Tight end Jared Cook, one of the team’s newest additions recently opened up about several topics.
The tight end position has been a point of debate for the Oakland Raiders the last few seasons under general manager Reggie McKenzie, however, this off-season Jared Cook was signed which will prove to be an invaluable upgrade this year.
In an interview published via Raiders.com and written by Kyle Martin, Cook spoke on several topics including his thoughts on working with his new team and of course, some comparisons between Derek Carr and Aaron Rodgers.
“It’s [been] awesome, man,” said Cook, describing what it’s been like to work with Carr so far. “[He’s a] great quarterback, great skills, great leader, excited to be in the huddle with him. Very communicative. Tells you exactly how he wants routes, tells you how he wants to run them and talks to you if something goes AWOL a little bit.” -Cook on working with his new quarterback
It seems to be a growing trend among Carr’s teammates to praise his skills as a leader as well as his ability to clearly communicate with his team. Â In fact, Cook’s praise should give Raider Nation hope for the coming years as the team will have one of the most effective quarterbacks who also takes command of this team, as even Donald Penn recalled Carr as a rookie showing these signs despite relative inexperience.
“Ball placement,” Cook told reporters following Tuesday’s practice. “[He’s] able to read coverages on the move, able to read defenders positions on the receiver and able to put the ball where it needs to be for completion ratings and success as an offense.”
While Cook was mainly pointing out Rodgers’ strong suits, he was also sharing similarities between Rodgers and his current quarterback Derek Carr. No. 87 (Cook’s new number) hasn’t been a member of the Silver and Black for more than two months, but he’s already observed Carr’s determination to be great, and his desire to be considered amongst the best signal-callers in the NFL. – Kyle Martin on Cook’s comparison between Carr and Rodgers
Rodgers is a Super Bowl champion and a two-time NFL MVP so while any comparison is a sign of respect, let’s not forget Carr still has a way to go before he can be in the same conversation. However, with all the acquisitions and upgrades over the last two off-seasons, all signs are pointing to this year being the “breakout season” for Carr.
As for Cook’s role in all this, that will be determined by both Carr’s play and the scheme of new offensive coordinator Todd Downing. One thing is for sure, Carr will finally have a dependable tight end to go along all the other toys that have been bestowed upon him.
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