Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp exudes total faith in backup quarterback Drew Lock as he prepares to start this week against the Arizona Cardinals. Seahawks starting quarterback Sam Darnold injured his oblique against the New England Patriots on the first drive of the contest. Lock entered the game and helped lead Seattle to a 13-10 victory over New England to begin the season.
Kupp frequently attends the quarterback meetings throughout training, and he sees what Lock does in order to prepare each week. Even as a backup quarterback, the amount of preparation required to move forward is immense. Because of the lack of starting opportunities, Lock has a lot to overcome when he is called upon.
Regarding Lock, Kupp said, “It’s not easy to do what he did today, where he had no reps with anyone all week. No reps with any of the guys he was in the huddle with. And to be able to come in, command the huddle and get us in and out of plays. And to be able to move the ball and be efficient as a quarterback, that’s a special thing that he did.”
Seattle Seahawks Cooper Kupp Praises Drew Lock Ahead of Arizona Cardinals Game
In terms of the obvious, the Seahawks will need Darnold to return in order to be successful this season. However, Lock still remains one of the better backup options in the NFL especially when you consider his comfort level in Seattle. The Seahawks still have weapons who can uplift Lock’s floor like we saw with Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s electric performance to begin the year.
Kupp continued, “Certainly, we’re going to miss Sam, but you’ve got no other option. Drew’s going to be that guy. He’ll do an unbelievable job. He’s going to prepare, do things right. He’ll find opportunities to be better than we were today and give us more opportunities.”
The Seattle Seahawks truly believe in their culture, which helps give every person from the active roster to the practice squad confidence. As the team saw with Nehemiah Pritchett and Rodney Thomas II, all someone needs is an opportunity to showcase their ability. Along with those players, it’s Lock’s turn as well.
Kupp Provides Historical Context For His Belief In Seattle
After the Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl in the 2021-22 season, they organization faltered with a 5-12 record, enduring multiple frustrating injuries. Kupp reflects upon that season to help make sure the Seattle Seahawks do not suffer a similar fate. Complacency is the devil for any returning Super Bowl champion.
He said, ” I think the unique thing is you go through a season when you win a Super Bowl, and you remember all the good stuff. All the triumphs, right? But what you don’t remember as much when you go back and dissect it is all the moments that were really hard.
“All the times where things did not look that good, and all the times you were very frustrated because you were not efficient, or there were mistakes or fumbles. There’s losses. You kind of forget about that. You think it was hunky-dory all the way through, but you deal with adversity. It’s just a great reminder that all these great things that are meaningful, have these hard things that you overcame. There’s going to be times where things don’t go well, and you just have to keep coming to the table, keep fighting and putting in the work.”
Seattle Seahawks QB Drew Lock Lauded Before Cardinals Game