New England Patriots: Brandin Cooks had a sneaky good season

The New England Patriots wideout took some time to get in sync with the offense, but by the end of the season, he became exactly what Pats fans wanted when he joined the team this offseason.

It took Brandin Cooks a couple games to get used to the New England Patriots offense. He made some mistakes in his routes early in the season, but at the end of the season, he was one of the most important players on the Patriots offense.

Cooks became the deep ball threat that the Patriots needed. He ended the season with 65 catches, 1082 yards, and 7 touchdowns. His deep ball ability is confirmed by the fact that Cooks was in the top 10 in yards per reception with an average of 16.6 yards per catch. Also, Cooks finished 11th in receiving yards.

One of Cooks best moments came against the Houston Texans. It was Cooks breakout game as a Patriot. The moment where we first saw that Cooks was going to be a great receiver and that he and Tom Brady had some great chemistry.

Cooks had 5 catches for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns. Cooks last touchdown was the one that won the game. The Patriots were down by five points and faced an uphill battle having to travel 77 yards. With 33 seconds left Cooks went out wide knowing that he had a chance to win the game, and that’s just what he did.

Cooks got by one man went to the front corner of the end zone, made the catch, secured the ball while facing pressure from the safety over the top, and tapped both feet in bounds. It was an amazing catch and showed just how great Cooks is.

Cooks future in New England

In just one season it seems like Cooks has made a connection with the most important man in New England, Mr.Brady. Cooks loves being Brady’s wideout and Brady gave a verbal love letter to Cooks at the Super Bowl.

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"“Brandin Cooks has been an incredible player for us since he got here,” Brady said. “His attitude, his approach to the game for a young player, his maturity is really what struck me. He is one of the last guys off the field every single day, and what he’s done for our team in one year is really incredible. I haven’t seen it very much from anybody coming in and make the contributions he’s made. He’s done it in his own style, too. He’s not trying to mimic anybody, it’s just him… I love playing with the guy. I love his spirit. I love his attitude. I love his will and determination. I love his leadership. I am very lucky to play with him. Hopefully we have many more years together.”"

With Julien Edelman returning next season he and Cooks could be a dangerous duo. Cooks may be able to get easily by defenders with them having to worry about Edelman underneath.

Next: Stuck on Gronk

Overall, when you were just watching the games you may have thought that Cooks had a sub-par season. When you look at the numbers and see 65 catches and 1082 yards you realize that Cooks had a great season. Hopefully, we will see Cooks be more aggressive for balls next season, but with the addition of Edelman into the gameplan, the passing game looks like it will continue to be the New England Patriots biggest threat.