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Cousins is the biggest addition of Spielman’s tenure and the biggest free agent signing in team history. Spielman described his early impressions of the quarterback.
“I’d say he’s probably more than we expected, not only what he’s doing on the field and how accurate of a thrower he is, but what a leader he is becoming with this team and how guys are gravitating towards him,” Spielman said. “We’re very excited about where he is at this point.
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-amp-u...484394961/
Quote: @purplefaithful said:
Cousins is the biggest addition of Spielman’s tenure and the biggest free agent signing in team history. Spielman described his early impressions of the quarterback.
“I’d say he’s probably more than we expected, not only what he’s doing on the field and how accurate of a thrower he is, but what a leader he is becoming with this team and how guys are gravitating towards him,” Spielman said. “We’re very excited about where he is at this point.
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-amp-u...484394961/
its great news if it is accurate. it is going to be fun
His leadership abilities have always been extremely strong, he was voted captain of the Spartans as a sophomore which is extremely rare.
Their was an article on Cousins when with the Redskins that showed how dedicated and obsessed he is with football. He carved out a cubicle sized office in the coaches quarters so that he could study even more. Pretty sure, the Vikings gave him his own office space. The guy seems to be obsessive compulsive about football and even though I wouldn't want to be that way I am fine with my team's quarterback being that way. Most of the greats are like Brady, Bree's etc...
I really think the Redskins blew it with how they treated Cousins from day one behind Griffen and then with contracts. The Redskins dysfunction is going to benefit us immensely - IMO.
Just reading quotes from Diggs, Thielen, and Rudolph recently... it seems like they are all impressed with Cousins. Not just with his on-the-field ability, but how he's established himself in the locker room in a short amount of time.
I hate to get too far ahead of myself, but this signing could be very similar to when the Saints got Brees. He was thought of as a good, but certainly not great QB in his 4 seasons as the starter. There were enough questions about him that the Chargers drafted Phillip Rivers to be his replacement prior to what would be his final season.
Maybe history repeats itself? The only difference is that we have a Super Bowl ready team around Cousins and it took the Saints a couple years to build talent around him before they won a Championship.
An article over at SI.com mentions how impressed newcomers are to how the team practices. Zimmer and staff have built a real culture of accountability in Minnesota, something that leads to positive things year in and year out. And as mentioned, Cousins is taking ownership of this opportunity and already establishing himself as a leader. Also gives kudos to Thielen and Diggs as tempo-setters at practice.
This is what I'd hoped might happen: a team that can contend year in and year out because of the culture. You can't be a one year wonder or catch lightning in a bottle because it can all go wrong in a one game scenario. But a talented culture of accountability will give you a chance to be there at the end every year. That's how you win a Superbowl, have a decent shot every year as a contender.
Quote: @Wetlander said:
Just reading quotes from Diggs, Thielen, and Rudolph recently... it seems like they are all impressed with Cousins. Not just with his on-the-field ability, but how he's established himself in the locker room in a short amount of time.
This is all fantastic to hear, and I'm still thrilled (even a bit shocked) that we obtained Cousins. I think the comparisons to Brees really could be true, and it's really great that the franchise recognized that more than defensive excellence is needed to win.
I do have to say...weren't there people who thought some players would not accept a change of QB, or even that some were devoted to Bridgewater? But players adjust, Cousins will be fine with his Viking teammates.
Other than the malcontent who left New England... doesn't EVERY player "marvel" at how great the new team/coach/facility/player... is?
Not that I doubt that Zim, Cousins, etc... are top of the line. But it's hard for me NOT to be skeptical when- pretty much- every player says these things when they go to a new team.
Remember what Kalil said when he went to Carolina?
Quote: @pumpf said:
Other than the malcontent who left New England... doesn't EVERY player "marvel" at how great the new team/coach/facility/player... is?
Not that I doubt that Zim, Cousins, etc... are top of the line. But it's hard for me NOT to be skeptical when- pretty much- every player says these things when they go to a new team.
Remember what Kalil said when he went to Carolina?
Yep, very true. Last summer, Saints players were marveling at how Adrian Peterson was a great fit for their offense, hadn't lost a step, was going to improve their team so much, yadda yadda. Show me a few examples of players saying things like, "This WR we drafted a couple years ago is too slow to make it in the league", or "You can tell age is catching up to that veteran", and I'll take the glowing positive remarks a lot more seriously. These comments are just PR which may or may not be true.
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