Forbes: Cousins' Confidence Level and Execution Must Improve in 2019
The numbers don’t always tell the story in the NFL, and Minnesota Vikings fans know it better than nearly any other fan base in the league.
At this time a year ago, the Vikings were the preseason favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, and possibly win the event for the first time in the franchise’s star-crossed history.
After making it to the NFC Championship Game following the 2017 season where they had been taken apart by the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, they had made a bold move by signing quarterback Kirk Cousins and installing him as their No. 1 quarterback.
Cousins had been successful and largely effective during his previous run with the Washington Redskins, but there had been something about his game that made the Redskins – and several other NFL teams – hesitant about making him their long-term leader.
There was something about Cousins’ game that said, “no, not quite,” when it came to putting him in a category with the best quarterbacks in the game.
That was not the case for Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer, who went all in and signed Cousins to a three-year, $84 million contract in 2018.
Cousins was coming off a season in which he completed 64.3 percent of his passes, threw for 4,093 yards with 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions for a 7-9 Redskins team, and the Vikings came to the conclusion that those figures and the team would improve if Cousins was wearing purple
The numbers say Spielman and Zimmer were correct, as his completion percentage improved to 70.1 percent, threw for 4,298 yards with 30 TDs and 10 interceptions.
The Vikings had a somewhat more productive passing game in 2018 than they had in 2017 in Case Keenum at quarterback. Keenum, the ideal backup who became the starter because Sam Bradford had a balky knee and could not play effectively, figured out how to win games with the Vikings even though his numbers never rose above the “OK” or “decent” level.
He was a take-what-the-defense would give kind of quarterback, and it somehow worked for the Vikings.
Cousins was supposed to be much more than that. He was supposed to be the gunslinger who would come out firing and build two-to-three TD leads and lead the Vikings to easy victories. He was supposed to be the cool sheriff who would take over in the fourth quarter and lead the team to wins when the game was on the line.
He was not supposed to be overwhelmed by the moment. There was supposed to a be a swagger to his game that told his teammates that he would get the job done one way or another.
Those things were missing from Cousins’ game in 2018. There was very little of the confidence that is often associated with quarterbacks like Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes.
The best quarterbacks must have that in the NFL or they will not last. The Vikings were disappointed with their 2018 season, and while there were many reasons why they didn’t make the playoffs – let alone represent the NFC in the Super Bowl – and a big part of it was quarterback play.
The mental state and confidence level of Cousins is something that concerns the Minnesota brain trust, and that’s why they brought in veteran coach Gary Kubiak to bring out the best in Cousins.
Kubiak is a quarterback whisperer, and he can provide guidance to Cousins and give him the road map of what he needs to do in order to get the kind of results that the team needs from him.
In the end, however, it all comes down to Cousins. He has to play with the confidence that simply was not there a year ago. He has the physical tools to play with the best quarterbacks in the game. However, it’s not about getting hot on a particular day and throwing for 400 yards and four TDs. It’s about having the confidence to know that every Sunday is an opportunity to demonstrate greatness.
The greatness is not a yardage or TD total – it is the ability to win and put fear in his opponent. That’s the test that Cousins faces this year, and it’s one he must pass with flying colors.
Follow Steve Silverman on Twitter @profootballboy.
He probably wasn’t the main reason any of his teams missed the playoffs.
But he needs to be the main reason this team makes the playoffs.
It’s not enough to play “good” and not blow it. He’s got to be great and be the one to seize victory.
When given the protection, time, opportunity, and weapons to do so, it's fair to expect that. The OL played better in 2017, than 2016 and 2018, and if it's been upgraded as it seems, this is the season for that to happen.
If you take away Brady, who is the ultimate outlier with 6 rings, there really isn’t a QB in the entire NFL who has shown they can consistently drag poor teams to championships by themselves.
Even Rodgers and Brees have only won once each, and they did so with pretty solid rosters around them. Rodgers showed this past season that even he can’t elevate a subpar team by himself. Peyton Manning won twice, but the second one was not because he was otherworldly. Eli Manning played with dominant defensive lines.
Then you have guys like Ryan, Newton, Kaepernick, Flacco, Goff and Foles who have all played in/won Super Bowls in recent years. Are they significantly better than what Cousins is?
Football is supposedly the ultimate team sport, but the media has trained some of you to completely ignore that and believe the QB is the be all and end all.
Does Cousins have to raise his game? Absolutely. And I’m not even necessarily saying he can ever win, but my god, look at the state of the OL, running game, play calling and defense (early in the season) from 2018. I’m not putting 8-7-1 all on Cousins.
Ash Ketchum wrote: ↑Wed May 29, 2019 6:04 pm
If you take away Brady, who is the ultimate outlier with 6 rings, there really isn’t a QB in the entire NFL who has shown they can consistently drag poor teams to championships by themselves.
Even Rodgers and Brees have only won once each, and they did so with pretty solid rosters around them. Rodgers showed this past season that even he can’t elevate a subpar team by himself. Peyton Manning won twice, but the second one was not because he was otherworldly. Eli Manning played with dominant defensive lines.
Then you have guys like Ryan, Newton, Kaepernick, Flacco, Goff and Foles who have all played in/won Super Bowls in recent years. Are they significantly better than what Cousins is?
Football is supposedly the ultimate team sport, but the media has trained some of you to completely ignore that and believe the QB is the be all and end all.
Does Cousins have to raise his game? Absolutely. And I’m not even necessarily saying he can ever win, but my god, look at the state of the OL, running game, play calling and defense (early in the season) from 2018. I’m not putting 8-7-1 all on Cousins.
No worries Ash, I'm certain if the team does well and makes the playoffs, they'll attribute that all to the QB for the sake of consistency.
He probably wasn’t the main reason any of his teams missed the playoffs.
But he needs to be the main reason this team makes the playoffs.
It’s not enough to play “good” and not blow it. He’s got to be great and be the one to seize victory.
When given the protection, time, opportunity, and weapons to do so, it's fair to expect that. The OL played better in 2017, than 2016 and 2018, and if it's been upgraded as it seems, this is the season for that to happen.
This argument is basically that everything needs to be perfect for him to be the player the Vikings thought they paid for.
Beef Supreme wrote: ↑Wed May 29, 2019 5:04 pm
He probably wasn’t the main reason any of his teams missed the playoffs.
But he needs to be the main reason this team makes the playoffs.
It’s not enough to play “good” and not blow it. He’s got to be great and be the one to seize victory.
When given the protection, time, opportunity, and weapons to do so, it's fair to expect that. The OL played better in 2017, than 2016 and 2018, and if it's been upgraded as it seems, this is the season for that to happen.
This argument is basically that everything needs to be perfect for him to be the player the Vikings thought they paid for.
Or that the deficiencies in those areas were too much for the "team" (team) to overcome. But, you read what you want to see bud.
When given the protection, time, opportunity, and weapons to do so, it's fair to expect that. The OL played better in 2017, than 2016 and 2018, and if it's been upgraded as it seems, this is the season for that to happen.
This argument is basically that everything needs to be perfect for him to be the player the Vikings thought they paid for.
Or that the deficiencies in those areas were too much for the "team" (team) to overcome. But, you read what you want to see bud.
He just needs a good line, good play calling, and good players around him to succeed...well, alright then. Lets go get the perfect team for him to succeed!
This argument is basically that everything needs to be perfect for him to be the player the Vikings thought they paid for.
Or that the deficiencies in those areas were too much for the "team" (team) to overcome. But, you read what you want to see bud.
He just needs a good line, good play calling, and good players around him to succeed...well, alright then. Lets go get the perfect team for him to succeed!
It's a list of things that went wrong, meant for dipshits to choose from. So, choose Bubu.
Or that the deficiencies in those areas were too much for the "team" (team) to overcome. But, you read what you want to see bud.
He just needs a good line, good play calling, and good players around him to succeed...well, alright then. Lets go get the perfect team for him to succeed!
It's a list of things that went wrong, meant for dipshits to choose from. So, choose Bubu.
What did you choose Bubu? The OL giving him the protection, time, and opportunity, or the added weapon of a run game? Such an extensive list to expect from a team with respect to their QB, I can see why you're having trouble!
He just needs a good line, good play calling, and good players around him to succeed...well, alright then. Lets go get the perfect team for him to succeed!
It's a list of things that went wrong, meant for dipshits to choose from. So, choose Bubu.
What did you choose Bubu? The OL giving him the protection, time, and opportunity, or the added weapon of a run game? Such an extensive list to expect from a team with respect to their QB, I can see why you're having trouble!
Kirk has as many excuses for lack of team success as he does dollars on his current contract.
It's a list of things that went wrong, meant for dipshits to choose from. So, choose Bubu.
What did you choose Bubu? The OL giving him the protection, time, and opportunity, or the added weapon of a run game? Such an extensive list to expect from a team with respect to their QB, I can see why you're having trouble!
Kirk has as many excuses for lack of team success as he does dollars on his current contract.
You follow the Wolves. Maybe head back to Wolves Chat for success?
What did you choose Bubu? The OL giving him the protection, time, and opportunity, or the added weapon of a run game? Such an extensive list to expect from a team with respect to their QB, I can see why you're having trouble!
Kirk has as many excuses for lack of team success as he does dollars on his current contract.
You follow the Wolves. Maybe head back to Wolves Chat for success?
What does that have to do with anything? I think you need to calm down a bit. This is my first time talking with you, and you are already in full defense mode after 3 posts.
bubu dubu. wrote: ↑Wed May 29, 2019 8:17 pm
Kirk has as many excuses for lack of team success as he does dollars on his current contract.
You follow the Wolves. Maybe head back to Wolves Chat for success?
What does that have to do with anything? I think you need to calm down a bit. This is my first time talking with you, and you are already in full defense mode after 3 posts.
I think it's funny because you clearly expect excellence. You have problems identifying excuses vs reasons given by a rube on a chat forum. Also unable to identify that the concepts listed all point to one or two gigantic issues from last year, and not 84 million separate reasons. Why wouldn't I point this out to you, when you quoted me?
This argument is basically that everything needs to be perfect for him to be the player the Vikings thought they paid for.
Or that the deficiencies in those areas were too much for the "team" (team) to overcome. But, you read what you want to see bud.
He just needs a good line, good play calling, and good players around him to succeed...well, alright then. Lets go get the perfect team for him to succeed!
Besides Brady, can you name a QB who’s recently won or even been to the Super Bowl without a strong team alongside him?
You follow the Wolves. Maybe head back to Wolves Chat for success?
What does that have to do with anything? I think you need to calm down a bit. This is my first time talking with you, and you are already in full defense mode after 3 posts.
I think it's funny because you clearly expect excellence. You have problems identifying excuses vs reasons given by a rube on a chat forum. Also unable to identify that the concepts listed all point to one or two gigantic issues from last year, and not 84 million separate reasons. Why wouldn't I point this out to you, when you quoted me?
I just think its a redundant excuse that "he needs time/he needs a better line/he needs better weapons..." people like pointing the finger anywhere but him. He's not a player that elevates the players around him. He needs the players around him to be excellent.
Or that the deficiencies in those areas were too much for the "team" (team) to overcome. But, you read what you want to see bud.
He just needs a good line, good play calling, and good players around him to succeed...well, alright then. Lets go get the perfect team for him to succeed!
Besides Brady, can you name a QB who’s recently won or even been to the Super Bowl without a strong team alongside him?
Its not just about needing a strong team, its that some people think the strengths of the team need to be catered around Kirk. The VIkings have a pretty strong and talented team, but its not catered to Kirk, so I guess thats the reason for the lack of team success last year.
What does that have to do with anything? I think you need to calm down a bit. This is my first time talking with you, and you are already in full defense mode after 3 posts.
I think it's funny because you clearly expect excellence. You have problems identifying excuses vs reasons given by a rube on a chat forum. Also unable to identify that the concepts listed all point to one or two gigantic issues from last year, and not 84 million separate reasons. Why wouldn't I point this out to you, when you quoted me?
I just think its a redundant excuse that "he needs time/he needs a better line/he needs better weapons..." people like pointing the finger anywhere but him. He's not a player that elevates the players around him. He needs the players around him to be excellent.
Yeah, but that's not what happened. People have pointed the finger at him. But, most reasonable people have pointed fingers at multiple people involved with the team. This is what happens when you jump into an argument late. You assume what the argument is. You're wrong.
He just needs a good line, good play calling, and good players around him to succeed...well, alright then. Lets go get the perfect team for him to succeed!
Besides Brady, can you name a QB who’s recently won or even been to the Super Bowl without a strong team alongside him?
Its not just about needing a strong team, its that some people think the strengths of the team need to be catered around Kirk. The VIkings have a pretty strong and talented team, but its not catered to Kirk, so I guess thats the reason for the lack of team success last year.
He just needs a good line, good play calling, and good players around him to succeed...well, alright then. Lets go get the perfect team for him to succeed!
Besides Brady, can you name a QB who’s recently won or even been to the Super Bowl without a strong team alongside him?
Its not just about needing a strong team, its that some people think the strengths of the team need to be catered around Kirk. The VIkings have a pretty strong and talented team, but its not catered to Kirk, so I guess thats the reason for the lack of team success last year.
Being able to step up into the pocket is a luxury?
I think it's funny because you clearly expect excellence. You have problems identifying excuses vs reasons given by a rube on a chat forum. Also unable to identify that the concepts listed all point to one or two gigantic issues from last year, and not 84 million separate reasons. Why wouldn't I point this out to you, when you quoted me?
I just think its a redundant excuse that "he needs time/he needs a better line/he needs better weapons..." people like pointing the finger anywhere but him. He's not a player that elevates the players around him. He needs the players around him to be excellent.
Yeah, but that's not what happened. People have pointed the finger at him. But, most reasonable people have pointed fingers at multiple people involved with the team. This is what happens when you jump into an argument late. You assume what the argument is. You're wrong.
Jump into the argument late? I was the 8th post in here.
And what exactly am I wrong about? My point is that Kirk is not a player who elevates his team, and that is what he is supposed to be for this team.
He just needs a good line, good play calling, and good players around him to succeed...well, alright then. Lets go get the perfect team for him to succeed!
Besides Brady, can you name a QB who’s recently won or even been to the Super Bowl without a strong team alongside him?
Its not just about needing a strong team, its that some people think the strengths of the team need to be catered around Kirk. The VIkings have a pretty strong and talented team, but its not catered to Kirk, so I guess thats the reason for the lack of team success last year.
Having coaches who can call plays with the strengths of the QB in mind is a luxury?
He just needs a good line, good play calling, and good players around him to succeed...well, alright then. Lets go get the perfect team for him to succeed!
Besides Brady, can you name a QB who’s recently won or even been to the Super Bowl without a strong team alongside him?
Its not just about needing a strong team, its that some people think the strengths of the team need to be catered around Kirk. The VIkings have a pretty strong and talented team, but its not catered to Kirk, so I guess thats the reason for the lack of team success last year.
Depending on an OL Coach that's still living is a luxury?
I just think its a redundant excuse that "he needs time/he needs a better line/he needs better weapons..." people like pointing the finger anywhere but him. He's not a player that elevates the players around him. He needs the players around him to be excellent.
Yeah, but that's not what happened. People have pointed the finger at him. But, most reasonable people have pointed fingers at multiple people involved with the team. This is what happens when you jump into an argument late. You assume what the argument is. You're wrong.
Jump into the argument late? I was the 8th post in here.
And what exactly am I wrong about? My point is that Kirk is not a player who elevates his team, and that is what he is supposed to be for this team.
Yes, you jumped into the argument late, my god, do some research, I'm not bringing you up to speed. I already told you what you're wrong about. Scroll up.
