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http://www.rams-news.com/connor-cook-captain-issue-seems-like-lazy-reporting-bonsignore/
In our never-ending quest to nitpick NFL Draft prospects, Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook has come under the microscope for his supposedly spotty leadership qualities.
Cook, incidentally, could be a quarterback the Los Angeles Rams have interest in in the NFL Draft April 28-30 in Chicago.
How and why this became an issue is anyone’s guess – especially for someone who went 34-5 as a three-year starter, including a 2-0 record in Big 10 Championship games and beating Stanford and Baylor to win the Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl championships – but it seems to have started when someone noticed Cook wasn’t a Michigan State captain for a game last season, and wondered why a senior quarterback wasn’t picked by his teammates to be the captain.
Which led to speculation that maybe Cook wasn’t respected by his teammates enough to earn the honor. And perhaps that was a statement about his leadership skills.
Needless to say, people ran with it. And by the time he arrived at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last February, he was being asked about it left and right.
Seems to me like there was some spotty reporting going on, because Cook not only had a perfectly valid explanation about the situation, when the facts came out it was hard not to throw shade on the laziness of whoever started all the nonsense.
And having been present when Cook explained himself, I couldn’t help but be impressed with his poise and conciseness addressing such a difficult topic.
First off, it’s inaccurate to say Cook was not a Michigan State captain last year, as he took the field four times in 2015 as the Spartans captain.
See, Michigan State last year was a heavily experienced team with 12 highly respected seniors – Cook being one of them – who made up the Spartans leadership committee. That committee picked captains each week, and Cook was chosen four times.
The Spartans didn’t pick yearly captains – as some teams do – they went week to week.
In fact, let Cook explain:
“We had a great group of leaders that were seniors. We had a leadership council of 12 guys, and they would pick, each and every week, a different guy in that council, which I was in, to be a captain. I was selected for four games. Usually only guys get selected once throughout the season. I was able to be the captain for the Oregon game, Ohio State, the bowl game, and the Big Ten Championship Game, as well.”
Or, as Spartans teammate Jack Conklin explained at the Combine:
“I mean I think it’s a little bit of overkill at this point. Connor was a leader on our team no doubt. Talk to anybody at the Michigan State program and you’ll get the same answer. I think this is going to be a stage for him to prove to people he’s a leader, he can be that guy that leads a team in games, he can make those throws in tight windows, be a fourth-quarter guy who comes in and leads a team down the stretch.’’
That isn’t to say Cook will be an All-Pro, or that he’ll step in a dominate from Game One on.
But by all accounts, the whole leadership thing just seems like some lazy reporting.
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In our never-ending quest to nitpick NFL Draft prospects, Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook has come under the microscope for his supposedly spotty leadership qualities.
Cook, incidentally, could be a quarterback the Los Angeles Rams have interest in in the NFL Draft April 28-30 in Chicago.
How and why this became an issue is anyone’s guess – especially for someone who went 34-5 as a three-year starter, including a 2-0 record in Big 10 Championship games and beating Stanford and Baylor to win the Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl championships – but it seems to have started when someone noticed Cook wasn’t a Michigan State captain for a game last season, and wondered why a senior quarterback wasn’t picked by his teammates to be the captain.
Which led to speculation that maybe Cook wasn’t respected by his teammates enough to earn the honor. And perhaps that was a statement about his leadership skills.
Needless to say, people ran with it. And by the time he arrived at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last February, he was being asked about it left and right.
Seems to me like there was some spotty reporting going on, because Cook not only had a perfectly valid explanation about the situation, when the facts came out it was hard not to throw shade on the laziness of whoever started all the nonsense.
And having been present when Cook explained himself, I couldn’t help but be impressed with his poise and conciseness addressing such a difficult topic.
First off, it’s inaccurate to say Cook was not a Michigan State captain last year, as he took the field four times in 2015 as the Spartans captain.
See, Michigan State last year was a heavily experienced team with 12 highly respected seniors – Cook being one of them – who made up the Spartans leadership committee. That committee picked captains each week, and Cook was chosen four times.
The Spartans didn’t pick yearly captains – as some teams do – they went week to week.
In fact, let Cook explain:
“We had a great group of leaders that were seniors. We had a leadership council of 12 guys, and they would pick, each and every week, a different guy in that council, which I was in, to be a captain. I was selected for four games. Usually only guys get selected once throughout the season. I was able to be the captain for the Oregon game, Ohio State, the bowl game, and the Big Ten Championship Game, as well.”
Or, as Spartans teammate Jack Conklin explained at the Combine:
“I mean I think it’s a little bit of overkill at this point. Connor was a leader on our team no doubt. Talk to anybody at the Michigan State program and you’ll get the same answer. I think this is going to be a stage for him to prove to people he’s a leader, he can be that guy that leads a team in games, he can make those throws in tight windows, be a fourth-quarter guy who comes in and leads a team down the stretch.’’
That isn’t to say Cook will be an All-Pro, or that he’ll step in a dominate from Game One on.
But by all accounts, the whole leadership thing just seems like some lazy reporting.
Share this post ...
