Since the Oakland Raiders fell 27-14 to the Houston Texans in the wild card round, the Raider Nation has really been giving it to Connor Cook. Fans say the Raiders should sign another back-up quarterback, that everyone should be fired, and that it’s absurd that Connor Cook and the Oakland Raiders couldn’t put up the same kind of valiant fight that Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys did.
Defending Connor Cook
Rookie
While it’s true that Dak Prescott came into his own for the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs, he’s been the starter all season. When Tony Romo got hurt in the preseason, Dak Prescott became the starter. That means he started taking first team reps in practice, during the week, and over the last six months. Connor Cook wasn’t just a back-up, he was the third string quarterback.
As crazy as it seems now, Matt McGloin was ahead of Connor Cook on the depth chart. That means that whatever first team reps Derek Carr didn’t take, McGloin took, and reportedly, Derek Carr was a bit of a rep-hog. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the franchise quarterback has impeccable work ethic and always wants to improve, but it does mean that there’s less time for everyone else.
Derek Carr had the most time practicing with Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, Seth Roberts, and the offensive line so he would be the most prepared. If it’s true that McGloin only got one percent of the first team reps, that means Connor Cook had basically none. The reality is, Cook was inactive for most of the season. Comparing him to Prescott, who started every game for Dallas this year is asinine.
Houston, We had a problem
Revisionist history claims that the Oakland Raiders went down to Mexico City and dominated the Houston Texans earlier this year, but that simply isn’t true. The Raiders only beat Houston by seven points back in November, and they couldn’t get the run game going at all. By the end of the game, the Raiders only had 30 rushing yards and the leading receiver was fullback Jamize Olawale.
Not to mention, that Mexico City crowd was completely pro-Raiders. So pro-Raiders that fans were aiming lazer pointers at some of Houston’s players. It was a completely different situation than the one Connor Cook found himself in in the wild card round.
In Houston, in the playoffs, in literally his first pro start, Cook was facing off against a Texans defense that shut down the run, as well as Crabtree and Cooper the first time they played. Revisionist history claims the Raiders blew out the Texans, but the reality is that Houston gave Oakland some serious trouble even with Derek Carr.
Some More Excuses
This article is obviously very apologetic, and it may seem like there is an excess of excuses being made. But the reality is that Connor Cook was legitimately very unlucky. He was unlucky to face the league’s number one defense, on the road, in the playoffs, in his very first start. Cook was unlucky that left tackle Donald Penn missed the game, and center Rodney Hudson left the game with an injury later on. Some people are determined to hate Connor Cook no matter what because he wasn’t this generation’s Tom Brady. And that’s fine, but at the end of the day, there just isn’t enough pro film on Connor Cook to determine what kind of quarterback he’s going to be in the NFL.
This isn’t to say that Cook will ever be a great, or even a good quarterback in the NFL or for the Oakland Raiders. But give him a chance before you bury him over a bad game under impossible circumstances.
