Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua was ejected from Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks after throwing a punch. This incident raised the question among team reporters of whether this will impact his aggressive playing style in the future. Nacua not only said it wouldn’t change his approach, it was actually the mentality of many players on the team.
Rams Always Ready To Pack A Punch
“I don’t think so,” Nacua told reporters on Friday. “I think being able to be, especially around guys on our team, the young guys around [Byron Young], [Jared] Verse, Elias [Neal], and Omar Speights, everybody’s always ready to pack a punch. It’s nice to get back in there and be like everybody’s willing to hit. Just being a little bit extra aware of some of the thoughts after the play where people are like, ‘I’m going to take my opportunity.’”
Nacua was not only ejected but was also fined $5,424 by the NFL on Saturday for the infraction. Nacua’s statement seems unrepentant, but in truth, he is trying to strike a balance between reacting and responding, a lesson imparted by Rams head coach Sean McVay.
“It was just a natural reaction,” Nacua said. “I think that the phrase that kind of sticks out to me is reacting over-responding. That was one thing that Coach [Sean] McVay always talks about is there are going to be ups and downs, but it’s how you respond to those moments that makes it and it will define you. Being able to learn from something like that, but then also being like I come from a tough background and I’m never going to feel like somebody’s trying to enforce their will. Outside the whistle, I’m going to make sure I stand on my ground.”
NFL analyst, Mike Florio expects that teams will attempt to continue to test that balance by attempting to get under Nacua’s skin.
