EXCLUSIVE: The Art of the Teacher With Rams' Eric Yarber

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. If the modern NFL coach needs to express paramount anger continuously throughout practice, they're not a good coach. A proper position coach must be a teacher, a mentor, a motivator, a tactician, and a man who commands respect by earning it, not by request.

For Rams wide receivers coach Eric Yarber, a man who developed some of the best pass catchers in football history, it's about this simple question. How do we get the best out of our guys?

Yarber has been answering that question over the course of his career

A Super Bowl champion with the 1987 Washington Commanders as a player, Yarber learned under Joe Gibbs, the Hall of Fame head coach. Gibbs' offense comes from Don Coryell's Air Coryell offense, the blueprint for the modern passing game.

Now entering his ninth year with the Rams and his 30th year as a coach, he was graceful enough to take time from his busy schedule to talk with me about the modern game and the methods he employs to get the best out of his guys. His words were simple; it's about taking the time to develop the entire person.

A receiver with flawless hands, fast feet, and a desire to win will amount to nothing in the NFL unless they get their mind antiquated with the professional game. I asked Yarber how changes to the collegiate game have impacted that teaching process.

I don't think it has a big impact," stated Yarber. "The biggest impact is when guys are going tempo on in their offenses and the receivers only play one side. They don't get to develop both sides of the field, both direction of cutting, and they don't get a they get guys signaling to them from the sidelines and not hearing concepts from the quarterback and from the huddle. So they got to get used to that in the pro game, and that's some of the things that you got to get them used to and teach them."

Yarber, who developed a little-known wide receiver out of Eastern Washington named Cooper Kupp, was one of the main forces behind his rapid professional success. Kupp, an already brilliant player and person, understood the mental side of the game. He didn't have the fastest feet, great hands, but not the best in the NFL nor did he have size. What Kupp did have was the ability to sync up with Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff, make catches with little space, and be able to run any route from anywhere on the field.

It was that same process that led to former Rams assistants Kevin O'Connell and Zac Taylor putting together offenses with the same concepts to make Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase two of the best receivers in the NFL.

Despite their work, it's Kupp who has the Triple Crown, 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and Super Bowl MVP.

However, the days are Kupp are long gone and as we look to the future, Yarber, who teaches with the same intensity and passion that has made him a beloved and respected figure in the locker room, now has two players pushing that message to the rest of the room in Davante Adams and Puka Nacua.

"Those guys [Adams and Nacua] high level pro athletes, when they say something or comment on something, it makes my teaching easier, because when I'm giving feedback or watching film on the guys and giving them coaching points, and then when you got guys like Puka and Davante stepping in and putting a stamp on what you're saying, that helps solidify your teaching."

Both Nacua and Adams have stepped up this year in terms of getting the rest of the team up to speed, with Nacua himself expressing the role Adams played in improving his game on multiple occasions.

Adams, the leader, stated that even he is learning from the younger players, gaining new perspectives in order to continue his relentless assault on the secondary.

The Rise of the Young Guns

One of the biggest surprises this season has been the play of both Xavier Smith and Konata Mumpfield. Smith has consistently impressed as he enters his third year, making play after play in practice and preseason, while Mumpfield, who has slowly improved, has made multiple bizarre catches in joint practice and caught his first NFL touchdown of his NFL career against the Chargers two weeks ago.

Xavier Smith

The Rams continuously practice stacking days and always comment on the leap players take in their first three seasons. Smith, who is in year three, and Mumpfield, who's a rookie, represent the beginning and end of that three-year phase of their early NFL journey.

Smith's rapid rise has fans excited about what X-Man does during the regular season. For Yarber, it's about getting him on the field.

"Well, like you said, every year, he's gotten better in everything from learning his plays to learning the concept, to running routes, every part of his game has improved. He's become the consummate pro. He takes care of his body, he studies film, and now it's just him getting opportunities. We are receiver room is so deep. It's just him getting opportunity and experience to get on the field,

Konata Mumpfield

Mumpfield, who is slowly coming into his own, has the potential to be the next great pass catcher. However, before he does, there's one lesson Yarber wants to instill.

"Just let him know that this game is a lot faster than a college game. It's one move and go, and if you give too many moves. The cavalry is coming, and they're coming with bad intent."

That's how Coach Yarber does it. Builds up the man behind the helmet with an emphasis on what's behind the ears. Take that player, let him fail, teach him, nurture him, give him time and room to grow.

Then one day the system will become so self-sufficient that Nacua, who learned from Kupp, Yarber's initial student, is helping him teach to the youth.

Mumpfield has credited his teammates as well as the staff for getting him to where he wants to go so if we're seeing such high-level play in year one from these players and then even better in year three, the Rams are in store for a wild ride with Nacua and Smith this season while Jordan Whittington and Konata Mumpfield impatiently wait in the wings.

Coach Eric Yarber: The art of the teacher

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