Q. Talking a lot about Philip Rivers this week. What do you appreciate in general about a guy who has that resume and that hat reputation?
COOPER KUPP: Yeah, shoot, daggum it, he's a good player.
He's been in the -- sounds like he's been in the offense the last few years. Shoot, it's Philip Rivers. His resume speaks for itself.
Yeah, it's going to be real cool to be out there and on the field with a future Hall of Famer.
Q. Did you cross paths with him in LA at all?
COOPER KUPP: We did just for a practice and then I believe we played them -- pretty sure we played them in 2018, early, in week three, in the Colosseum. So just a little bit here and there.
Q. Can you imagine being out of the game for five years and saying, yeah, I'll do that?
COOPER KUPP: No, but, I mean, credit to him, just like the -- like you said, I think you see his appreciation for what this game is, and the opportunity presents itself to come back and be in a building like this, you don't take that for granted.
It's a very special thing every single day you get to step through those doors and be a part of playing in the NFL. The grass out there is hollowed ground. Every opportunity you get to go out there and compete on it, you respect it and you enjoy every minute of it.
Philip Rivers is one of those guys that did that in his career. You see his natural and real love for the game.
Q. Eric Saubert came back to practice this week. He's a guy that before his injury, maybe not led on the stat sheets, but what does he do that helps makes the...
COOPER KUPP: Yeah, Saub is the man. Got some great vibery about him, the confidence that he brings. Yeah, just picking up guys around him. He's awesome. He's an awesome player for us, and as it's been documented, he is probably the funniest guy on the team. I would second that.
And, yeah, he's just great. Everyone here loves him. What he does for the guys around him, communicating and doing things to help the guys around him, making sure you're taking care of your pocket of the offense, he embodies that.
It's going to be great to have him back.
Q. How has the seen gone for you based on what you were expecting personally for your performance and how tough has that been?
COOPER KUPP: Yeah, I mean, shoot, I'm -- I feel good. I'm executing the things I'm asked to do over and over again. I feel like I'm coming in here on Monday and feeling good about what is being on tape, what am I being asked to do and how well am I executing and am I competing for the guys around me.
And that's all I can do. That's all I can do. You know, it's fun when you're a part of a group that you got guys that want to play for each other. You got guys that at the end of the day want to walk off that field with a win at the end of the day. I get to be a part of that, and going to do everything I can day in and day out to make sure that I'm a positive piece of things.
Whatever is asked of me, whatever that is, whatever you want me to do, I'm going to go out there and find a way to get it done.
Q. There are a lot of vocal leaders on defense. Curious, who steps up on offense when the team needs to -- on that side of the ball needs to hear from...
COOPER KUPP: Yeah, I think there are lots of people that throughout the course of the season that have been that. Just been different times been different reasons for it. Been different situations of guys stepping up.
I think obviously Sam leads the offense. Day in, day out, he comes in here and he has been the unquestioned leader, making sure we're on our stuff and that he is communicating things to us and leading the charge offensively, commanding the huddle.
Jalen Sundell is only in his second year, but in terms of what he does up front; Olu has done an incredible job stepping in for him. AJ is stepping up and being able to encourage guys and bring energy when he feels like there is a lull.
You know, good guys across the board. Been a real cool thing to see kind of guys step out and step into those places where it needs to be said.
Q. Your defense has put up some really impressive numbers, one of them is third down conversion rate in the last five weeks. Does it feel like that on the sidelines? I think opponents are getting 25% of their opportunities. Does that put you guys into crunch time on the sidelines?
COOPER KUPP: No, yeah, I mean, I think they've done a great job. I'm not going to complain about having less time to look at the iPad on the sideline there. It's a great thing when third down you start hearing about punt alert and things like that and feel confident it's going to happen.
It's like you're not getting catfished and thinking you're about to get back out on the field. They've done a really good job of getting guys off the field there, and obviously I've touched on it before, but just the utmost confidence in those guys and how they're playing. It's a special group over there.
Q. You said when you look back at your tape, what you excuse and what you actually do, and you said, am I playing for the guys next to me. How does that show up?
COOPER KUPP: I think a lot of that stuff, there is a lot of stuff in this game that isn't going to show up in the stat book, stuff that isn't going to be seen in a box score.
You know, I would say probably actually like 75% of the stuff that gets done on the football field doesn't show up in the stat book. How well can you dominate that 75% of the game that everyone else might pass by? We got a lot of guys that take a lot pride in that, take pride in blocking for the guys around them. You know, running your route precisely and knowing that your route isn't always about you getting open, your route is about pulling coverage and distributing the field; running backs being able to pick up blitzes and trusting their traps and setting up blocks.
There are so many things in this game that are pivotal to the game. They're the essential parts of this game. We got guys that take that serious, and that's why you've seen success. You've also season when that's not done, when those details aren't emphasized and those details aren't executed, why we sputter out.
So it's the same reason -- if you guys -- you guys wouldn't have a job if you could see that stuff or you're asking, because you want to know the reason is things don't go the way they're supposed to. It's in the details. In the details that only the guys in this room that are getting coached on it for 40, 50 hours a week to be able to understand what they are, it's those guys that understand what needs to get done.
We got guys that take that very seriously.
Q. You've been on some really good teams, this one included. How much is that a trait you seen on the best teams?
COOPER KUPP: Yeah, I see it -- I mean, you have to. For you to be a good team -- the good teams in this league do that stuff. The bad teams don't. Point blank, period. You can do all the other stuff you want to do, whatever. All your analysis of all different things. It's the guys that do the things that don't show up in the stat book at a very high level, those teams have opportunities to play meaningful games at this point in the year.
Yeah, without a doubt that's a common denominator all the way through.
Q. Along similar lines, we've heard a lot about how close you guys are as a team. At the end of the day how important is that in winning football games?
COOPER KUPP: I think it goes back to that same thing, right? I think the hard thing to do is do the things that don't benefit you in any capacity but benefit the team or benefit someone else and being able to come and do that over and over and over again.
You know, it's hard to do if you don't love the person next to you. If you don't love the person scoring a touchdown, the person running the ball for the first down, that's securing the game, if you don't love those guys it's going to be really hard coming in and continually doing it over and over.
You might do it once or twice, but to really compete for the guys and to really put it on the line, you got to love the people that you're going through this process with.
Most connected teams do it.
Q. What's the first thing you look at in games when you look back at previous...
COOPER KUPP: There is not really -- you just watch where you play by play, position by position, and watch the guys compete. There is not much else to it. It's like what was the defense doing and how are we attacking, what are we doing? Are we winning across the board our guys just doing their job.
That's what I like to see, seeing guys compete and communicate and get their jobs done.
Q. Anything in your own film that sets how things are going for you?
COOPER KUPP: I mean, yeah. It's the same thing. Am I doing my job? I can't do anything more than what I'm asked to do. When I get that opportunity when I'm watching my film, I know what my job is. I know what the defense is doing. How am I best executing that? And am I doing it over and over and over again and at a high level to make sure it's not just checking a box. I want to make sure I'm dominating in those things as well.
So start there.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports