Getty Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper.
NFL wide receivers can be a dramatic bunch.
Just look at the Antonio Brown drama that plagued the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, or even the antics of Terrell Owns back in the day.
There’s a reason players at the position have somewhat of a diva reputation.
But when it comes to Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper, he seems quite the opposite.
“I just want to get better and I love football. That’s why I’m here,” Cooper told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I love coming out here doing 7-on-7, routes on air, team periods and being able to showcase my ability and being able to run routes. It’s like the greatest thing to me, its kinda like art to me, it’s like a painter drawing something. And that’s how I feel every time I run a route. I mean, I would come out and run routes even if I wasn’t getting paid because I just love it so much.”
And that mentality extends to game day, as well. Cooper is not going to stand on the field, clap his hands and yell at his quarterback Dak Prescott for not seeing him open.
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During an interview with NFL Network, Cooper told Cowboys legend and Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin that when it comes to targets, he’s focused more on efficiency than quantity. It stunned Irvin, to say the least.
“One of the things we talked about is he said, ‘I don’t need 15-16 targets,’” Irvin said. “I’ve never heard a receiver say that. ‘I don’t need 15-16 targets a game, just give me my 8 or 9 and I’ll catch 7 or 8 passes.’
Cooper is currently in negotiations for a new deal with the Cowboys which would keep him in Dallas long-term. But even with that, the Alabama-product has kept it low-key.
“I haven’t talked to [my agents] in a minute,” Cooper said, via the team’s official website. “I really don’t like talking about the contract. I feel like it’s one of those things that will naturally happen.”
Irvin has faith in the Cowboys wide receiver group, which is headlined by Cooper but also includes veteran free agent pick up Randall Cobb and second-year pass-catcher Michael Gallup.
“I think they have a shot at being one of the top receiving corps in the NFL,” Irvin told the trio, and then reporters, after attending Cowboys practice Wednesday. “Michael Gallup came up great last year. If he can take another step? Randall Cobb stepping in and doing what he’s doing, and Amari Cooper just keep on stepping like he was stepping last year, this could be probably the best group of three guys in the NFL.”
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