Thoughts on Cousins and the next few weeks

[RawBBQSauce]

Not everyone.  See Dan's face?

 

McVey needs to slow his role there.

[HuhWHATdefense]

Here it is. Lol

[Higgy Bear]

He looks so much more comfortable in the pocket than RG3 does.  He knows where the ball needs to be as soon as he walks to the line.  I look forward to watching him play the rest of the year as the starter.  Throwing balls down field is how u keep defenses honest. That being said, he has a little Rex Grossman in him, in that, he mis reads some coverages too, and throws the ball quickly, to where he thought the holes would be.

 

Its going to be interesting to say the least.

[Taylor703]

funny reading how people say Griffin would have done X and if we let him go we will regret it.  Other than his rookie year, what has he shown to make people think that he is a great QB ?

 

Great QB's stand in the pocket and take a hit to complete the pass, not duck and dash.

Other than that great year where he wasn't recovering from an injury lmao. And if you think Robert doesn't stand tall and take hits in the pocket than you need to fire up your DVR.

[RiverboatGambler]

funny reading how people say Griffin would have done X and if we let him go we will regret it.  Other than his rookie year, what has he shown to make people think that he is a great QB ?

 

Great QB's stand in the pocket and take a hit to complete the pass, not duck and dash.

Someone wasn't watching in week one. Robert was hit 17 times and only sacked twice. Most of those QB hits were standing tall in the pocket and delivering the pass on target and on time.

[Passepartout]

We win.

 

Indeed TK! You are right about that!

[Leonard Washington]

I hope KC kicks ass but it doesn't matter, we'll have to go back to RG3 when he comes back. 

It'll matter if we win the superbowl (not that I think it will happen).

[War Paint]

It's not at all "unfair" to use last year's games to judge where he's at as a QB. That's ludicrous.

It's not unfair to judge his last three games last year, but it's ridiculous to ignore the fact that the Redskins were in full blown circus mode and the morale of the team was at an all time low.  The end of our season was a dumpster fire.  Please tell me that you can see the difference between the situations of a team that mailed it in, knowing that their coach was getting fired, compared to a motivated team with high morale that is hungry to win.  I promise you a QB would benefit greatly from the latter scenario.

[zoony]

Billick and Mooch just broke down some game tape and it was very encouraging. They showed clearly Cousins making quick decisions BASED ON WHAT THE DEFENSE WAS DOING rather than what the receiver was doing. He was throwing to spots on the field, which is exactly what functional QBs do

Is the same thing we saw when Todd Collins came in during Gibbs II. Everyone wondering why there were open receivers all of a sudden and nothing had changed

Of course, Sapp and Tomlinson were quick to bring up last years starts and the fact that Kirk hasn't seen a gameplan yet. These are of course valid criticisms

As for my own opinion, Cousins has shown that he can beat up on a bad team. That's something that dozens of starting NFL QBs have not shown they are capable of. I don't think any of the defenses in the East are competent... So I guess I'm wondering out loud if Kirk does nothing else but beat up on bad defenses from now until the end of the year (or whenever Robert comes back), I think we will be in the mix

[Thinking Skins]

My biggest fear of Cousins is that he turns out a good string of starts, say wins the job and then turns into a Matt Cassell or Kevin Kolb or Ryan Fitzpatrick. If he can be a Matt Schaub, I'd be pretty happy because Schaub had some good seasons before last year. But there are so many backup QBs who have looked good for a stretch then when given the keys have crumbled.

Of course, I could say the same about RG3 - which I guess is the good and bad side of this. We get to form more of an opinion on Cousins and get to compare it to RG3. And my biggest fear of RG3 isn't the Vick comparison. I've said before that if he could have a career arc similar to Vick's (minus the jail time), I'd be pretty happy. My biggest fear is that he becomes Vince Young. Heisman winner, rookie of the year, running QB, had a falling out with his coach, never learned to throw from the pocket, out of the league now. RG3 has much better fundamentals and mechanics than Young but I'm getting more and more afraid that this will be the arc that his career follows.

I guess time will tell.

funny reading how people say Griffin would have done X and if we let him go we will regret it.  Other than his rookie year, what has he shown to make people think that he is a great QB ?

 

Great QB's stand in the pocket and take a hit to complete the pass, not duck and dash.

You do realize that what you're asking is like saying "Other than Aaron Rodgers SB win, what has he shown us to make people think he can win a SB?" You're ignoring the most important piece of evidence in the argument.

[Destino]

I think people are setting themselves up for a let down. Cousins has played in 9 NFL games. RG3 has 30 under his belt and two seasons where he got every snap in practice. Yet we seem to be expecting a great deal more, immediately, out of Cousins going into division games which are always tough.

Folks, manage your expectations. The redskins are a 3 win football team and Cousins has 1 week of prep to face the Eagles in Philly.

[KuNiT21]

Bottom line is Jay Gruden is licking his chops right now.  He can run his offense and do more with KC then RG3.  I'm slowly leaving the RG3 train every week.  Kirk came in and our Oline looked like 5 probowlers blocking.  Our offense runs better, is smoother, teamates play better and are more comfortable when Kirk comes in.  

 

Spare me the whole "OMG I can't believe this fanbase is giving up on RG3."  It's obvious when you watch QB's and see if they have it or not.  It's quite clear after RG3's 3rd year he has very little improvement.  Still holding onto the ball, still getting blasted with overloaded blitzs, still very uncomfortable in the pocket, is amazing running outside of the pocket.  What we don't know is, if KC has got it.  Time will tell and we will find out.

[Thinking Skins]

I think people are setting themselves up for a let down. Cousins has played in 9 NFL games. RG3 has 30 under his belt and two seasons where he got every snap in practice. Yet we seem to be expecting a great deal more, immediately, out of Cousins going into division games which are always tough.

Folks, manage your expectations. The redskins are a 3 win football team and Cousins has 1 week of prep to face the Eagles in Philly.

What you say is technically true, but we're also a team that won 10 wins two years ago with much of the same talent, and arguably more depth now. It'd be one thing if Cousins is getting sacked 5 times a game over the next 8 weeks - then we can probably say that there were outside circumstances (the line) that caused him to play so poorly.

But I have a feeling that there are two axes that we'll be grading things by come the next few weeks. The first is Cousins's performance. And I don't really mean highlight reel plays, but stuff like his rating, completion percentage, ability to lead drives, how he does against teams in our division, how he responds to blitzes, press coverage, off coverage, how well does he throw guys open, etc. The second will be how well the team is doing.

I remember when we drafted RG3, most of this town expected RG3 to struggle his rookie year and so nobody was really predicting more than 6 wins. But when we were 3-6, we were all upset because RG3 wasn't the problem. The problem was our defense in large part. Then those last 7 weeks things improved enough and we won the division.

I don't think anybody expects us to win the division this year, but if Cousins comes in and plays lights out, then there's no reason we shouldn't. And if we're not winning games although Cousins has a 90+ rating in week 6 or so, then we may have to make adjustments elsewhere (OL? FS? LB? DL?). On that same note though, if the rest of the team is looking great and Cousins is playing like Good Rex-Bad Rex, then it may be time to reconsider things.

[Skinsinparadise]

Count me among those who isn't sold on Cousins yet but I have an open mind on it.  But one of the things that I hate about the QB's discussions is that it becomes a polarized debate that your for this guy and against that guy.  I love RG3's skill set, rocket arm, great deep ball, speed, accuracy and quick release once he decides to throw.  The injury last year messed with his footwork but I think he was poised for a big year this season. I was at the game and he was dynamite early and fans were into it.   

 

Cousins played well.  My issue with Cousins has been his inconsistency and INTS.   I grant its a small sample size and he deserves a longer look for a better evaluation.   The dude was a 4th rounder for a reason, even the people hyped on him thought at best he was a late 2nd rounder -- QB's with elite skills sets generally aren't pegged as 2nd-3rd rounders.   Yeah sometimes you can hit lightening in a bottle.  And I do see the comparisons to a 2nd rounder in Andy Dalton.  Cousins makes quick decisions and is good with short and intermediate passes but doesn't have a gun or is particularly dynamic.   Heck if the dude is a good to excellent QB as some contend, I'd love it.   And I hope to see it.   Watching him up close, my favorite aspect of his game is that he's good with how he uses his eyes, he rarely stares down his WRs.   If anything defending him, I would pay special attention to the opposite WR for his first look.  Cousins move seems to be if the #`1 route is the left side, he will look first to the right.    He seems to go out of his way to feign in the opposite direction.  Either that or his first read was rarely open.  I just noticed that he looked quickly one way and then often made a decisive throw in the opposite direction. 

[MorrisFan46]

I disagree KuNiT21. I think RG3 looked great while he was on the field. He even managed to complete the pass with a dislocated ankle while hobbling to the sideline on one foot.

[Gregpeck99]

Prediction.

 

Gruden has "Daltonized" his offense (with the help of the knurled arhtritic finger of fate) and now will make the playoffs.

[evmiii]

Timing. KC throws the ball on time. His arm isn't as strong, he is not as good an athlete (not many are), and is not always super accurate but he most often finds the open receiver and gives him a chance to catch the ball. I think our current scheme fits his skill set very well and I expect him and the skins to have some success.

I still believe the determing factor of our success will be on the other side of the ball. If the D steps up we will be competitive in every game and KC can start his legacy( here or potentially somewhere else). kC's play over the next 6-8 weeks will have as much to do with how quickly RG3 returns as his ankle.

HTTR

[mithong1]

This is what it comes down to for me...

 

Even if RG3 improves dramatically and learns to become a much better pocket QB, would you EVER be comfortable with giving him a top franchise QB contract?  He looks like gumby out there.  His limbs are always dangling everywhere and it looks like his body is completely out of control whenever he scrambles/runs.  

 

He also seems to have a lot of trouble avoiding contact and making people miss. 

 

I'm hoping KC balls out this season so that we don't have to be forced to give RG3 some huge contract.

[ghosti]

Other than that great year where he wasn't recovering from an injury lmao. And if you think Robert doesn't stand tall and take hits in the pocket than you need to fire up your DVR.

If you mean needless hits, yes he does.

Bottom line is Jay Gruden is licking his chops right now.  He can run his offense and do more with KC then RG3.  I'm slowly leaving the RG3 train every week.  Kirk came in and our Oline looked like 5 probowlers blocking.  Our offense runs better, is smoother, teamates play better and are more comfortable when Kirk comes in.  

 

Spare me the whole "OMG I can't believe this fanbase is giving up on RG3."  It's obvious when you watch QB's and see if they have it or not.  It's quite clear after RG3's 3rd year he has very little improvement.  Still holding onto the ball, still getting blasted with overloaded blitzs, still very uncomfortable in the pocket, is amazing running outside of the pocket.  What we don't know is, if KC has got it.  Time will tell and we will find out.

Whether he has it or not, he’s still better at playing this offense than RG ever will be.  After 9 straight losses, its time for a change.  For the first time in so many games I saw an offense and defense making plays and loving every minute of the game.  Jax or not, its a win and we blew them out like you should do against bad teams.  I hope RG recovers from his ankle injury but I’m really excited to see Cousins get a shot no matter what he does.  

[Shanahan's Tan]

Kirk Cousins has played VERY good as a starter against two VERY bad teams.  Other than that, he has been average against another bad Falcons team, and mediocre in his other starts.  The fact that he played great against bad teams isn't a knock on him, as that is what good QBs do to lesser teams, but it's not something to hang your hat on either.

 

Cousins just hasn't played at a CONSISTANT level where he can be completely trusted week in and week out.  That DOESN'T mean he can't become a reliable starter who can win games, but it does mean there will be ups and downs.  He still has room to grow.  I DO believe he can a will.  How high is his ceiling?  Who knows.  But this season will certainly tell us a lot.  He will have plenty of reps in practice with the first team and in games to learn and grow.

 

I look forward to have a lot of answers questioned about Cousins ability this season.

[RiverboatGambler]

If you mean needless hits, yes he does.

Whether he has it or not, he’s still better at playing this offense than RG ever will be.  After 9 straight losses, its time for a change.  For the first time in so many games I saw an offense and defense making plays and loving every minute of the game.  Jax or not, its a win and we blew them out like you should do against bad teams.  I hope RG recovers from his ankle injury but I’m really excited to see Cousins get a shot no matter what he does.  

Well you got what you wanted all along which is fine and dandy. I hope Cousins balls out now that he is in their but there was no pleasure in yesterdays victory for me and I find it gross that so many were full of glee seeing 3 draft picks go down the drain. I just don;t want controversy. If Cousins does a Foles 2013  then move Robert ASAP. No special packages, no controversy just move him and be done with it so we can move on.

[MorrisFan46]

I think Cousins can hold us off but, I would really like to see RGIII back in action. He looked good until his ankle decided it wanted to kiss his shin. 

 

 

P.S. Dear Griffin,

     Please ask whatever witch doctor you've been seeing to take the curse off of your legs. All us fans would really appreciate it. 

[Smurf85]

If you mean needless hits, yes he does.

Whether he has it or not, he’s still better at playing this offense than RG ever will be. After 9 straight losses, its time for a change. For the first time in so many games I saw an offense and defense making plays and loving every minute of the game. Jax or not, its a win and we blew them out like you should do against bad teams. I hope RG recovers from his ankle injury but I’m really excited to see Cousins get a shot no matter what he does.

Yeah Kirk gets his shot, but you are like a lot of fans in here. If Kirk fails you will either jump on the RG3 bandwagon again or boo and call for McCoy.

Point is there are a lot of people that are Skins fans that expected a awful lot from a guy going into his 3rd year.

RG3 is still the better QB in my opinion, but I can't trust that he'll stay healthy now.

In other words If Kirk sucks we'll probably be drafting another QB in a couple of years.

[4skins23]

RG3 does not fit this offense. He is not a pocket passer, might not ever be one. Cousin's is a pocket passer and therefore gives this team a better chance to win week in and week out in this system with this coach. 

 

    RG3 has more upside and seems to be more athletic, but they took that away putting him in this system. he obviously is not comfortable. With RG3 in, it will be a looonngg season.

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

Point is there are a lot of people that are Skins fans that expected a awful lot from a guy going into his 3rd year.

I mean, the two guys playing tonight are going into their third year. So is Russell Wilson.