Vikings discover, with Cousins and Richardson, that talent draws talent
Cousins’ career has been marked by extremely impressive statistics but also a lack of wins, with only one postseason appearance with the Redskins.
But he thinks the Vikings will give him more offensive weapons than he has had in the past.
“So excited about what Stefon can do, what Adam Thielen can do, Kyle Rudolph,” Cousins said. “The list goes on and on, and I intend to throw to the running backs out of the backfield, so I intend to spread the ball around, get a lot of guys involved, and be a distributor. … I do intend to have a large impact on games being that the ball is in my hands so much, I am an extension of the guys around me.”
The sports world is taking notice of the team the Vikings are building with Cousins.
Here’s what ESPN.com writer Mike Clay wrote this week: “With Cousins in-house, a terrific running game, a trio of targets, a serviceable offensive line and one of the league’s best defenses, Minnesota sports one of the NFL’s top rosters. The Vikings are the current favorites in the NFC North and a strong contender to get back to the NFC Championship Game.”
Richardson’s traits
And it’s not just about Cousins. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer talked another big addition in free-agent defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson. You have to wonder if the Vikings see similarities between Richardson and their signing of Linval Joseph, whom the Vikings signed in 2014.
Joseph was also a high draft pick who had shown flashes of ability with the Giants but hadn’t reached his full potential until he joined the Vikings. Joseph had averaged 44 tackles and two sacks per season in four years with the Giants. In four years with the Vikings, he has averaged 62 tackles and three sacks per year and reached the Pro Bowl the past two seasons.
“Sheldon is the 13th player picked in the draft and the rookie of the year,” Zimmer said. “He’s a guy that has all the traits we’re looking for. He has strength and size and quickness. We felt like he was disruptive getting the quarterback off his spot, but we feel like we can help him a little bit more with the pass rush and some things we do.
“Also Andre Patterson does a great job with defensive linemen in the pass rush. I think he can use his hands better. I think there are some things we can teach him to try and make him continue to get better. But the biggest thing is he has all the traits we’re looking for. He has quickness. He can run. He has strength. He just didn’t finish on the quarterback very well, which we feel we can help him a lot.”
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-discover-with-kirk-cousins-and-sheldon-richardson-that-talent-draws-talent/477700073/
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Yes, well, talent plus a lot of money attracts talent. Richardson talked about this being the best chance to win. He also said Minnesota made him a better offer than did Seattle. I take that to mean more money.
Cousins took a little less money to come to the Vikings, the better team. But this is a guy who was just franchised 2 years in a row. In other words, he could afford it in ways that 99% of players cannot.
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