LA Rams WR Cooper Kupp: The Miracle at SoFi Stadium

Don’t block? No rock

The principles of McVay’s offense were rather new to the NFL but quickly proved to be incredibly effective. Most offenses ran their passing offense to augment the running. But McVay flipped it and ran to set up his passing offense. He embraced one featured running back and overwhelmed defenses with three or four eligibles.

With Kupp, McVay could unleash his best weapon by setting Kupp onto the football field as the slot receiver. Now, he had one of his best receivers matched up one-on-one with the defense’s smallest or slowest cornerback. Too short? Kupp’s 6-foot-2 height allowed him to go over the defensive back. Too slow? Kupp’s surprising speed and crisp routes would create great separation, making him an easy target for then quarterback Jared Goff.

But this wasn’t the same ‘spread’ offense of the past. McVay realized quickly that an offense that was heavy on wide receivers could struggle at running the football and against physical defenses, so he insisted that receivers who wanted to catch passes must demonstrate the ability to block effectively.

Robert Woods was the best thing that could happen to Cooper Kupp

Perhaps history would have been written quite differently for Kupp had fate not stepped in one more time to help him early in his career. You see, Cooper Kupp was not the only receiver added to the Rams’ offense. The team also signed veteran free agent Robert Woods.

While McVay was the architect, Robert Woods was the general contractor. He was the guy with boots on the ground, and he and Kupp became fast friends. Rather than compete for targets, the two quickly formed a strong bond of friendship over the types of roles that most wide receivers abhor: blocking.