Joe Brady says Bills had NFL's best running back last year and still wants more

Joe Brady thought James Cook was the best running back in the NFL last season.

He expects more this year.

The Buffalo Bills head coach offered high praise for Cook before Monday’s training camp practice at St. John Fisher University, but it came with an equally high standard for what comes next.

“I think you saw the best running back in the league last year,” Brady said. “You can argue he was the best player on the field.”

Cook certainly built a case.

He led the NFL with 1,621 rushing yards, scored 14 total touchdowns and earned his third straight Pro Bowl selection.

But Brady isn’t asking Cook to simply repeat it.

“He’s got to get better. We can’t take steps backward,” Brady said. “I expect James Cook to take another step this year in different elements of his game and continue to be the workhorse as a runner.”

Brady pointed to Cook fumbling during a training camp practice last week as an example of the standard.

“He knows that can’t happen,” Brady said.

There is reason for Brady to believe Cook won’t get comfortable.

Cook arrived at training camp a year ago seeking a contract extension. The Bills gave him a four-year, $48 million deal during the preseason, but getting paid didn’t lead to complacency.

Cook responded with the best season of his career.

He rushed for more than 100 yards seven times and became the first Bills player to lead the NFL in rushing since O.J. Simpson in 1976. Cook also averaged 5.4 yards per carry and established career highs in rushing yards and touchdowns.

Brady believes the motivation that drove Cook last summer is still there.

“There’s no comfort level to him,” Brady said. “He comes out here. He’s ready to go and it’s no different.”

Cook’s circumstances have changed considerably. A year ago, he was trying to prove he deserved to be paid among the NFL’s top running backs. Now he’s coming off a rushing title and one of the best seasons by a Bills running back in decades.

Brady hasn’t noticed much difference in the player showing up for work.

“You see a guy that’s just like last year when he showed up,” Brady said. “It’s like, ‘I want a contract.’ You see the same mindset, how he approaches. That’s who he is.”

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Joe Brady says Bills had NFL’s best running back last year and still wants more