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Post by AggiePride on Sept 13, 2017 14:47:15 GMT -5
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Post by durhamgsoaggie on Sept 13, 2017 18:00:38 GMT -5
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Post by bseballaggie on Sept 14, 2017 3:05:34 GMT -5
Who was it, that said Cohen wasn't recruited, I loved that qoute. This man has an eye for talent(hidden gems). |
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bluehaze
Official BDF member
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Post by bluehaze on Sept 14, 2017 8:05:50 GMT -5
Bears' explanation for not having Tarik Cohen on field on final drive falls flat
Chicago Tribune
The more Dowell Loggains talks, the less confidence you have in the Bears offense figuring anything out.
On Wednesday at Halas Hall, the offensive coordinator explained why running back Tarik Cohen wasn't on the field more during the final drive of Sunday's 23-17 loss to the Falcons. Cohen played the final fourth-and-goal from the 5 but stood on the sideline for eight of the 16 plays of the series, long enough to wonder why the Bears didn't ask more out of the game's most electrifying player. He wasn't hurt. He wasn't tired. He just was at the mercy of the few people at Soldier Field who apparently didn't think he was up for the job of saving the day — his coaches.
"He's not ready to handle the burden of everything now," Loggains said.
History is heavy, coach, but at least give the kid a chance to carry it. Cohen set a franchise record for all-purpose yards in a rookie debut with 158: 66 yards on five carries, 47 on eight pass receptions and 45 on three punt returns. That's 16 touches, but it wasn't enough. The most dangerous weapon on the field for the Bears touched the ball only once on the final drive with the game on the line, a measly 4-yard catch. The offensive player who gave the Bears their best chance to beat the Falcons on the last series was more bystander than game-saver, by design.
At that point, trailing by six points in the closing minutes, the reward of Cohen breaking a big gain outweighed the risk of the rookie not knowing his assignment. The Bears will be quick to point out that third-down back Benny Cunningham went down with an injury so starting running back Jordan Howard was deemed a more-than-capable replacement given his experience. That would be easier to justify if Howard hadn't dropped a potential game-winning touchdown pass at the 1.
Cohen's failure to read a blitz earlier in the game led to a sack, surely influencing the coaches' decision. So why not insert Cohen as a receiver the way the Bears did earlier, keeping Howard at running back to help pass protection? The situation called for the Bears to adjust, and their coaches came up short.
Quarterback Mike Glennon moved the chains efficiently in the two-minute drill and advanced the ball to the 5, but every down Cohen watched, the Falcons defense worried a little less. A team that lacks playmakers can't make its offense easier to defend. Coach John Fox indeed referenced pass protection as a reason for Cohen not playing, but at what point does Fox's job protection make those minor concerns moot? Coaches in make-or-break seasons need to find ways to get their most explosive players on the field, period.
Ride the hot hand, if you will, and only a few running backs in the NFL were any hotter than Cohen in Week 1. The secret was out about the 5-foot-6-inch, 181-pound dynamo from North Carolina A&T after a dazzling 46-yard run in which he reversed field, if not sooner. The fourth-round draft pick with so many nicknames looks as if he could become a household name in Chicago — if the Bears can figure out how to utilize the talents of the team's most explosive player since Devin Hester, that is.
If inexperience got in the way of victory Sunday, it was Loggains' more than Cohen's as the unproven play-caller in charge of the offense left us scratching our heads yet again.
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oleschoolaggie
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2009 Poster of the Year, 2009 Most Knowledgeable Poster
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Post by oleschoolaggie on Sept 14, 2017 8:55:48 GMT -5
wow! tarik is killing it in chicago!!
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bluehaze
Official BDF member
Posts: 6,382
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Post by bluehaze on Sept 14, 2017 9:13:28 GMT -5
MORRISSEY: Fun is wherever Tarik Cohen happens to beBEARS 09/13/2017, 11:34pm Rick Morrissey @morrisseycst linkIt says something about the rebuilding Bears that we’re wondering how their next opponent plans to neutralize a fourth-round draft pick who made his NFL debut last week. But it says much, much more about fun. Tarik Cohen is fun. Fun is good. There hasn’t been fun around the Bears in quite a while, and, OK, you’re right, there hasn’t been much good, either. But perhaps somewhere down the line, if the rebuild turns a corner, the two can work hand in hand. Against the Falcons on Sunday, Cohen ran five times for 66 yards, caught eight passes for 47 yards and a touchdown and returned three punts for 45 yards. But the numbers that really stick out are five and six, as in 5-foot-6. It’s why Cohen has become a darling of social media, why his nickname is The Human Joystick and why his big plays look bigger than other players’ big plays.  Small is fun. When Cohen stands in the huddle, you wonder if one of the Bears’ offensive linemen will pick him up and use him as a deodorant stick. Then he gets his hands on the football, and the chance for something larger than life announces itself. “I feel bigger than everybody on the field,’’ he said Wednesday. That we’re talking in such lofty terms about someone very few of us in Chicago knew about before the April draft is a little unsettling. The six-county area is littered with yellowed newspaper clippings of athletes we’ve regrettably hyped. Curtis Enis comes to mind. So does Felix Pie. Is Cohen capable of being this good all the time? Are we partial to him because we naturally root for the underdog? Is it because this underdog is the size of a Boston terrier? All of this will be sorted out in the weeks and months ahead. But for now, the Falcons game was an eye-opener. “I feel like I just proved that I’m a player, a football player, no matter my size, no matter where I’ve come from as far as my college (North Carolina A&T). I’m just a football player, and I can make plays for this team,’’ he said. The Bears are normally closemouthed about everything, following coach John Fox’s zipped-lip lead, but they can’t stop talking about Cohen heading into their game Sunday in Tampa. “The secret’s out,’’ offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. “Everybody knows who Tarik is now. Give him a lot of credit. He played quarterback. He played slot receiver, outside receiver, running back. He’s a smart kid. The greatest asset the kid has outside the physical skills, he might be our hardest practice player. He works his tail off. “… He’s a playmaker. The Bucs have seen the tape, and they’re going to obviously be aware of where he’s at, and they’re going to work really hard to try to take him away.’’ They already are. “I showed our team in the team meeting this morning four plays on him, and it’s probably not too hard for you guys to guess which four,’’ Tampa Bay coach Dirk Koetter told Chicago reporters Wednesday. One would be his 46-yard cutback run. Another would Cohen’s handoff from the quarterback spot to Jordan Howard for a four-yard scoring play. The 19-yard touchdown reception was nice. And there was a 15-yard run that was pretty good, too. “Don’t look at him as 5-6 because he doesn’t look at himself that way,’’ Loggains said. Cohen’s size is a problem when the Bears need an extra blocker, and it’s a potential problem when they send him over the middle to catch a pass. The team said one of the reasons he wasn’t on the field for three of the final four plays Sunday was because they needed more blocking. The Bears love his effort and fearlessness, but they’ll have neither if they continue passing to him where linebackers congregate. It’s a broken bone waiting to happen. “I don’t think he thinks that way,’’ Loggains said. It’s the coaches’ responsibility to think that way for him. When the Bears drafted Cohen, they were looking for a dual-threat back who could make life hellish for opponents, especially on third down. They were looking for a Darren Sproles, whom general manager Ryan Pace had worked with in New Orleans. In 2011, Sproles rushed for 603 yards and had 710 receiving yards. Many fantasy football aficionados were willing to trade their first-born children for Sproles. Cohen is getting similar feedback via social media. “It’s the main thing I’ve heard,’’ he said. “Some people were like, ‘I had you on the bench. I should have started you. I’m a believer now.’ ” One game isn’t much of a sample size. On the other hand, size apparently doesn’t matter.
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bluehaze
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Posts: 6,382
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Post by bluehaze on Sept 14, 2017 9:17:55 GMT -5
Bears rookie Tarik Cohen 'hell' to contain, Bucs defensive back saysGreg AumanGreg Auman, Times Staff Writer Wednesday, September 13, 2017 2:19pm tampabay.comAs much as Bears rookie Tarik Cohen surprised much of the NFL with a breakout debut Sunday, at least one Bucs player knew exactly what he'd be facing this week as Chicago comes to play Tampa Bay. "When I saw what he did in his first game, I wasn't shocked at all," said cornerback Ryan Smith, who played at N.C. Central when Cohen played for rival N.C. A&T. "He's a great player, a great athlete. I played him my last two years, and he gave us hell. We beat him, but he was a great player."  Smith and Central won both meetings in close games -- close enough to win by a single yard. In 2014, Cohen rushed for 203 yards and two touchdowns, and was on his way to a tying score in the final five minutes when Central forced a fumble inside the 5-yard line; Smith recovered the loose ball at the 1-yard line to preserve the lead. Smith had eight tackles in that win, and in 2015, Central won again, but the 5-foot-6 Cohen, nicknamed "The Human Joystick" for his video-game moves, went for 112 yards in a 21-16 loss. Cohen, a fourth-round draft pick, may have caught the Falcons by surprise, but the Bucs have an advantage in that they were able to watch the Bears' season-opening loss. Defensive coordinator Mike Smith said it was clear that Chicago wanted to get Cohen involved -- he had five rushes for 66 yards, including a 46-yard run to set up a tying touchdown before halftime, and also caught eight passes, including a 19-yard touchdown. "They obviously wanted to get that rookie the ball as much as possible," Mike Smith said. "By the way, he's a game-wrecker. He's a guy that can really scoot. He's got great speed. He's not very tall. He's going to create mismatch issues for our linebackers, and they want to get him the ball. ... He's a talented guy and they definitely were wanting to have him be an integral part of what they want to do offensively."
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oleschoolaggie
Official BDF member
2009 Poster of the Year, 2009 Most Knowledgeable Poster
Posts: 25,107
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Post by oleschoolaggie on Sept 14, 2017 10:46:44 GMT -5
A&T celebrates NFL debut by alumnus, Bears rookie Tarik Cohen By Jeff Mills jeff.mills@greensboro.com  GREENSBORO — Tarik Cohen stood beside his locker at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon, surrounded by more than a dozen microphones, cameras and recorders. Cohen wore a white sleeveless undershirt, looked each reporter in the eye and answered their questions like a pro. After all, he is a pro. But the Chicago Bears' overnight sensation is also still the same guy he was for four years at A&T, when the 5-foot-6 running back rewrote the MEAC record book. “Tarik still does a lot for this (A&T) team today,” Aggies quarterback Lamar Raynard said today. “That’s why I love him. He’s a down-to-earth guy, a great guy. He still talks to us every day. I mean it. Every day, he’s on our group chat.”... link i like this statement from that article... |
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oleschoolaggie
Official BDF member
2009 Poster of the Year, 2009 Most Knowledgeable Poster
Posts: 25,107
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Post by oleschoolaggie on Sept 14, 2017 10:49:38 GMT -5
man, this dude makes me so very "proud"!!  |
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Post by neighborhoodsuperstar on Sept 14, 2017 11:07:28 GMT -5
I'm loving this.....but I'll be glad to move on to week 2. Man, if I was Cohen, I'd be walking around Chicago in a mink coat, with rings on every finger and platinum fronts on all my teeth.....AFTER WEEK ONE!!
Hopefully, the young man from Bunn, NC, is staying grounded and focused. I hope he's in the film room and in the playbook, working on his craft. I also hope he ain't reading too much of his press clippings. If so, his head may not be able to fit in his helmet on Sunday. The CHI is hyping this dude up big time.....
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Post by ohsixrain on Sept 14, 2017 13:30:46 GMT -5
I don't think his head will get big at all...reason being, if that were the case, his head would've never fit into an A&T helmet after his freshman year.
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Post by bseballaggie on Sept 14, 2017 15:09:30 GMT -5
MORRISSEY: Fun is wherever Tarik Cohen happens to beBEARS 09/13/2017, 11:34pm Rick Morrissey @morrisseycst linkIt says something about the rebuilding Bears that we’re wondering how their next opponent plans to neutralize a fourth-round draft pick who made his NFL debut last week. But it says much, much more about fun. Tarik Cohen is fun. Fun is good. There hasn’t been fun around the Bears in quite a while, and, OK, you’re right, there hasn’t been much good, either. But perhaps somewhere down the line, if the rebuild turns a corner, the two can work hand in hand. Against the Falcons on Sunday, Cohen ran five times for 66 yards, caught eight passes for 47 yards and a touchdown and returned three punts for 45 yards. But the numbers that really stick out are five and six, as in 5-foot-6. It’s why Cohen has become a darling of social media, why his nickname is The Human Joystick and why his big plays look bigger than other players’ big plays. Small is fun. When Cohen stands in the huddle, you wonder if one of the Bears’ offensive linemen will pick him up and use him as a deodorant stick. Then he gets his hands on the football, and the chance for something larger than life announces itself. “I feel bigger than everybody on the field,’’ he said Wednesday. That we’re talking in such lofty terms about someone very few of us in Chicago knew about before the April draft is a little unsettling. The six-county area is littered with yellowed newspaper clippings of athletes we’ve regrettably hyped. Curtis Enis comes to mind. So does Felix Pie. Is Cohen capable of being this good all the time? Are we partial to him because we naturally root for the underdog? Is it because this underdog is the size of a Boston terrier? All of this will be sorted out in the weeks and months ahead. But for now, the Falcons game was an eye-opener. “I feel like I just proved that I’m a player, a football player, no matter my size, no matter where I’ve come from as far as my college (North Carolina A&T). I’m just a football player, and I can make plays for this team,’’ he said. This photo matches the Cartwright TD against Mars Hill |
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Post by Striktly on Sept 14, 2017 15:14:56 GMT -5
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Post by aggieepower1990 on Sept 14, 2017 20:41:48 GMT -5
Is Tarik's NFL performance the best all time of any Aggie to play in the NFL? I know Dwane Board had some great performances on defence but how does Tarik's performance rank?
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Post by Striktly on Sept 14, 2017 21:53:31 GMT -5
Is Tarik's NFL performance the best all time of any Aggie to play in the NFL? I know Dwane Board had some great performances on defence but how does Tarik's performance rank? I don't think this one was the best but I visualize Tarik having a much better game in the future. Bethea went to 8 Pro Bowls and is in the NFL Hall of Fame for a reason. I've only seen his killer highlights but I heard he terrorized QB's in his day. |
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