Former McVay Assistant Praises Cooper Kupp Ahead of Rams Reunion

Earlier this week, Coen went into the reasons why the two men are so close, even stating he almost named his child after the Triple Crown winner.

"Cooper, I almost named my son Cooper, so that's how much respect I have for him," stated Coen. "He has sent me texts throughout my career, whether I was with the Rams, at Kentucky, in Tampa or here, randomly all different points, just, 'thinking about you, hope you're doing great, proud of you.' Definitely more than just a player-coach relationship. I learned so much more from him and guys like Matthew [Stafford], I learned so much more from them than I think I ever could've given them as a coach.

"His understanding of all 11 on the field, his understanding of the run scheme, blocking assignments in the run game, his understanding of the quarterback's timing and rhythm, progressions, reads, coverage... he's the smartest football player that I've ever really worked with for an extended period of time. I've obviously worked with a lot of really good pros, but can't say enough good things about Cooper and the type of man that he is."

Matthew Stafford once shared a story that in quarterback meetings, Kupp would often sit in, evaluating every element of his game, suggesting new ways to improve the output of the offense.

He would even make suggestions regarding his blocking assignments to carve out better lanes for ball carriers, willing to be the piece that allowed the Rams to be efficient in all aspects.