Q. (Indiscernible)
COOPER KUPP: Definitely new, but exciting. It's been a long time since I learned a new offense, a long time since I sat in a meeting and had to do the put stuff on the board and what's this guy's name? That's a stressful situation. That's a high-stress situation.
It's good, though. I'm excited about what we're doing, and it is fun. I love to learn, and so being in this place where we're all learning together, being able to step in and be a part of this whole offense, stepping into the same place as everybody else and being able to learn it together. So it's a fun place to be.
Q. Having time to understand what this offense is going to ask of you to do, what do you think it does to accentuate your skill set and your fit in it and how it is all going to map out for you all when you get back in July?
COOPER KUPP: I think Klint has been in a lot of different places, origins, going all the way back to an offense that I'm very familiar with. There's going to be the nuances here and there, things like that, but a lot of similar stuff, a lot of similar ideas in how you're attacking a defense.
I believe in this offense and what it takes to make it successful and the detail that's involved with it. There's a lot of things that are real similar to stuff I've done in the past, and there's some new stuff. I'm excited to learn and excited to step into.
It's good, and there's definitely some stuff that accentuates the things that I've done in the past.
Q. What do you like about the collective wide receiver group, whether it's personality, skill set, just the way that room is?
COOPER KUPP: Yeah, you know, I think one of the coolest things is just the willingness for all of the guys to say there's nothing in this offense that you want to be kept from. Like, everyone wants to be able to do everything.
That's a big deal when you have guys that are willing to play every position, learn every position, understand the intent of the play, and to be able to say, no matter where I'm at, I'm going to be able to block D-ends, I'm going to be willing to block linebackers, run every level of route.
It makes it fun. Guys are moving us around. Klint is deep into his bag of all the different formations and shifts and things that we can do. It makes it a lot of fun when you have guys that are willing to do everything, learn the offense as a whole, and go out there and go make plays.
Q. You're one of the few wide receivers that's known for on option route, breaking against leverage, breaking leverage in general. Where did that start? Where did you start to learn how to do that?
COOPER KUPP: I mean, just as a wee little lad running around in Gridiron, Grid Kids Football. I'm very thankful for a lot of really good coaches that I've been able to learn from, starting with my Grid Kids Coach Lamont Wright. It was the first time playing running back and growing up there, and then Coach Dumas played receiver at Washington State. Actually was a really good receiver at Washington State, and he was my receiver coach all the way through high school.
I've just had guys at every level. Man, I've just learned from some really good guys, been able to play in some really good receiver rooms, and every level been thankful for the guys that have come before me that have taught me how to do things.
It's been an accumulation of just a lot of coaching, a lot of teaching, and I'm very blessed, very thankful for so many people that have poured into me.
Q. When it comes to the culture or the messaging in this building, what has stuck with you or stood out to you the most?
COOPER KUPP: Yeah, I think it's that belief, the belief that this is going to be done together. For any of this stuff to work, for all the goals and all the things we want to set out to achieve, it's the understanding that we're going to ultimately achieve it together.
It's going to be playing for each other, and it's something that I think a lot of times rooms talk about it, but really trying to be about that here in terms of how the day is modelled, the guys that you are around, what guys are doing when they leave the field, the extra time that's being spent in the meeting rooms and the recovery rooms and all the different stuff you are doing.
Man, what can I do to be better for the guy next to me? This is a place that guys embody that, and they believe it. I think that makes it a fun place to come into, a fun place to come work.
Q. Mike talked about the time that you've spent in his office talking football. How much do you like that side of the game and going over stuff with the coach and figuring things out?
COOPER KUPP: Yeah, it might be my favorite thing. My favorite thing is just the Xs and Os, the learning, the chess match that football is and the innovation of guys like Mike who are pushing the boundaries defensively that then challenge the offense. Hey, you have to have answers.
No offensive coordinator wants to go out there and say, Hey, they got us. Defenses trying to find ways to beat you, and those conversations, those things with Mike with a lot of the guys on the coaching staff, it makes it a lot of fun to come to work. I'm really enjoying being here and the challenge that it presents.
Q. How much are you in his office?
COOPER KUPP: Mike's office? I don't have a stop clock in there or anything, but I mean, quite a bit. I've picked up on some of his tendencies. He sits in there with a baseball bat most of the time twirling the baseball bat around. He sits crisscross applesauce on his chair. His feet aren't on the ground a lot of times. He has some interesting habits.
But, yeah, enough to learn some of that stuff.
Q. Some of the more competitive periods where you are trying to simulate game-like situations, have you gotten a feel for the kind of competitor that Sam Darnold is?
COOPER KUPP: Yeah, he's kind of been in this offense a little bit, so he's got a little bit of a leg-up on a lot of the guys that are learning for the first time.
You see just, like, there's an understanding he knows what it takes to make this offense go. It's the details. It's all that stuff, precision, execution.
We're going to get there. We're, wherever it is, six practices in, seven practices in. We're going to get there, and because of the urgency of guys like Sam who see when it's not right and can say, Hey, this is how it has to be to make this thing go against this look and how we're going to be able to attack this defense, this is where I need guys to be. Now, I love that.
I love when your quarterback is taking that urgency into things and understanding and mastery of these concepts. So it's real fun to play with someone like that and excited for the guys to come alongside him and learn and make those things come to life.
Q. Does he get fired up in good or bad moments?
COOPER KUPP: Yeah, he does. It's always in a good way. It's challenging guys. It's challenging guys. It's never demeaning, but it is a good thing to have that urgency that comes out in practice.
Q. You mentioned the habits that Coach MacDonald has. You're early in the relationship-building process with Sam, but are there any things about Sam that have surprised you getting to know him during this process?
COOPER KUPP: Surprised me... quarterbacks are usually pretty good golfers. I heard he's in a little bit of a slump right now on the golf course.
Q. He said he's about a 10 handicap, by the way.
COOPER KUPP: Did he? It's nice of him to come up here and -- it's confidence. You like the confidence.
I don't know. He kind of has a childish taste, palate. We went out to dinner, and I don't know. I don't trust him yet with the food recommendations and things like that.
Quarterbacks, I would have expected a little bit differently, but everyone has their own thing.
Q. It sounds like there's a story there.
COOPER KUPP: With the palate thing?
Q. Yeah.
COOPER KUPP: He said he wanted to go to dinner. I was, like, Perfect, what sounds good? I mean, just the recommendations, kind of the way he came off was he wanted to go get some fries and chicken strips. Look, I have a 6-year-old. I can bring you his food. I can bring that, and I'll go eat something good.
It ended up being fine. He ventured out and was, like, Okay. He was at least willing to try some stuff. It seems like maybe there's -- I may have misread him. We'll see. Time will tell.
Q. You talked about watching Doug Baldwin when you were growing up, and he was named one of the 50 best players in Seahawks history. What made him a special receiver?
COOPER KUPP: I guess if you want to put a word on it, I think competitiveness probably is one that would get placed on him, a willingness to go out there and just make plays, make it happen.
I mean, he is just an incredibly talented football player. The quickness, his ability to set guys up. I've talked about his come-to-balance release being one of the best that I've seen.
But he competed. He played throughout the game, throughout the snap. You knew that he was going to bring it.
He was in here talking to the guys a week or two ago, and it's, like, man, he still has that same juice, that same eagerness. He is someone you want to be around because of the energy he brings and the way he calls everyone up to a certain standard of just living life. I love that about Doug Baldwin.
Q. Did he talk to the receivers or the entire team?
COOPER KUPP: Yeah, he was talking to -- who did he talk to? When I saw him, he was talking to a group of a few different guys, offense, defense, a mix of guys.
Q. How do you feel physically?
COOPER KUPP: I feel good. I feel good. Yeah, feeling good.
Q. What did you learn about going against the EDs?
COOPER KUPP: Yeah, they talk a lot. A lot of talk. They back it up. I mean, I love it. Not just like talking trash, but the communication. Usually when I've been playing against them, you can't hear anything anyways. You know what I mean?
Now going out there, hearing the communication, hearing the way that they're -- as the offense is moving, formations and shifts, how they're getting in and out of their calls, their a mastery of what they're trying to do is really impressive.
That's what you need. You need guys that are doing that and making sure that they're on their stuff defense playing is one. It's cool to see that and hear that from the defensive side.
Q. What do you see in Jake Bobo? He seems to spend a lot of time working out with you.
COOPER KUPP: Yeah, Jake is the man. Incredibly gifted route runner, ball skills. He has a lot of tangible skills that traces a receiver. You say, this is something you want that guy out in the field. Really smart, willing to go in there and block. He does a lot of the dirty work. Willing to go do all that stuff.
He's just a really good football player, so excited to get out there and play with him.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports