Despite what we have seen with our own eyes, it feels time for some positive Cooper Rush discussion.
Older sports fans like discussing the good old days. That’s why you’ll often hear that new NBA stars wouldn’t have survived in the ’90s era. That’s why two of the most popular figures in Baltimore Ravens history are a linebacker and a safety, and that also explains why, even in jest, old football jargon is thrown around for the sake of making jokes or driving a point home.
Fans of Lamar Jackson may find this hard to believe, but there was once an old saying that ‘the most popular player on a team is the backup quarterback.’ Do you see what we mean? That isn’t true in Baltimore, and that probably isn’t true in most of the AFC North towns either, except for Cleveland. The Browns have named former Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco as the full-time starter.
Lamar Jackson hasn’t thrown a single pass during the preseason, nor should he. The two-time MVP is much too valuable to trot out in a real game and risk an injury.
Cooper Rush is the next man up. He didn’t play long during the first preseason game vs. the Indianapolis Colts. Sadly, one of his four pass attempts landed in the hands of a man wearing the wrong colored jersey. He was a little better in the second contest, sort of. That one doubled as his mini-revenge game vs. the Dallas Cowboys.
Sure, he only raised the 20.8 rating to a less-than-stellar 68.5, and he doubled his interception total from one in game one to a pair of miscues in the second. Sure, one of those interceptions in Arlington was a nasty pick six, but hold those chins up. Here’s an offer of some Cooper Rush positivity.
Two positive Cooper Rush traits the Ravens would rather not see in meaningful action
Raise those glasses, and toast with us. Hopefully, they’re full of soda or something tame like Kool-Aid, but here’s to a healthy season for Lamar Jackson. Here’s to Cooper Rush being a better quarterback than he has shown us in two preseason appearances with the Ravens.
Dark clouds often have silver linings. Little rain is expected to fall during Baltimore’s possible march to a third Lombardi Trophy, but we’d rather you not be fearful of what may happen if, Heaven forbid, Lamar Jackson gets nicked up and misses a game or two.
Cooper Rush has some positive traits. We’d rather not see them in meaningful games, but you can rest assured that those traits are there if he’s needed to sub in and win in Jackson’s absence.
Sometimes, a short memory is a good thing
They say sometimes a short memory is a good thing to have if you’re a quarterback. Rush didn’t play much in the preseason opener, but after a rocky start and spotting the Cowboys six points, he settled in, helping lead the Ravens to 16 points on offense by way of four first-half scoring drives.
That isn’t exactly setting the world on fire vs. the Cowboys’ backups and reserves, but remember, Baltimore was playing their backups too. It’s hard to imagine him being less efficient if he has Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and others at his disposal while leading this offense.
Experience is always key in the NFL
If Eric DeCosta, the Ravens’ scouting staff, John Harbaugh, and Todd Monken weren’t in on Cooper Rush collectively, then trust us on this. He wouldn’t be here. He wouldn’t be part of this team.
Rush wasn’t signed because Baltimore needed him to start. They don’t need him to be a carbon copy of Lamar Jackson. He’s here primarily for what he offers Jackson and company in the QB meeting room.
There’s no sense in lying. He didn’t look good vs. the Colts. He also got off to a rocky start vs. the Cowboys, but he can win games. Remember, this is the same guy who etched out a 9-5 record as a starter in Dallas when, more often than not, everything was working against him. That ought to count for something.
