In Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua’s first offseason as a famous person in Los Angeles
Having pleasure, Puka Nacua, a receiver for the Los Angeles Rams, concluded his rookie season with the most rookie receiving yards in league history, a month after it began.
He was relishing the benefits of being selected in the fifth round out of BYU and then shattering a record that had held for sixty-three years. He participated in his first Pro Bowl, rode a Zamboni at a Los Angeles Kings game, and spent Super Bowl week in Las Vegas.
Then on the Thursday prior to the Super Bowl, Cooper Kupp, a fellow Rams receiver, texted him:
Hello, Monday morning is when I’ll be starting again. We’ll get right to it as soon as you return to town, even though I know you might be out of it.
“I’m thinking like, man, Cooper’s already starting to work out,” Nacua stated.
However, Nacua recalled his discussion with Eric Yarber, the wide receivers coach, following the Rams’ season-ending playoff loss to the Detroit Lions in the wild-card round. After his outstanding first campaign, they discussed how the receiver may advance.
“The first thing I wanted him to do is hold on to Cooper Kupp’s coattails and train with him and do everything he does,” Yarber stated. “And he took that to heart.”
Kupp’s text was the game-changing moment in Nacua’s offseason, even though he still had a great time after the Super Bowl, including dunking in the NBA All-Star celebrity game and watching both a Los Angeles Lakers game and an exhibition match between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal from courtside seats.
Nacua began his physical rehabilitation and diet regimen with early-morning exercises at Kupp’s house. His goal was to improve upon his performance from his rookie campaign, which saw him finish with 105 receptions for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns. Bill Groman, who had 1,473 receiving yards in a 14-game season in 1960, held the rookie receiving yardage record, which Nacua broke. Nacua’s 105 receptions shattered a more recent record, one set by Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle in 2021 when he concluded the season with 104.
Yarber remarked, “His body is totally different.” “He resembles Cooper exactly. He was able to move more effectively since he had shed a significant amount of body fat and gained a large amount of lean muscle. Plus, he can regulate his body better. He did, however, exactly as I instructed.
“And you’re seeing some of the results right now.”
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