Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has been thoroughly impressed by the early success of wide receiver Puka Nacua, so much so that it reminded him of a story involving Jerry Rice.
Nacua was named AP First-Team All-Pro last week, and the Rams now head to Seattle to take on the Seahawks on Sunday with a Super Bowl berth at stake. While discussing Nacua’s rapid rise, McVay recalled a story his father once told him about the greatest wide receiver to ever play the game.
“(Nacua’s) had all this success the first couple years, but consistently catching the football,” McVay said one trait Nacua is good at. “He’s always had great natural hands and sometimes those guys can take it for granted.”
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McVay went on to recount how Rice’s father would train his son’s hands by dropping bricks into them, with an added — and memorable — consequence if he failed.
“If he dropped it, he’d drop it on his brother’s head,” McVay said. “So, he always looked that ball in.”
McVay added that Rice developed intense focus by trying to read the lettering on the football while catching it, a habit he sees echoed in Nacua’s approach.
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“He tried to read the writing on the ball was the way he would try and have that heightened focus and concentration,” McVay said. “I think he’s done a great job with that focus and concentration without letting it take away from the run after the catch, an elite trait of his.”
Nacua finished third in the NFL in yards after catching. He led the NFL with 129 receptions and finished the season with 1,715 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
While his stat line against the Bears in the divisional round was modest, he came up with several crucial catches to move the chains in the cold, snowy conditions in Chicago.
