Amari Cooper’s Sudden Retirement & Raiders vs. Patriots Deep Dive

WEEK 1 PREVIEW WITH JT THE BRICK & RAIDERS ROUNDERS BETTING PICKS HEADING INTO THE OPENING WEEKEND

Week 1 is finally here, and we’ve got you covered from every angle. In the latest episode of the Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast, I sit down with Raider Nation Radio’s JT The Brick to give fans an unfiltered look at what to expect from the Raiders this season and how they stack up against the Patriots in the opener. We also debut a new segment — Raiders Rounders — where I team up with Matt Perrault (The Bostonian vs. The Book, The Daily Juice) to break down the best Raiders bets of the week and the smartest plays around the league. From season outlook to game-day matchups and betting insight, this episode is packed with everything Raider Nation needs before kickoff.

SO MUCH FOR UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Just 10 days ago, Amari Cooper sounded like a man on a mission. He told all of us he felt like he had “unfinished business” with the Raiders, but it turns out he was actually ready to write his final chapter before he even had a chance to restart with the Raiders.

The 31-year-old veteran informed the team on Thursday that he no longer has the desire to play and intends to retire.

NO COOP, NOW WHAT?

With Cooper out of the fold, things revert to what we all expected to see in the opener, a healthy helping of Dont’e Thornton Jr. in 11 personnel. Sure, things seemed to veer off course a bit towards the tail end of camp in terms of his connection with Geno, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there; it’s just a work in progress, which is normal for a rookie. The fact remains that the guy is 6’5” and ran a 4.30 40-yard dash; dudes like that don’t grow on trees. Like most rookies, he’ll take his lumps early on, but the guy has all the tools to be successful at this level, and he’s been working with Geno and the ones since he arrived in Las Vegas. No time to panic, after all, Amari was a free agent for a reason, and even though I liked the signing, it’s not like he was going to take this offense to the next level; they’ve still got all the pieces in-house they need.

However, Amari’s decision to exit stage left leaves them with just four receivers on the active roster. So, who gets the call-up from the practice squad? The only options there are Alex Bachman, Shedrick Jackson, and Justin Shorter.

Shorter is the only guy on that list who brings next-level size to the table. He’s 6’4” and comes in at 227 pounds, and showed some good physicality during training camp, but I don’t think he’s the guy they turn to.

I think call up Alex Bachman. He had the most impressive camp of any of those guys and was a tough cover in any situation they put him in back in August. Now, I think he gets called up as a “just in case” measure. Maybe we see him get a couple of routes, but I don’t see him getting the nod over rookie Jack Bech, who is now the fourth receiver on the depth chart. Instead, we’ll see a healthy helping of 12 personnel with Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, and a similar dosage of 11 personnel with Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, and Dont’e Thornton Jr. lining up at receiver in those situations.

Is it ideal for a guy to retire just three days before the regular season opener? No, but even though they said he’d be a “big part” of the game plan, how big a part of that game plan could Cooper really have been coming in off the street and after what would have only been a week and a half’s worth of prep? They’ve still got Brock, Jeanty, and Jakobi; they’ll be fine.

MISS ANYTHING?

Catch up on some of our recent stories:

FANSHOTZ FRIDAY

“FanShotz Friday”

By now, you have seen the phenomenal photos we’ve been using in many of our newsletters. They’re some of the best shots you’ll find of your favorite team, captured through the lens of our friend Arnie Bazemore of Fanshotz.com. Every Friday, we’ll feature Arnie’s favorite Raiders shot of the week that he captures at practice or on gameday. You know there aren’t many guys more juiced up for the opener than Madd Maxx, so this week, we’re featuring a shot Arnie snagged of Crosby last season. The menacing smirk says it all. Check out Arnie’s work at his site linked above and reach out if you’re interested in working with him. He’s a great guy and has been so supportive of me over the years when I was at NBC here in Vegas, and he’s come along for the ride with Silver & Black Sports Network, too.

WHAT’S NEXT?

We’ll be back out at Raiders HQ for practice today before hitting the road for the opener in New England this weekend.

So with that in mind, make sure you subscribe to the Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast on YouTube so you don’t miss our post-game podcast from Gillette Stadium after the game. We’ll be recording as soon as we’re done grabbing interviews with the guys in the locker room, so keep your eyes peeled for that as we dive into what went down in the season opener against the Pats.

Catch ya next time,