Kirk Cousins: Most underrated QB in the NFL (Daily Norseman)

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@pattersaur said:

But I agree completely with @JR44 . Through 2 seasons with us and about 5 with Washington, he has shown that if he's having an "off day" or starts the game poorly, it's very rare that he can get it back. Other weeks he looks lights out.

It may be "rare" for Cousins to get it back after a slow start, but the point was that Kirk's teammates have failed him 100% of the time when he has an off day. Teddy Bridgewater in 2015 had an overall passer rating of 88.7, 8 games under 85 and 8 games over.  The Vikings were 5-3 when he was over 85 and 6-2 when TB was under it. Is it really so much to ask for Cousins' teammates to step up once in 5 years? 

To reiterate: Cousins record 2015-19 with a passer rating over 85: 42-13-2. Under 85: 0-22.  With the Vikings 2018-19: Over 85 18-5-1 under 85 0-7.

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@RS Express said:

@pattersaur said:

But I agree completely with @JR44 . Through 2 seasons with us and about 5 with Washington, he has shown that if he's having an "off day" or starts the game poorly, it's very rare that he can get it back. Other weeks he looks lights out.

It may be "rare" for Cousins to get it back after a slow start, but the point was that Kirk's teammates have failed him 100% of the time when he has an off day. Teddy Bridgewater in 2015 had an overall passer rating of 88.7, 8 games under 85 and 8 games over.  The Vikings were 5-3 when he was over 85 and 6-2 when TB was under it. Is it really so much to ask for Cousins' teammates to step up once in 5 years? 

To reiterate: Cousins record 2015-19 with a passer rating over 85: 42-13-2. Under 85: 0-22.  With the Vikings 2018-19: Over 85 18-5-1 under 85 0-7.

That is really interesting in terms of the stats regarding Teddy.  I actually believe it further shows evidence that there are some QBs who bring out that best in their teammates.  While Teddy may not be as talented as Russell Wilson, I see him as having that same type of influence of inspiring his teammates to be better.  Personally, that season we went to the playoffs with Teddy was one of my favorites, it seemed as though it was one of the closer teams that we had and I think if it weren't for the shank FG we could have gone deeper into the playoffs.  I think the team rallied behind Teddy and played hard for him.  

Another factor to keep in mind is that we played outside that year, so the passing statistics were definitely effected by the weather.  The playoff game against Seattle was one of the coldest in playoff history. 

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 The Gary Kubiak Offense sure seems like it fits Cousins game.

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I think the conclusion about Cousins' teammates failing him every time he has a passer rating under 85 is too simplistic.  Each game is different.

Look at the first Packer game last year.  He had a 52.9 passer rating.  He fumbled while being sacked and down 14-0.  The Packers scored two plays later.  
They get the ball at the 40 yard line in the 2nd quarter and he throws an interception that the Packers could not convert.
In the 4th quarter he drives the team down the field only to throw an interception from the 8 yard line on 1st and goal.

This is just one game.  Not all the games will be like this one but it reveals how misleading the 0-22 stat really is.

The reality is that they extended him and if they keep him past the 3rd day of the start of the 2021 season his entire 2022 salary is guaranteed and that comes with a 45 mil cap hit in 2022.

If the cap would go up to around 227 mil (as overthecap speculates) then maybe that is not a huge number.  But with the current pandemic likely going to affect game day revenue, the cap in 2021 and 2022 will likely be affected.  

What if the owners and players agree to keep the cap as is at 198.2 mil for the 2021 and 2022 season?

Then, that 45 mil is going to be HUGE.

The only option would be to extend him again which I would really hate.

He does not make enough plays on his own when things around go haywire.  He just doesn't and he makes a ton of money.

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I'd love to see the offensive attack we had in the middle quarters of the season last all year long. Kirk was absolutely killin' it! Top in the game in certain stretches without much debate.

What we were doing offensively in the first quarter of the season and then brought back out vs. Green Bay that 2nd game was garbage. If it was not a Kirk problem but purely a game planning problem, maybe the sky is the limit next year for Kirk.

For me, it wasn't apparent in real time that it was a gameplanning issue; Kirk started slow and got hot at the flip of a switch. I think I felt as if he was grasping the offense and starting to make plays. When we brought back the GB gameplan though, it's probably an issue where Kevin had a plan, reverted, and then decided we were ready to actually execute his intended attack.

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I think we will see an improved Kirk if Dalvin can stay healthy and the left guard play improves. I expect a pretty good offense. My main worry is on the defensive side of the ball.
But honestly, right now I just hope they have a season. We could use a little diversion from the world we currently occupy!

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I'm in the camp that thinks that top shelf QBs make the players around them better even if they aren't having a great day.  The players know that at any minute, the elite QB can turn it around and make those few key plays that win the game, and as a result they try hard all the time.  With mediocre QBs, the teammates lose their belief that they can win.  They don't try as hard and that seals their fate.
I'm not sure the Bridgewater comparison is 100% apples to apples, because those teams were built around the running game, and they knew that winning was on them.  Every Cousins team has been built around Cousins throwing for 4000 yards a year, except maybe 2019.