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Having watched film of Matthew Stafford during his time with the Detroit Lions, the Los Angeles Rams knew they were getting a special quarterback when they traded for him last year. He still had plenty to prove after arriving in Los Angeles, but the Rams were confident in their new quarterback.
It didn’t take long for Cooper Kupp to realize just how special Stafford is, and he came to that conclusion during OTAs last May. Coincidentally, the play from 2021 OTAs that stands out in Kupp’s mind was the same play that the Rams ran in the Super Bowl when Stafford hit Kupp with a no-look pass on the game-winning drive.
Kupp shared the story of that play on Colin Cowherd’s podcast when asked about the moment he realized Stafford is different.
“Probably the play that happened during OTAs, probably a year ago to the day almost, that it was like the light went on – like, ‘Oh, that is what makes this guy great’ – is the exact same play that we ran that he no-looked in the Super Bowl,” Kupp recalled. “That was the first time where I went back, I felt what he had done – I’m like, ‘I think he might’ve just no-looked that one’ – and I went back and watched it on film and seeing him manipulate people underneath and do what he did with his eyes and being able to throw the ball that he did, it was literally on the exact same play that he no-looked in the Super Bowl when he had that great one on that last drive. It was literally the exact same play, but it was like, ‘This guy has something that is different.’ He’s not a quarterback that’s reactive. You know the saying, ‘Take what the defense gives you.’ A lot of the time, that’s true, but he also understands how to say, ‘No, I’m going to dictate where this ball is going and move people and make sure I can make the throw I want to make that’s going to be a big play.’”
If you don’t remember Stafford’s no-look dime in the Super Bowl, here it is again.
This angle of Matthew Stafford's no-look pass. 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/vwWRUsMekn
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) February 14, 2022
Stafford has made no-look passes seem easy, but he doesn’t make them simply to show off. He truly utilizes them to look off defenders and manipulate the coverage. He usually completes them, too, which is the most impressive part about it.
Kupp is probably used to them by now after spending a year with Stafford as his quarterback, but it never gets old watching Matthew throw these no-look passes.