Cooper is back

[Langlier]

resigned today per rotoworld... well he's a welcome sight...

[Raidermania12]

In related news, he's lost 40 pounds of muscle since laying off the steroids. :o

[hawaiianboy]

Coop is back, but it looks like he'll have company on the inactive list with Jordan, Burgess and Warren all out:


Cooper to join others on bench (http://www.ibabuzz.com/raidersblog/2007/10/12/cooper-to-join-others-on-bench/)

Posted by Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer on Friday at 1:36 pm

Jarrod Cooper returned to the Raiders Friday, but will be inactive against the San Diego Chargers, coach Lane Kiffin said.

Cooper will have plenty of company. LaMont Jordan (back) and Derrick Burgess (calf) are both doubtful and extremely unlikely to play.

"LaMont feels the worst that he’s felt for years," Kiffin said. "So we’ll go down there and take him out early and see if he can go. Derrick, really no new updates. He still feels the same. They’re both doubtful for the game. But we’ll take them on the trip, warm them up and make a last minute decision."

With defensive tackle Gerard Warren, the Raiders' sack leader with three, the decision has already been made. Warren has not practiced since Thursday of the bye week with a thigh injury.

"(Warren) didn't practice and he'll be out for the game," Kiffin said. Kiffin said he didn't anticipate Warren's injury being long-term.

More news, notes and observations:

– With Burgess and Warren out, defensive line reshuffling could find Tommy Kelly playing some defensive tackle and Tyler Brayton moving outside.

– Linebacker Isaiah Ekejiuba is listed as questionable with a foot injury, but Kiffin said he anticipated him playing against San Diego.

– Cooper said his four-game suspension for violating the NFL substance abuse policy came from ingnorance as opposed to trying to beat the system.

"I’m not out there running with Marion Jones," Cooper said. "It was over-the-counter, just something you pick up at your local vitamin store. It wasn’t FDA approved, and they’re always saying, check it, check it, and you know, for how many years I’ve been playing football . . . I’ve never failed a drug test. Ever. And I just wasn’t paying attention.

"It was my fault, totally, because I went to the store, I bought it, and I didn’t think about it. Just a recovery shake, and something was in it, and there you go."
After the positive test, which Cooper said he initially thought was a mistake, he enlisted the help of strength coach Jeff Fish to work backward and determine the offending supplement.

– Kiffin said the door had been left open for Cooper at the time of his departure.
"I had a conversation with him about him doing things right and him handling himself right and that there’d be a chance for him to come back," Kiffin said. "Part of what went into the decision at the time was to release him at the time gave a lot of other guys opportunities opposed to a guy that you knew couldn’t play the first four games. And to keep him at that time and he’s taking up reps in practice from other guys, younger guys and other guys getting better. And it gives us a chance to look at other guys so that went into it as well."

– When he came off suspension, Cooper said contact had been initiated from other teams but that he wanted to return to Oakland.

"I talked to my agent, and I really told him that I wanted to be here. If it meant pay cut, then pay cut," Cooper said. "This is my seventh year, hopefully I can make it to 10, and I want to retire a Raiders. By the grace of God it worked out, and I’m just very excited to be here."

– Cooper, who used to regale the media with tall tales destined for the book he would some day write, has a new schtick.

"I just finished production of my movie," Cooper said. "It’s called Cooper’s Ablazin’. It’s a western. I’ll give a copy at the end of this interview and you can show a clip."
Later when asked if he had kept in touch with teammates during his absence, Cooper said, "No, when I was shooting my movie, it’s off location, some island scenes. Even though it’s a western, there are a lot of island scenes. So I was out of the country."

[Jack's sore libido]

Man, Jarrod Cooper is one of my favorite players to read quotes from. He's just really, really candid.

[Crow]

Definitely a unique character. Gotta love him.

[RaiderIVlife]

Definitely a unique character. Gotta love him.

Top that off with his burning desire to be here (taking a pay cut), plays hard as fuck, loves the player-fan interaction, how refreshing.

[Langlier]

Top that off with his burning desire to be here (taking a pay cut), plays hard as fuck, loves the player-fan interaction, how refreshing.

something tells me BJ and Eugene were playing to keep the seat warm for him till the suspension ended... wish it was eugene going but I'm glad to have him back.

[Limee]

"It was my fault, totally,

Certainly refreshing to see. It is not good to see both Burgess and Warren out for this game.

[Raidermania12]

I'm not going to call him a favorite. But if he wants to be here the rest of his career, and works hard at doing so. He's alright with me all day every day of the week. At the moment I personally wish we coulda kept Bing. But thats not an option at this point, so kudos to Cooper.

[RaiderIVlife]

I'm not going to call him a favorite. But if he wants to be here the rest of his career, and works hard at doing so. He's alright with me all day every day of the week. At the moment I personally wish we coulda kept Bing. But thats not an option at this point, so kudos to Cooper.

By and large Jarrod Cooper is a fan favorite, even if you just so happen to have a divergent opinion.

[Crow]

Top that off with his burning desire to be here (taking a pay cut), plays hard as fuck, loves the player-fan interaction, how refreshing.
Definitely the type of mentality every player should have.
something tells me BJ and Eugene were playing to keep the seat warm for him till the suspension ended... wish it was eugene going but I'm glad to have him back.
Borderline conspiracy theorizing, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if that were true.
Certainly refreshing to see.
Chris Cooper: A breath of fresh air...covered in tattoos and snakes.
I'm not going to call him a favorite. But if he wants to be here the rest of his career, and works hard at doing so. He's alright with me all day every day of the week. At the moment I personally wish we coulda kept Bing. But thats not an option at this point, so kudos to Cooper.
Bing was useless. Couldn't make it as a safety. Didn't have the heart to play LB. I don't even think he stuck in San Fran.

As for Cooper, the guy's a fan favorite and a locker room favorite. He was, and likely will be, a team captain. He may not bring much to the defense, but he brings something to the team. I'm for it.

[SoCalRaider]

As for Cooper, the guy's a fan favorite and a locker room favorite. He was, and likely will be, a team captain. He may not bring much to the defense, but he brings something to the team. I'm for it.

Every team could use a guy like this... I still have him earmarked as a potential standout special teams guy...

[Raidermania12]

By and large Jarrod Cooper is a fan favorite, even if you just so happen to have a divergent opinion.

I meant for me he's not a favorite. Sorry, false alarm on an opening for an antagonistic reply. ;) Seriously kudos to Cooper, hope he does well for us.

[Raidermania12]

He may not bring much to the defense, but he brings something to the team. I'm for it.

no arguments there if he does. Checking Kiff's interview, it seems the plan was to resign him all along. Very classy on Kiff's part to keep his word. As far as Bing goes, I woulda liked to have seen him play before making a judgment on him. But again its been over, so it is what it is.