactions

Mike Schopp and The Bulldog open the show talking about the details of James Cook new extension, and debate whether the Bills need to increase his snap count now that he’s getting paid. #bills #billsmafia

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