Rams Mike LaFleur Impressed By Puka Nacua's First Catch vs. Chargers
Los Angeles Rams fifth-round rookie receiver Puka Nacua has made a lot of noise throughout training camp and his short stint in the preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers reflected that: three receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown.
Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur thought "he did some really good things," but was surprised at how comfortable Nacua was in his NFL debut.
“(Rams quarterback) Matthew (Stafford) and I were talking about it today, just how much (Nacua) settled in," LaFleur said during Monday's press conference. "What else was cool is he saw some looks that he doesn't get to see from our defense."
LaFleur explained that Nacua's first catch of the night was different from any look he'd seen with the Rams prior to the game.
"We got a blitz off the side, it was a linebacker," LaFleur said. "Typically, versus our defense, a guy topping him down, it's an easy read for him. Well that one, no one came down and he broke out a little bit too quickly, but there was a trap cloud out there (and he made the catch)."
LaFleur admires Nacua for that one simple catch and believes it will go a long way.
"Just that little play right there will resonate with him...the rest of his career (because it was his first one) and he hadn't seen (it before)," LaFleur said. "It might seem simple, but it's something that these guys got to go through."
Heading into Week 2 of the preseason, LaFleur wants to "just keep building" on Nacua's success.
“He is going against first team defense every single day," LaFleur said. "Giving him a little bit more inventory every day like we're giving everybody else, just getting ourselves prepared for that first game in September."
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