"I think he's probably unfairly copping a lot of the blame," Brown said of the criticism Cooper had been receiving.
"At the end of the day it comes down to the players on the field and how we perform so we've just got to go out there and do our jobs."
Looking to upset the high-flying Hurricanes in Hamilton this week, the Chiefs have made several changes to their squad, including moving Damian McKenzie from first five-eighth to fullback.
McKenzie's brother, Marty, will don the No 10 jersey in his first appearance of the season, while young gun winger Etene Nanai-Seturo has been demoted to the bench with Ataata Moeakiola joining the starting side.
The Chiefs had 13 players unavailable for selection for Friday night's match, including three of their five contracted first five-eighths. As a result, they won't be carrying a back-up first five-eighth on the bench so Damian McKenzie could be in line to slot into the role late in the match.
They'll host a strong Hurricanes side who will be looking for an improved performance from the set piece, with experienced props Toby Smith and Ben May given the starting roles in the front row alongside Dane Coles.
Chiefs: Damian McKenzie, Sean Wainui, Tumua Manu, Anton Lienert-Brown, Ataata Moeakiola, Marty McKenzie, Brad Weber, Tyler Ardron, Mitchell Karpik, Mitchell Brown, Michael Allardice, Brodie Retallick, Nepo Laulala, Nathan Harris, Aidan Ross.
Reserves: Samisoni Taukei'aho, Ryan Coxon, Angus Ta'avao, Taleni Seu, Luke Jacobson, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Alex Nankivell, Etene Nanai-Seturo.
Hurricanes: Chase Tiatia, Jordie Barrett, Matt Proctor, Ngani Laumape, Wes Goosen, Beauden Barrett, TJ Perenara, Ardie savea, Du'Plessis Kirifi, Reed Prinsep, Vaea Fifita, James Blackwell, Ben May, Dance Coles, Toby Smith.
Reserves: Asafo Aumua, Fraser Armstrong, Alex Fidow, Liam Mitchell, Heiden Bedwell-Curtis, Finlay Christie, Jackson Garden-Bachop, Salesi Rayasi
