It's not quite using a racial slur while inebriated at a Kenny Chesney concert, but it still seems unnecessarily inflammatory.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper hasn't been producing at the same rate as last season when he managed 47 receptions for 835 yards - an effort that saw him rewarded with a new five-year, $22.5 million contract signed in the offseason. He's currently third on the team with 39 catches for 425 yards and a touchdown this season, according to NFL.com, but his yards-per-catch has dropped from 17.8 yards to 10.9 yards.
He said today, initially in a joking manner and then in a somewhat more serious manner, that part of the reason for his decreased production is the fact that fellow wideout Jeremy Maclin won't sub out as much as he's supposed to because he's trying to get a big contract extension from the team.
"Maclin's trying to get a contract so he's probably not going to try and come out of the game," Cooper said sarcastically, according to a report from Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
After seeing 91 percent of the offensive snaps in the team's first five games this year, Cooper's playing time has dropped to 76 percent in the last six.
In Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans, he played in 67 percent of offensive snaps and was targeted six times, making three grabs for 49 yards. However, on one of those missed attempts by quarterback Mark Sanchez, Cooper was singled up on a deep post and saw the ball picked off by the defensive back when he didn't run a precise enough route or fight the cornerback hard enough for possession of the ball.
Maclin is in the final year of his rookie contract and, absent a new deal, will be a free agent at the end of the season. He currently has 63 catches, 980 yards and 9 touchdowns, according to ESPN.
If Cooper had let it go at the initial quip, it may all have been much ado about nothing. But instead, he further explained his stance on the Maclin contract/Cooper playing time situation.
"We want to sub as much as we can. It doesn't matter who it is," Cooper said. "Hopefully, Maclin gets this thing done and he'll probably be subbing just as much. We want guys out there every four plays. We we're trying to rotate every four plays. I'll be in for four or five depending on if we're going tempo. Six, seven plays and then Huff goes in for two and then I go back in."
Add in the rise in playing time for rookie receivers Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff and there simply may not be enough playing time to go around, at least according to Cooper.
Fortunately for him, he's a big receiver who blocks well in the run/screen game - major tenants of coach Chip Kelly's offense - so even if he's not putting up big numbers, he's contributing to the game plan and the overall success of the team.
"I like blocking. I'm big. I should like blocking. I don't mind it," Cooper said. "Those are the type of people we want here. You don't get all the glory, you don't have the numbers, you don't have the stats, you don't have the touchdowns, but we're 8-3, hopefully, a Super Bowl team. If you're winning games, the organization isn't going to go out and get somebody else when you're grading out well."
