March 18, 2025 • 41 mins
In the first hour, Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain listen to the press conference for new Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp and react to what they heard, then spend some time sitting down and talking to Kupp about joining Seattle and his career progression.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Where we go here at the vMac because the Seahawks
are about to introduce Cooper Cup to the media. H
signed just a while ago. He will join us after
the press conference is over. Lots of stuff to talk
about with Cooper Cup when he swings by the radio show.
Most importantly, we have to ask him Jackson, does he
consider himself to be from.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Seattle or not? Okay, we're gonna find out.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Well, we'll just talk to the guy directly when he
comes on the air with us after the press conference.
But you know where does he play? Does he play
at the slot? Does he play on the outside? The
injury factor of the last couple of years, you know
where does he attribute all of that to? Has he
offered Chennana wo Suit millions of dollars to wear number ten?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
And if not, why not?
Speaker 1 (00:40):
So Cooper Cup will join us as soon as the
press conference is over and will carry it live in
a matter of seconds.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
This is called filling.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Well, I'm still kind of hearing right now. Is stalling
into the press conference because.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
He's still kind of old school on the numbers and
defensive ends wearing number ten.
Speaker 5 (00:53):
It's just you know, to give it to the give
it to the wide receiver, you know.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Even though even though tennis, Yeah, that's not a receiver number,
but it's it's mportant. But it's been a wide receiver
number a lot longer than it's been a defensive lineman.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Right, Yeah, I think I think defensive ends should be
wearing numbers in the fifties, seventies or nineties. To be
honest with you, I think all quarterbacks should wear single
digit numbers.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I mean, what really, you know, like twelve, twelve? No, no,
never mind twelve.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
Oh well, he would not like that.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
No more twelves. Anyway, he'll join us in a second.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
We'll got his thoughts on the Clint Kubiak offense and
and more. Obviously, this is a guy that had options.
The Cowboys apparently were one of them. We can talk
about if he came close to signing with somebody else. Right, So,
I think it's a great deal. I said it the
day it came out. I'll say it again. I'm fired
up for this. I think out of all the moves
the Hawks have made over the offseason, and maybe now
that the Sam Donald details Dick on the contract have
(01:45):
come out, I'm even more fired up for the Sam
Donald signing than I was a week and a half ago.
But I would say from just a pure player perspective,
and I don't know what you guys think about this.
You know you got you got Lawrence, you got Marquez, Veldez, Scanling,
you got Cup, you got Sam Darnold, you got the
backup offensive lineman and Jones. Who's gonna be like the
(02:06):
new George Fan I'm most excited out of all the
players to watch, it's Cooper Cup.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Well. I mean, I'm with you.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
He obviously has the most I think, the most upside
over anybody, but I think he might also have the
most downside over anybody because I just don't know. I
don't know what to expect from him. I know, if
he's healthy, what to expect from him. I'm gonna I'm
going to expect one of the best possession wide receivers
in the NFL if he's healthy.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
I just don't know if he's gonna be healthy.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
So last year he played twelve games, he was banged
up for five of them. Obviously, at sixty seven catches,
so over seventeen game season, that's a ninety five catch
pace over twelve games. In twoenty and twenty two, he
played nine games over a seventeen game pace. That's one
hundred and forty one catches that year. That's the kind
of production you're getting from this guy when he's healthy.
Speaker 6 (02:57):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
I mean again, we've seen guys like this, and I'm
not saying we've seen like I don't want to compare
with Shot Penny to Cooper Cup because Rashad Penny never
was healthy enough to have the kind of years that
Cooper Cup had when he was with the Rams. But
when Rashad Penny was healthy, here's a good player, really
good player, right, Cooper Cup. Yes he's been banged up,
Yes he's missed seventeen games a full season in the
last three years, but when he plays, he's very, very productive.
(03:21):
So I don't have any concerns about this guy producing
and contributing. The only concern I would have is number one,
at the age is he getting a little slower?
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Right?
Speaker 1 (03:30):
And then number two the injury factor and what can
you do to kind of help that out. So we'll
talk to him about all that when he when he
comes up.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
I just love guys that can move the chains that
you know, third and four you're gonna go to this guy,
and the defense knows you're gonna go to this guy,
and he still gets the first down. And there's just
not been a lot of those guys in the NFL
the last five years, and he's been all of them.
Speaker 5 (03:51):
He's been a top five.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Guy I have in my mind's eye in my head
when I think the answer is But I'll ask both
of you guys, what do you think right now is
Cooper Cup's greatest attribute right now?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Jackson hands, yeah, I totally agree. Three for three, that's.
Speaker 5 (04:03):
Exactly Look at his Look at his highlight tape.
Speaker 4 (04:06):
I mean, just just watching the watching the Minnesota game,
watching the Minnesota playoff game, right he was just he
was backpedaling, falling down, making catches down the field.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Though, It's a guy that's not going to drop a
lot of passes. He's going to be very reliable for
this football team again, as long as he's healthy. And
I know that's kind of a lame ass way to
put it, I mean, but really, I mean again, I
mean sometimes you try to kind of readmit the wheel
here in this business on the radio. Shore enough Cooper
Cup can run the goal rop, no, no, no, If
he can stay healthy.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Okay, that's it, end of freaking story. Anybody can do this.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
So let's head over to the media conference room about
fifty yards from where Dick and I are at right now,
Seahawks introduce introducing Cooper Cup with the media.
Speaker 7 (04:45):
As we speak, watching my watching the cl Seahawks are
growing up and I've talked a lot about memories and experiences.
I mean, that's kind of what That's what football is, right.
It's like it's it's remembering all those big moments. Talking
through the halls back here, it's like looking at these
photos of iconic I mean, just moments in games and
being able to recognize, like, man, I remember where I
(05:07):
was when that happened, and that moment happened, and you know,
growing up watching Seattle watching football being a huge part
of my life and then you know, playing in Eastern Washington.
Full circle moment, coming back to being able to throw
in a Seattle Seahawks uniform. That's a that's a really
cool thing and something that I don't take lightly. And
I'm just really excited to, you know, be able to
(05:28):
be a part of this program, what this program has
been about, and continue to moving forward.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
Did the Seahawks and watching Seahawks shape anything about your
game and the way you approach football.
Speaker 7 (05:40):
Well, I mean, certainly there's players that you watch and
you learn from.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
I think that's been my thing.
Speaker 7 (05:45):
Is being able to see what guys do and say,
he is there is that something that I can do,
That's something that I want to implement my implement in
my game. And we were just talking down the hall
Doug Baldwin, you know, one of the best come to
Balance releases in history, know, and uh, little pieces of game.
It's like little pieces of game like that. It's like, man,
that's something that I do. It's watching Doug Ballwin do
(06:07):
that stuff to guys turn people around all the time.
So that's part of what it's a it's in my bag,
you know, It's it's something that I that I carry
with me. And so it is there's there's there's guys
that have come through this organization that have been impactful
and in ways they might not know about how I play,
how I play the game.
Speaker 8 (06:25):
You've proven people wrong throughout your career and there's some
people saying, maybe he's injured, he's too old. Are you
taking that as a challenge to prove people wrong again.
Speaker 7 (06:34):
Yeah, you know, I, like you said, I feel like
I've been I've had people doubt me for a long
time through my life, and you know, in some ways rightfully.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
So. I mean I was a very small kid growing.
Speaker 7 (06:43):
Up and cared a lot, but there's a lot of
people that care a lot and uh just don't have.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
The stuff streamed together.
Speaker 7 (06:51):
And I was very you know, blessed to have a
lot of coaches to come alongside me and teach me
and show me the way, and very thankful for that.
And I want to be here today with without that.
But with all those doubts and all those things, It's
never been about proving other people wrong. You know, I
think I've I've lived in that space and it never
goes well. It's been about being who I am, like
(07:14):
believing in myself and knowing that I can be who
I see myself becoming. And uh, when I've taken that attitude,
you know, when I've taken that mindset, that's when I've
always been at my best and I continue I'll continue
that like I've I've I know how to navigate these waters.
I've been here before, and it's not about the negative
energy of trying to prove anything wrong, anyone else wrong,
(07:36):
trying to make emails feel bad about anything, just about
being myself and being who I believe I can be
and going out there and you know, playing the game
I love.
Speaker 8 (07:43):
What have these last couple of months been like for you, though,
finding out who you are going to be back with
the Rams and then becoming a free agent and going
through that process.
Speaker 7 (07:50):
Yeah, it's been it's been difficult. I mean, in all honesty,
it's been very difficult and frustrating, and there's been lots
of questions and things that are are you know, it's
a real tough situation. You know, I've said I always
imagined that I'd finished my career there, but that's not
what the plan was that that God had for me
and my family and stepping into this new adventure, this
(08:10):
new place, this new chapter and my career, but also
in our lives is you know, my wife and I
navigate moving back up home, back up to our home state,
and you know, I think that's uh, that's something that
you know, we're excited about facing, and you're excited about
the community that we get to be a part of.
The people are gonna be a part of our lives and.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
It has been difficult. Without a doubt, it has been difficult.
Speaker 7 (08:35):
And and you know, we're we're humans, we're real people, and
uh if it's something that's been in a lot of ways.
I mean, I'm thankful to have had, you know, a
wife to lean on and to count on, to be
able to walk through this with because it would be
very hard to do by myself. And our boys have
been incredible through it all. And but yeah, I mean
we're we're very excited about what the future holds here
(08:58):
in Seattle.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Why or shit the injuries or what did they psch? Yeah,
I mean there's they have.
Speaker 7 (09:06):
I'm sure they have their reasons for why they want
to do things, you know, whatever.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
It is not a ton of clarity and that regard.
Speaker 7 (09:15):
But at the end of the day, I mean, I
was I'm thankful to be able to walk away from
that organization and be able to look back on all
those memories, all those experiences, all those things that we
were able to go through together, and the relationships that
we had with so many people there and look at
(09:36):
it in a positive light and be, you know, be
very thankful for my time in Los Angeles and some
that we will always cherish, but like I said, we
are very excited about the chapter ahead and what we
can do here in Seattle. But once you found out
that you were going to be able to pick where
you were going next, how quickly did the Seahawks come
on to your radar and in the process of getting
to the point where you decided this is where you
(09:57):
were going to come.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Yeah, it was. It was pretty quick in terms of
expressing the interest.
Speaker 7 (10:01):
Once I was released, and I thought that, uh, you know,
as we went through things, I thought the messaging from
from Mike and from John and from the you know, Koobs,
from all the guys that I talked to here, the
messaging was around park. What I thought was, how you
build a championship team. It's about the people. You focus
on bringing good people there, about ball and all the
(10:23):
other stuff's gonna fall fall in place, and that's something
that you know, when that was the mindset, when it
wasn't about you know, specific football, like you know people football,
people that you're trying to get in place, like you know,
we're trying to get.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
We're trying to get just the people.
Speaker 7 (10:39):
We're trying to get solid people that know how to
work there about playing this game the right way. That's
something that I was like, Man, this is something I know.
That's how you build a good team. I know that's
the best teams I've been apart have been built that way.
And so that excited me. And uh, you know, it's
time went on talking to you know, Ernest Jones, who's
been here I've known, talking to Jackson, talking with you know,
(11:02):
Sam after he had signed on, and you know, various
guys in the organization. It's like, hey, this there's the
same messaging every time. It's like, hey, we're building something
here that's special and we've got the right people in
the building to do it. It just built up and
I'm really excited to be a part of it.
Speaker 8 (11:19):
Your thoughts about being part of a sort of a
revamped offense with a new quarterback.
Speaker 7 (11:22):
This year, and also, yeah, you know I was initially
I was really you know, I felt like I was
behind the eight ball a little bit. I was like, man,
I'm gonna have to I'm gonna be behind everyone trying
to figure all this stuff out. And there's actually not
until you know, a couple of days ago that I
realized how day one OTAs everyone's everyone's learning this offense.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
So that's gonna be fine.
Speaker 7 (11:43):
I think that's that's gonna be something that I'm I'm
excited about in terms of especially with Sam coming in
here and like we get to learn this offense together,
we get to as it grows. As every offense, you
have the starting point of how you want to do things,
what that's gonna look like, and as the players come
in and bring it to life, it grows, it changes,
it morph since you know, accentuating the guy's abilities of
the guys that you have, and I'm excited to be
(12:05):
able to go through that. It's just such a fun
process and being able to build that and it's something that,
uh that gets me very excited about this, about this offense,
about this team.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
How familiar were you with Sam before before all this
and did that play a part and you wanted to
be a part of.
Speaker 9 (12:19):
His offense with him?
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (12:20):
So I had watched him quite a bit when he
was at USC competing there, watched him early in his
career and I thought, man, he in terms of throw
over the football, he know he can make some incredible
throws and went through some things. It's been through some
difficult circumstances, but his his confidence's ability to like to,
you know, maneuver those things and people come back and
(12:41):
have the year that he did last year. When in
this league that's a hard thing to do. But that
confidence I touched on before. It's not about what other
people think about you, it's who you believe that you are.
And him being able to come out and compete like
he did last year, I think that speaks a lot
to the person.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
And I'm really.
Speaker 7 (12:56):
Excited about obviously a great football player and just seeing
how he works, how he goes about his business, and
I've heard all great things and excited to excite to
build this thing with them.
Speaker 8 (13:06):
Predominantly played in the slot in your career and so
is Jackson, Smith and Jake. But how do you kind
of foresee that plan out? And that's something you talked
about with the coaches.
Speaker 7 (13:14):
Yeah, I know, it'll be interesting to see, like I said,
as the offense kind of gets going and we kind
of start building this thing out. It's all like I said,
I trust this offensive staff and being able to uh,
you know, be able to emphasize they get things that.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
Guys do well.
Speaker 7 (13:25):
And in eight years with the Rams, I i think
it's tagged with the slot, but you know, I don't
know how you determined that. When we're in condensed formations,
I'm outside, but I'm running a slot route.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
You know, I'm you know, I'm out.
Speaker 7 (13:38):
A lot of times I was outside and I'm not
sure if there was being tagged as slot routes or not.
But you know, I think the ability to move in
an offense and the ability for you know, in this offense,
and what Koobe actually done is being able to you know,
formation guys to be anywhere. And that's how that's why
I had learned this offense originally, was that you got
to learn the whole thing because you can be in
(13:59):
any one of the spots at any time, right, so
you might think of yourself as you can't think of
yourself as just a slot. You got you got to
see yourself as paying any one of these positions at
any time because you could be asked to run any
one of these routes. And I think, you know, Jackson
did some of that same stuff last year. We played
inside and outside and being able to run routes that
(14:19):
you know are typically for an X or an F
or is you know you've been able to run all
that stuff, and I think that's, uh, that's what we've got.
We've got guys that are gonna be willing to learn
the offense as a whole there and being able to
you know, take advantage of those opportunities.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
As you convinced charon As to give up number ten.
Speaker 7 (14:37):
So we ended up He's he's got a foundation that's
doing some really good stuff here in the community and
it was important for him to.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
That that be part of, you know, this change.
Speaker 7 (14:47):
And you know he's great to work with and uh
able to you know, donate to his foundation and make sure.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
That he felt good about that. And he's he you
know mention.
Speaker 7 (14:58):
You know, he's played his best foot ball in number
ten and you know it had been important to him
and just since time in Seattle and just clearly the
community was an important part of this whole thing. And
so you know, I respect his his his desires there
and you know, able to work it out and really
thankful for him for being willing to work something out
for for us. I know you grew up on the
(15:20):
other side of the state, but did you make it
to any Seahawks games growing up?
Speaker 3 (15:24):
I did, so I met to a few. I remember.
Speaker 7 (15:26):
My first one was I believe a Sunday night game
with a Sunday night Remember we talked about this a
second ago. I think it was Sunday night snow game
against the Packers two thousand and six. Anyone there you go? So, yeah,
I was there too. I was up in the very top.
Frozen's the icicle up there. But yeah, it was incredible watching,
(15:47):
you know, Alexander went off.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
It was you know, it was a crazy one. I
feel like I missed.
Speaker 7 (15:54):
I got to miss school the next day, you know,
so it was like bonus points because I got I
didn't have to go to school next day. But yeah,
I mean, like I said, memories, my memories being there,
being part of that environment, and uh yeah, such a
cool such a cool thing is that? That was such
a that was a special thing growing up to be
able to go to a Seahawks game, and yeah, very
special memory.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Was there another one you went to? Did you said
you went to? Yeah?
Speaker 7 (16:15):
So I went to another one when I was in college.
We watched Baltimore came to town and I stood. I
was able to I was able to be right next
to the tunnel as ray Lewis ran out and my
dad tapped me. He's like, hey, you think you can
play in the NFL. And I looked at ray Lewis
and I was like, oh, yeah, I can play.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
I got this.
Speaker 8 (16:36):
Uh not every receiver takes blocking as a big part
of their role, but it seems like that's something you take.
It's a pride in if you talk about how that's
evolved as part of your game.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (16:45):
So, I mean early on, I got cred Jay Dumas,
my high school coach. Shout out to Jay for making
that appointments for me, and I didn't learned until later
that he was the worst blocking receiver at WSU in history,
you know, wider like w the super receivers, but he
seemed to make it seem like it was really important
that you blocked as a wide receiver. So when I
(17:07):
was in high school, that was always a big emphasis
and carried on as we kind of went through college
and then for the for the RAMS, that has always
been like with being condensed formations, You're a part of
the blocking surface, You're a part of the counts. And
that was so much fun because I got to learn
as if I was an extension of the offensive line.
The you know, the verbiage, the thought process, be find
(17:29):
how they're doing things, the angles that are being done,
the counts with the linebackers, with the shades, with the
you know where the bubble is at, and all this
different stuff. It's like, Man, I love football, and this
is a whole another part of I thought I had
things figured out, and he realized there's a whole other
world happening, you know, rat the last scrimmage. And it's
been so much been fun for me to learn and
be and be a part of and as ask grown up,
(17:49):
just fallen in love with it, fall in love with
being a part of helping the run game become a
thing come to life and seeing how that plays off
into the past game and all the things you can
do there.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
And it's been a it's been a fun thing for me.
Speaker 8 (18:01):
There was a report Dak Proscott called you to try
to get to go to Dallas was what were Was
it fun being recruited?
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Yeah, it was cool.
Speaker 7 (18:09):
I mean, it's it's it's one of those things where
I've I've been in contact with a lot of these guys.
Just just as your career goes on, you run into
people and just really hear what's going on in these
different organizations and what they're thinking and how they're seeing things,
what they envision you know, football looking like. And it
was it was cool kind of reconnected with a lot
of people that you know, you might get a few
(18:30):
words with after a game, where you might you know,
talk to you once or twice.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
But it's just good. It's good. There's all.
Speaker 7 (18:35):
There's just a lot of really good people, a lot
of the football players in this league, and it was
fund of connecting with them.
Speaker 6 (18:40):
The rapport that you had with Stafford and knowing where
to go and where the ball would be.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
How long did that take to develop?
Speaker 7 (18:48):
It was very fast. It was very fast. Honestly, it was.
It was very fast. And I think part of that,
you know, one was, uh, Matthew played when he was
in Detroit. I think he had like five offensive coordinators
in his time there. You know, he had seen all
his different all these different ways of running an offense.
And then you know, coming into OTAs, it was just
(19:09):
kind of like, uh, I don't know, it just it
just clicked.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
It just clicked.
Speaker 7 (19:15):
And I think a big part of that though, is
being able to just you know, my dad played quarterback,
you know, And so I've learned receiver from a quarterback,
you know. But he I was running out for my dad,
and he telled me if from his perspective, if I
did something wrong or I might not be what the
receiver coach would say, But the quarterback was telling me
what I was doing wrong. And I think that's helped
(19:37):
set things up to be like I feel like I
can understand what quarterbacks seeing and how he's feeling based
on the coverage and where the openings might be. And
you know, I think I play a role in that
and trying to make sure that I can be able
to find those soft spots for him. And I'm looking
forward to you know, Sam, He's gonna be in a
similar spot where he's playing a lot of different offenses
(19:58):
now and and in some ways, while he doesn't probably
feel like that was the best thing for him, when
he gets into the right system, which is real similar
to what he did last year, that can be a
very big positive for a quarterback.
Speaker 9 (20:11):
Wanted to coach Jamas and I spoke with him earlier
and he told me a story about you in ninth
grade coming to him in the weight room. He just
got your slang off from here a broken college one,
and he said that you asked him the stats of
going to college and then going to the NFL.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
He told you the stats, but that didn't really FaZe you.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
You were determined.
Speaker 4 (20:27):
He said, that's what I gotta do.
Speaker 7 (20:28):
I'm gonna do it.
Speaker 9 (20:29):
How do you carry that mindset with you still today?
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (20:33):
I remember that conversation because I told him. I told him,
I said, I want I want to be running back
at USC.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
That's why I said. I told my side, I want
to play running backt USC.
Speaker 7 (20:41):
Reggie Bush was my like my guy, and he said, uh,
you've got to You've gotta change your plans, you know.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
He's like he's like, you know, he's our best case scenario.
Speaker 7 (20:50):
Like you know, maybe you can go to Central Washington,
you know, like play at the D two school there
if you like work really hard, like maybe you can
do that. And and I was like, you know what, no,
I think I'm gonna do what I want to do,
you know, And and there was like this it's my step.
And in some ways it goes back to kind of
that doubting piece. It's like, well that's what he thinks,
but like, I know what I want to do. I
(21:11):
know what I want to achieve and what I want
to become and who I am. And while I didn't
get to go to USC and be a running back,
I do think it like that the habits that I
formed in high school have carried me through everything, every
step of my career. I understand that it is the work.
It's the time that you put in, it's your preparation
that sets you up to go play this game freely.
(21:32):
And you know those habits were established early on. It's
just it's all I know now. So I'm thankful for
Dumos for his doubts. I'm thankful for Dumos also for
his coaching, because he is one of the guys that,
as time went on, believed in me and pushed me.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
And you know, I set me up to to be
who I am today.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
When did the dream of being a running back die die?
Speaker 3 (21:51):
Oh uh? Probably the next year when I got moved
to receiver and realized.
Speaker 7 (21:59):
So I got up on varsity my sophomore year, I
had no business being up there, no business being up
on varsity. I had like my parts were tucked into
like my mid back. I just it was just I
was not ready for it. But but I realized then
that's like, you know, the path to becoming a USC
running back was a long one and at this point, like,
(22:20):
my legs just aren't gonna be I don't have the
legs for it. I don't have the legs for I
can see myself in this jersey. I look like a
giraffe out there. It's just not uh, it's not gonna work.
So but but the adjustment to be like, man, I
fell in love with receiver at that point, you know,
I fell in love with it. Coach Dumos was the receiver.
I'm like, I adored Coach Dumos, and I was like,
you know, I can make this work.
Speaker 8 (22:40):
Bobby Wagner went closer to home and got to play
the couple times a year. It look forward to that.
You come closer to home, you're gonna play the Rams
a couple of times. Are you looking forward to facing
your former team?
Speaker 3 (22:49):
Yeah? I am.
Speaker 7 (22:50):
I am looking forward to And that wasn't that it
didn't play into the decision to come here. But it's
a nice little thing on the side to be able
to go against those guys and know a lot of
those guys so much respect for the coaching staff, the
way that they handle things down there, the players down there.
I am excited about though. It's gonna be Ah, it's
gonna be a really cool thing. And you know, at
the w when that time comes, you know it will
(23:11):
be it will just be football at point, you know,
but I I am looking forward to it.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Some of the things Ernest and Jackson talked about in
terms of what they're building here, yeah, well it all
went back to the people.
Speaker 7 (23:21):
It's like, you know, Ernest talked a lot about just
how when he came in here, just the way that
he was welcomed in and the way the guys went
to work, the communication they had, the way that they
operated as one on defense, and and that's a huge
thing defensively, like defenses only work if you're playing as
one unit. And he has had, you know, incredible things
(23:44):
to say about his you know, his his time here
last year with with the guys, and then you know,
Jackson he said all the same stuff. You know, It's
like he just he he loved the coaching staff, he
loved the way that guys were treated, the ways that
the the.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Organization was run.
Speaker 7 (23:59):
And then he just he said he's just having the
time of his life playing football, and you know, like
that's a huge thing. You guys are having fun, You're
you're in bit your best when you're enjoying it. And
if you can create that environment and still be you
know here, how these guys are going to go to work,
you know, good things will happen.
Speaker 8 (24:14):
But you mentioned Mike mcdond earlier.
Speaker 10 (24:16):
You spent your career so far playing for how the
young innovative offensive guy. Are you excited or here see
how it is playing for a defensive minded head coach.
Speaker 7 (24:24):
Yeah, that will be interesting, that will be interested on others.
You know, there's so many different ways that people do it.
I'm not sure how involved Mike is on the offensive
side of things or how he does things, but I
am looking forward to him. I've only heard all the
guys here love him, you know, I've only heard great
things about him, and you know, really looking forward to
just the staff. Yes, in general, everyone here has been great.
And the excitement around football and what's the building here?
(24:49):
You know you can feel it and so it's gonna
be It's gonna be fun come mid April being up
here and again begin to work.
Speaker 11 (24:55):
Have you prepared for and played against his defensive a
couple of times.
Speaker 8 (24:58):
What what stands out about it, Mike can come.
Speaker 7 (25:00):
Yeah, I mean you've talked about playing as one, and
that's that's a huge it's a huge thing. You gotta
have guys that the best defenses, guys play off each other.
They understand when they're showing pressures and things like that,
Like one guy is off, it's like it tells it
tips the whole thing off. You know, you gotta you
have to be as one from the very beginning. You know,
from the communication of you know, all your checks, to
(25:21):
being able to show your bluffs, to be able to
get to your coverages, to be able to match those
up with the fronts, and the things that are happening
with the defensive line, the stunts and.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
All that.
Speaker 7 (25:31):
I've respected the way that you know, guys have brought
that to life. And you can see the coaching that's
been done. As players have been able to play free,
be able to get in positions where they're where they're
putting positions to succeed defensive, it just becomes very hard offensively.
It's like, hey, guys, guys, just don't mess up. You know,
guys are gonna play their leverage. They're gonna be in
the spots they're supposed to be at. And uh, you
(25:54):
know you respect that about a defense. That's the to me,
the telling sign of good defenses is when you you
see that.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
All Right, there you go, the voice of Cooper Cup.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Hard to be anything but impressed with what you heard
from that guy for the last twenty five minutes. Says
he made a donation to Chennona Woshu's foundation. He will
now get to wear number ten with the Seahawks. We'll
find out what number Jenna has to wear, but number ten.
We'll be traveling from LA to Seattle with Cooper Cup.
Great stuff with him. We're gonna break when we come back.
Cooper Cup set to join us in person here at
(26:25):
the Seahawks facility at the Virginia Mason Athletics Center. Right
here on a busy Tuesday on ninety three to three KJRFM.
Speaker 6 (26:32):
You're listening to the exclusive home of the Huskies, the
Kracking and March Madness. Now back to Saftie indig proudly
brought to you by Emerald Queen Casino on Sports Radio
ninety three point three KJRM.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
All right, we're gonna reset it for a little bit.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
Here'll be joined by Cooper Cup in a matter of minute, Saftie,
Dick Jackson with you until five o'clock time. We got
cracking hockey pregame of the Blackhawks from Chicago coming up
at five. Lee Sterling, John Wilner join us as well
in the four o'clock hour. And uh, I don't know
what your thoughts were on the Cooper Cup press. So
we're gonna hear from Cooper himself again in just a
few minutes you're live on the air.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
But I mean, he sounds like a real bright guy.
Number one.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
I just go back to what Millan said with us
a couple of days ago when Hugh was on the
air with us on Friday, when he talked about Jackson
Smith and Jigba and Cooper cut playing together. He said,
go have his bright and his high and IQ instinctive
receiver tandem in the NFL. And it's hard to not
understand why Hugh thinks that after hearing Cooper Cup talk.
(27:32):
I mean, first of all, the guy sounds like a
head coach like right now, and he sounds like a
future coach for sure, and a guy with a lot
more to offer, And I don't know if you.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Caught this or not, Dick.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
We could ask him, but a guy with maybe just
maybe a little bit of a chip on his shoulder,
he catch the Rams.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
More than a little bit.
Speaker 4 (27:47):
The quote was, you know, I didn't get a lot
of clarity why I was released from the from the Rams.
So yeah, that absolutely we're gonna ask him about those
two games coming up with the Rams.
Speaker 5 (27:57):
And how about the first Seahawk name he threw out there.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
I didn't even thought about this comparison, but it's an
absolutely apt one.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
Doug Baldwin. Yeah, yeah, that is the guy.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
He said.
Speaker 5 (28:07):
Now makes us feel old when he says I grew
up watching Doug Baldwin.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
And we're like, well, gee, we were already old.
Speaker 5 (28:11):
Wasn't that like last Tuesday when we were watching Doug Baldwin?
But yeah, he said, growing up watching Doug Baldman.
Speaker 4 (28:17):
Hey, if you can get a reasonable fact simile of
Doug Baldwin, you're in good shape.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
Well let's get a short break when we come back.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
We're gonna visit with Cooper Cup in person here at
the Virginia Mason Athletic Center right here on ninety three
three KJRFF you're.
Speaker 6 (28:30):
Listening to the exclusive home of the Huskies, the Kracking
and March Madness. Now back to Saftie and Dick, proudly
brought to you by Emerald Queen Casino on Sports Radio
ninety three point three kJ R.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
FAM. All right, we're back here at the Virginia Mason
Athletic Center.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Safie Dick Jackson with you until five o'clock to night
Cracking Hockey black Hawks pregame five face off five thirty
tonight from Chicago.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Dick, it's not very often that you get talked to
talk to somebody.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
On the air that you respect it as an opponent
when they played your favorite football team back in the day.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Yes, and I'm not even talking about when this guy
played the Seahawks.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
Bro, We're talking ten plus years ago.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
I want to rewind to September sixth of twenty fourteen,
when our respect as Husky fans for this guy exploded.
If you forget why, let's remind you why right now.
Speaker 11 (29:19):
Play action from Adams puffs fires.
Speaker 10 (29:22):
Deep looking for Cooper Cup Cup touchdown Eastern Washington, forty
one yards.
Speaker 11 (29:31):
Adams to Cooper Cup.
Speaker 10 (29:33):
Adams the quarterback empty backfield throws looking for Cooper Cup
touchdown Eastern Washington Vernon Adams. This second time he has
found Cup for a score. Today for the sideline, Cooper
Cup dance his way toward the goal line.
Speaker 11 (29:49):
He's in Cup's third touchdown.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
Eight catches, one hundred and forty five yards, three touchdowns
that day, and I remember thinking one thing, I really
hate this guy.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
Man, Thank god he's not in the patches. Everything. Well,
he played the pac twelve four times.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
You played Oregon, you played Washington State, you played you Doug,
you played Oregon State, and you torched them all when
you were at Eastern Washington. Did you like pull at
Jordan and take that personally, But all those schools passed
on you because you exploded on those schools.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
Yeah, no, just I think that was just a coincidence
that working out.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
Yeah, well, it's great to see welcome back to the
two o six and the state of Washington. And my
friend tell us about this, about just being back here.
You got the Pearl jam shirt on. You're doing the
right thing. Everyone's all fired up for that. But tell
me about what this means to you to be back
in the state of Washington playing for the Seahawks as
a pro after eight years in Los Angeles that it's
(30:43):
really cool.
Speaker 3 (30:43):
I mean, just a full circle moment.
Speaker 7 (30:45):
I think, you know, obviously growing up in Yack and
Washington playing high school ball there, you know, want a
state championship here during in the Tacoma Dome, ye playing
at Eastern Washington and all the football that we played
in the state here, then it'll come back. It's a
it's a really cool thing. And excited about the community
(31:05):
here and the people that we get to you know,
know and pour into and it's just a it's a
cool moment.
Speaker 4 (31:11):
How much was that a factor in your decision to
come back. I mean people say I want to come home,
but there's other factors as well.
Speaker 3 (31:17):
I think a factor was that, you know, it was
a piece of it.
Speaker 7 (31:19):
It definitely was a piece of it because you obviously
have the football side of things and making sure that
if it's just who I am as a football player
and what I wanted to accomplish and just being able
to be competitive and the things that are this, you know,
this organization's building towards is really cool to be a
part of, and I'm very excited about that. But also
it is the community and it's the people. It's the
(31:39):
way that the organization's treating players, It's the way that
this is all been set up. You know, there's there's
so many pieces to it, and you know, I think
all those things came together. It's just a man, we
feel good about so much of it.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
You you're not twenty two, but you're not forty two either,
Right at thirty two years old, did you ever think
about just saying is enough? I want to spend my
whole career with one team. I want to be that
guy that stays with one team my whole life and
just hang it up and walk away from the game.
How much did you have those conversations in your in
your brain and with your wife in the last maybe
(32:11):
week or so.
Speaker 3 (32:12):
Never, that's never crossed my mind. I don't, I don't.
I don't know who started whatever that was. You know,
I'm I.
Speaker 7 (32:20):
I am no way and ready to be done playing football.
I'm very excited about about the football that I've ahead
of me. You know, I still see myself as an
ascending player, and you know, mentally the way that I
see the game, I can still I'm I see myself
if I couldn't see if I've envisioned something. I'm like, Hey,
this is how I want run the strout, this is
how I want to manipulate this dB. And I couldn't
(32:41):
do it. I wouldn't be playing anymore right right, you know,
But you know, I'm able to see the reps that
I'm taking in practice, able to see the off season
reps and things that I'm doing, and man, I feel
really good about what I can put on on field
and I'm looking forward to getting out this year.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Well, when you have been on the field, you've been dominant.
You just haven't always been on the field. So talk
about your Hell, how confident are you that you're gonna
be ready to play seventeen games?
Speaker 7 (33:04):
I'm I go into every season with this, you know,
the confidence, and there's there's Okay, I shouldn't say that.
There's certain seasons where you're coming in, you're banged up
and you've got stuff that you're man, you didn't have
the off seasons that you wanted to, or there's you know,
there's risks involved in this game, and I've unfortunately, you know,
the last three years had things that you know, they've
been unfortunately there's you know, they're outside of your control.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
A lot of ways.
Speaker 7 (33:26):
You know, you can't handle the way that you're gonna
get tackled sometimes and and that happens. But you know
this is uh, it's one of those games where you know,
I'm it hasn't created any hesitancy in me to go
out there and just play the best that I can
possibly play and give it everything I've got. You get
hurt in this league when you start slowing down and
feeling like you're looking to try to stay healthy. You know,
(33:48):
the way that you play this game is to be violent,
to be the attacker, be the aggressor. And you know
I'm gonna continue to play this game that way and
believe that's when I'm at my best. And you can't
control the things that are gonna happen outside of your control.
So I obviously can't almost anything, and no one in
this league in right, but I'm really excited about being
to get out there and play some really good football.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
Well, Cooper Cup is our guest here at the Virginia
mas Athletics Center, and look, I got to tell you,
first of all of us are jacked up to have
your backpick time. I wanted you in the twenty seventeen draft,
to be totally honest with you. So I'm glad that
we finally, you know, nine years later, were able to
pull this off and get this thing done. But you
mentioned there that you're an a sending player. You don't
often hear that word about thirty two year olds in
the NFL is sending. You hear the decline, but you
(34:28):
don't hear a sending.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
Why do you think that? What does that look like
to you?
Speaker 3 (34:31):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (34:31):
I think it is kind of what I was saying here.
You know what, I get to see myself play this game.
I get to see every rip, you know, anyone else
gets to see what happens on Sundays, And you know
that's a contingent on a lot of other things. But
in terms of me as a football player and what
I can do, I'm really excited about the football that
I'm playing, really excited about the football that I'm seeing
on tape and the way that I'm preparing and the
(34:52):
things that I can still still do when I'm giving
the opportunity to do it. And I just I just
I'm really excited about that. I honestly am, and looking
forward to how Cooves has set guys up and what
his vision is for things and making those things come
to life, and working with Sam and these guys, it's
gonna be a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
I was talking to Dick before you showed up, and
just hearing you talk right there kind of cemented it
for me. You seem pretty damn motivated right now. Right
for the first time in your life, you've been let
go by a football team.
Speaker 7 (35:20):
Now.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
I don't know, maybe there's a Michael Jordan story. You're
cut from your high school basketball team back in the
day as a freshman. I got no idea, but is
this the first time in your life that you've been
let go by a team period?
Speaker 3 (35:31):
Yeah, I think that. I think that would be it.
Speaker 4 (35:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
How much does that, for lack of a better word,
how much does that kind of piss you off.
Speaker 3 (35:37):
A little bit? Yeah?
Speaker 7 (35:38):
I mean there's obviously frustrations around that, and you know,
no one wants to be in that no one would
choose to be in that position.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
But at the end of the day, this is the.
Speaker 7 (35:46):
Path that God has taken us on, and I'm excited
for this next chapter and wherever He's taking us, and
I believe there's an answer for us. You know, there's
things that don't make sense with what has gone on.
But I'm really excited about what's ahead. And all the
times when there's not an answer for something, it's because
he's gonna show it to you down the line, and
I'm really excited about what that's gonna look like.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
You circle those two dates, I have I have not
circled the dates now.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
When you were when you were talking earlier in the
press conference, you mentioned eighty nine Doug baldwhen you grow
up watching dog ball, which make us feel old because
Doug was like sitting here seemingly last Tuesday talking to us,
just like you're talking to us now. But what did
you appreciate most about Doug and what did you take
from his game and incorporate it in your game?
Speaker 7 (36:27):
Yeah, I mean the tenacity, the aggression. I mean, I
think he was always the aggressor, and we talked that
from a mentality standpoint. I always appreciated that about Doug's game.
From a technique standpoint, one of the best come to
balance releases in the history of the NFL.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
I mean it was, it was.
Speaker 7 (36:45):
It was very daring because sometimes he was off his
feet were off the ground for a long time. But
I mean he I mean he also just absolutely turned
people around the way that he would come up the ball,
in the quickness that he'd play that with, and how
he'd counter you know, he'd be able to run, he'd
run drive routes off of that, but he'd also be
able to counter that with you know, bring a fader
out down in the red zone. So you know the
way he pieced that stuff together. He's just he's a
(37:06):
very very good football player. And you see him with
the pictures on the walls of him, you know, like
flying through the air making all kinds of different catchers,
and it's just, uh, he's a very impressive football payer.
Speaker 6 (37:15):
You know.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
I'm just thinking Cooper Cup is with us. I'm thinking
Dick about it.
Speaker 1 (37:17):
The all time greated athletes to come out of Yakama, right,
I mean the mayors obviously are on that list. Dan
Dornick is on that list. I mean, Todd Stottlemeyer is
on that list. How often do you go back there?
And honestly, this is just between the three of us.
You're a humble guy, I know that, but how big
of a dealer are you and Yakama? Right, just between
the three of us, nobody's listening. It's just a big
(37:38):
a dealer.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
Come on, I'm not I don't know. I'm not answering
that question. How often do you get to go back
there and what does that tewn mean to you?
Speaker 3 (37:47):
Yeah? No, I don't get to go back there a ton.
Speaker 7 (37:51):
You know, we obviously have three boys, we got family,
and we've got our your off season downs down southern California.
When we used to do our off season in Oregon,
we'd get over there a little bit more, just harder.
It's not super fun traveling with six four and one
kind of playing, you know. So it's like it's we
were like, you guys can come like, my family's still there.
I still have I love our families still there. You
(38:11):
guys can come down whenever you want to, you know
what I mean, but just don't get up there as much.
But uh, it is I mean I grew up there.
You know, there was where the parks there are where
I grew up playing football with my dad there at
Franklin Park all the time. You know, walk down the
street and it was just, uh, it's a it's a
special place because there's it goes back to what I
(38:32):
was touching on the memories, the experiences that you have,
and you know, there'll never be anything like your child
at home, you know when you when you grow up
there and all the things that you did with your family,
with my with my brothers, and then with my high
school team, all my friends that were there. You know,
you'll you'll always have the You always have those memories,
You always have that time. So there's a there's there's
definitely a law of value in in the time that
(38:52):
I spent there.
Speaker 4 (38:53):
What did you come to learn about the Seahowks organization
playing for the rival of the Seahawks organization? And and
you know what is the thought around the league about
what this organization is all about?
Speaker 3 (39:04):
Yeah, you know, two things come to mind.
Speaker 7 (39:06):
One, you knew you're gonna deal with the twelves a right, like,
there's always that you you know, you come to you
come to Seattle, you're gonna be dealing with an unbelievable
environment that you had to you had to prepare for,
and that was a that's a big piece. I'm excited
to be on the other side of that now. You know,
that's gonna be a really cool thing for me just
from just having that experience from a having such a
(39:31):
renowned fan base going behind you and being able to
experience that on the officer side, when you have the
quiet and being able to be on the deep it
be on the sideline and watch the defense go out
there and see this stadium erupt.
Speaker 3 (39:41):
That's gonna be really cool. So said about that, And
I think the.
Speaker 7 (39:43):
Other piece was just as a little bit in the
in the press conference, but just the belief. There's there's
always been a positive energy and belief in this organization.
And when you've got the positive energy, you've got this
belief that you can win any game at any moment,
that you're gonna find a way to win the game.
That's all always beenel He's always been like, man, if
you're playing Seattle, play the whole game. You gotta play
(40:04):
the whole game because they're gonna keep fighting, They're gonna
find a way to stay in the game and give
themselves a chance to win. And it's just it's Felts
continued with the guys here with the belief in his
locker rooms and passed down from a lot of the
guys that are from these walls, right from guys have
pat come, come and gone, but then that belief has continued.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
Yeah, well, we're completely jacked up to have you here.
Man fired up, and you're wearing number ten again? Do
we know what number ten is wearing?
Speaker 3 (40:27):
By the way, I don't want to. I do know,
but I don't want to say it. If he's I
think he's, I want to let him announce it.
Speaker 2 (40:33):
Okay, Okay, Well listen, I don't want to get you
in trouble your first day.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
If that's what I'm saying, you forgot you probably a
couple of times.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
Question hearing you.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Talk about Yama, what does leave you with this? First
of all, I love the way you talk about your hometown.
I mean, I've been here fifty two years, Dick's been
here fifty years, and neither one of us have ever
left Seattle. By flip on the NFL network, Cooper Cup
going back to he's from Seattle. When somebody says that,
what's your reaction?
Speaker 3 (40:59):
Yeah, know, that's it's a tough thing. It's it's not
it isn't.
Speaker 7 (41:03):
This isn't where I'm from, right, But but you say
it's that's that's a that's a national thing, Like, hey,
where you're from from Washington? Oh, you're from Seattle. No, no, Seattle,
but yeah, no, it's it isn't. That's why, that's why
we're figuring out. We got we got we figure this
area out. I'm really excited about It's like, you know,
this isn't this isn't home, but it's going to be
(41:25):
you know, in the community here and I'm just so
looking forward to what that's gonna look like.
Speaker 2 (41:31):
Well, if you need Dick and Ice help finding a house,
he's a Normandy park.
Speaker 1 (41:34):
I'm in Des Moines. You want to probably got you covered,
right man. Good to meet you, of course, welcome you back.
Appreciate this coop with us on the radio show. We're
gonna break a lot more to get to on a
busy Tuesday from the Virginia Mason Athletic Center right here
on ninety three three k j R F M
Where we go here at the vMac because the Seahawks
are about to introduce Cooper Cup to the media. H
signed just a while ago. He will join us after
the press conference is over. Lots of stuff to talk
about with Cooper Cup when he swings by the radio show.
Most importantly, we have to ask him Jackson, does he
consider himself to be from.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Seattle or not? Okay, we're gonna find out.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Well, we'll just talk to the guy directly when he
comes on the air with us after the press conference.
But you know where does he play? Does he play
at the slot? Does he play on the outside? The
injury factor of the last couple of years, you know
where does he attribute all of that to? Has he
offered Chennana wo Suit millions of dollars to wear number ten?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
And if not, why not?
Speaker 1 (00:40):
So Cooper Cup will join us as soon as the
press conference is over and will carry it live in
a matter of seconds.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
This is called filling.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Well, I'm still kind of hearing right now. Is stalling
into the press conference because.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
He's still kind of old school on the numbers and
defensive ends wearing number ten.
Speaker 5 (00:53):
It's just you know, to give it to the give
it to the wide receiver, you know.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Even though even though tennis, Yeah, that's not a receiver number,
but it's it's mportant. But it's been a wide receiver
number a lot longer than it's been a defensive lineman.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Right, Yeah, I think I think defensive ends should be
wearing numbers in the fifties, seventies or nineties. To be
honest with you, I think all quarterbacks should wear single
digit numbers.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I mean, what really, you know, like twelve, twelve? No, no,
never mind twelve.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
Oh well, he would not like that.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
No more twelves. Anyway, he'll join us in a second.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
We'll got his thoughts on the Clint Kubiak offense and
and more. Obviously, this is a guy that had options.
The Cowboys apparently were one of them. We can talk
about if he came close to signing with somebody else. Right, So,
I think it's a great deal. I said it the
day it came out. I'll say it again. I'm fired
up for this. I think out of all the moves
the Hawks have made over the offseason, and maybe now
that the Sam Donald details Dick on the contract have
(01:45):
come out, I'm even more fired up for the Sam
Donald signing than I was a week and a half ago.
But I would say from just a pure player perspective,
and I don't know what you guys think about this.
You know you got you got Lawrence, you got Marquez, Veldez, Scanling,
you got Cup, you got Sam Darnold, you got the
backup offensive lineman and Jones. Who's gonna be like the
(02:06):
new George Fan I'm most excited out of all the
players to watch, it's Cooper Cup.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Well. I mean, I'm with you.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
He obviously has the most I think, the most upside
over anybody, but I think he might also have the
most downside over anybody because I just don't know. I
don't know what to expect from him. I know, if
he's healthy, what to expect from him. I'm gonna I'm
going to expect one of the best possession wide receivers
in the NFL if he's healthy.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
I just don't know if he's gonna be healthy.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
So last year he played twelve games, he was banged
up for five of them. Obviously, at sixty seven catches,
so over seventeen game season, that's a ninety five catch
pace over twelve games. In twoenty and twenty two, he
played nine games over a seventeen game pace. That's one
hundred and forty one catches that year. That's the kind
of production you're getting from this guy when he's healthy.
Speaker 6 (02:57):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
I mean again, we've seen guys like this, and I'm
not saying we've seen like I don't want to compare
with Shot Penny to Cooper Cup because Rashad Penny never
was healthy enough to have the kind of years that
Cooper Cup had when he was with the Rams. But
when Rashad Penny was healthy, here's a good player, really
good player, right, Cooper Cup. Yes he's been banged up,
Yes he's missed seventeen games a full season in the
last three years, but when he plays, he's very, very productive.
(03:21):
So I don't have any concerns about this guy producing
and contributing. The only concern I would have is number one,
at the age is he getting a little slower?
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Right?
Speaker 1 (03:30):
And then number two the injury factor and what can
you do to kind of help that out. So we'll
talk to him about all that when he when he
comes up.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
I just love guys that can move the chains that
you know, third and four you're gonna go to this guy,
and the defense knows you're gonna go to this guy,
and he still gets the first down. And there's just
not been a lot of those guys in the NFL
the last five years, and he's been all of them.
Speaker 5 (03:51):
He's been a top five.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Guy I have in my mind's eye in my head
when I think the answer is But I'll ask both
of you guys, what do you think right now is
Cooper Cup's greatest attribute right now?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Jackson hands, yeah, I totally agree. Three for three, that's.
Speaker 5 (04:03):
Exactly Look at his Look at his highlight tape.
Speaker 4 (04:06):
I mean, just just watching the watching the Minnesota game,
watching the Minnesota playoff game, right he was just he
was backpedaling, falling down, making catches down the field.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Though, It's a guy that's not going to drop a
lot of passes. He's going to be very reliable for
this football team again, as long as he's healthy. And
I know that's kind of a lame ass way to
put it, I mean, but really, I mean again, I
mean sometimes you try to kind of readmit the wheel
here in this business on the radio. Shore enough Cooper
Cup can run the goal rop, no, no, no, If
he can stay healthy.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Okay, that's it, end of freaking story. Anybody can do this.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
So let's head over to the media conference room about
fifty yards from where Dick and I are at right now,
Seahawks introduce introducing Cooper Cup with the media.
Speaker 7 (04:45):
As we speak, watching my watching the cl Seahawks are
growing up and I've talked a lot about memories and experiences.
I mean, that's kind of what That's what football is, right.
It's like it's it's remembering all those big moments. Talking
through the halls back here, it's like looking at these
photos of iconic I mean, just moments in games and
being able to recognize, like, man, I remember where I
(05:07):
was when that happened, and that moment happened, and you know,
growing up watching Seattle watching football being a huge part
of my life and then you know, playing in Eastern Washington.
Full circle moment, coming back to being able to throw
in a Seattle Seahawks uniform. That's a that's a really
cool thing and something that I don't take lightly. And
I'm just really excited to, you know, be able to
(05:28):
be a part of this program, what this program has
been about, and continue to moving forward.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
Did the Seahawks and watching Seahawks shape anything about your
game and the way you approach football.
Speaker 7 (05:40):
Well, I mean, certainly there's players that you watch and
you learn from.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
I think that's been my thing.
Speaker 7 (05:45):
Is being able to see what guys do and say,
he is there is that something that I can do,
That's something that I want to implement my implement in
my game. And we were just talking down the hall
Doug Baldwin, you know, one of the best come to
Balance releases in history, know, and uh, little pieces of game.
It's like little pieces of game like that. It's like, man,
that's something that I do. It's watching Doug Ballwin do
(06:07):
that stuff to guys turn people around all the time.
So that's part of what it's a it's in my bag,
you know, It's it's something that I that I carry
with me. And so it is there's there's there's guys
that have come through this organization that have been impactful
and in ways they might not know about how I play,
how I play the game.
Speaker 8 (06:25):
You've proven people wrong throughout your career and there's some
people saying, maybe he's injured, he's too old. Are you
taking that as a challenge to prove people wrong again.
Speaker 7 (06:34):
Yeah, you know, I, like you said, I feel like
I've been I've had people doubt me for a long
time through my life, and you know, in some ways rightfully.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
So. I mean I was a very small kid growing.
Speaker 7 (06:43):
Up and cared a lot, but there's a lot of
people that care a lot and uh just don't have.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
The stuff streamed together.
Speaker 7 (06:51):
And I was very you know, blessed to have a
lot of coaches to come alongside me and teach me
and show me the way, and very thankful for that.
And I want to be here today with without that.
But with all those doubts and all those things, It's
never been about proving other people wrong. You know, I
think I've I've lived in that space and it never
goes well. It's been about being who I am, like
(07:14):
believing in myself and knowing that I can be who
I see myself becoming. And uh, when I've taken that attitude,
you know, when I've taken that mindset, that's when I've
always been at my best and I continue I'll continue
that like I've I've I know how to navigate these waters.
I've been here before, and it's not about the negative
energy of trying to prove anything wrong, anyone else wrong,
(07:36):
trying to make emails feel bad about anything, just about
being myself and being who I believe I can be
and going out there and you know, playing the game
I love.
Speaker 8 (07:43):
What have these last couple of months been like for you, though,
finding out who you are going to be back with
the Rams and then becoming a free agent and going
through that process.
Speaker 7 (07:50):
Yeah, it's been it's been difficult. I mean, in all honesty,
it's been very difficult and frustrating, and there's been lots
of questions and things that are are you know, it's
a real tough situation. You know, I've said I always
imagined that I'd finished my career there, but that's not
what the plan was that that God had for me
and my family and stepping into this new adventure, this
(08:10):
new place, this new chapter and my career, but also
in our lives is you know, my wife and I
navigate moving back up home, back up to our home state,
and you know, I think that's uh, that's something that
you know, we're excited about facing, and you're excited about
the community that we get to be a part of.
The people are gonna be a part of our lives and.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
It has been difficult. Without a doubt, it has been difficult.
Speaker 7 (08:35):
And and you know, we're we're humans, we're real people, and
uh if it's something that's been in a lot of ways.
I mean, I'm thankful to have had, you know, a
wife to lean on and to count on, to be
able to walk through this with because it would be
very hard to do by myself. And our boys have
been incredible through it all. And but yeah, I mean
we're we're very excited about what the future holds here
(08:58):
in Seattle.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Why or shit the injuries or what did they psch? Yeah,
I mean there's they have.
Speaker 7 (09:06):
I'm sure they have their reasons for why they want
to do things, you know, whatever.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
It is not a ton of clarity and that regard.
Speaker 7 (09:15):
But at the end of the day, I mean, I
was I'm thankful to be able to walk away from
that organization and be able to look back on all
those memories, all those experiences, all those things that we
were able to go through together, and the relationships that
we had with so many people there and look at
(09:36):
it in a positive light and be, you know, be
very thankful for my time in Los Angeles and some
that we will always cherish, but like I said, we
are very excited about the chapter ahead and what we
can do here in Seattle. But once you found out
that you were going to be able to pick where
you were going next, how quickly did the Seahawks come
on to your radar and in the process of getting
to the point where you decided this is where you
(09:57):
were going to come.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Yeah, it was. It was pretty quick in terms of
expressing the interest.
Speaker 7 (10:01):
Once I was released, and I thought that, uh, you know,
as we went through things, I thought the messaging from
from Mike and from John and from the you know, Koobs,
from all the guys that I talked to here, the
messaging was around park. What I thought was, how you
build a championship team. It's about the people. You focus
on bringing good people there, about ball and all the
(10:23):
other stuff's gonna fall fall in place, and that's something
that you know, when that was the mindset, when it
wasn't about you know, specific football, like you know people football,
people that you're trying to get in place, like you know,
we're trying to get.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
We're trying to get just the people.
Speaker 7 (10:39):
We're trying to get solid people that know how to
work there about playing this game the right way. That's
something that I was like, Man, this is something I know.
That's how you build a good team. I know that's
the best teams I've been apart have been built that way.
And so that excited me. And uh, you know, it's
time went on talking to you know, Ernest Jones, who's
been here I've known, talking to Jackson, talking with you know,
(11:02):
Sam after he had signed on, and you know, various
guys in the organization. It's like, hey, this there's the
same messaging every time. It's like, hey, we're building something
here that's special and we've got the right people in
the building to do it. It just built up and
I'm really excited to be a part of it.
Speaker 8 (11:19):
Your thoughts about being part of a sort of a
revamped offense with a new quarterback.
Speaker 7 (11:22):
This year, and also, yeah, you know I was initially
I was really you know, I felt like I was
behind the eight ball a little bit. I was like, man,
I'm gonna have to I'm gonna be behind everyone trying
to figure all this stuff out. And there's actually not
until you know, a couple of days ago that I
realized how day one OTAs everyone's everyone's learning this offense.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
So that's gonna be fine.
Speaker 7 (11:43):
I think that's that's gonna be something that I'm I'm
excited about in terms of especially with Sam coming in
here and like we get to learn this offense together,
we get to as it grows. As every offense, you
have the starting point of how you want to do things,
what that's gonna look like, and as the players come
in and bring it to life, it grows, it changes,
it morph since you know, accentuating the guy's abilities of
the guys that you have, and I'm excited to be
(12:05):
able to go through that. It's just such a fun
process and being able to build that and it's something that,
uh that gets me very excited about this, about this offense,
about this team.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
How familiar were you with Sam before before all this
and did that play a part and you wanted to
be a part of.
Speaker 9 (12:19):
His offense with him?
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (12:20):
So I had watched him quite a bit when he
was at USC competing there, watched him early in his
career and I thought, man, he in terms of throw
over the football, he know he can make some incredible
throws and went through some things. It's been through some
difficult circumstances, but his his confidence's ability to like to,
you know, maneuver those things and people come back and
(12:41):
have the year that he did last year. When in
this league that's a hard thing to do. But that
confidence I touched on before. It's not about what other
people think about you, it's who you believe that you are.
And him being able to come out and compete like
he did last year, I think that speaks a lot
to the person.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
And I'm really.
Speaker 7 (12:56):
Excited about obviously a great football player and just seeing
how he works, how he goes about his business, and
I've heard all great things and excited to excite to
build this thing with them.
Speaker 8 (13:06):
Predominantly played in the slot in your career and so
is Jackson, Smith and Jake. But how do you kind
of foresee that plan out? And that's something you talked
about with the coaches.
Speaker 7 (13:14):
Yeah, I know, it'll be interesting to see, like I said,
as the offense kind of gets going and we kind
of start building this thing out. It's all like I said,
I trust this offensive staff and being able to uh,
you know, be able to emphasize they get things that.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
Guys do well.
Speaker 7 (13:25):
And in eight years with the Rams, I i think
it's tagged with the slot, but you know, I don't
know how you determined that. When we're in condensed formations,
I'm outside, but I'm running a slot route.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
You know, I'm you know, I'm out.
Speaker 7 (13:38):
A lot of times I was outside and I'm not
sure if there was being tagged as slot routes or not.
But you know, I think the ability to move in
an offense and the ability for you know, in this offense,
and what Koobe actually done is being able to you know,
formation guys to be anywhere. And that's how that's why
I had learned this offense originally, was that you got
to learn the whole thing because you can be in
(13:59):
any one of the spots at any time, right, so
you might think of yourself as you can't think of
yourself as just a slot. You got you got to
see yourself as paying any one of these positions at
any time because you could be asked to run any
one of these routes. And I think, you know, Jackson
did some of that same stuff last year. We played
inside and outside and being able to run routes that
(14:19):
you know are typically for an X or an F
or is you know you've been able to run all
that stuff, and I think that's, uh, that's what we've got.
We've got guys that are gonna be willing to learn
the offense as a whole there and being able to
you know, take advantage of those opportunities.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
As you convinced charon As to give up number ten.
Speaker 7 (14:37):
So we ended up He's he's got a foundation that's
doing some really good stuff here in the community and
it was important for him to.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
That that be part of, you know, this change.
Speaker 7 (14:47):
And you know he's great to work with and uh
able to you know, donate to his foundation and make sure.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
That he felt good about that. And he's he you
know mention.
Speaker 7 (14:58):
You know, he's played his best foot ball in number
ten and you know it had been important to him
and just since time in Seattle and just clearly the
community was an important part of this whole thing. And
so you know, I respect his his his desires there
and you know, able to work it out and really
thankful for him for being willing to work something out
for for us. I know you grew up on the
(15:20):
other side of the state, but did you make it
to any Seahawks games growing up?
Speaker 3 (15:24):
I did, so I met to a few. I remember.
Speaker 7 (15:26):
My first one was I believe a Sunday night game
with a Sunday night Remember we talked about this a
second ago. I think it was Sunday night snow game
against the Packers two thousand and six. Anyone there you go? So, yeah,
I was there too. I was up in the very top.
Frozen's the icicle up there. But yeah, it was incredible watching,
(15:47):
you know, Alexander went off.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
It was you know, it was a crazy one. I
feel like I missed.
Speaker 7 (15:54):
I got to miss school the next day, you know,
so it was like bonus points because I got I
didn't have to go to school next day. But yeah,
I mean, like I said, memories, my memories being there,
being part of that environment, and uh yeah, such a
cool such a cool thing is that? That was such
a that was a special thing growing up to be
able to go to a Seahawks game, and yeah, very
special memory.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Was there another one you went to? Did you said
you went to? Yeah?
Speaker 7 (16:15):
So I went to another one when I was in college.
We watched Baltimore came to town and I stood. I
was able to I was able to be right next
to the tunnel as ray Lewis ran out and my
dad tapped me. He's like, hey, you think you can
play in the NFL. And I looked at ray Lewis
and I was like, oh, yeah, I can play.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
I got this.
Speaker 8 (16:36):
Uh not every receiver takes blocking as a big part
of their role, but it seems like that's something you take.
It's a pride in if you talk about how that's
evolved as part of your game.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (16:45):
So, I mean early on, I got cred Jay Dumas,
my high school coach. Shout out to Jay for making
that appointments for me, and I didn't learned until later
that he was the worst blocking receiver at WSU in history,
you know, wider like w the super receivers, but he
seemed to make it seem like it was really important
that you blocked as a wide receiver. So when I
(17:07):
was in high school, that was always a big emphasis
and carried on as we kind of went through college
and then for the for the RAMS, that has always
been like with being condensed formations, You're a part of
the blocking surface, You're a part of the counts. And
that was so much fun because I got to learn
as if I was an extension of the offensive line.
The you know, the verbiage, the thought process, be find
(17:29):
how they're doing things, the angles that are being done,
the counts with the linebackers, with the shades, with the
you know where the bubble is at, and all this
different stuff. It's like, Man, I love football, and this
is a whole another part of I thought I had
things figured out, and he realized there's a whole other
world happening, you know, rat the last scrimmage. And it's
been so much been fun for me to learn and
be and be a part of and as ask grown up,
(17:49):
just fallen in love with it, fall in love with
being a part of helping the run game become a
thing come to life and seeing how that plays off
into the past game and all the things you can
do there.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
And it's been a it's been a fun thing for me.
Speaker 8 (18:01):
There was a report Dak Proscott called you to try
to get to go to Dallas was what were Was
it fun being recruited?
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Yeah, it was cool.
Speaker 7 (18:09):
I mean, it's it's it's one of those things where
I've I've been in contact with a lot of these guys.
Just just as your career goes on, you run into
people and just really hear what's going on in these
different organizations and what they're thinking and how they're seeing things,
what they envision you know, football looking like. And it
was it was cool kind of reconnected with a lot
of people that you know, you might get a few
(18:30):
words with after a game, where you might you know,
talk to you once or twice.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
But it's just good. It's good. There's all.
Speaker 7 (18:35):
There's just a lot of really good people, a lot
of the football players in this league, and it was
fund of connecting with them.
Speaker 6 (18:40):
The rapport that you had with Stafford and knowing where
to go and where the ball would be.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
How long did that take to develop?
Speaker 7 (18:48):
It was very fast. It was very fast. Honestly, it was.
It was very fast. And I think part of that,
you know, one was, uh, Matthew played when he was
in Detroit. I think he had like five offensive coordinators
in his time there. You know, he had seen all
his different all these different ways of running an offense.
And then you know, coming into OTAs, it was just
(19:09):
kind of like, uh, I don't know, it just it
just clicked.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
It just clicked.
Speaker 7 (19:15):
And I think a big part of that though, is
being able to just you know, my dad played quarterback,
you know, And so I've learned receiver from a quarterback,
you know. But he I was running out for my dad,
and he telled me if from his perspective, if I
did something wrong or I might not be what the
receiver coach would say, But the quarterback was telling me
what I was doing wrong. And I think that's helped
(19:37):
set things up to be like I feel like I
can understand what quarterbacks seeing and how he's feeling based
on the coverage and where the openings might be. And
you know, I think I play a role in that
and trying to make sure that I can be able
to find those soft spots for him. And I'm looking
forward to you know, Sam, He's gonna be in a
similar spot where he's playing a lot of different offenses
(19:58):
now and and in some ways, while he doesn't probably
feel like that was the best thing for him, when
he gets into the right system, which is real similar
to what he did last year, that can be a
very big positive for a quarterback.
Speaker 9 (20:11):
Wanted to coach Jamas and I spoke with him earlier
and he told me a story about you in ninth
grade coming to him in the weight room. He just
got your slang off from here a broken college one,
and he said that you asked him the stats of
going to college and then going to the NFL.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
He told you the stats, but that didn't really FaZe you.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
You were determined.
Speaker 4 (20:27):
He said, that's what I gotta do.
Speaker 7 (20:28):
I'm gonna do it.
Speaker 9 (20:29):
How do you carry that mindset with you still today?
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (20:33):
I remember that conversation because I told him. I told him,
I said, I want I want to be running back
at USC.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
That's why I said. I told my side, I want
to play running backt USC.
Speaker 7 (20:41):
Reggie Bush was my like my guy, and he said, uh,
you've got to You've gotta change your plans, you know.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
He's like he's like, you know, he's our best case scenario.
Speaker 7 (20:50):
Like you know, maybe you can go to Central Washington,
you know, like play at the D two school there
if you like work really hard, like maybe you can
do that. And and I was like, you know what, no,
I think I'm gonna do what I want to do,
you know, And and there was like this it's my step.
And in some ways it goes back to kind of
that doubting piece. It's like, well that's what he thinks,
but like, I know what I want to do. I
(21:11):
know what I want to achieve and what I want
to become and who I am. And while I didn't
get to go to USC and be a running back,
I do think it like that the habits that I
formed in high school have carried me through everything, every
step of my career. I understand that it is the work.
It's the time that you put in, it's your preparation
that sets you up to go play this game freely.
(21:32):
And you know those habits were established early on. It's
just it's all I know now. So I'm thankful for
Dumos for his doubts. I'm thankful for Dumos also for
his coaching, because he is one of the guys that,
as time went on, believed in me and pushed me.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
And you know, I set me up to to be
who I am today.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
When did the dream of being a running back die die?
Speaker 3 (21:51):
Oh uh? Probably the next year when I got moved
to receiver and realized.
Speaker 7 (21:59):
So I got up on varsity my sophomore year, I
had no business being up there, no business being up
on varsity. I had like my parts were tucked into
like my mid back. I just it was just I
was not ready for it. But but I realized then
that's like, you know, the path to becoming a USC
running back was a long one and at this point, like,
(22:20):
my legs just aren't gonna be I don't have the
legs for it. I don't have the legs for I
can see myself in this jersey. I look like a
giraffe out there. It's just not uh, it's not gonna work.
So but but the adjustment to be like, man, I
fell in love with receiver at that point, you know,
I fell in love with it. Coach Dumos was the receiver.
I'm like, I adored Coach Dumos, and I was like,
you know, I can make this work.
Speaker 8 (22:40):
Bobby Wagner went closer to home and got to play
the couple times a year. It look forward to that.
You come closer to home, you're gonna play the Rams
a couple of times. Are you looking forward to facing
your former team?
Speaker 3 (22:49):
Yeah? I am.
Speaker 7 (22:50):
I am looking forward to And that wasn't that it
didn't play into the decision to come here. But it's
a nice little thing on the side to be able
to go against those guys and know a lot of
those guys so much respect for the coaching staff, the
way that they handle things down there, the players down there.
I am excited about though. It's gonna be Ah, it's
gonna be a really cool thing. And you know, at
the w when that time comes, you know it will
(23:11):
be it will just be football at point, you know,
but I I am looking forward to it.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Some of the things Ernest and Jackson talked about in
terms of what they're building here, yeah, well it all
went back to the people.
Speaker 7 (23:21):
It's like, you know, Ernest talked a lot about just
how when he came in here, just the way that
he was welcomed in and the way the guys went
to work, the communication they had, the way that they
operated as one on defense, and and that's a huge
thing defensively, like defenses only work if you're playing as
one unit. And he has had, you know, incredible things
(23:44):
to say about his you know, his his time here
last year with with the guys, and then you know,
Jackson he said all the same stuff. You know, It's
like he just he he loved the coaching staff, he
loved the way that guys were treated, the ways that
the the.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Organization was run.
Speaker 7 (23:59):
And then he just he said he's just having the
time of his life playing football, and you know, like
that's a huge thing. You guys are having fun, You're
you're in bit your best when you're enjoying it. And
if you can create that environment and still be you
know here, how these guys are going to go to work,
you know, good things will happen.
Speaker 8 (24:14):
But you mentioned Mike mcdond earlier.
Speaker 10 (24:16):
You spent your career so far playing for how the
young innovative offensive guy. Are you excited or here see
how it is playing for a defensive minded head coach.
Speaker 7 (24:24):
Yeah, that will be interesting, that will be interested on others.
You know, there's so many different ways that people do it.
I'm not sure how involved Mike is on the offensive
side of things or how he does things, but I
am looking forward to him. I've only heard all the
guys here love him, you know, I've only heard great
things about him, and you know, really looking forward to
just the staff. Yes, in general, everyone here has been great.
And the excitement around football and what's the building here?
(24:49):
You know you can feel it and so it's gonna
be It's gonna be fun come mid April being up
here and again begin to work.
Speaker 11 (24:55):
Have you prepared for and played against his defensive a
couple of times.
Speaker 8 (24:58):
What what stands out about it, Mike can come.
Speaker 7 (25:00):
Yeah, I mean you've talked about playing as one, and
that's that's a huge it's a huge thing. You gotta
have guys that the best defenses, guys play off each other.
They understand when they're showing pressures and things like that,
Like one guy is off, it's like it tells it
tips the whole thing off. You know, you gotta you
have to be as one from the very beginning. You know,
from the communication of you know, all your checks, to
(25:21):
being able to show your bluffs, to be able to
get to your coverages, to be able to match those
up with the fronts, and the things that are happening
with the defensive line, the stunts and.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
All that.
Speaker 7 (25:31):
I've respected the way that you know, guys have brought
that to life. And you can see the coaching that's
been done. As players have been able to play free,
be able to get in positions where they're where they're
putting positions to succeed defensive, it just becomes very hard offensively.
It's like, hey, guys, guys, just don't mess up. You know,
guys are gonna play their leverage. They're gonna be in
the spots they're supposed to be at. And uh, you
(25:54):
know you respect that about a defense. That's the to me,
the telling sign of good defenses is when you you
see that.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
All Right, there you go, the voice of Cooper Cup.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Hard to be anything but impressed with what you heard
from that guy for the last twenty five minutes. Says
he made a donation to Chennona Woshu's foundation. He will
now get to wear number ten with the Seahawks. We'll
find out what number Jenna has to wear, but number ten.
We'll be traveling from LA to Seattle with Cooper Cup.
Great stuff with him. We're gonna break when we come back.
Cooper Cup set to join us in person here at
(26:25):
the Seahawks facility at the Virginia Mason Athletics Center. Right
here on a busy Tuesday on ninety three to three KJRFM.
Speaker 6 (26:32):
You're listening to the exclusive home of the Huskies, the
Kracking and March Madness. Now back to Saftie indig proudly
brought to you by Emerald Queen Casino on Sports Radio
ninety three point three KJRM.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
All right, we're gonna reset it for a little bit.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
Here'll be joined by Cooper Cup in a matter of minute, Saftie,
Dick Jackson with you until five o'clock time. We got
cracking hockey pregame of the Blackhawks from Chicago coming up
at five. Lee Sterling, John Wilner join us as well
in the four o'clock hour. And uh, I don't know
what your thoughts were on the Cooper Cup press. So
we're gonna hear from Cooper himself again in just a
few minutes you're live on the air.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
But I mean, he sounds like a real bright guy.
Number one.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
I just go back to what Millan said with us
a couple of days ago when Hugh was on the
air with us on Friday, when he talked about Jackson
Smith and Jigba and Cooper cut playing together. He said,
go have his bright and his high and IQ instinctive
receiver tandem in the NFL. And it's hard to not
understand why Hugh thinks that after hearing Cooper Cup talk.
(27:32):
I mean, first of all, the guy sounds like a
head coach like right now, and he sounds like a
future coach for sure, and a guy with a lot
more to offer, And I don't know if you.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Caught this or not, Dick.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
We could ask him, but a guy with maybe just
maybe a little bit of a chip on his shoulder,
he catch the Rams.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
More than a little bit.
Speaker 4 (27:47):
The quote was, you know, I didn't get a lot
of clarity why I was released from the from the Rams.
So yeah, that absolutely we're gonna ask him about those
two games coming up with the Rams.
Speaker 5 (27:57):
And how about the first Seahawk name he threw out there.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
I didn't even thought about this comparison, but it's an
absolutely apt one.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
Doug Baldwin. Yeah, yeah, that is the guy.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
He said.
Speaker 5 (28:07):
Now makes us feel old when he says I grew
up watching Doug Baldwin.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
And we're like, well, gee, we were already old.
Speaker 5 (28:11):
Wasn't that like last Tuesday when we were watching Doug Baldwin?
But yeah, he said, growing up watching Doug Baldman.
Speaker 4 (28:17):
Hey, if you can get a reasonable fact simile of
Doug Baldwin, you're in good shape.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
Well let's get a short break when we come back.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
We're gonna visit with Cooper Cup in person here at
the Virginia Mason Athletic Center right here on ninety three
three KJRFF you're.
Speaker 6 (28:30):
Listening to the exclusive home of the Huskies, the Kracking
and March Madness. Now back to Saftie and Dick, proudly
brought to you by Emerald Queen Casino on Sports Radio
ninety three point three kJ R.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
FAM. All right, we're back here at the Virginia Mason
Athletic Center.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Safie Dick Jackson with you until five o'clock to night
Cracking Hockey black Hawks pregame five face off five thirty
tonight from Chicago.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Dick, it's not very often that you get talked to
talk to somebody.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
On the air that you respect it as an opponent
when they played your favorite football team back in the day.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Yes, and I'm not even talking about when this guy
played the Seahawks.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
Bro, We're talking ten plus years ago.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
I want to rewind to September sixth of twenty fourteen,
when our respect as Husky fans for this guy exploded.
If you forget why, let's remind you why right now.
Speaker 11 (29:19):
Play action from Adams puffs fires.
Speaker 10 (29:22):
Deep looking for Cooper Cup Cup touchdown Eastern Washington, forty
one yards.
Speaker 11 (29:31):
Adams to Cooper Cup.
Speaker 10 (29:33):
Adams the quarterback empty backfield throws looking for Cooper Cup
touchdown Eastern Washington Vernon Adams. This second time he has
found Cup for a score. Today for the sideline, Cooper
Cup dance his way toward the goal line.
Speaker 11 (29:49):
He's in Cup's third touchdown.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
Eight catches, one hundred and forty five yards, three touchdowns
that day, and I remember thinking one thing, I really
hate this guy.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
Man, Thank god he's not in the patches. Everything. Well,
he played the pac twelve four times.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
You played Oregon, you played Washington State, you played you Doug,
you played Oregon State, and you torched them all when
you were at Eastern Washington. Did you like pull at
Jordan and take that personally, But all those schools passed
on you because you exploded on those schools.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
Yeah, no, just I think that was just a coincidence
that working out.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
Yeah, well, it's great to see welcome back to the
two o six and the state of Washington. And my
friend tell us about this, about just being back here.
You got the Pearl jam shirt on. You're doing the
right thing. Everyone's all fired up for that. But tell
me about what this means to you to be back
in the state of Washington playing for the Seahawks as
a pro after eight years in Los Angeles that it's
(30:43):
really cool.
Speaker 3 (30:43):
I mean, just a full circle moment.
Speaker 7 (30:45):
I think, you know, obviously growing up in Yack and
Washington playing high school ball there, you know, want a
state championship here during in the Tacoma Dome, ye playing
at Eastern Washington and all the football that we played
in the state here, then it'll come back. It's a
it's a really cool thing. And excited about the community
(31:05):
here and the people that we get to you know,
know and pour into and it's just a it's a
cool moment.
Speaker 4 (31:11):
How much was that a factor in your decision to
come back. I mean people say I want to come home,
but there's other factors as well.
Speaker 3 (31:17):
I think a factor was that, you know, it was
a piece of it.
Speaker 7 (31:19):
It definitely was a piece of it because you obviously
have the football side of things and making sure that
if it's just who I am as a football player
and what I wanted to accomplish and just being able
to be competitive and the things that are this, you know,
this organization's building towards is really cool to be a
part of, and I'm very excited about that. But also
it is the community and it's the people. It's the
(31:39):
way that the organization's treating players, It's the way that
this is all been set up. You know, there's there's
so many pieces to it, and you know, I think
all those things came together. It's just a man, we
feel good about so much of it.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
You you're not twenty two, but you're not forty two either,
Right at thirty two years old, did you ever think
about just saying is enough? I want to spend my
whole career with one team. I want to be that
guy that stays with one team my whole life and
just hang it up and walk away from the game.
How much did you have those conversations in your in
your brain and with your wife in the last maybe
(32:11):
week or so.
Speaker 3 (32:12):
Never, that's never crossed my mind. I don't, I don't.
I don't know who started whatever that was. You know,
I'm I.
Speaker 7 (32:20):
I am no way and ready to be done playing football.
I'm very excited about about the football that I've ahead
of me. You know, I still see myself as an
ascending player, and you know, mentally the way that I
see the game, I can still I'm I see myself
if I couldn't see if I've envisioned something. I'm like, Hey,
this is how I want run the strout, this is
how I want to manipulate this dB. And I couldn't
(32:41):
do it. I wouldn't be playing anymore right right, you know,
But you know, I'm able to see the reps that
I'm taking in practice, able to see the off season
reps and things that I'm doing, and man, I feel
really good about what I can put on on field
and I'm looking forward to getting out this year.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Well, when you have been on the field, you've been dominant.
You just haven't always been on the field. So talk
about your Hell, how confident are you that you're gonna
be ready to play seventeen games?
Speaker 7 (33:04):
I'm I go into every season with this, you know,
the confidence, and there's there's Okay, I shouldn't say that.
There's certain seasons where you're coming in, you're banged up
and you've got stuff that you're man, you didn't have
the off seasons that you wanted to, or there's you know,
there's risks involved in this game, and I've unfortunately, you know,
the last three years had things that you know, they've
been unfortunately there's you know, they're outside of your control.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
A lot of ways.
Speaker 7 (33:26):
You know, you can't handle the way that you're gonna
get tackled sometimes and and that happens. But you know
this is uh, it's one of those games where you know,
I'm it hasn't created any hesitancy in me to go
out there and just play the best that I can
possibly play and give it everything I've got. You get
hurt in this league when you start slowing down and
feeling like you're looking to try to stay healthy. You know,
(33:48):
the way that you play this game is to be violent,
to be the attacker, be the aggressor. And you know
I'm gonna continue to play this game that way and
believe that's when I'm at my best. And you can't
control the things that are gonna happen outside of your control.
So I obviously can't almost anything, and no one in
this league in right, but I'm really excited about being
to get out there and play some really good football.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
Well, Cooper Cup is our guest here at the Virginia
mas Athletics Center, and look, I got to tell you,
first of all of us are jacked up to have
your backpick time. I wanted you in the twenty seventeen draft,
to be totally honest with you. So I'm glad that
we finally, you know, nine years later, were able to
pull this off and get this thing done. But you
mentioned there that you're an a sending player. You don't
often hear that word about thirty two year olds in
the NFL is sending. You hear the decline, but you
(34:28):
don't hear a sending.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
Why do you think that? What does that look like
to you?
Speaker 3 (34:31):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (34:31):
I think it is kind of what I was saying here.
You know what, I get to see myself play this game.
I get to see every rip, you know, anyone else
gets to see what happens on Sundays, And you know
that's a contingent on a lot of other things. But
in terms of me as a football player and what
I can do, I'm really excited about the football that
I'm playing, really excited about the football that I'm seeing
on tape and the way that I'm preparing and the
(34:52):
things that I can still still do when I'm giving
the opportunity to do it. And I just I just
I'm really excited about that. I honestly am, and looking
forward to how Cooves has set guys up and what
his vision is for things and making those things come
to life, and working with Sam and these guys, it's
gonna be a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
I was talking to Dick before you showed up, and
just hearing you talk right there kind of cemented it
for me. You seem pretty damn motivated right now. Right
for the first time in your life, you've been let
go by a football team.
Speaker 7 (35:20):
Now.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
I don't know, maybe there's a Michael Jordan story. You're
cut from your high school basketball team back in the
day as a freshman. I got no idea, but is
this the first time in your life that you've been
let go by a team period?
Speaker 3 (35:31):
Yeah, I think that. I think that would be it.
Speaker 4 (35:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
How much does that, for lack of a better word,
how much does that kind of piss you off.
Speaker 3 (35:37):
A little bit? Yeah?
Speaker 7 (35:38):
I mean there's obviously frustrations around that, and you know,
no one wants to be in that no one would
choose to be in that position.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
But at the end of the day, this is the.
Speaker 7 (35:46):
Path that God has taken us on, and I'm excited
for this next chapter and wherever He's taking us, and
I believe there's an answer for us. You know, there's
things that don't make sense with what has gone on.
But I'm really excited about what's ahead. And all the
times when there's not an answer for something, it's because
he's gonna show it to you down the line, and
I'm really excited about what that's gonna look like.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
You circle those two dates, I have I have not
circled the dates now.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
When you were when you were talking earlier in the
press conference, you mentioned eighty nine Doug baldwhen you grow
up watching dog ball, which make us feel old because
Doug was like sitting here seemingly last Tuesday talking to us,
just like you're talking to us now. But what did
you appreciate most about Doug and what did you take
from his game and incorporate it in your game?
Speaker 7 (36:27):
Yeah, I mean the tenacity, the aggression. I mean, I
think he was always the aggressor, and we talked that
from a mentality standpoint. I always appreciated that about Doug's game.
From a technique standpoint, one of the best come to
balance releases in the history of the NFL.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
I mean it was, it was.
Speaker 7 (36:45):
It was very daring because sometimes he was off his
feet were off the ground for a long time. But
I mean he I mean he also just absolutely turned
people around the way that he would come up the ball,
in the quickness that he'd play that with, and how
he'd counter you know, he'd be able to run, he'd
run drive routes off of that, but he'd also be
able to counter that with you know, bring a fader
out down in the red zone. So you know the
way he pieced that stuff together. He's just he's a
(37:06):
very very good football player. And you see him with
the pictures on the walls of him, you know, like
flying through the air making all kinds of different catchers,
and it's just, uh, he's a very impressive football payer.
Speaker 6 (37:15):
You know.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
I'm just thinking Cooper Cup is with us. I'm thinking
Dick about it.
Speaker 1 (37:17):
The all time greated athletes to come out of Yakama, right,
I mean the mayors obviously are on that list. Dan
Dornick is on that list. I mean, Todd Stottlemeyer is
on that list. How often do you go back there?
And honestly, this is just between the three of us.
You're a humble guy, I know that, but how big
of a dealer are you and Yakama? Right, just between
the three of us, nobody's listening. It's just a big
(37:38):
a dealer.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
Come on, I'm not I don't know. I'm not answering
that question. How often do you get to go back
there and what does that tewn mean to you?
Speaker 3 (37:47):
Yeah? No, I don't get to go back there a ton.
Speaker 7 (37:51):
You know, we obviously have three boys, we got family,
and we've got our your off season downs down southern California.
When we used to do our off season in Oregon,
we'd get over there a little bit more, just harder.
It's not super fun traveling with six four and one
kind of playing, you know. So it's like it's we
were like, you guys can come like, my family's still there.
I still have I love our families still there. You
(38:11):
guys can come down whenever you want to, you know
what I mean, but just don't get up there as much.
But uh, it is I mean I grew up there.
You know, there was where the parks there are where
I grew up playing football with my dad there at
Franklin Park all the time. You know, walk down the
street and it was just, uh, it's a it's a
special place because there's it goes back to what I
(38:32):
was touching on the memories, the experiences that you have,
and you know, there'll never be anything like your child
at home, you know when you when you grow up
there and all the things that you did with your family,
with my with my brothers, and then with my high
school team, all my friends that were there. You know,
you'll you'll always have the You always have those memories,
You always have that time. So there's a there's there's
definitely a law of value in in the time that
(38:52):
I spent there.
Speaker 4 (38:53):
What did you come to learn about the Seahowks organization
playing for the rival of the Seahawks organization? And and
you know what is the thought around the league about
what this organization is all about?
Speaker 3 (39:04):
Yeah, you know, two things come to mind.
Speaker 7 (39:06):
One, you knew you're gonna deal with the twelves a right, like,
there's always that you you know, you come to you
come to Seattle, you're gonna be dealing with an unbelievable
environment that you had to you had to prepare for,
and that was a that's a big piece. I'm excited
to be on the other side of that now. You know,
that's gonna be a really cool thing for me just
from just having that experience from a having such a
(39:31):
renowned fan base going behind you and being able to
experience that on the officer side, when you have the
quiet and being able to be on the deep it
be on the sideline and watch the defense go out
there and see this stadium erupt.
Speaker 3 (39:41):
That's gonna be really cool. So said about that, And
I think the.
Speaker 7 (39:43):
Other piece was just as a little bit in the
in the press conference, but just the belief. There's there's
always been a positive energy and belief in this organization.
And when you've got the positive energy, you've got this
belief that you can win any game at any moment,
that you're gonna find a way to win the game.
That's all always beenel He's always been like, man, if
you're playing Seattle, play the whole game. You gotta play
(40:04):
the whole game because they're gonna keep fighting, They're gonna
find a way to stay in the game and give
themselves a chance to win. And it's just it's Felts
continued with the guys here with the belief in his
locker rooms and passed down from a lot of the
guys that are from these walls, right from guys have
pat come, come and gone, but then that belief has continued.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
Yeah, well, we're completely jacked up to have you here.
Man fired up, and you're wearing number ten again? Do
we know what number ten is wearing?
Speaker 3 (40:27):
By the way, I don't want to. I do know,
but I don't want to say it. If he's I
think he's, I want to let him announce it.
Speaker 2 (40:33):
Okay, Okay, Well listen, I don't want to get you
in trouble your first day.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
If that's what I'm saying, you forgot you probably a
couple of times.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
Question hearing you.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Talk about Yama, what does leave you with this? First
of all, I love the way you talk about your hometown.
I mean, I've been here fifty two years, Dick's been
here fifty years, and neither one of us have ever
left Seattle. By flip on the NFL network, Cooper Cup
going back to he's from Seattle. When somebody says that,
what's your reaction?
Speaker 3 (40:59):
Yeah, know, that's it's a tough thing. It's it's not
it isn't.
Speaker 7 (41:03):
This isn't where I'm from, right, But but you say
it's that's that's a that's a national thing, Like, hey,
where you're from from Washington? Oh, you're from Seattle. No, no, Seattle,
but yeah, no, it's it isn't. That's why, that's why
we're figuring out. We got we got we figure this
area out. I'm really excited about It's like, you know,
this isn't this isn't home, but it's going to be
(41:25):
you know, in the community here and I'm just so
looking forward to what that's gonna look like.
Speaker 2 (41:31):
Well, if you need Dick and Ice help finding a house,
he's a Normandy park.
Speaker 1 (41:34):
I'm in Des Moines. You want to probably got you covered,
right man. Good to meet you, of course, welcome you back.
Appreciate this coop with us on the radio show. We're
gonna break a lot more to get to on a
busy Tuesday from the Virginia Mason Athletic Center right here
on ninety three three k j R F M
Dave 'Softy' Mahler and Dick Fain News
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com