5 Guys That Have to be Good: Jared Cook

This marks the fourth offseason of my 5 guys that have to be good series.  This list is not a top five list of most important Green Bay Packers.  Not only will you find that elsewhere, but ultimately it’s the players on this list that just might define the season.

Aaron Rodgers, Mike Daniels and Clay Matthews are going to play well.  If the offensive line stays healthy, it’s going to play well.  HaHa Clinton-Dix is going to play well.

It’s the players that are “in the margins” that can make the difference between another 11 or 12 win team with a heartbreaking playoff loss and a 14th World Championship.

My old lists are a telling tale.  My 15 guys that have had to be good either weren’t or got hurt for the most part.

2013: Terrell Manning, Greg Van Roten, Bryan Bulaga (ACL), Jeremy Ross, Datone Jones

2014: BJ Raji (torn biceps), Brad Jones, Jared Abbrederis, JC Tretter, Datone Jones

2015: Jared Abbrederis, JC Tretter, BJ Raji, Casey Hayward, Sam Barrington (broken ankle)

These are the guys that needed to be good for the Packers to get back to the promised land.  They weren’t, and Green Bay didn’t.  Who needs to step up for a return to Titletown?

You're welcome to check out the first three entries in the series, which will conclude this Friday at Packers Football Friday on PackersTalk.com.  Here are Quentin Rollins and Jordy Nelson at PT.com, and Jay Elliot right here from last week on CheeseheadTV.

Let's all pretend for a second that all of the negativity surrounding the 2016 offense comes true.  Just for a second everyone come with me aboard the negativity express and lock in to the idea that nothing from the 2014 offense was real (all 11 starters from that offense remain) and that the disaster of 2015 was the more telling tale of talent level on that side of the ball.

Jordy Nelson is old, always hurt, and will never again be the player that he was.  Eddie Lacy is fat an unreliable, James Starks fumbles the ball too much.  Re-signing Randall Cobb was a mistake.  Davante Adams might be the worst receiver to ever play, the offensive line isn't as good as we thought, and Aaron Rodgers is starting a rapid downturn in productivity.

If you read a lot of #PackersTwitter, these are the facts, Jack.

So what, then, can be done to find productivity elsewhere?  In this "reality" the players responsible for the 2014 season can't be counted on for another good season.  So who's new?

Ty Montgomery isn't technically new, he showed flashes last season before his injury against San Diego, an injury that still doesn't have him back to practice.  The Packers used Jeff Janis and Jared Abbrederis out of necessity at the end of the season, not by choice.  The dynamics of what those two can bring to the offense has been seen in a very high pressure playoff game, but it's not new and diffferent, it doesn't add to the existing offense in a meaningful way.

Green Bay could certainly give spark plug running back John Crockett more snaps.  He has an agility and an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield that Lacy and Starks do not possess.  Green Bay could give "Taz" 10-12 snaps a game.  If he makes the team, Trevor Davis could be a deep threat.

The shiniest new toy, however, is former Ram and Titan Jared Cook.  Cook is a very big player and a 90th+ percentile athlete at the tight end position.  Despite having played seven NFL seasons, it can certainly be argued that Cook has never played with a real live NFL-quality quarterback.  Despite his "down" year a season ago, Rodgers is still an elite passer, leaps and bounds ahead of anything that Cook has ever been able to play with.

Because the offseason is a slow time for news, because offseason news is so few and far between in Green Bay and because the Packers blogosphere is so extensive (and of comparative high quality) there have been what seem like a million Jared Cook articles.  It does pain me to offer yet another post on the new tight end, but there really is a need for what Cook could bring to the offense.

Yes, it is possible, if not likely that some combination of Nelson returning to health, Rodgers returning to form or current young Packers taking steps forward will occur.  Player progression is the backbone of Ted Thompson's draft and develop strategy after all.  Players are not necessarily what they appear to be during seasons one and two.  

Jared Cook isn't actually here to save the offense, but his presence could certainly diversify it.  

The 2014 offense was a thing of simplistic beauty.  Nelson worked deep, Cobb worked the middle, Lacy and Starks worked the run game and Davante Adams worked every one else's third best corner.  It was so simplistic that the entire offense could be run out of one personnel grouping without a huddle.  

Perhaps the most simplistic thing was what Richard Rodgers was asked to do.  So often the answer was to run to the first down marker and either stop or make a horizontal cut.  Rodgers was able to do a lot of these things because of how much attention had to be paid to Nelson, Cobb and Lacy.  His soft hands and slow feet made him perfect for such a role.  When other weapons were unavailable, Rodgers was unable to be dynamic and help maintain the offense's standard of excellence.

Cook has the athletic ability to stretch the defense down the middle.  With an MVP quarterback and potentially the most skilled and deepest offensive line in recent memory, that ability could take the 2016 offense past the high marks of 2014 and on to 2011 levels.  That is, of course, the last time that the Packers had viable threats outside, in the slot and at the tight end position.  It could also be argued that Eddie Lacy, James Starks and John Crockett are a step up from what the 2011 running back group had to offer.

Even when Finley's statistics weren't matching his potential, he was still being double teamed, or at least schemed for, a lot.  Opposing defenses don't have to scheme for Richard Rodgers, and it's certainly possible they never will.  If Cook can start to win consistently against single coverage from a linebacker or safety, he opens up the offense for other guys, it's just math.  Jared Cook has to be good.

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Ross Uglem is a staff writer for Cheesehead TV. He can be found on Twitter @RossUglem 

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Comments (21)

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Bearmeat's picture

August 01, 2016 at 05:16 pm

Yep. Agreed. Cook could turn this offense into a record setter. However, I don't think he's a game changer by himself. If the horror story you listed above happens, Cook ain't changing anything.

Of course. That horror story won't happen... :)

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Bearmeat's picture

August 01, 2016 at 07:25 pm

LOL.

Never change Cow. Never. Change.

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Bearmeat's picture

August 01, 2016 at 08:58 pm

You're feeling feisty tonight aren't you? Thanks for the laughs.

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J0hn Denver's Gavel's picture

August 01, 2016 at 09:39 pm

Spectacular!

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SpudRapids's picture

August 02, 2016 at 09:56 am

jeez you're a miserable contributor

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TKWorldWide's picture

August 03, 2016 at 07:21 pm

Just cowardly, no pun intended. Can't get disappointed when you have no hope. Sour grapes. Tirelessly pessimistic. Not sure why this is a fun way to enjoy the entertainment that is Packer football. Promised to go away, then came back. Very telling.

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DD-393's picture

August 01, 2016 at 06:14 pm

The Packers win the Super Bowl if Mike McCarthy keeps his whiskers.

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NickPerry's picture

August 01, 2016 at 08:36 pm

How about "5 Guy's That Need to Get Healthy"?

1) Nelson
2) Montgomery
3) Cook
4) Lang
5) Barrington

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EdsLaces's picture

August 01, 2016 at 11:57 pm

Or. 1 NELSON 2 MONTY 3 NELSON 4 MONTY 5 NELSON

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Packmaniac's picture

August 02, 2016 at 09:24 am

Are we ever NOT among the top few injury-riddled teams in the league? It has become borderline surreal.

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RCPackerFan's picture

August 02, 2016 at 07:10 am

Lang practiced last night, so one can be checked off the list.

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chaka's picture

August 01, 2016 at 09:13 pm

Packers should reach out to colt Lyerla and get a real TE in camp.

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DrealynWilliams's picture

August 01, 2016 at 09:42 pm

There we go!!!

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lucky953's picture

August 01, 2016 at 10:57 pm

Richard got his weight down and he can catch the ball. We'll be ok at TE even without Cook, if Nelson is healthy. For Cook, four or five 15 yd catches down the middle will make defenses change their scheme and Adams will eat up their 3rd or 4th corner. That's best case scenario. It could be a scary good offense or a flop-- one of the really interesting stories about the 2016 season.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

August 02, 2016 at 01:48 am

I looked over your list of players who have to be good in prior years.

2013: 0 for 5. All were hurt or bad.
2014: 0 for 5. Same. A real SB contender, tho.
2015: 3 for 5 at best. Not a real contender.

Picking out specific players is usually pretty hard. My 5 positions, and then the translation into the most likely players that have to be good:

2 outside WR, 1 ILB, 4th outside CB, 1 NT =
Nelson, Abby, Martinez, Gunter, Pennel.

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Packmaniac's picture

August 02, 2016 at 09:27 am

That's a damn good list, Reynoldo

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Ross Uglem's picture

August 02, 2016 at 01:29 pm

Which is why the team didn't meet their Super Bowl expectations. These guys that the team needed to take a step didn't take a step.

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Lphill's picture

August 02, 2016 at 01:26 pm

Cook will be fine , Lacy will be back in form , you can't predict injuries things happen , Sorry COW your Vikings aren't winning anything.

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Ryan Brunner's picture

August 03, 2016 at 01:25 pm

Bears 11-5.....hahahahha!!!

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rajqvr's picture

March 07, 2017 at 04:50 am

Awesome read, thanks for share.

https://www.quotesimages.org

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malaikaarora238's picture

March 10, 2017 at 06:38 am

Excellent Blog! ready and share on social media

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