Cleveland Browns wideout Amari Cooper doesn’t have a great track record going up against Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.
Cooper, who acknowledged Belichick’s well-known strategy of making an opponent play with its off hand, has faced the Patriots three times in his career, including twice in the last three years as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. In those three career games, one of which took place on a rain-soaked night at Gillette Stadium, Cooper has compiled just 83 yards receiving on eight receptions — an average of 2.7 receptions and 27.7 yards per contest. That’s not commonplace for a four-time Pro Bowl receiver.
“They put an emphasis on taking away your best attributes and your strengths,” Cooper told reporters Thursday, per a team-provided transcript, while gearing up for Week 6 against the Patriots. “To me, teams usually have that type of emphasis like in the playoffs and stuff like that — I am not saying that other teams don’t want to win really bad — they just approach it different.”
In an offense headlined by running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, the route-running prowess of Cooper gives the Browns another dimension. It might be a dimension the Patriots are capable of turning away, though, given the recent play of their defensive backfield. New England’s safety group, which Belichick called the deepest area on the team during preseason, certainly has lived up to that hype. But it’s fair to think their cornerbacks, especially with the emergence of rookie Jack Jones and stellar play of Jonathan Jones, have exceeded early expectations.
“I think all of their (defensive backs) are playing good football,” Cooper said. “You have some guys who are doing some really good things for them. Like I said before, it is going to be a challenge for us in the receiver room.
“From a defensive back standpoint, yeah, I do,” Cooper responded when asked if he can see Belichick’s attention to detail translate to the group. “They play true to their leverage and stuff like that.”
Belichick and the defense certainly will try their best to hold Cooper at bay all while having to dedicate resources to Cleveland’s running game, which has the most rushing yards and second-most attempts in the league. The Browns are a 2.5-point home favorite entering the Week 6 clash.
