Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper has had many reasons over the past few years to consider himself fortunate for the teammates and coaches he's had.
And this year, they're continuing to step up and have his back amid what appears to be a drop off in production, but is really just an offense shifting and asking Cooper to do different things.
Despite the fact that Cooper will catch more balls than he did last season (he currently has 46 catches after having 47 in all of 2013), the yardage and touchdowns have been tough to come by (470, 1). Center Jason Kelce told The Philadelphia Daily News that he's seen Cooper mature a great deal throughout the year.
Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur went a step further and called out Cooper's critics.
"Every week, we're answering questions about Coop," Shurmur said, via The Daily News.
"He's out there playing and competing, and the last time I checked, he's only had two drops and we all remember what games they were in, right?" Shurmur said. "We see it differently than you do, but we know exactly what routes are called and the adjustments of the routes depending on the coverage. We certainly see it differently than you do."
Cooper's numbers will see more scrutiny this year because the wideout is making more money (he signed a five-year, $22.5 million). Of course, the addition of Jeremy Maclin and Darren Sproles weren't going to help Cooper see more targets. Until defenses significantly shift the way they cover the Eagles, he'll remain a strong blocking option and secondary receiver.
In the meantime, he is lucky to have coaches and teammates who are willing to point that out.
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