RIP Greg Cook

[tripleoption34]

Former QB in the very early days of the Bengals franchise that was derailed by a shoulder injury. Ask some older football fans and a healthy Cook becomes a big "What if he was healthy?"

Bill Walsh insisted that Cook was the best QB he ever saw. Once talked with some old-timers who remembered him and each felt Cook would have been a Hall of Fame caliber player had there been better medical techniques that would have prevented him from throwing his arm out very early in his career.

 

[Dan Hickling]

sad to hear ... remember seeing him in a snowstorm at the old Rockpile in Buffalo during his rookie year ... and yes, he should have had quite the career ....

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

 

[Stoney]

One of the the all time "what could've been" figures. Had a tremendous rookie season in which he looked like a budding superstar, and then injuries ruined him from there.

 

[BrianGriffin]

At first, I thought this was about the "Cookie Monster" off LSU's 1981 Final Four team. He died seven years ago, I believe.

So now all the Greg Cooks relevant to the sports world have passed...or am I missing one?

 

[LanceyHoward]

A good way to compare quarterbacks between generations is to look at average yards per pass. This way you can compare the QB who completes a high percentage because he throws a lot of passes to the running backs and the long ball thrower who tries to hit his wide receivers and has a lower completion percentage.

Quarterbacks of 40-50 years ago typically did not complete as high a percentage of passes but their average yards per completed pass was higher. In his rookie year Cook averaged 9.4 yards per pass. Aaron Rodgers just had an extraordinary season and averaged 9.25 yards per pass. Ah, what might have been.

 

[Quakes]

Dr. Z -- bless him -- wrote a nice piece about Cook for SI.com back in 2001:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/dr_z/news/2001/10/10/drz_insider/

 

[MTM]

From Mike Brown: "Greg was the single most talented player we’ve ever had with the Bengals."

 

[Stoney]

Dr. Z -- bless him -- wrote a nice piece about Cook for SI.com back in 2001:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/dr_z/news/2001/10/10/drz_insider/

That's a great read. Nice find.

If we'd had today's medical technology four decades ago Cook might be enshrined in Canton today. Instead he's remembered as the ultimate one year wonder.

 

[Bubbler]

He'd do radio in Cincinnati once in a while. He was pretty good too.

RIP.

 

[Steak Snabler]

RIP to the man whose injury begat the West Coast offense.

Edit to add the Cincinnati Enquirer obit piece on Cook since no one had posted it yet:

http://cin.ci/A1e9UV

 

[dooley_womack1]

Dr. Z -- bless him -- wrote a nice piece about Cook for SI.com back in 2001:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/dr_z/news/2001/10/10/drz_insider/

That's a great read. Nice find.

If we'd had today's medical technology four decades ago Cook might be enshrined in Canton today. Instead he's remembered as the ultimate one year wonder.

So many athletes from the past you could say something like that about. Don Gullett and Bobby Tolan spring to mind.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Dr. Z -- bless him -- wrote a nice piece about Cook for SI.com back in 2001:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/dr_z/news/2001/10/10/drz_insider/

That's a great read. Nice find.

If we'd had today's medical technology four decades ago Cook might be enshrined in Canton today. Instead he's remembered as the ultimate one year wonder.

So many athletes from the past you could say something like that about. Don Gullett and Bobby Tolan spring to mind.

Billy Sims is another. Now he's nothing more than a braying jackass who tries to steal the show at every Heisman presentation.

 

[LanceyHoward]

I watched a video from a Conncinnati televison station and looked at the Cincinnati Enquirer coverage. The television station website quoted Bob Johnson, the former Bengal center, as saying Cook had a drinking problem and also said he would just disappear at times. The obituaries had no mention of any survivors though old Enquirer photos showed a wife and son in 1969. How was Cook doing? I get the feeling there is a backstory nobody wants to fully disclose.

 

[old_tony]

I don't know what this says, but I was 9 years old when Greg Cook was a rookie with the Bengals and I remember him well. We didn't get many Bengals games televised in my town but he must have been on a lot of highlights. The stories seem to bear that out.

 

[Steak Snabler]

I don't know what this says, but I was 9 years old when Greg Cook was a rookie with the Bengals and I remember him well. We didn't get many Bengals games televised in my town but he must have been on a lot of highlights. The stories seem to bear that out.

It says you're old, tony.

 

[old_tony]

I don't know what this says, but I was 9 years old when Greg Cook was a rookie with the Bengals and I remember him well. We didn't get many Bengals games televised in my town but he must have been on a lot of highlights. The stories seem to bear that out.

It says you're old, tony.

You're right. I guess that makes me old old_tony.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

I watched a video from a Conncinnati televison station and looked at the Cincinnati Enquirer coverage. The television station website quoted Bob Johnson, the former Bengal center, as saying Cook had a drinking problem and also said he would just disappear at times. The obituaries had no mention of any survivors though old Enquirer photos showed a wife and son in 1969. How was Cook doing? I get the feeling there is a backstory nobody wants to fully disclose.

Agree there's more to this story. Doesn't add up.

 

[shockey]

r.i.p., greg. this guy was the real deal. we were robbed of seeing him in full bloom -- a tragic end to star qb just about to take hold of the nfl.

 

[Blitz]

At first, I thought this was about the "Cookie Monster" off LSU's 1981 Final Four team. He died seven years ago, I believe.

So now all the Greg Cooks relevant to the sports world have passed...or am I missing one?

Me, too.
My immediate reaction was to think of Cook, who I remember along with Durand "Rudy" Macklin and Dwayne Scales and so many others who were recruited by the legendary Dale Brown.

Ricky Blanton may be the one you are thinking of from LSU who died somewhat recently.

RIP to this Greg Cook.