Bills' Josh Allen explains how Amari Cooper made such a huge impact in his first game for Buffalo
One of the biggest question marks for the Buffalo Bills entering their game on Sunday was the impact that newly-acquired Amari Cooper would have on an offense that has, at times, looked beyond stagnant this season.Cooper came into the game and made his presence felt in a massive way after the offense started out looking […]
One of the biggest question marks for the Buffalo Bills entering their game on Sunday was the impact that newly-acquired Amari Cooper would have on an offense that has, at times, looked beyond stagnant this season.
Cooper came into the game and made his presence felt in a massive way after the offense started out looking flat and stagnant. Cooper finished his first game in a Bills uniform catching four of five targets for 66 yards and a touchdown.
"It looked pretty good," quarterback Josh Allen said of Cooper after the game. "I mean, it's a huge shout out to him for putting in the extra hours of getting ready for this game. It's not easy being traded in the week and playing a game and playing real, live reps, where he played quite a bit. Shout out to him. DJ Mangas, wide receiver assistant coach, who put in a lot of work with him, and coach Henry, guys in the building that put a lot of effort into getting him ready to go. So, yeah, that's huge to have him out there gaining rapport with him."
After Cooper's impact started to be felt, he certainly opened up more opportunities for the rest of the team.
"You know, any time you have a player of his caliber, he demands extra attention, and if you don't, we're probably gonna throw him the ball," Allen said when asked if Cooper impacted what the defense was doing. "That's what it's going to take early on, of getting to know him, just trusting, if he's open, trusting where it's going to be as we keep going across those things and gain more confidence in each other."
It's a budding chemistry, but Cooper brings an element to the offense that opponents have to account for, opening up opportunities for the rest of the playmakers.
In the second half, Khalil Shakir was able to feast underneath, and rookie Keon Coleman made multiple big plays, ending up leading the team in receiving yards with a career-high 125. It's the first time a receiver has gone over 100 receiving yards for the Bills this season.
"I know it's been talked about with what Coop did, and it's good to have him here and he made an impact just in four days. Really, four teachable, learnable days, and then to come out on day five here and execute like he did, was impressive," head coach Sean McDermott said after the game. "I give him credit, and the time he was able to put in with DJ Mangas — both, in this case, player and coach — putting in extra time to come out like he did."
Cooper's presence was felt, both in the stat sheet, and in what he did for the Buffalo offense. As he continues to get more familiarized with Allen and the playbook, the sky is the limit for how this Bills offense could develop.
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