When he walked onto the field yesterday, some of Connor Cook’s teammates weren’t even familiar with the sound of his voice.
They better get that way in a hurry, since Cook could be starting in the playoffs for them.
Cook actually played decently in relief of an injured Matt McGloin. It’s early yet, but the short week before Saturday’s trip to Houston could make it less likely that McGloin will be able to return after a shoulder injury suffered in yesterday’s loss to Denver.
“It was fast,” Cook said, via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. “Obviously, going the whole week not getting a lot of reps and just being thrown out there. It’s just the name of the game. When you’re playing the quarterback spot, if one man goes down then it’s next man up. I was frustrated I didn’t get out there and get some reps. I was trying to get the timing down with the receivers, but it didn’t go the way we wanted it to go.
“Any time you go out there and get some reps, you get a little confidence going and get experience, it’s going to help you out in the future.”
The future may be a short one for the Raiders, who had a shot at the No. 1 seed entering yesterday — actually entering last week before Derek Carr broke his leg. But Cook played well enough, going 14-of-21 for 150 yards, with a touchdown and an interception and a fumble.
For his first time in an NFL uniform, it could have gone worse for the fourth-round pick from Michigan State.
“I’m going to do what I’ve been doing all year,” Cook said. “When I was inactive, I was still watching film and still studying the game plan and going over everything – my reads, my hots and all that. It’s not going to change anything for me. I’m going to still prep as if I’m playing, it doesn’t matter if I’m backup, starter or whatever.”
But you can bet this week he’ll be running plays in practice he may have never run when he was the third-stringer, getting ready for what could be his first NFL start in the playoffs.
