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Cooper Kupp: "There's No Flinch From Sam Darnold" · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: You said you like spend a lot of time in
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: the quarterback What did that?
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: Does that have you've done your whole career? When did
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: that kind of become something you you did as a
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: part of your game.
• 0:09
  Speaker 3: Yeah, there's something. Yeah, just been part of how I
• 0:14
  Speaker 3: think my mind works. I want to know what the
• 0:15
  Speaker 3: quarterbacks thinking. I want to know the details and behind
• 0:19
  Speaker 3: what we're trying to get done, the intent behind the plays.
• 0:21
  Speaker 3: And you know, no one knows that better than the quarterbacks.
• 0:24
  Speaker 3: So there's being able to sitting there and so as
• 0:26
  Speaker 3: much information as I can, and you know, I was
• 0:29
  Speaker 3: a learning curve to us that you don't want to
• 0:32
  Speaker 3: slow yourself down with too much information, but being able
• 0:34
  Speaker 3: to internalize the things that are helpful and be able
• 0:36
  Speaker 3: to let go in one year and out the other
• 0:38
  Speaker 3: the things that might just slow you down. So really
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: thankful for Genoakes and the QBS let me just sit
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: in there and be a part of things. But yeah,
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: it feels real for me. It's really helpful to allow
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: me to play how I want to.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: All of those meetings or are you like engaging and
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: asking questions and actively a part of that.
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: I try to pick my spots a little bit understand
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: the QBS meeting, and so you know, fly on the
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: wall first of all, and if I do have a question,
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: being able to have good timing about when I'm asking
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: those things and being able to make sure that I'm
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: not I definitely want to be in the way or
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: slow down the things that then you get done. You know,
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: you're up against the clock all the time. We could
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: meet here all day and go over all the different things,
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: but you're always up against the clock, and definitely want
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: to stow things down in that regard.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: That cup guys open and why did you get ball?
• 1:26
  Speaker 4: No? No, I do not never.
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: What What does a typical day look like for a
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: player in terms of like when you get here versus
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: when you leave on a given Wednesday or Thursday.
• 1:37
  Speaker 3: For a typical football player? Okay, yeah, so uh Wednesday,
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: I come in.
• 1:48
  Speaker 4: Real early.
• 1:49
  Speaker 3: I don't do any football on Tuesdays. Tuesday's family day,
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: recovery day, and so try not to do any football. Then,
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: so I come in super early, try to get here
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: on five after five on Wednesday to make sure I'm
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: caught up by Tom Sam and QBS get their Wednesday
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: because they've done their stuff on Tuesday. I want to
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: be caught up with them in terms of the first
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: and second down stuff, and make sure that we're speaking
• 2:10
  Speaker 3: the same language, seeing the same thing, so that when
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: we're watching film together, we're at that same place. Go through,
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: you know, your meetings and all that stuff started around
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: eight thirty, and go through meetings all morning, insults, all
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: that walkthroughs. Get out there at practice, and then before
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: you head home, make sure you guys, make sure we
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: meet and clean up whatever happened in practice, and then
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: you go in Thursday, get in there a little bit
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: later this time six o'clock, start going through stuff, third downs,
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: and we know we're gonna install that that morning, same thing,
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: walk through, go out there and practice that and then
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: be ready for similar schedule on Fridays. Just you know,
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: if the show up at six, get ready for red
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: zone and install for red zone, and then you go practice.
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: Guys here at five o'clock in the morning on Wednesday.
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: When you know, I don't know, there's a good group
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: of of coaches and stuff there here, there's some there's
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: some cars out there in the locker room or out
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: there in the parking lot. You know that I think
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: they're getting their lifts in and peloton bikes and all
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: that kind of stuff. So there's a there's a solid,
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: little little group of guys.
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: There are the biggest influences on have helped you become
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: the person you.
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  Speaker 3: Are, Oh man, the biggest influences, I guess my dad
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: would be the first one in terms of just like
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: pointing me in a direction and saying, you know, young age,
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: like this is just what it's gonna take, and just
• 3:39
  Speaker 3: being frank and honest about when I got serious about
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: wanting to pursue football, and you know, just being able
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: to have a conversation with me like, hey, what do
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: you want And if that's what you want, then let
• 3:51
  Speaker 3: me tell you what it's gonna take. And just giving
• 3:54
  Speaker 3: me that direction of like you're gonna have to outwork people,
• 3:56
  Speaker 3: you're gonna have to spend more time than people around you,
• 3:59
  Speaker 3: and building habits a really young age. You know, that
• 4:04
  Speaker 3: was sixth grade when that conversation it happened. Sixteenth grade
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: when that happened, and like those habits that he kind
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: of pointed me towards built and then they just kind
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  Speaker 3: of maintain just became how I lived my life. And
• 4:17
  Speaker 3: so you know, he's obviously my dad. I'm incredibly thankful
• 4:21
  Speaker 3: for how he lives his life and the model and
• 4:23
  Speaker 3: the example he was for me. But then also just
• 4:26
  Speaker 3: being able to be honest with me and point me
• 4:27
  Speaker 3: in a direction and let me go.
• 4:30
  Speaker 4: So that's huge. And then as.
• 4:32
  Speaker 3: I'm going through football, the different coaches that I've had
• 4:34
  Speaker 3: have been instrumental in just developing me and pouring into me.
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: I'm incredibly thankful for There's so many. I could sit
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: here and listen forever, but and then really lucky to go,
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: you know, be a part of things in La with uh,
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: with coach McVeigh, and you know his mind for football
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: and you know his willingness to teach and being open
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  Speaker 3: to questions, being open to answering the the why behind things,
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: and uh, you know those are kind of the guys
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: I guess those are the guys that come to mind.
• 5:03
  Speaker 4: Without getting more long winded than I've already been, I
• 5:08
  Speaker 4: know you.
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: Guys are He's a little older and you could you
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: ever cross the past with Colin Moore being from the
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: same kind of region in Washington?
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: Oh yeah, I mean I used to wake up on
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: Saturday mornings and see what Kellen Moore and Cody Bruns,
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: what they would go for on Friday nights thereon Prosser
• 5:22
  Speaker 3: and love seeing that there. I mean, if you go
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: back and look at some of their like box scores
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: of those two guys, it was it was stupid. But yeah,
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: so I've known about I've known about Killen for a
• 5:33
  Speaker 3: long time. Cross passed with him a few times. You know,
• 5:37
  Speaker 3: an old receiver of coach of mine, Junior Adams and
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: the Moors have a great relationship. So I've kind of
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: got to know the Moors a little bit through my
• 5:44
  Speaker 3: old coach help that you know, Kellen's camps and things
• 5:49
  Speaker 3: like that. So yeah, cross passed them a little bit.
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: You got to know, are observe Brandon Staley as DC?
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: What what does he what does he bring?
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean I touched on a little bit, I
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: guess inadvertently earlier this year in terms of just what
• 6:04
  Speaker 3: he did in terms of the scope of the league,
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: how things have changed a little bit, bringing some of
• 6:10
  Speaker 3: the stuff through Fangio and then his own kind of
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: spin on things.
• 6:13
  Speaker 4: And I think the thing is he wants to be
• 6:15
  Speaker 4: ahead of the game.
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: He's clearly is someone that doesn't care what you doesn't
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: care what the status quo is he just wants to
• 6:22
  Speaker 3: be ahead of it.
• 6:23
  Speaker 4: He wants to be.
• 6:26
  Speaker 3: The guy that's setting the standard, I guess, and.
• 6:30
  Speaker 4: So respect that.
• 6:31
  Speaker 3: I mean, I respect someone that's trying to find find
• 6:34
  Speaker 3: new ways to do things, and you know he uh,
• 6:38
  Speaker 3: I think the stuff that he does is it's sound
• 6:40
  Speaker 3: and there's there's a lot of different Like man, he's
• 6:44
  Speaker 3: presenting a lot of different things for you and keeps
• 6:46
  Speaker 3: you on your toes. So Sale has been a part
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: of this league now for quite a few years, and
• 6:51
  Speaker 3: you gotta respect the things that he's doing defensively, is
• 6:55
  Speaker 3: what he's doing now what he.
• 6:56
  Speaker 4: Was doing when before.
• 6:59
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean there's a uh, it's always like some mixers,
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: there's been growth and there's been changes and things like that.
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: But a lot of it is I think there are
• 7:05
  Speaker 3: some similarities. And you know, if there's only been two
• 7:08
  Speaker 3: games against two very different opponents, you know, and so
• 7:13
  Speaker 3: you're trying you're seeing how he's playing against you know,
• 7:16
  Speaker 3: San Francisco last week, how he was against Arizona two
• 7:19
  Speaker 3: weeks ago, and seeing kind of how are those what
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: those plans might look like, how they might be different
• 7:23
  Speaker 3: than what you might expect coming up here, and so
• 7:26
  Speaker 3: we'll see, we'll see what he's got for us.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: Kobeak and his staff in terms of what they present
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: to you guys during the week, but early down stuff,
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: the red zone, third down, and how that matches what
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: you end up ultimately getting from teams in these first
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: two games.
• 7:40
  Speaker 3: Yeah, in terms of what they what they're anticipating versus
• 7:43
  Speaker 3: we're getting. Yeah, I mean, I think the best thing
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: I mean about the offense and what the coaches are
• 7:49
  Speaker 3: doing is I mean, at the end of the day,
• 7:51
  Speaker 3: they want to try to find ways to give us
• 7:54
  Speaker 3: an answer. Right do you not to find ways for
• 7:57
  Speaker 3: how are we going to put guys in good persson ditions?
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: And you know whatever that ends up meaning, you can't
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: You don't know. You you're in call of play on
• 8:06
  Speaker 3: second four and you have all the tendencies, all the
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: thoughts of what it could be, but you have no
• 8:10
  Speaker 3: idea what they're gonna call. You have no idea what
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: it's gonna be on the other side of the ball,
• 8:13
  Speaker 3: And you gotta have a way to have answers for
• 8:15
  Speaker 3: it and trust that you've given the players direction to
• 8:18
  Speaker 3: know how to solve problems and make a play. Come
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: to life, and so I think that's the biggest thing
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  Speaker 3: what the coaches is just being open those conversations so
• 8:25
  Speaker 3: that when there are questions, was like, man, that's not
• 8:27
  Speaker 3: what I was anticipating, getting how do you want us
• 8:30
  Speaker 3: to execute in these looks and presenting those looks from
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: practice so that when it comes by the time Sunday
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: rolls around, we know what looks to expect and what
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  Speaker 3: the answers are when we're getting something different.
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: Specifically on third down against the Steelers obviously much better
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: than the first week. Did you feel like you guys
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: had the answers that was part of why you were
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: more efficient.
• 8:48
  Speaker 4: On third down?
• 8:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean think that we had some answers and
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: then we also just had guys that were able to
• 8:53
  Speaker 3: make plays. You know, when things do go wrong, with
• 8:56
  Speaker 3: things do break down, guys just being able to overcome it.
• 8:59
  Speaker 3: That's a big part of football. You know, coaching gonna
• 9:01
  Speaker 3: trap plea us some positions as much as we can,
• 9:03
  Speaker 3: but it is gonna come down to players making plays.
• 9:06
  Speaker 3: And you know, I think Sam on that big third
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: down in the fourth quarter, being able to spin out
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: of a pressure look and he'll get the ball to
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: aj to convert. There's just you know, things like that
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: are gonna happen and and.
• 9:18
  Speaker 4: Make a difference in the game.
• 9:19
  Speaker 3: You know, find players find finding ways to make plays
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: when the defense might have our number.
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: You've played a couple of full games with Jackson.
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: What stands out maybe I mean, obviously practice with them,
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: you knew his game a little bit, but just seeing
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: him through the course of the game.
• 9:31
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it just makes plays, you know, over and over
• 9:33
  Speaker 3: again with his number is called, you know, obviously a huge,
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: huge explosive at the end of the game when you
• 9:40
  Speaker 3: need it.
• 9:42
  Speaker 4: Last week and just.
• 9:43
  Speaker 3: Over and over against man it's like, if we can
• 9:45
  Speaker 3: get his number called and get opportunity to get the
• 9:48
  Speaker 3: ball thrown his way, He's just consistently been able to
• 9:52
  Speaker 3: do some good stuff with with the ball in his
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: hands and make plays in the air, and so he's
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: just been Uh, it's just it's really fun to pl
• 10:00
  Speaker 3: alongside him, is you know, is uh enthusiasm for the
• 10:03
  Speaker 3: game and and competitiveness. You know, it's it's really cool
• 10:08
  Speaker 3: to see and it's just gonna continue to get better.
• 10:10
  Speaker 4: Diversity.
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: Obviously, there are a couple of plays in the first
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: half then and go the way you guys wanted, especially
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: at the end of the half. How did you see
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: Sam trying to handle all that and whether that gets
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: you guys back together.
• 10:17
  Speaker 4: Yeah, man, he's just steady. Man. That's really hard. It's
• 10:20
  Speaker 4: really hard. You know.
• 10:21
  Speaker 3: Uh, you know, two plays and you know at least
• 10:25
  Speaker 3: one of them it's a fluky thing. But for him
• 10:28
  Speaker 3: just to stay steady and be able to continue to
• 10:30
  Speaker 3: go out there and command the huddle the same way,
• 10:32
  Speaker 3: you know, there's no flinch from him. Uh, and uh,
• 10:36
  Speaker 3: to encourage guys and be be the same Sam that
• 10:38
  Speaker 3: he was, you know to start the game, as he
• 10:41
  Speaker 3: was all the way through that thing, whether it was highs,
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: when we were rolling, when we were trying to find
• 10:45
  Speaker 3: uh some momentum, it's the same guy. And uh and
• 10:49
  Speaker 3: and you know, I think that's Uh, that's a comforting
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: thing for guys in the huddle knowing that the guy
• 10:53
  Speaker 3: that's leading the charge here is is is going, He's
• 10:57
  Speaker 3: not He's not gonna flinch. He's gonna stand in there
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: and make throws and and be his be the same
• 11:02
  Speaker 3: guy that he was, regardless of what that result is.
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: He says he's playing because he loves the game.
• 11:07
  Speaker 4: Ever stops loving the game. Quit what what? How does
• 11:10
  Speaker 4: that show up? A?
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's uh, you know, I think there's
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: always a desire like, man, if something doesn't go right,
• 11:20
  Speaker 3: he's the first guy be like, hey, let's come over
• 11:23
  Speaker 3: to the side, like let's get some extra reps of that,
• 11:24
  Speaker 3: or let's get that look again, a throw that he
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: felt like he need to make.
• 11:28
  Speaker 4: Barry's like, man, I want to get another rep of that.
• 11:30
  Speaker 3: He's asking coaches, I want to go spend extra time
• 11:32
  Speaker 3: walking through some of these looks.
• 11:33
  Speaker 4: And I think.
• 11:35
  Speaker 3: That's one of the ways you see is just like
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: the willingness, like you know, the standard of like we've
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: got all these music, all this stuff scheduled, finding the
• 11:44
  Speaker 3: time like, hey, look I this isn't enough. I need
• 11:46
  Speaker 3: extra time. I need extra time here, I need extra
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: work here. I mean, that's a that's a really cool thing.
• 11:51
  Speaker 3: It's one of the last guys off the field, you know,
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: every day at practice, you know, so uh, it's very
• 11:57
  Speaker 3: clear that Sam loves football and really cares about you know,
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: winning games.
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: Here wavering and saying that you know, you still believe
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: you can play at a really high level, you know,
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: even when there's been some doubts outside. What do you
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: look at to validate that is? Look at tracking, daddy,
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: look at how you play on certain routes. What helps
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: you verify that you're the player you want to be.
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: I think a lot of just the process that I
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: have for myself. And you know the camera is on, However,
• 12:26
  Speaker 3: you know the camera's on for three hours for the week.
• 12:28
  Speaker 3: But you know I spend I you know, I spend
• 12:32
  Speaker 3: much more than that, you know, playing this game and
• 12:34
  Speaker 3: preparing to play this game.
• 12:35
  Speaker 4: And so I have a better idea than you do.
• 12:38
  Speaker 4: And so I.
• 12:39
  Speaker 3: Believe in who I am, and so I I just
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: have a Yeah, I just have a belief in myself.
• 12:45
  Speaker 4: I have a belief in myself.
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: And you know, similar to what what Sam said, I
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: if it's if I'm not having fun playing this game,
• 12:52
  Speaker 3: I'm not gona play this game anymore. And I'm enjoying
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: playing this game. I'm enjoying playing coming in every day
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: and and going through my process. And I'm just gonna
• 13:00
  Speaker 3: keep keep wrong with it.
• 13:04
  Speaker 4: Oh no, I'm not.
• 13:05
  Speaker 3: I'm not out here to prove anything anyone wrong. I
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: just I said I love the game. I'm motivated play
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: this game because I I love doing it. I love
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: playing alongside the guys that sit in these chairs that
• 13:14
  Speaker 3: you guys are sitting in right now and preparing to
• 13:18
  Speaker 3: go out there and and accomplish a goal moving forward
• 13:21
  Speaker 3: with you know, seventy guys all you know, slated for
• 13:24
  Speaker 3: the same mission.
• 13:25
  Speaker 4: And I love that. I love it.
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: I love the accountability of it. I love playing for
• 13:30
  Speaker 3: the guy next to me, knowing that he's doing the
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: same thing for me. It makes it a very special thing.
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: There's not a whole lot of things in this world
• 13:36
  Speaker 3: that you get to be a part of that that camaraderie,
• 13:41
  Speaker 3: and I don't take that lightly. And so I'm I'm
• 13:45
  Speaker 3: doing it because I I love it. Yeah, thank you, guys,