Tag: Cooper Kupp

Look: Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua working out together this offseason

Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are hitting the gym together this offseason as they stay fresh for the 2024 campaign

There are still a couple of months until the Los Angeles Rams get back together again for their offseason workout program but players are obviously still permitted to train on their own before OTAs begin. Puka Nacua told Rams Wire recently that he plans to stay in Los Angeles as he prepares for the 2024 season – partly because he wants to catch “as many Lakers games as possible” – and he’s linking up with Cooper Kupp for some winter workouts.

Trainer Ryan Sorensen shared a video on Instagram this week of Kupp and Nacua training together at what appears to be Kupp’s home gym. Nacua and Kupp built a strong connection throughout the 2023 season as Nacua got settled into the NFL and it looks like they’re going to be hanging out a bunch this offseason.

Sorensen also posted a video of Kupp doing some training on his own earlier this month as he gears up for a bounce-back season in 2024.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3I0VN_PKVy/?hl=en

Q&A: Recapping Rams’ 2023 season and looking ahead to the future

I sat down with Team NBS Media’s Rams insider George Lopez to discuss the 2023 season, the future of the franchise and its top players

A longtime Angeleno, Team NBS Media’s George Lopez has intently covered the Rams since their return to California.

George recently wrapped up his in-season coverage with a year-end article. He credited the young players for the Rams’ success and spoke about a brighter future for the team.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with George to discuss the 2023 season, the future of the franchise and what’s in store for its key players.

Q: What is your overview of the season and do you believe Matthew Stafford will be a member of the Rams long term?

Lopez: The Rams weren’t expected to do much this season. Most “experts” had them winning six games. I think McVay had his best season as coach. They exceeded expectations this year. I give Stafford maybe two more seasons and wouldn’t be surprised if he retires then. The Rams will need to address a quarterback in the future. Bo Nix is a possibility in the upcoming draft. I would like them to resign Wentz as their backup.

Q: Did Cooper Kupp have a down year or is he over the hill?

Lopez: I don’t think Kupp is over the hill. It’s unfortunate that he missed time due to injuries. When healthy, he’s still one of the most dangerous receivers in the NFL. With Kupp out, Stafford was able to build chemistry with the other receivers.

Q: The Rams have a first-round pick for the first time since their selection of Jared Goff in 2016. Who should they target and why?

Lopez: The Rams need to address their secondary. That was a weakness all season. Cooper DeJean out of Iowa is someone the Rams should look at, as well as Kool-Aid McKinstry out of Alabama.

Q: How long does Aaron Donald have left in the league?

Lopez: The past three seasons, there has been talk of Aaron Donald considering retirement. I think the play of the young players on defense reinvigorated Donald to play at least one more season.

Q: The Rams are not excepted to make any major splashes in free agency. With that being said, are there any available players that you would like to see the Rams target?

Lopez: I would like the Rams to re-sign Kevin Dotson. Once he was put in the starting lineup, the offensive line played much better. I would like to see them pursue an inside linebacker to play alongside Ernest Jones.

Q: Is Puka Nacua on the verge of stardom or just a flash in the pan?

Lopez: Puka Nacua was a big surprise this season. He is definitely on the verge of stardom. He really fits in well in McVay’s offense. Being able to learn from Kupp is going to do wonders for his career.

Q: Who is your ideal replacement for defensive coordinator Raheem Morris?

Lopez: With Raheem Morris leaving for Atlanta, some Rams fans assume they will look to bring back Brandon Staley. The Rams have run elements of Vic Fangio’s defense recently, so bringing Staley back would make sense. They have scheduled to interview the Ravens DB coach, Dennard Wilson. I wouldn’t mind seeing someone from Mike Macdonald’s defensive philosophy.

Rams’ loss to Lions opens up inquiry into their future

With the 2023 season in the books, the Rams’ loss opens up new questions about their future and who will be on the team in 2024.

There are many things Rams fans can point to when trying to understand how they lost their wild-card matchup against the Lions. One could blame the refs, but it’s clear that Los Angeles could not score in the red zone nor could they stop Detroit’s offense from jumping out to a quick start.

Outside of Matthew Stafford, their established stars did not step up, leading to an offseason of questions and decisions. The Rams went 0-for-3 in the red zone, kicking three short field goals with no touchdowns that came inside the 20. Typically, the Rams redzone threat is Cooper Kupp, but he looked like a shell of himself against the Lions, hauling in five catches for only 27 yards. One must ask if he’ll ever be the standout receiver he was just three years ago and if not, what does the organization do with him in the future?

Aaron Donald was bullied by Detroit’s offensive line. The star defensive tackle was constantly pushed off the line of scrimmage and on passing plays, he was limited in his abilities. Finishing the game with one tackle, his lack of a presence allowed Jared Goff to have a monster performance. With 2024 being a contract year for Donald and the fact he’s already flirted with retirement, his future is as unclear as it’s ever been.

Despite their hot start, the Rams did hold the Lions to only three second-half points. What Raheem Morris has done with such a young and inexperienced roster should be commended and considering he has head coaching interviews to complete, Sean McVay may have to find a new defensive coordinator.

The Rams have very clear needs at a variety of positions. With a first-round pick in hand and an expected $48 million dollars in cap space, a massive overhaul to a roster filled with aging starts and promising youth could be coming. Perhaps McVay might change up some of his key coaching positions, as well.

With the 2023 season wrapped up in bitter defeat, the only guarantee is that there are no guarantees. With yet another year taken off of an already-aging Matthew Stafford, perhaps we may be on the verge of another era of “F them picks.”

Only time will tell.

How Sean McVay and the Rams have changed their run game for the better

Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams have put a different spin on their run game with Kyren Williams, and it’s devastating enemy defenses.

Obviously, the primary storyline in Sunday’s wild-card game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Detroit Lions is the Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff former team thing, and justifiably so. But when you dig deeper into both of these offenses, their run games are exceptional, and Sean McVay’s Rams run game isn’t just great — it’s very different with Kyren Williams as the lead back.

McVay used to be one of the primary purveyors of outside zone runs, but that’s changed exponentially in recent years. In 2023, they’ve run behind gap blocking schemes on 42% of their snaps, which ranks fifth in the league. In 2022, the Rams ran gap on 29% of their attempts, which ranked 20th. In 2021, they ran gap on 20% of their snaps, which ranked 28th. In 2020, it was 17%, which ranked 28th. 

This is a full-on sea change in offensive philosophy, and Williams is benefiting in a lot of ways. On this 14-yard run against the Baltimore Ravens’ estimable defense in Week 14, the Rams excelled in a Duo blocking scheme. Center Coleman Shelton and left guard Steve Avila doubled defensive tackle Travis Jones, and right guard Kevin Dotson and right tackle Joseph Noteboom doubled defensive tackle Broderick Washington Jr. Then, Shelton kicked up to seal linebacker Patrick Queen, and Noteboom took Roquan Smith out. Williams had a pretty easy gap against one of the NFL’s best defenses. 

Last week, McVay used one word to describe his primary back.

“Stud. He’s exactly what we’re looking for in a Ram, mentally and physically tough, plays smart, loves to compete, really productive player. He’s got an energy. He’s like the Energizer bunny. When he goes and when he doesn’t, we’re a totally different offense and so love what he’s done. Really happy for him.”

Lions head coach Dan Campbell is well aware of the challenges — no matter how the Rams run the ball.

“I do know this, the crossover tape and some of the things I have seen, number one, they are still explosive on offense,” Campbell said Monday. “They’ve been explosive, their play-pass game. But what’s making it so dangerous, their run game. That’s what’s showing up. They’ve got a pretty dangerous run game. This mid-zone, they’re running a lot more gap than they have previously, and so that’s kind of where it all begins with them. And you put that with  Stafford’s ability to push the ball down the field and it’s dangerous.”

No team has more runs with motion this season than the Rams – 382 attempts for 1,692 yards, 1,033 yards after contact, 15 touchdowns, and 4.4 yards per carry. The Rams also have the NFL’s most runs with jet motion – 236. So, this is a primary construct of the Rams’ new run game.

Again, Campbell has been spamming himself with those concepts.

“I know for us, the challenge with it is really not what it does to you defensively from a schematic standpoint, it’s more about the eye-candy of it. If you’ll just stay true to your rules and understand who’s got that motion, who’s got this turbo motion, and play your rules and don’t let those things – don’t start chasing the butterflies. Man, just, you stay focused on your responsibilities, your keys and don’t – because one step the wrong way with that motion and all of a sudden, we lose a support player and that’s where they get you because this back is patience and when he sees it, he’s able to make the cut.”

The Lions do have a very good run defense. They’ve allowed 3.7 yards per carry on 408 carries, and that YPC is third-best in the NFL behind the Patriots and the Texans. But the Lions are well aware that they’ll see a lot of Kyren Williams in this wild-card matchup, and it’s the primary story beyond whatever Stafford-Goff stuff may be of interest. 

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys got deep into Sean McVay’s ever-changing ground game.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os,” previewing every game in the wild-card slate, right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Numbers and notes on the Los Angeles Rams vs. Detroit Lions playoff matchup

Numbers and notes on the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions playoff matchup

Since coming back from injury and the bye week, Matthew Stafford has been playing different football for the Rams. He’s gone 160-of-243 (65.8%) for 1895 yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. During that span, the Rams have gone 6-1 (five wins vs. non-playoff teams) and appear to be as dangerous as ever with Cooper Kupp healthy, Kyren Williams steaming ahead and Puka Nucua looking like the potential Offensive Rookie of the Year.

In addition to that, Stafford has done a good job building rapport with players such as Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell. Robinson is noteworthy because he’s essentially replaced Atwell as the third receiver in the offense and has 26 receptions for 371 yards and four touchdowns since Week 9 against the Packers.

Stafford also has Tyler Higbee, who’s been consistent. That’s important to note because the Rams run 11 personnel (one running back and one tight end) more than anyone in the league (95% of the time).

Defensively, the Rams are obviously led by defensive tackle Aaron Donald. No matter the situation, he can make a play at any time. This season, Donald has 53 tackles with eight sacks and 16 tackles for loss (tied for 10th-most in the NFL). But it’s no longer a one-man show with the Rams defense. They’ve seen some strong contributions from players such as safety Jordan Fuller and linebacker Ernest Jones.

Jones has 145 tackles this season, and Fuller is second on the team with 94 tackles. Fuller is tied for the team-high with three interceptions this season. Adding to that, the Rams are seeing strong contributions from rookie defenders such as Byron Young and Kobe Turner. Young has eight sacks this season, and Turner has nine.

But the Rams only have a 32% pressure rate, and that ranks them 29th in the NFL. Much of that is due to them only having three-man and four-man rushes. They have three-man pressures 9% of the time (ranked sixth in the NFL) and they have four-man pressures 63% of the time (ranked 25th in the NFL).

When looking at the Rams defense, they essentially run their dime defense (17% of the time, ranking ninth in the NFL) or their base defense (26% of the time, ranking ninth in the NFL). Against the pass, you will see man coverage from the Rams, but they’re essentially a zone defense with 63% of their coverage being defended that way (ranked 11th in the NFL).

Fortunately for Detroit, the Lions have quarterback Jared Goff and he’s been successful against zone coverage. Going into the Week 17 game against the Cowboys, Goff had completed 71.7% of his passes against zone and he had almost 2,800 passing yards against it. The only downside is that he’s thrown 10 interceptions against zone this season. But the last time the Lions faced a team that primarily ran a zone defense was against the Broncos, and we all saw how that turned out for Detroit.

As the Lions await to see the availability of tight end Sam LaPorta for their playoff game, all eyes will be on their defense. Over their last three games, the defense has given up 1,152 passing yards (384.0 yards per game) but they’re only allowing 20.25 points per game during that span.

Following the “bend but don’t break” mantra, this Lions defense has seven interceptions over the last three games. If they can find ways to bring Stafford down or force him into some tougher throws, the game could go well for the Lions and their defense.

Additionally, the Lions still have one of the best run defenses in the league. Their 88.8 rushing yards allowed per game is second-best in the NFL this season. Over their last four games, the Lions have only allowed 62.5 rushing yards per game. The Rams have found plenty of success on the ground with an average of 120.3 rushing yards per game. If the Lions can find ways to shut the run down like they have this season, the Rams offense could become one-dimensional.

Without question, this will be one of the most anticipated games in the history of the Lions franchise. On paper the matchup favors Detroit, but as we know, this game isn’t played on paper. Regardless of injuries and numbers, the Lions will need to bring their A-game for their historic season to continue.

*All data was pulled by Sports Info Solutions (SIS)*

Kyren Williams and Cooper Kupp among 5 players who will sit vs. 49ers in Week 18

Kyren Williams and Cooper Kupp are among five players who won’t suit up for the Rams in Week 18

Sean McVay has decided to take the somewhat cautious route in terms of playing his starters in Week 18 against the San Francisco 49ers. With either the sixth or seventh seed locked up, the Los Angeles Rams will rest some key players on Sunday, but not all of them.

McVay announced on Wednesday that Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams and Cooper Kupp will not play against the 49ers, and on defense, it’ll be Aaron Donald and Ernest Jones being held out for the final game of the season.

Carson Wentz will get the start in Stafford’s place, while Ronnie Rivers and Royce Freeman are likely to be the replacements for Williams. Rookie Zach Evans could presumably get some run in the finale, too.

Puka Nacua’s name was not mentioned by McVay, which means he’ll have a shot to break two single-season rookie records. He needs four catches and 29 yards to set the NFL records for the most receptions and receiving yards by a rookie.

Kobie Turner will also get a shot to break Donald’s rookie sacks record for the Rams, needing only a half-sack to edge out the future Hall of Famer in franchise history.

Torry Holt raves about Rams’ WR tandem of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp

Torry Holt loves the Rams’ WR tandem of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, raving about their playmaking ability and work ethic

Torry Holt knows a thing or two about talented wide receiver tandems. He and Isaac Bruce were one of the best in NFL history, and hopefully Holt will join Bruce in Canton as a Pro Football Hall of Famer this year.

Looking at the current wide receiver duos in the NFL, Holt loves what he’s seen from Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. While Kupp may not be putting up mind-blowing numbers like he did in 2021, he and Nacua have already become one of the top receiving tandems in football.

Nacua has 1,445 yards on 101 catches, sitting just 29 yards and four catches shy of setting the single-season rookie records. Kupp has helped him along the way, which Holt was sure to point out during his interview on The NFL Report.

“These dudes are talented as all get out,” Holt said. “(Nacua’s) size, the speed at which he plays, the passion in which he plays, it’s fun watching Puka Nacua play the game of football. And then you have the guy in Cooper Kupp that he sees how to do it in terms of the professionalism, the consistency, the work ethic. Cooper Kupp, I’ve said it time and time again, when you go in that meeting room, he’s going to be the first person you see right up front taking notes, but he also shares the information with Puka and the rest of the wide receivers on that roster.

“I love the wide receiver corps, the duo of those two guys,” he continued. “They’re talented. Both are not small guys. You’re talking about guys that are 6-2-plus. Really nice size, thick. The other thing about Puka Nacua, yeah they throw him the football, but he also now is involved in the jet sweeps and using that size to pick up key first downs for this Rams offense to keep them on the field and moving the chains. And then they’ve got a guy in Matthew Stafford who is hot. He can get them all the ball anywhere on the field.”

The fact that Nacua has taken such massive steps as a rookie is encouraging for his future, especially as he continues to learn what defenses are trying to do against him and also improves his hands. Kupp has been banged up throughout the season but he’s still a game-changer for the Rams, too.

Stafford is having a fantastic season throwing the ball to those two guys.

Giants vs. Rams: 5 biggest storylines for Week 17

The New York Giants face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17. Here are the five biggest storylines to follow for this contest.

The New York Giants (5-10) host the Los Angeles Rams (8-7) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on New Year’s Eve afternoon in Week 17 of the 2023 NFL season.

Here are five storylines we are following this week.

Watch: Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp show off their drawing skills in Football Pictionary

Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp played a game of Pictionary and based on their drawings, they should probably keep their day jobs

Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp are one of the best quarterback-receiver tandems in the NFL. They’ve had a strong connection since becoming teammates in 2021, putting together a record-setting season in their first year together.

While they’re both very good at doing football things on the field, they’re not the best artists. Fortunately, the Rams aren’t paying them to be.

On the latest episode of “Nine and Dime,” they played a game of Football Pictionary. Their pieces of art weren’t terrible, but they also weren’t very good.

Exhibit A: Stafford’s take on Rampage.

Kupp actually did a decent job drawing Sean McVay – while blindfolded – and it was so good that Stafford guessed it in a few seconds.

“Sean, this is your new logo right here,” Kupp said, admiring his work.

Check out the full episode below and stay for Stafford roasting Kupp for wearing a sleep mask on flights to away games.

“He usually says I’m going night-night and goes to bed. It’s really odd but we all live with it,” Stafford said.

Cooper Kupp jokes about ‘being bullied’ over arm sleeve at practice

Cooper Kupp was wearing a new arm sleeve at practice, as were many of his fellow pass catchers, which Kupp joked he’s being bullied for

Cooper Kupp keeps it pretty simple with his gear on game days. He’ll rock a helmet visor in practice every now and then, but he doesn’t typically wear arm sleeves or anything beyond one arm band on his left arm.

In practice this week, however, he sported a new look: a left arm sleeve. Kupp was asked if everything was OK with his arm after practice Thursday and he had to explain why he was wearing a sleeve.

He’s apparently not injured, but his teammates were having fun with it. Kupp joked that he got bullied by his teammates, many of whom were also wearing left arm sleeves.

”A copious amount,” as Kupp put it.

“Yeah, I’ll be alright,” he said. “I don’t know if you saw, we had a copious amount of left arm sleeves out there at practice today. Just putting it out there, I’m being bullied by the team so that’s what’s going on.”

The Rams shared a photo from practice showing Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Higbee, Tutu Atwell, Austin Trammell, Kupp and Ben Skowronek all rocking arm sleeves, with Kupp looking less than enthused about the group shot.

It seems Kupp tried out the new arm sleeve and his teammates trolled him by copying his look. This is probably the last time Kupp attempts to wear anything different than his typical gear.