I'm a Kirk Cousins fan

I agree with all you've said and have been preaching he's the best we've had since Favre.

The problem is, you cant always have a clean pocket and he needs to make the plays more often in those situations.

Flip side of that? Our pass-pro has been weakest inside and right up the middle - the very worst for any QB, even if your name is Brees, Brady or Rogers. So few Russell Wilsons out there.

I also think he gets tentative at times to pull the trigger - for reasons I dont understand from a fan lens.

When he's on though? Gets some decent protection? He's really hard to defend.  

The last 2 passes KC made versus the Saints showed me why Minnesota signed him.

He's not perfect.

He can improve.

I don't think he can walk on water...........

Agree.

I still have some lingering doubts about his--I don't know what to call it--BALLS maybe? Too many times he leaves receivers waiving their hands. And he doesn't have that come-from-behind quality that some QBs have. As good as he was, Culpepper didn't have it. Say what you want about Bridgewater, but he DID have it. "IT," "fortitude," "balls," "GUMP" whatever you want to call it, Cousins doesn't have it. 

All that said, there's no denying he's one of the best QBs in the NFL. In terms accuracy, top 5 easy. And if you give him time, he's deadly. Like laser surgery. 

So give him better protection, let's see what happens. I'm for the extension (with the caveat that we overkill his protection). Always have been for the extension. For one big reason: It's hard enough to find QBs who can even play in the NFL. You have to get real lucky to find one who can play as well as Cousins. 

If Foles is good enough to win a SB, then Cousins is too.  Foles had the supporting cast of players to make that possible.  I'm not sure Cousins ever will though. 

Just my two cents but I feel that Cousins does well when around him is going well.  That is when he excels.   The line plays well, the running game is "Cooking", is really can pick an opposing team apart.
But, let the wheels start to come off and we are constantly 3rd and long.  That is when he struggles and seems to do bone head mistakes.  This opposed to Favre who seem to thrive in controversy.  Favre almost wanted to come from behind, driving the team to victory, and bathing in the glory of it all.
Cousins is not Favre and therefore I always have this fear that we will get to the Super Bowl and all the chips are on the line, everyone has their big boy pants on, and we get behind.......

@"ThunderGod" said: Just my two cents but I feel that Cousins does well when around him is going well.  That is when he excels.   The line plays well, the running game is "Cooking", is really can pick an opposing team apart. But, let the wheels start to come off and we are constantly 3rd and long.  That is when he struggles and seems to do bone head mistakes.  This opposed to Favre who seem to thrive in controversy.  Favre almost wanted to come from behind, driving the team to victory, and bathing in the glory of it all. Cousins is not Favre and therefore I always have this fear that we will get to the Super Bowl and all the chips are on the line, everyone has their big boy pants on, and we get behind.......

He is a QB that has to have everything go to plan for him to click. If things start to unravel, he cannot bring the offense back together much of the time. He has to have everything go according to his plan and there is very little, if any, improvising.

He doesn't have the improvisational "it" factor that some of the greats have.   But then again neither did Manning or Brady.   But they had other traits that made them great.  Brady has a quick release and doesn't hold the ball the way Kirk does.   And the genius coach on his side.  Manning just flat out was smarter than most of the guys defending against him.    

But what you said is true to a point.   He needs a great oline and the crap lines he's had here the first two years really held the team back.   Why they signed him to that big contract and failed to shore up the line is a mystery, but probably traces to Mike Zimmer wanting all the dough spent on overpriced defensive guys, a bunch of whom just high-tailed it out of town thankfully.   

Zimmer ditched Keenum and his horseshoe, who could run around behind that porous line and bail himself out, for a pure pocket guy with below average escapability.   Then failed to demand that Rick build an oline.   It's just more of WTF is this franchise doing anyway?  Which seems to be reaching a peak this offseason with a series of contradictory moves that remain a mystery.   They extend Kirk for more huge dough but will they get serious about the oline or just give Elflein a new pair of roller skates for his pass pro this year?

My biggest issue with KC is he seems to get scared.  That game against the niners he came out and was playing like shit from the first snap,  his mechanics  were shit and his accuracy showed it.  He got into his own head before the niners had a chance to.  Weve seen that from him on previous occasions as well and that scares me.  It's easy for a QB to be accurate when everything is perfect,  but it's much tougher to do when the team really needed a leader to step up and calm the ship.

I just hope his best play is ahead of him and he has some noteworthy games in the coming years.

This is sounding like a Red Green support group----"I like Kirk Cousins if I have to.  I can change if I have to, I guess."

Don't get me wrong---I like Kirk also and ave said in the past that he flourishes when given protection but really struggles when it breaks down.  The question lies---is this on him or scheme for not having a hotroute in play for these scenarios.

get the ball out.

Sincerely,
Kurt Warner

I'm a fan, as well.  He may end up being better for the team than ol' Burt Favor was.  He's already gotten within one game of the 98ers and the 09ers.

If our o-line would've been decent, I think we get at least one game closer with Cousins.  No QB, I don't care who it is, can really flourish when the interior of the line is just plain bad.

I'll never claim that he's perfect, and I've yet to see a perfect QB or human in my life...so that's not really an issue.  Yes, he needs to keep his nerves under better control, but I feel like he's less scared than hyper-active with determination to prove himself after a sack or otherwise failed play.  I think his determination gets his adrenaline...carbonated.

That said, even the most-worshipped QBs in the league-Brady, Rogers, Wilson, and so on-will make mistakes when they're not in their preferred mental zones.  "Burt" was infamous for making dumber gambles when flustered.  It's why defenses pressure QBs in the first place.

I know that we're historically snake-bit, I know that we throw around terms like "cursed" regularly...but the simple truth is that one team has the luck, strategy, and correct ingredients to win the whole thing any given year.  Wilson and Rogers only were part of that formula once each, so far.  Brady and the Pats are obvious outliers, but we'll see how well they do without each other.

Cousins is a strength, and I'm genuinely excited with all of the veteran coaching on our team right now.  I think he'll benefit from it, and that the losses of players like Diggs will be more than survivable.  I feel really good about this season...assuming that it happens.

I like Cousins. The problem is the cost associated with having him. A window fueled by heavy investment of Draft Capital and Contracts on Defense just closed. There are holes everywhere all the sudden and very little money to do anything about it thanks in part because of what he costs.

Teams Draft the best when they can go BPA. But with no money and serious holes at LG, 3T, CB and WR Minnesota will feel pressure to take a guy to fill one of those holes ahead of a player at say DE that they might have ranked much higher on their Board. That's a terrible way to Draft. 

@"Zanary" said:

On the mend I hope?

@"purplefaithful" said:

@"Zanary" said:

how are you doing???

On the mend I hope?

@"Zanary" said:

@"purplefaithful" said:

@"Zanary" said:

how are you doing???

On the mend I hope?

Thanks tons for your concern!

 Muddling through.  I "think" I'm basically dealing with allergies, now, as the season has truly kicked off out here in Washington.

It's been pretty terrifying, I've had a few friends hospitalized with COVID-19 while I've just felt...I dunno, pretty much like I had a late-winter flu.

I hope all touched by this mess around here get through it as well as possible.  As much as I do think the media fear-mongered it a bit, it is VERY real and common sense needs to be widespread, ASAFP.

@"FSUVike" said:

@"Zanary" said:

@"purplefaithful" said:

@"Zanary" said:

how are you doing???

On the mend I hope?

Thanks tons for your concern!

 Muddling through.  I "think" I'm basically dealing with allergies, now, as the season has truly kicked off out here in Washington.

It's been pretty terrifying, I've had a few friends hospitalized with COVID-19 while I've just felt...I dunno, pretty much like I had a late-winter flu.

I hope all touched by this mess around here get through it as well as possible.  As much as I do think the media fear-mongered it a bit, it is VERY real and common sense needs to be widespread, ASAFP.

I had that same flu and the same 'what if' thoughts a few weeks ago. Glad you're better!

Still playing guitar? I just learned Freewill the other day. Well, not the solo...

@"Zanary" said:

@"purplefaithful" said:

@"Zanary" said:

how are you doing???

On the mend I hope?

Thanks tons for your concern!

 Muddling through.  I "think" I'm basically dealing with allergies, now, as the season has truly kicked off out here in Washington.

It's been pretty terrifying, I've had a few friends hospitalized with COVID-19 while I've just felt...I dunno, pretty much like I had a late-winter flu.

I hope all touched by this mess around here get through it as well as possible.  As much as I do think the media fear-mongered it a bit, it is VERY real and common sense needs to be widespread, ASAFP.

I like him and think many have pointed out his good qualities.  But as a few say, when he is off, it isn't pretty.  I tend to think more of that was on the OC tho.  Look at the 1st Chicago loss.  Running game wasn't working and Stef couldn't adjust and soon Kirk has 0 confidence in the offensive calls.  Several other games like that, passes sailing, not on target because he doesn't trust the protection or call.
So we could say that when things aren't going according to plan, he struggles.  But what about Denver?  once Stef switched to hurry up, Kirk lit it up.  So again, was it more about the OC or Kirk struggling?

Cousin's redone cap hit for 2020 is 15th highest among QB's and 23 highest for all players according to Spotrac.  A lot of posters are still stuck on his initial contract as the highest paid QB at that time.  Now guys like Goff, Prescott, Carr, Brissett, and Alex Smith's 2020 cap hits are higher.  I don't think it is his contract that is crippling the team.