The $1mm question on Cousins...
Can Kirk Cousins get better at improvising when things go awry?
Kirk Cousins turns 33 years old on Thursday and, yes, the Vikings quarterback still calls himself a "work in progress" when it comes to making "off-schedule" plays when all heck breaks down around him.
So how does a nine-year NFL veteran go about improving in that area? How does he and his coaches script a way in practice to get better at playing off-script in a game?
"That is a really good question," Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said. "That's something we talk about all the time."
Certain quarterbacks just seem to have the knack. The best of the best right now is, of course, Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City. Cousins has his strengths, but impersonating Patrick Mahomes is far from one of them.
"You kind of take two steps forward, one step back," Cousins said. "But I'll always try to get better in that area."
Is that even possible? When the offensive line breaks down — as it almost certainly will numerous times with prized left tackle Christian Darrisaw sidelined and right guard still a huge question mark — can the more robotic Cousins get better at improvising? Does he even have that club in his bag?
"He does, yeah; he does," Kubiak said. "It's part of his game that can improve, and he's working to improve on it.
"I think back to last year with our first game against the Packers, the first play of the game. I think it was the first play of the season. He took off running and made a big play to Adam . And I think back to that Tampa Bay game, getting a lot of match coverage, he took off and made some plays with his legs. It's a tool in his toolbox that we've got to keep using, and he's improving at it."
Kubiak said the Vikings structure team periods in ways that help Cousins work on improvising.
"It starts with the way Coach Zimmer has a slower whistle at practice," Kubiak said. "He lets us get out of the pocket, he lets us complete plays and work on some scramble drills, which has been really beneficial.
" Coach Janocko drills it with them every day — he incorporates an off-schedule component in there — so I think it's practice, but I think ultimately it's in the practice settings against the defense when Coach lets us play and finish."
Cousins, of course, doesn't want to abandon his primary strength — the arm strength and accuracy that's made him the third-most accurate passer in NFL history (67.0%) behind only Deshaun Watson (67.8%) and Drew Brees (67.0%).
"Don't forget what got you here," Cousins said. "What got you here was going through your reads, being a great decision-maker, throwing with accuracy, having precision, being able to go through a progression.
"So, if you just say, 'I'm going to change that and take off and run,' you kind of lose what got you there. It's more of a, 'Can I find that perfect balance?' And the nature of that balance is you're always going to feel like you're a little bit too much this way or a little bit too much that way. If you're always working on it, I'd like to think you're going to be in the right place."
https://www.startribune.com/can-kirk-cousins-get-better-at-improvising-when-things-go-awry/600089042/
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
@"comet52" said: All this happy Kirk talk is curiously awol when we need a late drive to come back and win, and Kirk spits the bit as usual.And it would not be a shock if he misses time due to covid and costs the team a game or two this year, single-handedly tanking the season which would just be so very selfishly Kirk-like.
Jesus loves you Kirk but I sure don't.
Actually, we can point to the Seattle game as an example of how he and the offense got us to a late lead, but the line and running game failed to get a yard...and Seattle came back through our defense and won.
That was far from the only example, and Kirk helped keep us in striking distance while our defense was full-on putrid.
Offense was ranked 4th or 5th, defense was rated about 29th. Do the math.
@"BarrNone55" said:
Yes, I'm exaggerating, but it just seems like last season was just a nightmare even though they were close to being a .500 team. I agree the offense was a bright spot. It was just an embarrassment to see the way teams just shoved our defense around. That NO game was unbearable.
Definitely not this year, but I'm dipping my toe into a pretty talented QB pool next year. Short of a NFCC game appearance, it's time to move on.
@"BarrNone55" said: Definitely not this year, but I'm dipping my toe into a pretty talented QB pool next year. Short of a NFCC game appearance, it's time to move on.Kirk is 33 today.
@"StickyBun" said:@"BarrNone55" said: Definitely not this year, but I'm dipping my toe into a pretty talented QB pool next year. Short of a NFCC game appearance, it's time to move on. Kirk is 33 today.Have a Happy Birthday, Karen! B)
Give Kirk Cousins a lifetime contract. Here's him singing Blink 182 and Walk the Moon. pic.twitter.com/AGQ6uRfkIJ
— Thomas Sullivan (@Yfz84) January 7, 2021
Let's get his post football career started. Either Branson singing show tunes, or a blink182 cover band.
@"Hawkvike25" said: The only time Kirk will be appreciated is when we let him go, still have below average OL play, and complain about a QB that cant throw dimes on deep balls. Kirk is not elite, Kirk is not great, but Kirk is insanely accurate, and certainly is good enough to win a Super Bowl.
This is an accurate take on his play, an inaccurate take on him being appreciated once he's gone. I don't think he will be even then.
He's a good/average QB. Definitely not elite, definitely not terrible. He's been in the league 10 years now, right? Or more? Getting back to the article... yes, guys can get better. And yes, having Jefferson helps. But anyone-- including the Vikings coaches-- who think he's going to become some improv magician at this point in his career is kidding themselves.
I'm ready to move on from him, but let's see how this season goes. A lot can change over a season.
@"StickyBun" said:@"Wetlander" said: Cousins is "elite"? LOLThe hyperbole is thick on both sides... the offensive line has become a crutch to excuse any poor play from Cousins.
He is not a bad QB (we've seen those) but he's also not a top 5 guy. He's a great play-action passer and is one of the more accurate downfield passers in the NFL. However, his decision-making is not elite... there are too many instances of him making a poor decision to force a ball into coverage or hold the ball too long waiting for a guy to uncover downfield instead of taking his hot read, etc. He could certainly help his OL by consistently getting the ball out on time.
Medaille has been one of the few who consistently has a reasonable take on Cousins. The whole Kirk Cousins debate is stupid at this point.
Don't agree. Nobody is saying he's top 5, but Top 9 to 11 is right where he's at. You can win a Superbowl in that area.
Havoc, called him elite one post above you in this very thread. Others have posted stats in very specific situations to support this same notion that he's on the cusp of becoming elite if we fix our OL and defense.I will agree, the majority of the media criticizes him too much along with a certain portion of the fan base... but there is definitely a portion of Minnesota fans that like to give Teflon Kirk a free pass and blame Zimmer, the OL, the poor defense for ONE year in 2020, etc. and use it as a crutch to make the argument that Kirk can make us a contender... even when Kirk himself says he needs to play better or he won't be this team's starting QB (reference press conference during our 1-5 start).
He has played in the NFL for 9 years? He is way above average just by that alone. Fields hasn't done a single thing in the NFL, so until he does it on the field, there isn't anything he can do that cousins can't in the NFL. He is accurate and has shown that over the years.
But the criticism in the OP is legit. He has experienced troubles when the plan breaks down. He can get the deer in the headlights look and shut down. But he has also shown he can overcome that. The playoff game against the Saints is an example. I think the Broncos game 2 years ago was a great example. The offense and Kirk looked putrid in the first half, but came out and lit it up in the second.
So he (and the coaches) recognize this is a weakness, and they are working to overcome it. Good for Kirk and hopefully it will be good for the Vikings.
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