Raiders say they aren’t worried about Amari Cooper’s slump

ALAMEDA - It’s hard to deny that Raiders rookie receiver Amari Cooper has hit a skid.

The No. 4 overall pick had more drops (two) than receptions (one) in Oakland’s most recent loss, an 18-13 defeat against the Detroit Lions that was their third straight setback.

Cooper has 10 drops this season, according to Pro Football Focus, which places him second in the league to Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans. But his coach and his quarterback insisted Tuesday they aren’t concerned about him.

“He’s a good player,” coach Jack Del Rio said of Cooper. “He’s been very consistent in his approach. We like the approach he has. We’ll work through whatever things need to be corrected.”

Cooper showed uncharacteristic frustration Sunday after his second drop, which came in the fourth quarter on a slant play in which he may have had some room to run after the catch. After it bounced off his hands, Cooper dropped to his knees and pounded the turf with both hands.

Two plays later, left tackle Donald Penn was called for the holding penalty in the end zone that resulted in a safety and the Raiders offense never touched the ball again.

Cooper remains in the midst of a fine rookie season, with 51 catches for 736 yards and four touchdowns. He leads NFL rookies in each of those categories and remains on track, along with teammate Michael Crabtree, to give the Raiders a 1,000-yard receiver for the first time since Randy Moss in 2005.

But his one-catch, 4-yard outing Sunday was clearly his worst NFL performance. And after breaking out with three 100-yard performances in his first six games, Cooper hasn’t hit that mark the past four.

Cooper’s four targets against Detroit matched a season-low, although Del Rio suggested Monday there were times the Raiders could’ve gone his way more against one-on-one coverage. Carr didn’t seem to see it the same way, but conceded they must find ways to get him the ball more.

“I just think that they had a certain plan for him. They had a way of covering him that maybe sometimes the read didn’t go there,” Carr said. “Obviously he’s a great playmaker for this team and he will be for a long time, so we’ve got to get him the ball.”

Drops can have a way of getting in a receiver’s head, especially a rookie trying to establish himself as a weapon in the league. His quiet demeanor makes him a tough person to read and he didn’t talk to the media after Sunday’s game or in the locker room on Tuesday, but Carr doesn’t think his confidence has been shaken.

“He’s one of the most confident people there is,” Carr said. “He’s obviously very quiet, but he has no doubt in his skill or his ability and I look forward to watching him play this week.”

Cooper’s slump comes at a time the Raiders offense has hit a major dip. After a three-game stretch in which they averaged 35.3 points and 434.3 yards per game, Oakland has dropped to 13.5 points and 291.5 yards the past two.

They’ve scored on only 25 percent of their offensive possessions in the losses to Detroit and Minnesota after striking for points 54.2 percent of the time in the wins over San Diego and the New York Jets and the close loss at Pittsburgh.

“This is completely on us,” Carr said, “which is a good thing, because now we know we can go fix it.”

How can they fix it? To Carr, it may be as simple as breaking through just once with one of the explosive plays that had been so common earlier in the year.

“One big play could change the feeling for a team, especially on the road,” Carr said. “That’s a big deal. . As long as we can just stay focused and go out and come out not sluggish or anything like that, as long as we can come out and play fast from the beginning, we’ll be all right.”