Cooper Kupp: 17-game records should be separated from previous ones

Posted by Josh Alper on January 4, 2022, 6:27 AM EST
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Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp enters Week 18 with a chance to make NFL history.

Kupp needs 11 catches to tie Michael Thomas for the most catches in a season and he’ll tie Calvin Johnson’s receiving yards record if he picks up 135 against the 49ers on Sunday. If Kupp does equal or pass those marks, he’ll be doing it in the 17th game of the season and he said on Monday that he’s on the side of those who think that records for 17-game seasons should stand apart from those that were achieved in fewer games.

“What those guys did in 16 games, it wouldn’t seem right to, I don’t know, for those to be broken in 17 games,” Kupp said, via Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com. “It wouldn’t hold the same weight to me as it does for guys that have done that in a 16-game season and the accomplishments those guys had and the seasons they put together. Those are incredible things, incredible accomplishments. You kind of have to separate the two. . . . Those records hold a different weight. I have just an incredible respect for what those guys were able to do, what they were able to accomplish, what they were able to produce for their teams in those 16 games.”

However Sunday plays out and however Kupp’s marks are viewed in comparison to what came before, the 2021 season has been a remarkable one for the wideout. He’s on track to become the fourth player in history to lead the league in catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns and he’s already the fourth player with 100 receptions, 1,500 receiving yards, and 15 receiving touchdowns in a single season.

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22 responses to “Cooper Kupp: 17-game records should be separated from previous ones”

  3. If this is done then go back to when the season was 14 games, or even 12. The 12 game season was NFL pre merger. Honestly to me I don’t care.

  5. I always felt they include the past record holder name when talking or displaying records if that player did in in a 14 or 16 game season, or how many games that player actually played.

  6. He’s right in the short term, but long term 17 games will become the new normal. It’s only as an afterthought that we mention old timers on leaderboards achieved their stats in a 14 game season.

    Anyhow, good humility out of Kupp to come out and say this. Nice change of pace to hear humility out of a NFL WR.

  7. One year (many years ago) Barry Sanders and Bret Favre were co-MVP. I think this should be a year where the NFL has co-MVP’s again. Kupp and Rodgers.

  8. I get Kupp’s point but in 1960 the NFL went from 12 to 14 games, in 1978 from 14 to 16 games, and now to 17 games.

    Do we break out all of the records into subsets?Does Michael Thomas have his record noted as occurring in a 16, not 14 game schedule.

    Again, I get his point and it is a very humble thing to say, but it doesn’t seem very practical.

  11. Classy comments by Kupp, but it’s worth noting that the 16-game records replaced older records set in seasons with less than 16 games. Maybe the answer to all of this is to have a “per game within a season” record and a “season” record. (with per game within a seasn including games in a season that the player missed as well). Then, you might have the right nuance Kupp is talking about? But otherwise, what he’s saying about 16 vs. 17 games would have to be applied to other season lengths as well…

  12. As should the records they broke before this season be in thier own category. All records started while playing a season with fewer games.

  14. You’d have to go way back to when they only played 12 games, and then 14, and then 16 and adjust every record. Then you’d have to pro-rate everything according to rules changes, etc. I don’t think that’s feasible, and besides, you can’t compare any records from different eras. It’s like a completely different sport, as far as records are concerned. I mean, Dan Fouts would throw for 7,000 yards and 70 TD’s today, and Randy Moss would shatter every receiving record. I can’t imagine what Jim Brown would do. But records are only for entertainment. People who actually take them seriously are only fooling themselves. We’ll eventually have a 20-game schedule, so let Cooper Kupp enjoy his accomplishments.

  15. Stafford is no different than when he was in Detroit. Chucks it up to his favorite WR or takes a sack/throws a pick. Every once in awhile he manages to find a different WR or TE. It’s a real testament to how good the Rams are being able to win despite having the leagues biggest turnover machine at QB.

  16. Kupp is absolutely correct. Otherwise football records will become as meaningless as those in MLB.

  17. The record should be for yards per game, catches per game, and TD’s per game during a single season. In 1987 Jerry Rice BY FAR had the best WR season hands down with 22 TD’s at 1.83 per game! Actual NFL players only played 12 games as the “scabs” played the other games.

  18. What would AB’s comments be if he had Kupp’s stats for this year and was being intrveiewed?

  19. They should just take the MEAN average of the records by games played in the season to accurately claim a record.

  20. the passing records are a joke, if you can’t touch a receiver or a QB with out it being a penalty. Brady, Rodgers, Brees, Manning, and even Farve got protections non of the greats from the 70’s & 80’s got. I would love to see Lawrence Taylor destroy any of those prima donnas’. So saying any of the modern day QB’s are the greatest of all time is an insult to the great YA Tittles, Montana, Bradshaws’ of the world

  21. Cooper Kupp is a humble guy who always credits his teammates. He’s a class act. It’s no surprise that he feels this way about breaking records on the 17th game this season. But his sentiments don’t change the fact that if he does break records he’ll be the new record holder.

    Kupp put in a lot of time with Stafford 1 on 1 before training camp. That’s why those two have such a good connection. Stafford has been spotty the last few games, but he does well when the Rams are running the ball well. The Rams need to win playoff games for Stafford to get respect. There will still be Stafford critics if the Rams win the Super Bowl, but those folks will be a joke.

  22. I think we all appreciate Cooper Kupp’s sentiments, but it won’t matter in this case because the 49ers always demolish the Rams. I’ve reconciled myself to a wild card spot for the Rams because they’ll get their butts kicked by SF, as usual, and the Cardinals will beat Seattle. Then in the playoffs… the 49ers will beat the Rams yet again. Shanahan crushes McVay every single time.

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