{"id":98693,"date":"2022-02-14T23:02:10","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T05:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=98693"},"modified":"2022-02-16T12:06:38","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T18:06:38","slug":"time-commitment-pays-off-for-cooper-kupp-with-super-bowl-mvp-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/time-commitment-pays-off-for-cooper-kupp-with-super-bowl-mvp-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Time commitment pays off for Cooper Kupp with Super Bowl MVP win"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kyle Kelly<\/strong>
\nMedill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES \u2014 About 21 full days.<\/span><\/p>\n

That is the amount of time Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp estimated he spent working with quarterback Matthew Stafford outside of mandated practice time to develop their chemistry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kupp won the Pete Rozelle Trophy as Super Bowl LVI MVP in Inglewood, California, on Sunday night, thanks to a\u00a0 performance that featured eight receptions, 92 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the Rams\u2019 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The most important grab of them all came with 1:25 to play, which became the go-ahead touchdown that ultimately secured the Super Bowl title.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last week, Kupp was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year after leading the league during the regular season in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16). Each stat was a career-high and a reflection of Stafford. Of the nine touchdown passes the 13-year veteran and former Pro Bowler threw this postseason, six of them went to Kupp.<\/span><\/p>\n

All the remarkable stats aside, it was the final catch that brought all the dedication to success during the season to the forefront.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI think I was actually adding it up in the car on the way here,\u201d Kupp told reporters at Monday\u2019s\u00a0 MVP news conference. \u201cThe extra time, outside of the obligatory time, is north of 500 hours this season. You spend that much together being able to talk football, the preparation and time you have \u2014 focusing on that kind of stuff. When you get in those moments, it just becomes second nature.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The time commitment has not gone unnoticed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Head coach Sean McVay said Kupp was a \u201cfoundational piece\u201d in the Rams winning the Lombardi Trophy. He was selected 69th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, the same year McVay started at the helm of Los Angeles. In those five years, the Rams have had several key roster changes in the receiving room, such as the departure of former first-round picks Sammy Watkins and Brandin Cooks, and the addition of former All-Pro receiver Odell Beckham Jr.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through it all, Kupp remained constant. He led the team in receptions during two of the previous seasons and finished second by just two catches as a rookie.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Off the field, he has flourished too. He has been a team captain for the past two seasons, and his relationship with McVay has grown personal. That bond is one of the many reasons the Rams are Super Bowl champions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGuys like Cooper epitomize what\u2019s right about this team,\u201d McVay said Monday. \u201cI am better as a coach and a person for being around Cooper Kupp. \u2026 This year especially, there has been a stillness, peace and a joy that he was playing with. \u2026 He\u2019s made such an impact on me. Guys like Cooper Kupp are why you coach.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Kupp\u2019s impact on the Rams has been felt leaguewide. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged in Monday morning\u2019s news conference that he is only the second player, joining Joe Montana in 1989, to win NFL Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP in the same season. Kupp also set an NFL postseason record with 33 receptions.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Kupp\u2019s presence is felt most by his starting quarterback.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s an unbelievable player,\u201d Stafford told reporters in his postgame news conference Sunday night. \u201cI’m so proud of him, all the work that he puts in, the sacrifice, the time, the effort. It’s just so fun to get to go to work with him every single day and do what he does and watch him do his thing. It’s pretty special.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Kyle Kelly is a sports media graduate student at Medill. You can follow him on Twitter at @ByKyleKelly<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kyle Kelly Medill Reports LOS ANGELES \u2014 About 21 full days. That is the amount of time Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp estimated he spent working with quarterback Matthew Stafford outside of mandated practice time to develop their chemistry. Kupp won the Pete Rozelle Trophy as Super Bowl LVI MVP in Inglewood, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":826,"featured_media":98694,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5201,31,5212,5182,5155],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medill-explores-2022","category-sports","category-la-sports-2022","category-super-bowl-lvi","category-winter-2022"],"yoast_head":"\nTime commitment pays off for Cooper Kupp with Super Bowl MVP win - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cooper Kupp estimated he spent working north of 500 hours with quarterback Matthew Stafford outside of mandated practice time.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/time-commitment-pays-off-for-cooper-kupp-with-super-bowl-mvp-win\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Time commitment pays off for Cooper Kupp with Super Bowl MVP win - 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