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"Great striking partnerships come in pairs"
-Nigel Spackman
TOM BRADY #12
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First game of the season sent everyone into a frenzy as the greatest signal-caller of all-time appeared to have aged overnight. Tom Brady and Co. blew a 17-7 lead in the 2nd quarter on that Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs. In that game Tom Brady went 16-for-36, threw for 267 passing yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Super bowl hangover? Perhaps, but by now we know better than to ever count TB12 and the Brady bunch out. You know the history, if you upset Tom Brady, he'll come back and silence the critics by shredding the next defense as was the case in week 2 against New Orleans. In that game against the Saints, Brady went 30-for-39 with 447 passing yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. The following week against the Houston Texans, Brady went 25-for-35 with 378 passing yards, 5 touchdowns and no interceptions. Atta boy Tommy!
BRANDIN COOKS #14
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Earlier in the year, rumors began to circle that Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks was going to be traded to the New England Patriots, my first thought was Randy Moss from the 2007 Pats.
You know? The New England Patriots that went into Super Bowl XLII undefeated at 18-0, only to have their perfect season spoiled at the hands of the New York Giants 17-14? Yup those Patriots. Randy Moss was acquired from the Oakland Raiders earlier that year, and we all knew to expect great things from the Brady-Moss duo. Randy would break the single season touchdown record with 23, the previous record was 22. Tom Brady threw for 50 passing touchdowns with 8 interceptions,and broke the single season record as well. Over the years Tom Brady has had an arsenal of great receivers, but in my opinion, Randy was the greatest. Now, a decade later, Brandin Cooks has the same opportunity to be great as Randy did then. His explosive play-maker ability makes him a force to be reckoned with against any team, any time he catches the ball. He has the speed to burn defenders, is able to change direction in a drop of a dime, and the kid is only 24. Cooks also had elite quarterback Drew Brees throw the ball his direction in his 3 years with the Saints. He finished the 2016 season with 78 receptions, 1,173 receiving yards and 8 total touchdowns.
BOLD PREDICTION:
Tom Brady and Brandin Cooks will the best QB-WR pair this season. Brandin Cooks struggled in his first 2 games as a Patriot catching 3 of 7 targets with 88 yards and no touchdowns against the Chiefs. In week 2 against his former team, Cooks was targeted 4 times, and was only able to haul in 2 catches for 37 yards. He also had 2 rushing attempts for a total of 6 yards. I went back to the drawing board, watched old clips, reviewed the schedule, and finally I remembered that Julian Edelman was out for the season. Danny Amendola isn't quite capable of handling 4 quarters, every game for a full season. Rob Gronkowski is injury prone, and newly acquired receiver Phillip Dorsett is a wild card with 4.3 speed. So that leaves only Chris Hogan and Brandin Cooks as Brady's top weapons, with Cooks being the favorite in my opinion. His ability to run routes, change direction, speed, and overall explosive athletic ability give him the edge. He didn't disappoint as he torched the Houston Texans by hauling in 5 of 7 receptions for 131 reception yards, 2 touchdowns and a 2-point conversion in week 3. Not to mention he made the catches when it mattered most, including the game winning touchdown. He's earned Tom Brady's trust, and with that being said I believe we will continue to see this kid shine under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' offensive scheme. You have the greatest clutch quarterback in the league firing rockets at a young 24 old speedster with all the right tools, great things will happen. I see another Super Bowl, I see an MVP award, I see some records broken. I see some electrifying plays. Just don't blink.
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"One thing you can't measure is heart, and I feel like I've got one the biggest hearts out there" - Brandin Cooks
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"I'm not a person that's self satisfied just being out there, I want to go out there and play great" - Tom Brady
