Cooper, Rattlers not Done
Patrick Daly
Friday March 5, 2004
For so many years now, we’ve seen a number of different players emerge from the tunnel in a shower of sparks, but one player has anchored that lineup longer than any other—at wide receiver, from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, number 14, Hernandez “Hunkie” Cooper.
Much was made about last Sunday’s battle between two premier quarterbacks, namely Sherdrick Bonner and Aaron Garcia, and, for the most part, neither disappointed. Garcia’s fourth quarter interception and the injury that knocked him out of the game proved to be a crucial difference. As much as this game was about offense, this was also about pride and building confidence for the remainder of the season.
 Hunkie Cooper Image courtesy of Mike Wright |
With the slow start, some of the many questions about the Rattlers franchise centers on Cooper. Is he too old? Can he still contribute? Is head coach Danny White using him enough? Too much? Regardless of where you stand, if you doubt him, you’ve already made a big mistake.
“When you’ve got 19,000 yards on a 50-yard field, you don’t doubt yourself,” said Cooper. “You just know there’s going to be a situation where you’re going to have to make a play, and you do. That’s nothing short of what I’ve done for 12 years.”
When you listen to Cooper speak, you can hear the confidence he has in himself, even if his role on the field has changed over the years.
“I think my role has changed from [White’s] point of view, but for the players I think they feed off of my fire and what I bring to the game,” said Cooper. “I’m not going to question him. He’s been in this game just as long as I have. I know that sooner or later he’s going to realize that I can still play this game. I’m not going to let him put a cap on my effectiveness. The only thing I can control is my attitude, and it’s going to be good every day.”
It’s no secret that players lose some of their skills over time—players lose a little speed here, some quickness there—but what we often forget is that, as a player gets older, he generally gets smarter. That means knowing the game better and, for players who are truly students of the game like Cooper, putting yourself in a position to make plays.
“It’s not about speed,” said Cooper. “We don’t have a 40-yard route in our offense. It’s about knowing where the ball is going to be. It’s about placement. It’s about timing. It’s about the physical toughness and the mental toughness, and, more than anything, it’s about character. When it looks like there’s no way out, you find a way out, and that’s what our veteran group is able to do. You can replace me with speed. You can replace me with quickness and acceleration. You’re not going to replace me with character and with dignity.”
Rattlers quarterback Sherdrick Bonner backed up Cooper’s sentiment.
“I don’t know a tougher individual,” said Bonner. “First off, he’s a workaholic. He studies film more than anybody else. He’s more prepared than anybody else. There’s no limit to what he can do on the field. He might not be the fastest guy, but he’s definitely one of the smartest guys. He just makes plays.
“To me, he’s still one of the more dominant players because he can do so many different things offensively, as well as defensively. You don’t find that kind of player anywhere.”
At the beginning of the season, I submitted my ballot for a preseason all-Arena Football League team. At wide receiver/linebacker I considered a few players, but there’s one player who epitomizes the heart and character that has made the AFL what is today, and has served as part of the basis upon which the future will build.
“I’ve been the ringleader for a long time,” said Cooper. “There’s going to be a changing of the guard one day, but it’s not going to be this day.”
Change is inevitable, but for now, we should enjoy watching one of the best players to ever step onto an Arena Football field.
Bouncing back
After the 0-2 start, there were more questions than answers. Two games later, the Rattlers have rebounded to a 2-2 record, with the Columbus Destroyers visiting on Friday night. Even if those outside of the organization began doubting this 2004 edition of the Ratters, the team itself knew there was only one way to go.
“When you start out 0-2, the only way to go is up,” said Cooper. “That’s the thing about being at the bottom; you can’t get any lower. You just fight. You’re down there in the down and you just fight, and that’s what you need the team to do.”
Some of the early struggles were due to a lack of timing, but it wasn’t hard to see that the team also started pressing.
“I think during the first couple of games we were trying to make big plays, instead of letting them occur during the game—just knowing where we’re supposed to be,” said Bonner. “I think that’s the biggest difference right now. We’re being patient and taking the underneath stuff, just nickel and dime them to death and then hit them over the top.”
After two solid games, Bonner seems to be finding the rhythm that’s enabled him to help lead the Rattlers to two ArenaBowl appearances over the last two seasons. White isn’t necessarily pleased with the protection that Bonner has received, but it has improved, even if only because the team is working together better as a whole.
“We still don’t have the kind of pass protection we’d like to see,” said White. “He’s still getting hit too much and getting knocked down a lot. He missed a couple throws tonight that he should have made, but Sherdrick played well again tonight—two weeks in a row I think he has managed the game very well.”
Even with the number of playmakers on the Rattler roster, the key is getting everyone involved. According to Bonner, that’s when the offense is most effective.
“I think that’s when we click the best, when we’re getting everybody involved with the ball,” said Bonner. “We don’t have huge numbers, but the numbers are consistent and we just move the ball up and down the field without making any mistakes.”
Patrick Daly has been an Arena Football League enthusiast since he first stumbled across the late-night ESPN broadcasts and has followed the Arizona Rattlers since their inaugural season in 1992. He graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree and is currently a member of a web development team for Direct Alliance in Tempe. Patrick currently resides in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona with his beautiful wife, son and a very large football helmet collection.
