AFC Notes: Davante Adams, Amari Cooper, Bills, Jets, Patriots

Bills

Bills WR Amari Cooper is excited about a fresh start with a new team after being traded to Buffalo.

“Yeah, it does. It does 100% for several reasons actually,” Cooper said, via ESPN. “It’s just that feeling of having a fresh beginning, a new start, a blank canvas that you get to control your destiny, you know?”

Bills QB Josh Allen said that adding Cooper to the offense will give them an emotional boost.

“Absolutely, it’s Amari Cooper, so, we’re very excited about that,” Allen said when asked if the addition is an emotional boost for the offense. “I know the whole offense is, and that receiver room, they’re going to welcome him with open arms and be ready to work with him, and try to learn from him, too, because he’s had a lot of success in this league and obviously holds a lot of knowledge, so I think it’s going to help our guys a lot.”

Cooper is also excited about playing with Allen, who he called one of the game’s best quarterbacks.

“As far as the way [Allen] plays, I mean, it’s phenomenal,” he said. “Every time I turn on the television and watch him play, he plays with a lot of grit, a lot of hustle, he plays hard, and obviously he’s been one of the top quarterbacks in the game for a while now. So, just to be able to play with him and experience that in person, I think it’s going to be real cool.”

Bills HC Sean McDermott said he’s unsure if Cooper will play on Sunday. Cooper added that he will control what he can and take advantage of the opportunities given to him.

“I would still have to kind of go through the week, get a routine, still learning the playbook and everything. I just got here, you know what I mean?” Cooper said. “So, I don’t really have an expectation right now that I can chalk up to being realistic until I go through the week. Obviously, if I had to answer the question, the expectation would just be to take it to take full advantage of my opportunities. That’s it. I don’t know what opportunities I would be blessed with for Sunday, but whatever it is, just take full advantage of it.”

• Cooper on learning the team’s offense ahead of his first game: “It’s been going smoothly. I’m a quick learner so hasn’t really been that tough, but obviously, I haven’t learned the whole offense yet…think for the time being I’ve picked it up pretty well…Football is not that easy, there’s definitely an array of plays, and I’ll have to stick around to learn the whole thing and to really get it into my memory.” (Alaina Getzenberg)

Jets

Jets’ recently acquired WR Davante Adams admitted he’s glad to be past his trade saga with the Raiders and felt it was “time for a change.” 

“It’s been a roller coaster, for sure. It’s a weird thing to say that I’m happy, but obviously it was time for a change,” Adams said, via NFL.com. “This whole thing transpired a little weird, but at the end of the day, we’re in a better place. I think that the Raiders are in a better place, as well. Everybody can kinda move on.”

Adams said he told the Raiders’ front office he wanted to be traded to the Jets and feels an added level of confidence being reunited with Aaron Rodgers.

“Essentially, yeah,” Adams said. “I mean, that’s where it started. All the fans, everybody who’s associated with the Raiders, they see everything, they see a trade demand, and they just think he wants out, he’s quitting on the team, when it’s more about just being able to feel like I can … I don’t want that helpless feeling of feeling like I’m on the field — not every game’s gonna be a 100-yard game or a 150-, 200-yard game — but I wanna feel like I can impact the game every time I touch the field. So just having the confidence that I’ll be able to make some plays and change the game if need be versus getting out there on the field and feeling like we need too many things to go right in order for me to be successful.”

Adams reiterated that he was ecstatic to be playing alongside Rodgers once again. 

“It’s great just being back, being able to be with my guy,” Adams said. “First and foremost, just being able to spend time with him everyday again is something that I put a lot of value on. Just having his company, but obviously having him as my quarterback again, he’s part of why I am who I am and why I turned into the player. Whether it’s the cerebral approach, it’s the attention to detail, just learning from him and watching him operate and just how dialed he is in at all times, I feel like that has a lot to do with how I ultimately ended up functioning the way I do as a player.”

• Jets DL Javon Kinlaw was fined $15,944 for Unsportsmanlike Conduct (verbal abuse of an official) in Week 6.

Patriots

• Patriots DT Christian Barmore released a statement regarding his recent arrest: “A few days have gone by since the incident with the Providence police and I have had a chance to deeply reflect on my behavior. I want everyone to know that I’m sorry and I take full accountability for my actions. I apologize to the Providence Police Department, my teammates, and my family. My mother was a police officer and I understand the pressures related to their job. Which I didn’t make any easier by reacting in the manner that I did. I am using this as an opportunity to learn and do better. I have already met with members of the Providence Police Department to apologize in person. It is my hope that they accept my sincere apology. That meeting is just the first step of many that I am taking on the route to self-improvement.”
• Patriots OC Alex Van Pelt believes first-round QB Drake Maye is “very different” at this point than he was at the beginning of the season. (Zack Cox)
• Van Pelt cited a practice rep against a cover zero blitz where Maye threw a touchdown as a clear indicator of his improvement. (Cox)
• Patriots ST coordinator Jeremy Springer noted that every other team would have expressed interest in S Brenden Schooler if he hit the open market before being extended. (Kyed)