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- Peyton Manning shared a great story about he and Eli at their annual passing academy.
- One year, Peyton says they fought over over who got to throw to Cooper Kupp who spent five years there as a camper.
- Read more news about the NFL here.
Cooper Kupp has always been good. Just ask Peyton and Eli Manning.
In a story that has resurfaced this week in the wake of Cooper Kupp’s season for the record books, Peyton Manning recalled a young Cooper Kupp at his family’s passing academy.
Kupp, who spent five years as a camper and counselor at the Manning Passing Academy, was so good, even back then, that Peyton says he and Eli used to fight over who got to throw him passes.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Rams general manager Les Snead was in attendance at the passing academy one day and overheard Peyton saying he wanted Cooper Kupp.
“Peyton mentioned to Eli, and all the subsequent college QBs, ‘Hey Cooper Kupp’s my guy. Y’all can figure out who y’all are throwing to, but Cooper’s mine,'” said Snead. “At that point, you took the note to follow the kid. Because Peyton’s a perfectionist, and he was definitely going to have someone who was going to be where they were supposed to be, and make the catch when he was supposed to make it.”
Peyton Manning recalled a story about Cooper Kupp at the Manning Passing Academy
“Eli and I would argue over who got to throw to Cooper, because all of his routes were very precise,” said Manning. “He had great control of his body. You always knew where he was going, when he was going to break out or break in. For a quarterback and receiver, sometimes it takes a while to develop that timing. But he was one of those guys who right away for me and Eli the timing was easy. And of course he caught everything as well.”
That bickering in front of Snead helped Cooper Kupp be drafted by the Rams out of Eastern Washington in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Not that it looked like a genius move after Kupp’s first two seasons with the Rams. In those two years, he caught 102 passes combined. Little did anyone know that he would beat that number, by 43, in just one season in 2021.
[The Spun]