FOXBORO, Mass. — Following New England’s 36-20 win over the New Orleans Saints, Bill Belichick fielded one of the more bizarre questions ever posed to the Patriots head coach.
“Coach, down here we had an expectation for Brandin Cooks to have a huge game being back at the Superdome,” a New Orleans-based reporter began. “Did y’all purposely try to stay away from him? Or…”
Belichick put the reporter out of his misery by interrupting him.
“We came down here to try to win,” Belichick said. “That’s what we came down here for.”
Belichick paused.
“Not really all that concerned about the stats. I know everybody else is, but we came down here to try to win. So, that was a good trip.”
Cooks caught two passes for 37 yards and had two carries for 6 yards (one was a 7-yard loss on the Patriots’ final offensive play). Saints rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore blanketed Cooks early, so quarterback Tom Brady turned his attention to other receivers like James White, Rob Gronkowski and Chris Hogan.
But since the Patriots’ win over the Saints, one of the more popular storylines among the Boston media is that Brady and Cooks aren’t yet on the same page. That’s despite the fact that Cooks is on pace for a 1,000-yard season.
One of the reported reasons why Cooks was traded by the Saints this offseason was his unhappiness with his role. He even said after a game last season that “closed mouths don’t get fed.” So, is he happy with his production with the Patriots so far?
“For instance last week, we won,” Cooks said. “So, that’s all that matters. The week before, I look at plays I could have made to help the team and put us in a better position to win. In that aspect, yes, I’m disappointed in myself. But that’s what work is all about and coming back and getting better every single day.”
And Cooks still is working hard on his chemistry with Brady.
“It’s one practice at a time like it was today, one play at a time,” Cooks said. “Just continue to just come on and getting on that same page as fast as possible.”
Cooks caught three passes for 88 yards in Week 1 and drew three penalties. Brady is just 5 of 11 targeting Cooks through two weeks, so it’s fair to say more work is needed. But let’s wait a few weeks before deciding whether Cooks isn’t living up to the lofty expectations that came with him from New Orleans.
Thumbnail photo via Chuck Cook/USA TODAY Sports Images
