LOS ANGELES (AP) – Robert Woods spent his days running this strange NFL off-season sneaking fences and through open doors in the fields and tracks of the best schools in the Los Angeles area.
“You may see an open door, so you jump on the track and you walk in your paintings,” Woods said. “The next day, you might see someone chasing you on the track and say, “Hey, what are you doing here?” and then locate the tactics that divert you. The next thing you know, you’re shooting texts looking to locate some other available clues. »
Woods made some of those sneaky paintings with Cooper Kupp, his 1,000-yard catcher with the Los Angeles Rams. These clandestine paintings of COVID with Jared Goff and other Rams were entertained.
“Nutrition consisted of starting almost every single box here at Thousand Oaks, which was fun,” Kupp said. “If I jumped the fence, it probably wasn’t meant to be there, probably. I feel like as long as I don’t put anyone in danger, I’m going to … ask forgiveness instead of permission.
Being the Star Receivers of the Rams didn’t help much in the coronavirus era, not when the team’s educational complex was off limits and the best schools weren’t interested in deliberately organizing celebrity workouts.
“It worked during the first day, but it went over someone, and we got the start,” Woods said with a smile.
Woods and Kupp are one of the most prolific and reliable NFL duos to catch passes from more than 3 seasons, but regular receivers are about to get the attention they lost.
With their blank runs, hands and consistent play, Woods and Kupp controlled at least 90 receptions and 1,100 yards to earn last season, piling up numbers on coach Sean McVay’s offense.
After the release of ball-carrier Todd Gurley and the departure of receiver Brandin Cooks in a Rams industry to reduce prices in the off-season, Woods and Kupp are expected to take on more paintings and everyday work in the fall. They do it with the same professional attitude that led them to where they are.
“I think we’re like the most eye-catching receiver organization,” Woods, the Rams’ first catcher to record back-to-back 1,000 yards since Torry Holt in 2007.
“But we’re up to production, up to the best, if they’re the best,” Woods added. “It’s the greatest purpose of our entire receiving body, just doing what we did last year, but being even more dominant in the air and ground game, to make bigger games. You know, we broke some tackles, but we have to break them all.
They don’t have to be very informed this year either: Woods, 28, and Kupp, 27, are coming into their fourth season on coach Sean McVay’s offense, and that familiarity makes things easier.
“We have such a smart date at this point, we get to the point where they don’t need to communicate with each other,” said Goff, who has been McVay’s quarterback for 4 years. “They look at each other and know what everyone thinks.”
Woods and Kupp will have help, too. Josh Reynolds is back after spending three seasons in large part as the Fourth Receiver of the Rams, intensified when Kupp fell with a knee injury that ended the season in 2018, and eventually made three receptions at the Super Bowl.
The Rams also selected Florida’s product, Van Jefferson, in the round of moments, proving that the franchise likes a safe type of receiver.
Jefferson’s smooth speed, exact bearing and Jefferson’s hands led to countless pre-draft comparisons with none other than Woods and Kupp. General manager Les Snead promoted the comparison moments after writing to Jefferson, who had described the two veterans as role models for his NFL career before he even knew he would play with them.
Jefferson appeared early in thousand Oaks’ domain and participated in some of the Rams’ not-so-secret workouts, opting out of veterans’ brains for more information. McVay is pleased to see Woods and Kupp mobilize to assume a new point of duty in their attack.
“Seeing those two and their communication between them or Jared is impressive,” McVay said. “In some cases, he’s smart as a coach where you can step back and let them take that autonomy and property, because he actually deserves it.”
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