Despite not having any ties to the Dallas Cowboys current coaching staff, Wide Receiver Amari Cooper might already be ahead of the game as it pertains to learning Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan’s offense. That means Cooper should be able to hit the ground running (pun intended) when the Cowboys take on the Tennessee Titans coming off their bye week.
At this point in the season and with the way the Dallas Cowboys have played so far, I’ll take just about any silver lining I can get. Getting Amari Cooper up to speed as soon as possible has to be one of the coaching staffs top priorities during the bye week, and fortunately the foundation might already be in place.
I don’t know about you, but I decided to do a little research on Amari Cooper when I found out the Dallas Cowboys acquired him from the Oakland Raiders. I knew the basic information, but I wanted to dig a little deeper and was really surprised at what I found. Surprisingly enough, Cooper’s last two offensive coordinators with the Raiders have worked under Scott Linehan in the past.
Todd Downing was an assistant coach under Scott Linehan for 8 consecutive seasons with both the Rams and Lions. Downing also was the Oakland Raiders OC in 2017 and served as their quarterback coach in 2015-2016. It’s a small link to Linehan and his offense, but it could help Amari Cooper transition into the Cowboys offense.
Todd Downing isn’t the only coach with ties to Scott Linehan who has also been Amari Cooper’s offensive coordinator though. The Oakland Raiders current OC, Greg Olson, also held the same position with the Rams under Linehan in 2006 and 2007. Small world.
It may be a small silver lining that Amari Cooper’s last two offensive coordinators have coached under Scott Linehan, but it should help with his transition considering there are probably similar concepts and verbiage that can be carried over. It could make the difference in him being more impactful sooner rather than later.
Learning the Cowboys playbook is only half of the puzzle though. Amari Cooper and Quarterback Dak Prescott will also have to get to work to put their chemistry on the fast track. Luckily, they have nearly two entire weeks to do just that.
With a struggling offense and a passing game that has looked pretty pathetic this season, I’ll take just about any silver lining I can get when it comes to the acquisition of Amari Cooper and getting him up to speed as quickly as possible. Hopefully the foundation provided by Todd Downing and Greg Olson is enough for a seamless transition into Scott Linehan’s offense.
