Gehlken: Mike McCarthy has big plans for Randall Cobb if he re-signs with the Cowboys

[Cotton]

McCarthy looks to use Cobb more in the backfield, similar to how he was utilized in Green Bay.
By Michael Gehlken

5:45 PM on Feb 26, 2020

INDIANAPOLIS — Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy has reviewed the game tape from last season, studying Amari Cooper and Randall Cobb, two wide receivers who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on March 18.

He was impressed with both.

One, in particular, caught his eye.

McCarty coached Cobb for eight years with the Green Bay Packers. Last season was Cobb’s first in Dallas. McCarthy expressed Wednesday that he is comfortable with the idea of reuniting with the 29-year-old.

“The goal is to have both of those guys back,” McCarthy said at the NFL combine. “Amari, having a chance to get through all the tape, he did a lot of great things, and it really looks like he’s in sync with [quarterback] Dak [Prescott]. And I would even say Randall more so. I was very impressed with Randall last year.

“He was banged up a couple of years prior to that, but I thought he had a heck of a season last year in Dallas. I was very impressed with his video.”

Last March, Cobb signed a one-year deal worth $5 million.

He followed with 55 receptions for 828 yards and three touchdowns. The yardage total was his highest since 2014 when posting career highs of 91 receptions, 1,287 yards and 12 scores.

McCarthy envisions tapping into Cobb’s versatility.

There were seasons in Green Bay when Cobb saw dozens of snaps out of the backfield. During that banner 2014 campaign, for example, Cobb aligned in the backfield on 48 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Cobb saw one such snap last year in Week 9 against the New York Giants.

Wide receiver Tavon Austin, an impending Cowboys free agent who is not expected to re-sign, took seven backfield snaps by comparison.

“I did a lot more with [Cobb] being behind the line of scrimmage than they did with him last year,” McCarthy said. “But I thought he played great in the slot and did some things as a single receiver. I thought he probably played as well as I’ve seen him play just the pure receiver position. But he has that capability, and you look at his background, I mean, he was a [college] quarterback. So he gets it. He’s wired that way. And I don’t think you can have enough of those kinds of guys.”

 

[boozeman]

McCarthy needs to reign this shit in.

He sounds like a fat head coach that knows how to use players.

Kinda scary.

 

[DontCryWolfe]

I hate to nitpick, but didn’t Cobb also drop a crap ton of passes last year?

 

[lostxn]

I hate to nitpick, but didn’t Cobb also drop a crap ton of passes last year?

Yeah he dropped 8 on 83 targets. Given number of targets, that's pretty high. However, Dak has so many drops I think part of it must be his accuracy.

Gallup had 11 on 133 targets
Witten 6 on 83 targets
Cooper 5 on 119 targets - I actually thought he had more

 

[DontCryWolfe]

Yeah he dropped 8 on 83 targets. Given number of targets, that's pretty high. However, Dak has so many drops I think part of it must be his accuracy.

Gallup had 11 on 133 targets
Witten 6 on 83 targets
Cooper 5 on 119 targets - I actually thought he had more

Gallup routinely had passes bounce off his hands. But, a second year guy with big play ability, lots of potential. Because i’m a nice guy, I forgive him. Cobb on the other hand is an often injured 30 year old slot WR, who is probably going to be looking to cash in one more time. If this team can’t make it work with Cooper, Gallup, Zeke and that line, with however they decide to address TE/Slot, then they are probably screwed anyway.

 

[ravidubey]

Yeah he dropped 8 on 83 targets. Given number of targets, that's pretty high. However, Dak has so many drops I think part of it must be his accuracy.

Gallup had 11 on 133 targets
Witten 6 on 83 targets
Cooper 5 on 119 targets - I actually thought he had more

Careful, Cultist eyes are watching.

Everyone knows he often throws behind his WRs on crosses.

Eh, he has to work on it.

My worry is we’ve totally squandered this cohesive, consistent OL for six seasons including all of Dak’s rookie deal.

Expecting them to be the same or better is a mistake. Tyron is entering his 10th season and Connor Williams is average.

We need Connor McGovern to come back and be a great player and maybe draft depth in there somewhere.

As Dak’s perfect pockets fade, can he pull a Russell Wilson and find new ways to succeed?

We can’t trust the defense in any way.

 

[Simpleton]

If we had a real HC we would've made at least a NFCC if not a Super Bowl at some point during the height of this OL, instead we had the clapping carrot fuck so there's a decent chance that you'll be able to throw names like Smith and Martin on the list of great careers squandered by Garrett.

I think they still have another 3ish years of elite play left, especially Martin, but their time is definitely starting to dwindle a bit.

 

[Stasheroo]

Yeah he dropped 8 on 83 targets. Given number of targets, that's pretty high. However, Dak has so many drops I think part of it must be his accuracy.

Gallup had 11 on 133 targets
Witten 6 on 83 targets
Cooper 5 on 119 targets - I actually thought he had more

I'm not sure that off-target throws are counted as drops by the receiver, so if it was Dak's fault, it wouldn't be considered a drop anyway.

 

[Stasheroo]

Gallup routinely had passes bounce off his hands. But, a second year guy with big play ability, lots of potential. Because i’m a nice guy, I forgive him. Cobb on the other hand is an often injured 30 year old slot WR, who is probably going to be looking to cash in one more time. If this team can’t make it work with Cooper, Gallup, Zeke and that line, with however they decide to address TE/Slot, then they are probably screwed anyway.

If Cobb is looking for a lot more money than the $5 million he made last year, he will likely end up elsewhere, but I think he wants to return and I believe that they will get a deal worked out.

 

[L.T. Fan]

I haven’t seen enough of Cobb coming out of the backfield but it could be something the OC (Moore) could add to the playbook.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

If Cobb is looking for a lot more money than the $5 million he made last year, he will likely end up elsewhere, but I think he wants to return and I believe that they will get a deal worked out.

Yeah I'd be cool with a 2 year deal in that range.

 

[boozeman]

He is an prime candidate to send off into the wild and see what contract he comes back with.

 

[ravidubey]

I'm not sure that off-target throws are counted as drops by the receiver, so if it was Dak's fault, it wouldn't be considered a drop anyway.

It’s highly subjective what component is attributed to inaccurate passes.

Basically there’s a huge bias in favor of QBs because journalists and statisticians feel if an athletic WR whose paid the dollars they are paid can touch a ball, they should catch it.

Hell, it’s a cliche. And it’s incorrect, even ridiculously so.

A pass has to be an absolute duck for a statistician to attribute a missed target to a QB.

But when you are running full speed across the field and the QB is experiencing no pressure you are expecting an easy toss leading you to where you can eye the field in front of you while catching the ball.

It’s an opportunity for a huge play, and the last thing you are expecting is for the ball to be thrown behind you at your hip.

Try making that catch. It’s very hard, and you have to get your hands on it or else it’s heading into the teeth of the defense.

So statisticians who could never be football players and have heard that “if you can touch it” crap every time *they’ve* dropped a catch take it out on the receivers.

Hey they touched it...

If I were coaching I would have a receivers catch an inaccurate pass running full tilt across the middle drill for a full hour every practice and make Dak watch.

Hopefully it motivates him, because apparently the stats let him off clean.