Amari Cooper
I had 1,000 yards when I played on plantar fasciitis before.
I've been playing football all my life.
I bring a lot of playmaking ability.
I can stretch the defense.
It feels great to be wanted by any team in the NFL.
There is something to be said about making a big play at any time.
That is the type of player I think I am, and the type of player I want to be - a big-play guy.
I feel like I know what defensive backs are going to do before they do it.
I just want to get better and I love football.
To be able to run routes, that's like the greatest thing to me. It's kind of like an art to me. It's like a painter drawing or something like that. That's how I feel every time I run a route.
I mean, I want to play, to be able to put up numbers to help my team win. Whatever I've got to do to do that, I'm cool with it.
The more opportunities you have in any setting, situation, you're going to be better off.
With my position, you have to kind of be three steps ahead of your opponent.
I want to be the best receiver to ever play the game. I feel like I can do it. I know I have the ability to do it. But it's all about going out there and proving it.
No, I don't want to play with Tom Brady. I want to beat Tom Brady. I want to play with Dak Prescott.
I love Dak. He's a born leader from what I can see.
I just like everything about Dak.
I think I definitely have the mentality and skill set to be a top-five receiver, that's no doubt.
I think a lot of games in Oakland were just time being wasted, for a lack of a better phrase. I felt like I would play in some games that were four quarters, just like every other game, but it didn't feel like I was doing anything. It just felt like I was out there.
We would always rush to do our homework because after work, we knew that it was football.
I don't want to prove the Raiders wrong. I just want to prove the Cowboys right. They traded for me, and I'm going to be a good player for them.
Anytime I can get into a situation in which I'm running routes, I love it. I mean, I'd go out in the streets and just run some routes.
I'm ready to just win, baby.
You can never really get away from the fundamentals of anything that you're doing.
Obviously, when you drop a ball early in the game, it could be worse. You can go on to drop many more balls or stuff like that.
I'm kind of like a perfectionist when it comes to just having a complete game. So it's always kind of difficult for me to shake off a drop or something like that.
I mean, I don't really remember playing a full season ever being 100 percent.
I know the college rule is if they push you out of bounds, you can come back in and catch the ball, but I think the NFL rule is it doesn't matter how you get out of bounds, you can't be the first one to touch the ball. That's what I think it is, I'm not really sure on that.
When I got to Alabama, I was really small.
The plantar fasciitis that I had before it really kinda bothered me when I directly cut on the foot.
Everything was really competitive. We used to always do field day, relays. Races. I was always just naturally good at those things. So when I started playing football, I used some of those traits.
When someone did a route, I was always able to emulate exactly how they did it.
Really, you don't want to think about yards after the catch when the ball is in the air. You want to think about catching the ball. And then let the rest play its way out.
I just have to protect the ball, keep it secure.
My business is to come out here and play football.
I just wanted to prove that I can play wide receiver at a high level.
Coach Kiffin calls plays based on matchups and what he sees.
Some coaches and quarterbacks over-analyze things at times. Sometimes it can be pitch and catch, let the play-makers make plays.
If you see one negative person a lot of people start to get negative, and that's not good for any time.
I thought you got faster by running on sleds. That does get you faster, but the most important thing when it comes to speed is getting your technique down. Technique, that's the main thing when it comes to speed.
I'm pretty good at playing with foot injuries.
I guess it's a good thing to do, but people go for 1,000 yards every year, so it's not really a big thing.
Most corners are similar in terms of how you can beat them.
I mean, every player is hurt every year, so that's not really an excuse for everything.
I've been hurt every year I played football.
Obviously as a receiver, you want to go out there and make plays for your team and win.
When I found out I was going to be a Dallas Cowboy, I just knew I would have to adapt fast. I knew everything would happen real fast. I didn't really have time to think about it, to be honest.
I think my mindset is probably the most important thing. Being able to stay positive through whatever injury I had or whatever situation I was going through and focusing on the best player and the best teammate I can be.
I wanted to play running back, but they would never put me at running back. I started loving receiver and as I kept growing older, we kept throwing the ball more and I kept liking it more and more. It's something I've played all my life. It's something I've gotten better at each year.