Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp reveals the Rams unspoken strategy going into the big game | The Pivot

I took a pee and had to wipe my butt what are you all talking about over here nobody wiped ass when they pee I really did hey dude we got guests man we got company Sports his whole life he know NY I've never heard that before and I went back to the hotel I peed and I wiped afterwards and I was like damn cuz it everything was sweaty I had to get that get that moisture off of it see I I understand I just need context I I didn't have context to the situation also too Cooper is really nice like he's a nice human a pleasant human yeah like everybody else know that's nasty as hell is that nasty I guess people are start talking about it you know it's only happens that you just you don't say it you just don't say it remember the last time we was here and we interviewed somebody after the Houston's joint practice was when you flip your drawers inside out and hung them on the AC yeah sometimes you got to yeah dry your drawers out on the AC vent that air is blowing into your room man I know and then you enjoy yourself they each their own man each their own hold up Limitless P it I here to witness it my people feeling feeling me up on the mission got me up know me I got the key on the vision I can trust trust n to pining it I F the here to witness it got my people feeling militant way feeling got me up on the mission got me up knowing me I got the key only Vision I can trust trust Limitless n it I he Cooper cup man Super Bowl champion All Pro Triple Crown winner offensive player of the year man thank you so much for joining us this is the pivot part of Fanatics fr Taylor Randolph Channing Crowder I'm Ryan Terry Clark full name for Mr cup yeah full name the story written in your hometown what is it yaka yaka yaka they called you Mr business M and it's about your legendary perseverance right and you talk about it on your podcast with your wife Daily Grind your size it's a Well documented where was the level of work ethic though that it took to become Cooper cup from that 5 fo5 1119b kid where was that birth I can actually think so I I've always I think in some ways had intrinsically like I wanted to you know you're playing sports like I I wanted like effort wise I felt like you owe it to the guys around you like I want to be good for the guys that I'm playing with I think you kind of as a kid like you want to be good at what you're doing right like she like my my son like he doesn't like it when he's not good at something as a kid I think that's kind of played into it but like if I was to pinpoint a moment it was probably sixth grade and I was driving with my dad to basball practice and this can sound super corny but you know like the little Liv strong these little bracelets right I had the little one on just had heart on it was just the the one that I wore and my dad was like do you know what that you know what that means like this is it's kind of funny that you you you wear this bracelet all the time and my dad's 6'5 now he know he grew but he's like he was real small in colge in high school he's like you're going to be someone that your body is going to be behind everyone else I know he's like I know what you want to do if you want to go do those things you are going to have to work harder than everybody else that you meet and it's just going to have to be a part of how you operate it's not fair but it's going to have to be how you do how you do things and for whatever reason it just like that moment that little car like that F minute car ride to practice has been something I've always remembered of just that seed of just saying hey this is something that I know this is what I want to do and just having someone point point it out Point Blank like hey this is what it's going to take and from that moment on it was an intentional piece of kind of how I handled practice how I went about every part of my day was now knowing that there is that little piece of me that's like hey if I do want to do those things and I have lofty goals for myself I've got to outwork everybody and to to that narrative you're you look different than Fred Ryan and myself um whatever whatever are you speaking of but but to be a white dude that that whole thing um it just comes up whenever I talk to a white ball player the Zack Thomas thing he was just a monster but they said hard worker film guy studies and all that and you're just saying like I had to have more heart than everybody else bro you won the Triple Crown in the NFL like you were the best receiver in the NFL in you know saying 2021 that's when wanted like does it ever get to you where when they talk about other receivers it's like oh this dude talented oh Cooper oh he's a hard worker he really understands the offense that the whole the whole the whole wh area it doesn't it doesn't I mean I don't let it bother I know that's part of it right like I was I was compared to Jordy Nelson I was compared to guys that's like yeah I'm nothing like Jordi Nelson like Jordi Nelson ran like a 10 something hundred I ran an 117 right so like it's completely different like we're completely different players but it is something but for me it was like I know that piece came about right cuz like my dad had said to me like your body is going to catch up like eventually you're going to get to this place where you you're going to be strong you're going to be fast you're able to do the things but it's going to take time and commitment to get to that that place I am in some ways really thankful for going through this time period where I had to create habits you know I had to learn how to work hard because then when the body did catch up and I was like hey I am feel like I'm like matching up with people where I can run with guys now I can you know physically match up with the guys that I'm lining up across I had all these habits in place already that allowed me now like I'm doing the things right off the field prepare myself and I'm just going to keep going more and more where guys that had that already they weren't challenged they didn't have to do anything they could show up on Friday nights and dominate whoever was across from I couldn't do that but it set these habits for me that move forward like man now I know how to play this game technically tactically and now my body's coming along physically I can play the game how I want to that's always going to be a that's always going to be a thing though like you're talking about is it's just like I know the players I'm going to be comped to and I know the guys that are getting comped to me all kind of fall into the same category you have a wink at the 6'2 black dude that runs a 42 and just hey if you can run I'm say if you can run you can run man that's good good for you hey uh lad makon I met him at the rookie Premiere this year and I went up to him purposely I was like look man I was like my one goal when it came to evaluating you for the draft was giving you a black comp I was like one you're no you're nothing like Welker you're nothing like amonda you're not like Cooper cup and my comp for him was Emanuel Sanders a guy I played with get in and out of breaks slight build but fast quick and and he looked at me and he shook my hands you said thank you you know what I mean so I do get it but I also think it works both ways though because I know you've played with extremely talented players who do work hard who do study who do understand the game and sometimes those players don't get the credit for that part of the game as you might not for your athleticism your grandfather played for the Cowboys so did your father the the football tradition that runs your family is that something that sort of like um bread and Yakima up again I looked it up I actually just YouTube and press the button yeah I looked it up but I it keeps coming back to no so my my grandpa grew up in like a farm town outside of yaka Sunnyside um and then he played for the Saints for most of his career he end up moving back lived in another little like small town called CA right side of yaka and that's where my dad grew up and you know the football thing like I think that just been a shared passion in our family it's not like um there's not a lot of great football players that have come out yeah when there have been some you know I don't know if you guys know Taylor Stubblefield played for Purdue he was a receiver he set the NCA reception Mark at one point like so we've had some guys that have come out um but I wouldn't say was like a breeding ground for for football players or anything like that so you just walking around the house your Granda your grandfather's photo your father's photo and you was like put my picture up there next yeah no I wasn't even if it wasn't even really crazy like that I mean my my Grandpa's basement was pretty cool like you know he had you know like all some of the trophies his old helmets and stuff like that you kind of see it but you know my dad's experience my dad played two years he kind of was a journeyman jumped around a few places but he didn't I wouldn't say he would say he didn't have a positive it wasn't a positive experience for him right he felt like he once he got to the league he felt like well this was my goal was to make it here right then there wasn't like that push or like that that side of him that was like I deserve to be here and now what can I do in the NFL and he feels like he kind of missed out that opportunity um so he didn't talk about it a whole lot it was really like I said it was like I just started playing football because my dad was my quarterback and I you go throw backyard it was just a passion for like playing the game that led me to like man this is something that I I just enjoy this so much and feel like it just comes naturally to me like this is something I want to do that's really kind of what pushed me to I I never had the thought like oh my grandpa did it my dad did it this is what I'm going to do it was it was just truly something that I just fell in love with that intrinsic sort of fire that burned in you to accomplish this goal listening to you speak though it became your own goal MH you wanted to make it and you've spoken publicly about how difficult it was to handle the adversity of your young career you know actually talked about a drop in the end zone that could have won the game there's a fumble on the goal line as you're going to score I think this was all in 18 or 17 how difficult was it to deal with coming out of college being a record setting receiver who bowled against the power five schools as well and then having some of those setbacks early when that's all you ever wanted to do yeah I think well I don't know what it was like you know for what it's like for other players that have been at you know BigTime schools played against guys you know what you play in the SEC for four years you're playing against a lot of NFL players are like I at at the FCS that's not the reality of who you're seeing week in week out so I think there's a piece of you that is that nagging question in the back like can I do this still like do I belong here you know that's I think that's always that self-doubt is always a part of and maybe it's a part of everyone's game but it's always a piece of like you know do I can I do this and those moments were really hard the ones that you're talking about where you feel like you've let down your team I mean that Seattle one was brutal I remember going down that two-minute drive and just my mindset in that moment was not where it should have been you know my my mindset in the moment was just like don't mess up you know and and so now when the ball gets thrown to me I'm in this place I'm like I just want to make sure I run the right route get the right spots I got so much going through my head and Jared threw such a great pass I end up missing you know game-winning touchdown and you let you team down I fumble on the two yard line going into score against Minnesota and there's those moments are really hard where that self out becomes real that voice becomes a lot stronger but I was really thankful for you know my wife and just being able to have the the history that I have of you know how much work I've put into it that you can fall back on and um you know my wife being able to speak the truth over me of like you do belong here and you've worked for these moments and the results aren't going to the results aren't always going to tell you the truth right what's your process like how are you going about things what is what do you things look like what's what's your your mindset like um and help me kind of pull through those things because it can be really hard when you go through these highs and these lows and you think at my rookie year I thought the NFL was the world like whatever happened on Sunday like it was world changing stuff like you drop past the entire world changes and it's like this this is this is a game and I get to just enjoy being able to play it it sounds cool to say I shouldn't I should try to make a play and not think about messing up but to really be the guy that goes out there and says I'm about to catch a touchdown and not say I don't want to mess up this drive and and to get out of that it's it's probably like when I'm going to say people are going to hate like they're going to hate to hear that this is my mindset but you have to not not care what happens you have to not care what the result is right get completely past this place of like the wins and the losses get completely past the you know what the stats are going to be at the end of the day I work from Monday to Saturday to make sure I prepare and do everything I possibly can to be the best Cooper cuff that I can be on Sunday the things I eat when I show up to work the film I'm watching every piece of I'm as intentional as I can possibly possibly be once I step on the field on Sunday it doesn't matter like I've already done everything I possibly can to be in that moment all I can do is attack it and the results do not matter because I I've done everything right so like there's so much as a as a receiver especially so much out of out of my control I'm just going to be the best me that I can be and the rest is the let the rest be what it is you know God's written out what this what this day is going to be already and it's out of my control I'm going to attack it I know that I get to play from victory not for victory and that anything that happens after after this game it's already written so the worst thing I can do is look back and be like oh why didn't I like why didn't I go after why didn't I try it when at the end of the day it wouldn't matter whether I tried it or not like I'm going to just be secure and being like I'm I'm going to send it right like I I got an out route versus one hole I got terrible leverage just helps in here I'm trying to run an out route but I'm like I don't have a plan it's like no I'm just going to freaking I'm going to go for it like whatever it is no doubt no self thoub just I'm just going to send it it doesn't work it doesn't work that is that is straight from the uh unathletic guy Playbook yeah that it it is actually it is actually my exact approach to football there was so much I couldn't control but I could control that and you know I knew that no matter how much I prepared I knew exactly where this guy was going to line up I understood the tips and tendencies down in distances that if he got the ball and his cut back brought him back to the a gap and I had the backside a gap I still had to get him on the ground and no matter how much work I did no matter how I approached it during the week there was a possibility that that might not go my way yep but I knew I prepared the entire week to make that tackle I knew I prepared to be in that place and I could walk out of the stadium and say on that play or on that day Fred Taylor was better on that play or Randy Moss was better on that play but Ryan Clark did everything he could possibly do and for me I needed to do that to have piece of mind yeah and control your controllables if you can control your controllables you can be at peace you can walk off the field it's like hey there are some plays I wish I would have made and there was some plays that didn't go my way but I I know I did everything I can to go put myself in the best position to make those plays and I'm at peace with that and if you can be at peace with that when yourself it just changes it changes everything could you control your white Pathfinder when you was in school that kind of how do you know about my white she do some research could you could you control that when you used to break down no you can't control it I got on the freeway with that thing breaking down oh my goodness that was the worst purchase we've ever made that's the worst purchase worst purchase of my life was it did you just buy it as a lemon yes on the test drive the car first didn't start then on the drive as I was exiting turned off and I had to start it again and then we still bought the car it was a terrible decision it was like it was you you and your wife you know it was me me and my me and my dad were doing so my dad has to Bear some responsibility but like I was pushing for like I want to have a car when I get back to college CU it was spring break it was the last day I'm about to leave I'm like I don't want to be up there without a car we pull the trigger I'm telling you I'm I'm 50 m an hour on the freeway if there's any gradient at all up the hill I'm 50 mes an hour and we will go down the hill car will turn off and the steering wheel will lock it was I mean this was the worst the fact that we got out without just a devastating crash how long did you keep it kept it longer than we should have it was a few years we kept it for few years it was yeah that's why you believe in God yeah it it helped it down the road I think yeah there's nothing like being like going 80 M an hour on the freeway and your car's off and your steering wheel doesn't work and your brakes don't work like it's straight locked and you're trying to start that thing up and it's like you see that turn coming up here like hey cool I want to uh pivot back really quick uh we had ad on the show mhm we asked talked about his his last year and preparing for his last season he said he knew guys like yourself and Stafford was going to come and work your asses off talk about preparation hard work you can prepare like RC said you even said it as much as you want and you don't always get that result right that you expect what were some of your most difficult challenges you know uh knowing that you put in all the work knowing that you can go out there and lift your team up but some sometimes things don't always happen that way I mean as anyone that's played this game injuries are a part of what's going to happen right like after that rookie year I I I look back I yeah I had the ACL the next year and I after after that rookie year I hated watching that film like I go back and watch my rookie year film I just get sick to my stomach cuz like so much I was hesitant about so you just see the weight that I was playing with and so I really worked hard that next offseason spent a lot of time I was running on the track with Robert Wood like I was just in such a good place I came into that next year feeling so good so free to just let it rip all right um and then went you know first four weeks playing great then go concussion week five te my MCL week six come back for a couple or miss a couple weeks come back for a week in New Orleans and then play uh Seattle at home and tear my ACL in the same knee and that was the year that we end up going to the you know Super Bowl play against the Patriots like that was incredibly challenging cuz you did I I worked so hard to get back to to get back to feeling like myself again and then you get hurt and it's like you're now committed to N9 months of having to work hard like you got to be dial like harder yeah exactly like how much more dialed in now now it's not just like building my body up S it's like completely rebuild like go back to ground zero and have to rebuild the whole thing so that was a real challenging thing thing 2020 was really tough as well I me obviously that was I'm like such a weird year in football in general I think we just felt real good going into that year and we just results wise we just could not get the result that we wanted you know we feel like our process and things were were there but we just could not get over the hump on that and I that that year we you know I the amount of footballs that caught at five yards like turned around like Turned with my back to the defense I mean I'd come out these games like you're just getting hit by linebackers as a receiver you know you know what's going to happen but like when the entire year is Catching your ball the ball like this and you know you've got two backers that are Vice tackling you like it's it's brutal so that year was that year coming out out there was was tough we it's like man we just I thought we our process was all good just the results just weren't weren't what they should have been fanatic Sports books $5 million Jersey drop jerseys are dropping every single day just log in daily for your chance to win it's time to suit up for season open this is fanatic Sportsbook the most rewarding sports book when did you know that 21 could be special and I mean this from an individual standpoint there was nothing more you could do as a receiver statistically Triple Crown you end up as a team you're the best team in football when it's all said and done was there a moment though in that year where you sat down or you were at practice or even in the game and you said okay this is for myself and my team a very special season I'd say in all honesty it was within the first like few days of competitive OTAs things were still a little weird right we had late OTAs off teams weren't doing OTAs we came in and kind of did a modified version but within probably the first two days it was like with our offense and you know nine shows up fresh off of thumb surgery you know he's throwing the a football period for the first time to us like he had just gotten done throwing a little Nerf ball with a trainer first day of OTAs was his first day throwing we're like throwing 100 Balls right so he comes off fresh off this thumb surgery and we're running our offense and the ball is going to places that and in the timing it's like you better turn around cuz the ball is whizzing past face masks and so like this is going to be different now and and that was like first day it's like guys are not ready for what's coming and the next day it was like the ball's not touching the ground you know it's just like and offensively the feeling of you know in 2020 we had the number one defense in the league so feel good about the guys we have on the defensive side of the ball but we start offensively being like this thing is just like moving it's different with nine back there and so within the first two days OTAs there's this like this feeling like we've got some chemistry here we got some stuff going off that could be could be different did you know when you became the number one because you weren't always a number one guy and then it was that when you walked out there bro the safety is looking at you too so I would say you know for how I'd approach things and as a receiver like outside of that rookie year where my mindset wasn't where it was supposed to be like I had gotten to the point where I just said when I walk on the field I thought I'm the best football player on the field that's just how I had to approach I I got I've prepared for this I'm the best guy here this is now I'm just gonna play the game and so that was my mindset on things right and we had the way that our offense was work had worked out you know for a few years it was you know bran Cooks Robert Woods and me pretty like evenly distributed you know in terms of how we did things and guys got hurt some years and whatnot but it was pretty evenly distributed and then we had me and Rob and Josh Reynolds um and then we come in that last year and you got you know you got van and Rob and me and so my my mindset hadn't really changed on that so I didn't have like a moment where I felt like you know oh they're like I'm the one now cuz I I had been seeing myself as kind of like I'm the guy you know whatever you started seeing safy creepy way I was going to say there comes a point where like the game planning was like you know hey we're anticipating that you're going to be doubled on third down or like on these like we're like you know and that's when it started to be like okay but it was more of a production piece to that you know like we get off such a hot start that first in 2021 it's like understandably you know when we're throwing the ball the way we are like teams are going to do something differently so it never really hit my head that way I guess what happened when three became a part of the team obj you are obviously the guy and that was never a question even once he became a part of the team but there was a piece of it of coup's the guy he's still the one but we do have this other dude over here that's special and everybody knows he's special was that sort of an immediate feeling when he became a part of the team even though in Cleveland it really didn't show as it did in New York yeah you know we weren't really sure what that was going to be like cuz when we had I remember getting on FaceTime with Odell and seeing like hey we cuz his thing was like he wasn't sure if we'd want him in LA and me and Rob and Van all G FaceTime with him like no like we definitely want you to come like be a part of this the day he flies in shows up a practice Rob tears his ACL right so like it was a weird like the plan was for Odell to have a little bit of time and then Rob goes down and now like okay Odell you got three days to learn the offense like you're you're playing now and so we weren't sure what that was going to look like but then when he got there talk about someone that like knows football and can learn and just like mentally being as dialed in as he is like he he picked up our offense like that and it wasn't I I think I was going to have to be talking to him and tell him he's like no he's got dialed in knows what he's gotten he doesn't act like he comes in he's still himself he's he's got like let his personality be who it is and keeps things fun and light but man he knows his stuff that was a real special thing when you had you know Odell on one side and I'm able to lamp on the other side and now it's like he said now safety can't do what what he was you know and you know we s like the Super Bowl that game was set up for Odell to go off and we anticipated that they were going to just dou with me and we said hey the game plan's going to be give Cooper a a man-to-man route if he doesn't get one-on-one hopefully he can win it if they double it it's going to be an Odell show and you kind of saw in the first quarter first part of that game like it was going to be the Odell show and obviously he goes down it was just hurt so bad for him because that was going to be a special performance I think from from o That's why McVey is the the the Evil Genius man we saw that match up coming or that how that game plan sort of was unfolding but going back to that game there were some really big moments I remember towards the end Jamar Chase when it was crunch time he kind of got behind Jaylen it was just a disconnect but he got behind him but in that moment you had you had two touchdowns that game that led up to you getting Super Bowl MVP were those two touchdowns those moments bigger than Aaron donal's sack to to end it what uh ad did throughout that game was pretty special like from the point that Odell goes down to the last Drive of the game our offense did nothing right like we we were we were terrible couldn't make a play but the defense kept getting stop after stop after stop after stop and got us in a place where we could be then in you know we got six minutes left the ball gives us an opportunity to go score what ad's thing it wasn't just that moment right where he's got he beats essentially goes so fast beats the double team you know like they're sending the garden center to him he just beats the guard around the edge like for him to do that is obviously an incredible moment but what ad think was that whole entire game he was you know leading that defense and that's that was what was to me is the most special thing is what he did for that like two t challenge is what it is AD played a complete game that that full that that Super Bowl he usually does this thing where he wants to cut the room in half I'm surprised he hadn't brought it up today because the we've never been to a Super Bowl on this side and you guys have I I I really talking about two actually well that's very true and I'm not going to ask that question one in one yeah we one in one okay I I like one in one and like I like and I like 0 no I I one in one I think is pretty cool and and talking about moments the moment that that confetti starts to to rain down on you guys hearing him talk about it hearing some other guys talk about it like what's that feeling like the end of that that drive the last drive right I got absolutely rocked in the back of the end zone so Von Bell smokes me in the in the back of the end zone penalty on them penalty on us replay the down I was in a little bit of a fog say the least in the the aath of that game but what I think the coolest thing was getting to like celebrate with my family as all this other stuff wound down you know we get you know do you do the presentation and all that different stuff but like being able to walk off the field with my family and be like we just found a little corner on the field and sat down together and being able to have that moment with my boys and with my wife where we were it was like like you know the culmination of the season and everything just me to sit there for a second and reflect on like what that whole year was that was the moment that I think I you know I really cherished that cuz the rest of the stuff's all fleeting right all all the that's a very fleeting moment it's incredible very fleeting but that that moment I'll cherish that moment with my kids and and with my wife you have an opportunity to reflect on what would that have been 19 the the the ACL and the the rehab and all that stuff MH yeah and like yeah thinking through the Journey of all that right because I mean I don't know if you guys have heard like I walked off that field in that you know 2018 season the 2019 Super Bowl and I walked off that field with just the clearest Vision that this was G to happen again but that I was going to get the opportunity to be a part of it and you know being able to see myself up on that stage being having played a you know vital role in in the game and you know being a to walk out there with the Super Bowl MVP having won a Super Bowl like that being able to walk out there having that experience and you know my wife and I were the only ones I I told my wife once we got to the playoffs in 21 that this is what I was going to like I said you don't need to worry about like the next two games like I've already seen how this whole thing plays out and and I I had I couldn't tell like I kept that to myself like the only person I felt comfortable telling was my wife yeah and being able to say like this is going to happen so I'm on the stage and they're presenting the Super Bowl thing I they've told me before I'm I got MVP I can I'm like I I got to find my wife to like see her and right as they announced it I saw her poke her head through uh right in front of the stage and I just watched her the entire time as it was announced and just like the water just starts pouring out of her eyes like I'm looking at and as he's announcing I'm like I told you like this is we're the only people that knew that this was coming but it was it was just the wildest thing to be able to experience that you know together bro that's that's nuts you know and it's such an interesting story with you and your wife you were a kept man you know what a kept man means that means that your old lady was taking care of you oh yeah you know what I mean uh but to to to meet someone at a track meet to say to yourself I'm going to marry this person she goes off to college you like hey bro like I'm F to marry you so you being off in college down in Arkansas that ain't going to work for me come back here you know she she she's back you guys put up a signup sheet for a wedding that's a very College thing to do how did that work anyway how did the sign up sheet it was what it sounds like it was a piece of paper wedding guest like tell us you're coming write your name on the thing put it up on the board in the locker room sign that ain't that ain't sexy cat College college that's college but you know being able to be with your wife being able to be with your boys like that's amazing some people meet their wives when they're already who they are like you could have met your wife when you were already Cooper cup when you had signed a new deal what was it 2020 or whatever it was but you met your wife when you were living or trying to live this dream and she was a part of living that dream with you when you think back on all of her sacrifices how much more satisfying does it make looking at her knowing that you were the only two that knew this moment was coming but also you were the two that solded that much yeah into that moment that's why that moment was so special is she was a part of every part of this like every challenge that we talked about she was a part of every piece of that she was there for me when things are challenging she's the first person that I'm talking to she's the first person that sees me at the lowest of lows she's seen my absolute worst parts and she's Stood Beside Me and she's lifted me up through all of them and going back I when we got married we we joined our bank accounts together right and it is my sophomore year and her dad's there with us cuz he was co-signed on her account right so we're sitting there and in front of her father who is you know signed on for for accepting me into the family I had to have this bank teller look at our bank account look at me and say I know you guys want to join your this bank account but you only have $3 can I just can I just give you this can I can just give it to you here like the how embarrassing that is you had I had $3 in my bank account and I had just hit there and be like this is new son-in-law like yeah this is me come with no yeah nothing I come with anything you know but like but we work through all that stuff to you like you know I it wasn't from lack of work I mean I'm it's you're FCS you're you're a student athlete I don't have time to get a job I work in the summer you know landscaping and all different whatever I can find basically you know like you just don't have time for that but we went through all that stuff together like she knew me when I had nothing when we had nothing and we she was with me all the way through and has been a part of you know standing beside me and and through all that so that's what made that so special was all of that all the the the depth of what that our relationship is uh made that moment really special and and you you had the rookie deal which was cool then you hit him what what was what was that conversation like with your wife like to see the $3 she bringing in she had bread but it's kind of like and not saying that now you're contributing but it's like we work through so much together and now that like I said you didn't hit them like yeah I want to hold $10 if you got it when she was carrying the load and she was the one that was basically providing for us to survive and be able to eat you know like it wasn't ever a thing where every dollar that came in we just felt like was ours like how can we be a good Steward of whatever money we have right the bank account is just the bank account you know it's the same thing for us and I was like I like she didn't hold anything against me I didn't hold anything against her like now now the bank accounts the same bank account it's just numbers are a little bigger you know like it's the same we're going to live this thing we're going to do this the same way in terms of how we're going to navigate it together and try to be a good Steward of whatever that is say bro this training camp tour need to end we spending way too much money that's why we had to link up with chime.com it's a checking account that allows you fee free overdraft up to $200 with spot me or you can get your direct deposit I know you love a direct deposit when it hit you can get your direct deposit up to two days early just go to chime.com Pivot to sign up right now no monthly fees no maintenance fees and you know I don't keep a lot of money in my accounts so I might have a overdraft now I got something else canceled because I'm in the negative spot me got you for 200 so now that next deposit goes right to your account man it's like you know it's financial institution that got you it's about Community we a't trying to get over on you with ch ch a't trying to get over on you Hey listen we're always talking about we want to give back we OG so you know we coming to hook you up set up your direct deposit into a chime account after a qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more chime will notify you to enroll and spot me go open up an account it's quick as fast it's very simple I love it you should love it too also guys eligible members can boost a friend's account with spot me so you can take care of each other Freddy T needs some Chan need something I need something then we all good live it up this summer and make progress towards your financial goes with chime open your account in minutes at chime.com pivot that's chime.com pivot chime feels like progress banking services of debit card provided by the bank core Bank NA or stride bankna members FDIC spot me eligibility required and overdraft limits apply boost are available to eligible Chim members enrolled in spot me and are subject to monthly limits terms and conditions apply go to chime.com disclosures for details cool you know you can you can actually really dress right and in watching you choose clothing yeah you don't choose clothing like someone that would be from where you're from right also not like somebody who only had $3 in their bank account oh yeah at one time he done been around black dudes too just I know what you getting at so so I was reading out with black d yeah I was I was I was reading right I think it's coach Dumis I think is his name he said he called AC Davis the hood school it's there actually hoods where you're from cuz was like the West Side and he's like we kind of went to school in the hood yeah okay so yes would be the short answer so like yaka at a time I'm sure they' they're they're figuring some stuff out there was a point in time where yakma was like top 10 what is whatever rap per capita I don't know whatever it is but but like whatever rankings we were like top 10 in obesity and top 10 in crime right so it there there was a point in time where there was a low point there right where like those are the two those are two rough things to be in the bad spot of right and fat people and bad people yeah just out of shap people and yeah yeah she was supposed to be a fat criminal that's not what I didn't say that it was just it was a bad period of time for so like where I went would have been deemed as like the yeah the school that's you know not not not not not not as good of a school really you had a Supreme Court Justice that went to school there he has a statue William Douglas yeah one day you probably get a statue so to be a Supreme Court Justice and one of the best wi receivers uh of his era and even though you do get the hard worker lunch pill smart understands offense understands defenses you actually worked to do that you studied a lot of Fitz a lot of AJ and a lot of ab in preparing to become your own Cooper cup can you take me through why you pick those three guys yeah well one is cuz my agent said hey you're going to get asked who you compare yourself to with the thing so it's like I got to spend some time actually thinking about but those are guys I watch a lot of a lot of guys but I honestly did think Fitz I loved watching Fitz because when I was watching so he the triple stick the triple stick is something that I've Incorporated to my game like it's a big part of how I operate in terms of my mentality running routes right and Fitz I saw Fitz do it one time in practice we had I don't know how but Eastern Washington we've got like some kind of weird link into the NFL and we're getting all these kind of practice film and stuff it's I might get in trouble actually for saying this I don't know if they still got that connection but I saw Fitz run it in practice and I said I want to make that part of my game right and so so yeah so like first time person I saw do it was Larry Fitz I loved the tools that he was using and as his as his career went on he just I think he kept reaching deeper into his tool belt to find ways to separate and do he did that's why he was able to be productive for so long you got AB plays the exact opposite of you know Larry Fitz he's in terms of tool I you got Larry Fitz is you know 63 220 AB is not playing like that right he's playing he doesn't want people to touch him you know he keeps his keep people's hands off him plays quick uses his quickness I I love how he played the game and and the suddenness that he played with and then AJ Green was someone that I thought like I had arguments with my coach all the time between AJ and Julio who do you like more and I was like look Julio is an alien right like there's no one's no one's going to be like Julio like I can't watch Julio like oh yeah I can do that you know I'm not pulling anything from Julio film but I can watch AJ like I can pull some of this stuff and and now he's in his own right he he was dude but he used some some Techni stuff that I thought was pretty special so that's why that's why those really quick uh looking at talking about receivers we talked to Les KN earlier during practice and we asked him how does he go about scouting and finding guys in in later rounds guys that end up being the best you know top some of the best receivers in the entire NFL if you had to go and Scout yourself right coming into the NFL what would you throw on the board as strengths and or potential weaknesses I would say you know route running and football intelligence understanding the game I think all would be something that I prided myself on so I put that as a strength weaknesses tough you ain't got it's hard to at least you didn't do this at least you didn't do this you know my weaknesses I care too much yeah no I didn't do I'm not going to do that weaknesses I was okay obviously like I would say like everyone did probably top in speed was not my would like you don't see that it's not that's not my forte so tough and speed can you have is there I mean I I think I know the answer to this but 40 times in in actual game speed you got oh yeah game speed yeah no and I think that's 40 time me and 40 time have like a weird relationship like like that thing that thing screwed me pretty tough uh you know I felt like I was coming out of the Senior Bowl and like you know you're it's momentum right build momentum towards the draft Les had told me he was drafting me at 36 then I ran my 40 time and I didn't hear from the Rams for a while right and like now I know that around that 40 time and Les is pumped because he gets to trade back until you know the third round and you pick me up there and he's told me he's like look you're a white receiver from a small school who ran a slow 40 like easy easy I'm moving back yeah was that why your your call was so boring like when he calls you like are you ready to be around you want to know why it's because my Wii calling was off and I got I got I was hearing like two words from like like it's like so I'm like trying to answer these questions I'm like look man like yeah I can't wait to be that I don't know I don't know what what you're saying so yeah I know I I didn't hear much of Les or Sean or anything on that phone call CU my side was just cutting out because they replayed it and like the only cool thing you said was like I love nothing more and the rest of it was like yes sir yes sir yeah I could hear thing I was very disappointed like yep yes so now we you fast forward past all that you guys over chieve last year and him talking about scouting yourself from college you get a guy in puka NOA many of the same things uh extremely tough extremely intelligent catches balls in traffic and he comes along he's the Rookie of the Year breaks records sets records much as you had you know at times in your career you have a good run game you lose ad defensively so this team is sort of in transitioned in a way and has a core what are your or what is the Outlook of this team this year at the competing in the year that many people thought you'd be down I think what the cool thing about last year was it forced everyone to you know stay within the building right the expectations are within the building it doesn't matter what like don't look outside the building cuz you're not going to hear anything good right so it forc a lot of people you know we had 40 something rookies last year at training camp forces everyone to say hey this is about us like this group what can we do what are our expectations what's our process and let's go like put our product on the field now like this it's flipping a little bit right like people want to talk about us a little bit more you might see you know the Rams up on the TV a little bit more but for us like we just learned it's not about what it doesn't matter what they say like we learned on the other on the flip side last year it doesn't matter what's being excit about you it's about our product and what we're doing in the in the walls of our building and so you know now we're going into this transition year things are changing but you know it's like don't listen to anything else it doesn't matter like whatever else is anyone saying whatever Ryan Clark's you know spewing with Stephen A out there on the what I'm saying great things about it doesn't matter but that's but that's almost worse for us like stop talking about us we don't want to be talked about we want just just handle our our business because of what we went through last year I think we guys are in that good mindset now where like you know we are in transition where there's all this different stuff that people want to talk about but it's like hey we're a new team with 2024 Rams how are we going to handle our business I just I got to ask you because it's it's a person we all love spend time with him and you said the guru thing like they put different names on them bro how special is sea McVey like cuz I know y'all have a good relationship he's actually talked about you before but just to sit down with a guy like that and be able to have him in your corner when you're when you're breaking down you're looking at football cuz Sean all that stuff I owe so much to Shawn and challenging I don't know what you like you you like studying film right I came out of high school I'm like I got this football thing Fair like I know all the stuff then you get to college and you're like oh I don't know anything and then I come out of college I'm like now I know football I know all this stuff you go with Sean and you realize oh no I again I don't know anything and it's like this like he challenges you and pushes you to grow and like understand what's having why our defens is doing what they're doing it's not just cover three is not just cover three cover four is not just cover four right like there's reasons to everything and there's you know rules and like the nuances of all these different things and he wants to know all that he wants to understand it and then he wants to dissect it and destroy it like he want to you know destroy it from the inside out like you know and that's such a cool thing to be a part of as a player as long as you're in that place where you can understand like there's some that will slow you down you know too much so you have to sift through some of that stuff but if you can get to this place where you can understand some of those things and be allow them to you know become competent subconsciously with what some of those things are it just helps you play so much you know so much more efficiently so I appreciate him and I mean just from a you know he was he was my age when he was leading the LA Rams right like his first year he was as old as I am right now stepping into the building and what he's learned and he'd only been calling the offense I think for like two or three years before that right so what he's done now in the last eight seven years now like what he's built is incredible and you know you got to give him credit for just the people he's brought around the culture he's established and then as a play caller like being able to adapt and move and change as the years have gone on and it's pretty special how he's able to do things and I mean even just thinking like back to the Super Bowl right like we're getting shut down for that whole like game plans change we H to 6 minutes he gathers us together like hey like we're going to go down and score you guys have seen probably the miked up of all you know like he bring us together and that moment that was it's the one time in my career I've ever just said just give me the ball like it's never been my thing but before that drive was the first time I ever was like just whatever you do just get me the ball I got to find a way and Sean's ability now to adjust all the game plan all the things that we've done all the two weeks of buildup and training all the practices and everything and be able to find a way to string together a 15pl drive that's you know within our game plan but finding a way like hey they've been taking away all game to find a way to get me the ball you know consistently throughout that drive and then be able to get down to the you know and punch it in um I think it just shows kind of a little bit of his ability in that moment to be able to adjust and know how to attack a defense that that really had our number I'm a Cooper cup uh Daily Grind clip Watcher yeah right because it's a very the clips you post at least are very mindset based right it's not necessarily has doesn't have to be uh specific to anything to any job to any goal it's just okay if you approach life in this way these things can be applicable you talked about the journey and the destination being the Mountaintop and how if the Mountaintop was the only focus of the journey you miss all of these things in between right the destination is so important you miss all of these things that built up to you can't truly enjoy it so you enjoy it but it doesn't change that now you're at the mountain top right it doesn't change that now you have reached the Pinnacle and you either have to get down and maybe you stay down forever or you have another clim you are still looking at another Mountain toop yeah what is that for you now you've accomplished so much individually you've accomplished everything you're supposed to as a team in one year what are those Mountaintop goals for coer cup that's a good question I think there's always there's the easy answer like every year like every year is in a way it's a new opportunity right as a new chance to climb a new Mountain the ultimate goal of any season is to win a Super Bowl so there's always going to be that piece of it I think as a as like a daily reminder for me and something that I knew was so valued as a young player in this league were the guys that every day poured into me that like like took the time to you know teach me the game to show me how to do it right and whether that's with a word of encouragement or just the way that they handle their business when I watch film together we watch film together and it's like I want to play like that guy that's something that to me I think is really important to me is to pay that forward and to show guys that you know what I've got in my room now if you want to be successful at this leag in this league here are some of the things that have helped me and you know if there's any word I can give you that's I feel like is going to give you an edge I'm I'm going to give you that word you know if there's anything you're seeing on film I want to be able to answer those questions for you I want you to be a I want to model the way for you with how I handle my business when you see me in the meeting rooms when you see me in the weight room you see me on the field that you're going to be able to look to someone that's doing things the right way I had Robert Woods for me that Ma the way from me and I always wanted to be like I want to compete like Robert Woods does I want to prep prepare the way that he does and so a big goal for me in the journey that has brought so much fulfillment and joy to my life has been just you know being able to put my arm around some of these young guys that come in this league and be able to truly enjoy just them being successful and seeing them grow into great football players and great men um that's just been something that for me has been incredibly valuable and a journey that that I've uh I've found a lot of fulfillment in what has been or what is Cooper Cup's biggest pivot biggest pivot that one moment that happens um that without it happening you wouldn't be who you are today right before that conversation I had with my dad right it was earlier that year it was right before Christmas we're about to leave for like last day of school about leave for Christmas break and we're at PE I've got a basketball tournament that night I'm in PE and I'm like gas we're playing basketball like my legs are just Jello like what in the like this has never happened to me I can play basketball for days I don't know what's going on whatever just get home get started on this basketball game I get to this basketball game and I'm like having to tap out I'm like tapping out for the I'm like coach I can't I can't do my legs are gone next game same thing's happening I'm at the free throw I'm like getting ready to box out for a free throw and I like Drop to my knees my legs just give out I'm like I have got nothing I'm in sixth grade like I have no idea what's going on they're like all right pull me out my dad's like I think you're dehydrated or something like I don't know what's going on but he's got Pedialite I'm like chugging pedialytes I'm I I go I walk up the stairs for lunch and I pass out on the floor like what in the world is going on I can't figure it out well this goes on for a few days found out that I had stomach ulcers and I had lost about 60% of my blood wow and by the time I got to the hospital I was eyes rolled back in the car they're taking me to the my parents are taking me to the car and i' I got out of Body Experience I'm I'm watching I describe this to my parents afterwards I'm like I saw everything happening from about 10t above I'm looking down at myself I'm laying in the back of the of the car in a feble position they driving me to the hospital I'm like seeing the nurses take me put me in the bed shoving IVs in me and everything then I like pop back into my body poow and over the next 3 days they just pumping me back full of blood cuz they like few hours it would have been over wow and I think there was a coming back from that right at the same time as my dad you know I come back from this thing I'm like okay we got things under control we're back and my dad has that conversation with me and the mindset of that moment now like moving into sixth grade seventh grade eighth grade and just you know the mindset of how I was going to approach Athletics right that'd be the first pivot I think my second pivot it is when I met my wife when we started our journey together and having someone else now like I had been had this mindset and I had this thing that I was going after for me but when it shifted to I'm doing this for us that was a huge again mindset shift that I think just became so much more powerful and the like this belief that the things that you believe and the things that can convict you when you're doing them for yourself I think they like that's one thing but when those convictions become something that you do for someone that you love and a part of something that's so much bigger than yourself that's when those things I think become supercharged then being able to do that and that journey together like we've talked about here like that is what ultimately took me to where I wanted to go you know and where we got to go together and we've we' I've talked at length about what she's meant to me in that Journey as well but that would be the I think that would be the that would probably be the big pivot love it the last thing that I would love to hear is you speak about faith a lot and faith is obviously the you know substance of things hoped for and evidence of Things Not Seen to be able to see that right and remember so vividly what you saw in that car how often when your faith is is challenged or when adversity hits do you think back to that moment and how much it could have ended your life and ultimately how much it changed your life yeah and I you know I I think in those moments like those Mo those experiences and the things like you know if you want into a mission field you might see some crazy things that you couldn't explain right and you know there's lots of Miracles I think have happened in this world but I don't think that Miracles create true Faith right there something that I think can be a part of it but in those challenging times I don't think of those crazy things that like I can't explain I think of the people I have in my life that have meant so much to me I think the relationship I have with my wife the Rel relationships I have with the people that God's put in my life um how he's put people intentionally in there to have a word for me to show me the way the way he's talked through people and worked through people and ultimately I go back to just what's in my chest like I just I a a piece of him is within is in me and I I I know what's true and what's what's real and that is where things go when when it's tough is going back to I know where my identity lies and you know I think I've gone through some crazy stuff like I've gone through I've seen some Wild Things some things that I can't explain whether the vision of the Super Bowl or you know going through that moment in the hospital but but it's not that it's not that it's intrinsic it's it's a part of the Journey of just like my relationship with people that I love it's my relationship with Christ and that's that is in its own thing you know where I fall back on I love that I'm going to tell you what man that was that was man you can't beat that I'm going be honest I'm going tell you why you got a lot of faith hey no cut them off how come they're better than at doing this year than they were last year so you got look both ways what we did and what we are doing you know they keep me behind I'm media when I get out here you they keep me they keep me behind the chains how you doing man how's it been bro going well oh yeah good doing well well it's a very running back friendly offense man I love yo what's up baby anybody coach these teams though appreciate that what's up man what up my brother how you doing man doing good we going to be at the hotel tonight too are you yeah we going talk to C po yes we'll see you that's awesome so you're getting with him yeah that's great I saw your guys deal with raw again man how cool is that bro ra so awesome man so happy too man yeah you see he took those I text him though you taking these dudes to water parks like you being sof already did he I didn't see that he took he took him to the water park yeah they had they had a morning lift and then they went but Mike told him Mike Mike said be ra if you going to be ra be ra that's true how you doing man yes sir Lake what up brother how you doing man good to see you brother good to see you is this the uh first joint y had first Joint part third bro I never this our fourth practice when I played bro we did it one time my last year Pittsburgh we never did it you know what I'm saying I I didn't want none of this really I don't know how to act I was so old by that time I a care baby Shack what's up my man good to see you too man you can't be how you doing bro what up my dog I'm glad I caught you now before you start got before you got really sweaty what's up how you doing that now everybody already know that here's the thing though the hopes is y y'all don't get no son look I told him I said we do coach call it out we going to need CPR everybody pass he that weather too good and C ain't you know that about be ready to go you good bro big yes sir do your thing as they started changing the rules have you started changing your mind mindset because my whole thing was like I was like go play go hit somebody go do something but you can't hit nobody anymore you you have to adjust like oh okay it's like it's it's not the same as it used to be I got to do [Music] that witness it get my people feeling militant way I'm feeling get me up on the mission get me up knowing me I got the key only Vision I can trust trust Limitless n to me it I F the here to witness it get my people feeling militant I'm feeling get me up