Earl Cooper on Bruce Miller’s switch to TE: ‘There’s less pain’
On Monday, I caught up with Cooper, 58, now a high school teacher and coach near Austin, Texas, to get his thoughts on his mid-career position switch.
Interestingly, Cooper said he welcomed the switch to tight end, primarily because it allowed him to avoid endless high-speed collisions with linebackers.
Last week, Miller, who has seemingly had ice bags surgically attached to his shoulders during his first five seasons, noted he enjoyed “blocking closer to the line of scrimmage.”
In his first three seasons, Cooper, the No. 13 pick in 1980, ranked second in the NFL in receptions (83) as a rookie, had a touchdown catch in a Super Bowl win in his second season and started 32 games.
In his final three seasons with the 49ers, he started eight games and had 60 catches, 711 yards and seven touchdowns.
Like Cooper, Miller (76 career receptions) has reliable hands, but the rest of their bodies are dissimilar.
[...] Walsh and offensive assistant Paul Hackett asked him in 1983 if he wanted to move to X receiver or tight end (Cooper: “I was like ‘Hmm, those X receivers run too much.”)
The former first-round pick had to play special teams after avoiding those duties for his first three seasons.
“I’d never played special teams in the NFL,” Cooper said.
In 1986, Cooper ended his seven-year career with the Raiders and played tight end, although owner Al Davis sometimes had other ideas.