Kirk Cousins Development Tracker

[McD5]

I usually agree with you Om on these analysts.

But on this particular guy, I imagine that we'll be seeing him on ESPN or employed by a team pretty soon. He's wise beyond his years. Similar to a Mark Bullock, but he covers hundreds of players.

 

[ntotoro]

He'll be hired just for the funny accent and so people can ask if there is Irish Spring in his Lucky Charms.

Nick

 

[Henry]

I love all this debate over who's opinions are more valid than ours.

 

[Boone]

Well ok. I sure seems like you're saying that.

But whatever. I hope Cooley is right and I'm wrong. I hope we're somehow just not seeing greatness and it will show itself in spades over the next few months.

But Cousins' final nine games mirror his first seven, I sure hope he gets starter money somewhere else. That's what I'VE been saying this whole time.

I simply shared Cooley's perspective Henry. I'm neither a Cooley jock-carrier nor am I citing him because I'm a mindless Cousins homer. I listen to his game grades and he's shredded Cousins at times (deservedly so, such as after the Jets game), and praised him at others. He's pretty consistent. I thought it was interesting that he sees progress and growth and competence even amidst the struggles where fans don't - that's all. Where I think he is on point (and fans generally aren't) is that it's not *just about Cousins* on a given play. He breaks down what is supposed to happen at a position-by-position and play-by-play level and puts the QB's performance in the context of the unit's performance. Sorry - but that's a little more sophisticated than the average fans assessment that the QB 'sucked' or 'was awesome'. You should listen to him after game days if you don't already. I think you would be surprised at the detail he gets into.

I get and actually agree with 'I'll believe it when I see it', but that's not much of a conversation starter

 

[Boone]

I usually agree with you Om on these analysts.

But on this particular guy, I imagine that we'll be seeing him on ESPN or employed by a team pretty soon. He's wise beyond his years. Similar to a Mark Bullock, but he covers hundreds of players.

Then why is he grossly misstating NFL defensive rankings?

 

[Smoot Point]

I guess people who have been paying attention to Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) know Cian Fahey... He has been anti-skins for a while, but generally covers All-22 film breakdowns. Bullock seems to respect the guy, and I generally respect Bullock. Both are from across the pond.

Like I said, I have issues with people who break down All-22 film and think 1 snapshot says it all... Bullock & Fahey focus on this and have been for quite a few years. Fahey torched RGIII the last 2 years.

I pointed out his tweets today because he made some valid points and offered a different perspective than the "we won the game, let's ignore whatever bad happened"...

If you are going to ignore the actual tweets he mentioned and discuss whatever stupid things he might have said/done in the past concerning the Redskins, I probably don't have much to add to that part of the conversation. Certainly, we can have issues with a few things he has said over the summer about Bradford or whatever... But, I was specifically referring to the thoughts about this game, which weren't inaccurate.

BTW, I don't recall Cousins going 8-8 on the game winning drive. I thought he nearly threw an interception on the play right before the TD. Actually, it should've been picked. If my memory is accurate, the play before that was a fade that he didn't connect on. Regardless, Bucs went prevent and that inflates numbers. Cousins threw one pass in that sequence (the one to Crowder) that traveled more than 10 yards.

 

[Boone]

Whose 'ours'? None of us agree on anything these days. I think most of us agree this guy's opinion is definitely no more valid than ours (whatever that means) except McD5. But he's just got a Twitter crush

 

[Smoot Point]

Then why is he grossly misstating NFL defensive rankings?

I think you are focusing on just 1 stat with the Bucs defense... In YPG (or total yards), they are low. This could be due to their competition and the fact they were blown out pretty bad in a few games. However, they have given up like the 8th highest YPA in the league, the 2nd highest QB Rating, the 6th highest completion percentage, the 2nd fewest interceptions, and the 2nd highest number of passing TDs... They are not a good pass defense at all.

 

[Smoot Point]

Whose 'ours'? None of us agree on anything these days. I think most of us agree this guy's opinion is definitely no more valid than ours (whatever that means) except McD5. But he's just got a Twitter crush

I can agree with that... He did take the time though to analyze the game, play-by-play, which is something very few of us have the time and energy to do. Sometimes, I disagree with Bullock and Fahey on this stuff and have argued with them occasionally about it, but it's not really worth it to argue on matters of opinion.

 

[McD5]

Whose 'ours'? None of us agree on anything these days. I think most of us agree this guy's opinion is definitely no more valid than ours (whatever that means) except McD5. But he's just got a Twitter crush

Ha! I bash him about how I'd rather have Cousins than Sam Bradford. I imagine him on his knees, crying with every pick Bradford throws.

But aside from that miscalculation, the guy is a good follow.

For instance, he could tell you right now who the top 20 DBs in the league are, and in order. He could do the same for college.

It's insane considering his age and location. But if you follow him, you'll see most of the popular tv analysts tweet him for his opinion on a specific player.

Like Josh Norris, etc.....I believe we'll see that guy on ESPN shortly.

 

[Om]

Smoot,

Just for the record ... I'm watching the final drive as we speak. Kirk worked the sidelines and the clock. Most of those "less than 10 yards" passes were darts from the middle of the field about 20 yards to the sidelines. The Bucs were in press coverage on at least three of the successful passes that got us across midfield and down close to the red zone before the Crowder ball.

Yes, there were two incomplete passes after the ball to Crowder set them up first and goal from the 6. One was a fade overthrown by a yard, the second a high fastball that would have been a ridiculous catch by anyone on offense, much less a surprised defender who was barely able to get his hands up to it.

The TD was a strike on the slant to Reed.

If Peyton or Brady put that identical drive together, people are nodding and saying "well, that's what HOF'ers do." Just because Kirk is not that guy, and likely never will be, doesn't detract from what was a damn fine performance in a clutch, game-winning drive opportunity over the length of the field.

 

[MikeSr619]

Cousins does not have a good ball after 5-10 yards. It's known whether he was good on one drive or not. It's his biggest weakness.

 

[McD5]

Most fans (me included) never know the real story. Was it the fault of the QB or the WR? Did he run the correct route? Was the pick the QB's fault, or the WR's fault.

There are so many misconceptions. Here's another. I've seen a lot of people (Cian included) claim that Kirk doesn't throw down the field. Compare his YPA in the last 16 games to those of RG3.

 

[MikeSr619]

You're bringing up Griffin like it's a factor. He's not even active.

 

[TomE]

BTW, I don't recall Cousins going 8-8 on the game winning drive. I thought he nearly threw an interception on the play right before the TD. Actually, it should've been picked. If my memory is accurate, the play before that was a fade that he didn't connect on. Regardless, Bucs went prevent and that inflates numbers. Cousins threw one pass in that sequence (the one to Crowder) that traveled more than 10 yards.

Not that it matters much

With the Redskins trailing by six points with 2 minutes 24 seconds remaining, Kirk Cousins completed his first eight throws on the final drive. After two failed shots from the Tampa Bay 6, he got the completion that mattered on third and goal, leading tight end Jordan Reed into the end zone for the decisive touchdown

The pick still isn't one, yeah it was close.

Prevent or not, he still went down the field to score taking what was there, how many times have we seen the opposition do it to us and acknowledged that they got it done or blamed our crappy D.

He did what he needed to do, all the other what-if's and in-the-grand-scheme-of-things stuff will rightfully continue for the rest of the season but it still won't negate the fact that the kid was good in this game.

 

[Henry]

I simply shared Cooley's perspective Henry. I'm neither a Cooley jock-carrier nor am I citing him because I'm a mindless Cousins homer. I listen to his game grades and he's shredded Cousins at times (deservedly so, such as after the Jets game), and praised him at others. He's pretty consistent. I thought it was interesting that he sees progress and growth and competence even amidst the struggles where fans don't - that's all. Where I think he is on point (and fans generally aren't) is that it's not *just about Cousins* on a given play. He breaks down what is supposed to happen at a position-by-position and play-by-play level and puts the QB's performance in the context of the unit's performance. Sorry - but that's a little more sophisticated than the average fans assessment that the QB 'sucked' or 'was awesome'. You should listen to him after game days if you don't already. I think you would be surprised at the detail he gets into.

I get and actually agree with 'I'll believe it when I see it', but that's not much of a conversation starter

I gotcha. You like his show, think it's informative and want to share. It's all good.

All I have left to add then I guess is that it's never really 'just about the QB', but ... it kinda is.

Not to whack the hornets nest with yet another stick, but the team was equally crappy when Griffin was playing. In fact, the whole pre-season thing about the sacks and the line and the terrible left tackle ... there was non-QB stuff going on then too.

Now, Cousins is a different dude and looks ... different ... at QB than Griffin did. And he does some things a lot better than Griffin does. But he's not shining like a star. He just isn't. He plays ok a lot and great sometimes and crappy sometimes. Griffin is a shell of the player he once was and he's gone at the end of the season and I'm not advocating for him at ALL anymore, but, just for the sake of comparison, when he was inserted into the lineup in 2012, with a team of comparable crapulence around him, he looked phenomenal. Even though the rest of the team was terrible and we were losing a lot you knew HE was something special. You knew what a Franchise QB looked like.

I don't see that in Cousins. I don't think we ever will.

I'm not saying Cooley doesn't offer some interesting insight and might arm his listeners with better information about what's going on with the QB and the receivers and whatnot. But when it comes to seeing what we saw in 2012 ... it's like porn. You know it when you see it.

 

[Boone]

I think you are focusing on just 1 stat with the Bucs defense... In YPG (or total yards), they are low. This could be due to their competition and the fact they were blown out pretty bad in a few games. However, they have given up like the 8th highest YPA in the league, the 2nd highest QB Rating, the 6th highest completion percentage, the 2nd fewest interceptions, and the 2nd highest number of passing TDs... They are not a good pass defense at all.

I don't know about 'not a good pass defense at all' - but point taken... On the 8-8 on final drive, you guys are right, I heard that stated on 980 so they may have been talking about a different drive or maybe were just mistaken. Great drive though.

 

[Goaldeje]

Most fans (me included) never know the real story. Was it the fault of the QB or the WR? Did he run the correct route? Was the pick the QB's fault, or the WR's fault.

There are so many misconceptions. Here's another. I've seen a lot of people (Cian included) claim that Kirk doesn't throw down the field. Compare his YPA in the last 16 games to those of RG3.

View attachment 2684

I know you will NEVER admit this, but we were all screaming last year that the reason Griffin couldn't throw downfield was because the OLine was horrific and he didn't have time. You know, the line Scot immediately overhauled despite your protestations that it was one of the top lines in the league?

 

[Henry]

Whose 'ours'? None of us agree on anything these days. I think most of us agree this guy's opinion is definitely no more valid than ours (whatever that means) except McD5. But he's just got a Twitter crush

You, me, Mark, the Mikes ... you know, ours.

I don't think there is one talking head, stat wonk, or sports journalist out there that I'd rather listen to than you guys. It's not about agreeing. Those folks are just as full of crap as we are, but I don't know them.

 

[Boone]

I do see improvement - lots of it - on the current team. I guess I'm in the tiny minority on that, but I think we're improved across the board and at QB as well. And I think had we had even the usual level of injuries this year, the improvements would be even more apparent. Improvements don't automatically equate to lots more wins, but we have come back twice to win on end of game drives and almost did against one of the hottest teams in the league in OT. I also think that says something different about Cousins than some of the other 'just guys' we've seen. Ultimately you are right - the only grade that matters is wins.