Nick Saban beams about WR Amari Cooper, thinks he will make ‘huge impact’ with Bills

Amari Cooper first brought himself to the forefront of the football world as a wide receiver at the University of Alabama, catching 228 passes for 3,463 yards and 31 touchdowns during his three-year stay in Tuscaloosa. He established himself as one of the nation’s top pass catchers during his time with the Crimson Tide, winning a national championship while building a resume that ultimately led to him being selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

All of Cooper’s collegiate success came under the tutelage of Nick Saban, a seven-time national championship-winning head coach who is universally regarded as one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport. The two forged a strong relationship during Cooper’s time at the university, with the trustee calling the side boss a “father figure” after Saban retired earlier this year.

And Cooper, like Saban after his retirement, is now embarking on a new beginning, as he was recently traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Buffalo Bills. It’s a huge shift for Cooper, not in terms of geography (Cleveland is less than 200 miles from Orchard Park), but from the perspective of immediate ambitions; Previously stuck with a lifeless Browns offense guided by the atrocious offensive coordinator/quarterback duo of Ken Dorsey and Deshaun Watson, Cooper now finds himself at the top of the depth chart in a Buffalo offense led by one of the most dynamic players in the competition in quarterback Josh Allen.

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It’s an incredible opportunity for the five-time Pro Bowler, who has been one of the NFL’s most consistently productive receivers over the past decade. His former head coach shares this sentiment, as Saban gushed about Cooper and the type of player and person he is during an appearance on Friday. The Pat McAfee Show.

“I think Amari Cooper is a great player, and I think he’ll have a huge impact on the Bills, who have a good offensive team, a good quarterback and all that,” Saban said. “I think Amari Cooper is a little misunderstood sometimes because he’s such a quiet guy. He spent three or four years in Alabama, however long he was there, and I don’t know if we ever had a conversation. He’s never had any problems. He never came into my office, he did everything he had to do. He’s a great person. Went to class. Did everything you asked, practiced hard, did everything, but never said a word.

“Sometimes as a coach you feel like, ‘Well, this guy isn’t really with us,’ or ‘he’s not really with us.’ But he is. He’s a great competitor, he made a lot of plays that had a huge impact in games. I think he’s capable of that, so I think sometimes when you have a player like that in your organization or as a coach, you think that this guy isn’t really competitive or he’s not really the kind of guy that cares with the team. But he’s real in his own way, he’s just a very shy personality.

Cooper’s calm nature has often been discussed since his arrival in Buffalo, as it appears he will fit seamlessly into a Bills offense that, while expected to lean on the 30-year-old, still aims to pass the ball spread. all around. Saban noted that a player’s reserved demeanor is admirable at any position, but is a little more valuable at wideout.

“Especially at wide receiver,” Saban said. “You talk about energy vampires, they go crazy in that position. They all want the ball, they don’t want to block.”

A player who has racked up over 1,000 receiving yards in all but two of his previous nine professional seasons, Cooper appears to be in for a treat when paired with Allen, a signal caller who has a history of maxing out his pass gets -catchers. Allen has played with many talented wideouts throughout his career, but Cooper may fit right in at the top end; Saban has had far more elite talent than Buffalo’s quarterback during his historic career, but if he were starting a team from scratch, he would want the newest Bills receiver at his disposal.

“I love that man,” Saban said. “If I were coaching a team, I would want him on my team.”

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