Kirk Cousins Development Tracker

MikeSr619 said:

Everyone has issues. The chargers went down 8 people in one game but rivers gets it down field every single game.

How are people bitching about offensive line when every other team seems to do it just fine?

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And Rivers has been sacked 21 times already and the Chargers have won 2 games. Yes - all teams have injuries. But the extent of those injuries and where they occur matter. If your point is that Cousins doesn't have a great arm, I don't think anyone would argue that. He's also doing some nice things.

Boone said:

And Rivers has been sacked 21 times already and the Chargers have won 2 games. Yes - all teams have injuries. But the extent of those injuries and where they occur matter. If your point is that Cousins doesn't have a great arm, I don't think anyone would argue that. He's also doing some nice things.

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1 less win and 2 less interceptions. That is my point....glad we are ok with agreeing but I'm not happy at all. I want more.

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Poking around the net I came across one analysis of Kirk's game come draft time.

Know nothing about the author of this thing but there seems to be some 'truth' to it based on Kirk's NFL experience and what we are seeing from him.
Maybe also a ground zero from which to track his progress.

Looks like some of his weaknesses might be diminishing some, the big one, inconsistency, is still a work in progress. Would like to see some more of his mobility and an uptick in off schedule playmaking.

Just some snipets, one can review the whole thing at the link. Also didn't use the quote machine to make for easier reading

Strength-pro style offense-

While at Michigan State, Cousins operated a multifaceted or "multiple" offense that helped prepare him for the next level. He worked under center and in the shotgun set while also making checks at the line............This commonly seen at the next level as well as in college, but he was not limited to only short drops. Cousins went through several progressions as well.

Weakness: Decision Making

One of the aspects of Cousins' game that I question is his decision making. He is a very intelligent individual but has a tendency to force throws into tight windows where there are several defenders in coverage, ........

Strength: Arm Strength

He is able to make all the requisite throws at the next level, which is a positive because it gives the offense more flexibility in utilizing downfield concepts that stretch the defense horizontally and vertically.
Cousins is often able to fit the ball in tight windows even if the decision to throw it is a questionable one.

Weakness: Pocket Presence

Kirk Cousins has a problem with pocket pressure. He does not often handle it well, especially when it comes up the middle and at his feet. He tends to panic and the quality in his mechanics tends to drop, causing poor throws.

Strength: Mobility
...

Weakness: Inconsistency

The final aspect of Kirk Cousins' game I want to touch on is his inconsistent play. He is a rhythm passer that needs to be manipulated by a specific scheme that suits his strengths.
He needs to clean up his footwork and decision making, as they are two issues that have held him back in executing the offense.


Kirk Cousins: 6 Biggest Strengths and Weaknesses of NFL Draft Prospect's Game | Bleacher Report

So, in the last 3 weeks, Kirk has

1st) Greatest comeback in Redskins' history
2nd) Greatest offensive first half, since we shredded the Broncos in the 1988 Super Bowl, and highest total points in 10 years, and a perfect passer rating.

His last two games have been excellent, big difference is the guys around him did their jobs.
This looked like the WCO, 'dink and dunk' passes getting to the guys on time and in good spots to continue on in stride.
Missed it but didn't he also have a decently long one to DJax?
Did think a few to Djax were less than stellar... getting the little guy clobbered.
FWIW passer rating was "perfect".

By no means am I taking away from anything Cousins and the team accomplished today, but now I'm really interested to see how we fare against Carolina. The progress is that we played an equally crappy team, and kicked the piss out of them which shows we are heading in the right direction.

Cousins did an outstanding Job today, and his supporting cast was there all day...

I'd get to work on that extension quickly.

We've got our QB for the next five years.

Respect the Kirkoning!!!

Coming for the panthers next

Miles Monroe said:

By no means am I taking away from anything Cousins and the team accomplished today, but now I'm really interested to see how we fare against Carolina.

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The only thing Kirk does is break records.
So, breaking Carolina's perfect record, is going to be smooth as silk, for Kirk

HaHa! McD5 picks up Cousins in fantasy, starts him and he's the starter for the next 5 years after today's performance. Yes Mike, a little bitter about that one. ;-)


I cannot tell you how good it was to be in that stadiumm today! HTTR!!

Patience. Kirk looked great today for sure. But a cursory glance at defensive rankings will help explain part of the reason why. He stepped up and played great, I thought this was the best game I've seen from him, and am trying to figure out how much of that to attribute to the Saints' pathetic defense, and how much to attribute to Kirk's growth.

Kirk's price may be going up for sure, and if Scot pulls the trigger to lock him up for a few years, I trust the guy. But if he wants some more time to evaluate, I'm good with that too.

Fear The Spear said:

The only thing Kirk does is break records.
So, breaking Carolina's perfect record, is going to be smooth as silk, for Kirk

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Keeping my fingers crossed...

His game is improving without a doubt. What he'll end up being is still unknown, but were seeing promising signs. Would be nice to see an end to the QB carousel.

That deep pass to Jones for the touchdown made boone and I cheer. Right, boone? Lol

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McD5 said:

I'd get to work on that extension quickly.

We've got our QB for the next five years.

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I brought it up in chat today that Kirk has shown enough positive glimpses (especially in home games this season) that he can be more than capable of being a stop-gap at the very least for the next two seasons with the right players around him.

I say you continue building out from the lines, continue putting pieces in place, and ridding of guys that are deemed worthless in our long range plans.

I don't think that any realistic Redskins fan expects us to become any sort of true contender in the NFC over the next two seasons. Those are building years for which expectations should be held in check by all involved in the franchise - front office, fans, etc.

Take Kirk along for the ride by signing him for 2 to 3 seasons before the year is up (I think 5 might be a bit much) and then reevaluate if all goes as planned and the overall team has progressed to the point where you envision it being in two years. If you deem at that point that Cousins hasn't developed at the same rate as the rest of the roster, and he hasn't gotten to the point where he can help the team take the next big step, then you make addressing QB priority #1 and cut ties with #8.

At the end of the day though, if he fights through all the adversity he's faced the last season and a half, has an overall positive final 7 games in 2015, then in my opinion, he's earned the right to be given the opportunity to continue to grow and mature with the rest of the organization overall - even if he's not the front office's ideal player at the QB position.

Timing is everything and I don't personally think that 2016 and 2017 are all about finding our QB for the next 10 years. If we stumble upon that guy in Cousins during that time frame, all the better for us.

Totally Agree Canadian, it's what I've been saying about the fact that this organisation needs stability at the moment to fix all the things that are wrong, and I think this is really year 1 of a 3 or 4 year plan.

I'm optimistic that Cousins is the man who can keep the boat pointing in the right direction at least in the short term to allow McCloughan to work his magic and bail out the water that had been taken on by previous regimes. When you look at the team top to bottom there are so many areas that need attention.

I'm happy to lock in Cousins and Gruden for now and fix the team from the ground up.

Once we have a better talent base top to bottom, if Gruden hasn't proved he can be a top flight coach then we should at least be an attractive team for a top flight coach. One that hopefully by then will also have shown some organisational stability.

And we all know QB is the one piece of the puzzle that is tough to get. It's piece that we haven't really had since Thiesmann (though possibly that's debatable!). We've had plenty of QB's come in and be good for a year or two, but that long term franchise guy has eluded us for so long. Even when we thought we had him in RGIII that blew up in our faces too!

Also we're not the only team looking. There are precious few Elite QB's in the league. All the other teams are settling for something that works. If Cousins can hold the fort down for a few years that's all we really need from him while we search for that star. If he develops into something special given time then all the better.

At this point I'm intrigued to see where he goes from here and in another 20 years time when we look back at this era, just how will he be remembered. Stop gap caretaker? Or something special?

After yesterdays game I kinda feel he could go either way.

I've said it before I'm a self confessed RGIII man, but boy Cousins is starting to look comfortable and confident in this offense at the moment.

And you know what? I'm actually intrigued to see what this team can do in Carolina next week...

As has been said elsewhere, the Skins beat up a bad defense last night. It's something they were SUPPOSED to do, but how often have we heard that and then the team has stumbled? As recently as a few weeks ago when we beat Tampa, the storyline was "Yes, great comeback, but this was a team we were supposed to have killed!"

I do believe that that comeback win, coupled with the Pats game where we held them to their lowest points total of the season, plus could have hung in there but for a multitude of dropped balls, and now this weeks trouncing of the Saints, plus holding their number 1 offence to just 14 pts... I think this team FEELS like it can hang with anyone.

I really believe in that locker room that this team feels that they should have a better record than 4-5. I think they rue those missed games early in the season. And I think on the offence alot of the confidence seems to come from Cousins to be honest. He may not be the strongest, smartest or best QB the leagues ever seen, but I do think from watching him he's taken this team and made it his now. I felt a little like early in the season he still had the spectre of RGIII and Colt breathing down his neck a bit. I don't think he feels that at all now and it's showing with his performances improving every week.

And now that I've built him up, watch him let me down in Carolina this week!!!! LOL

Also... loved that he did for his Dad this week. Classy move. I didn't even know his Dad had been ill. They kept that really quiet I thought, a real turnaround from the media circus that surrounded RGIII.

Great, great game from Cousins. No need to qualify. That was a fantastic performance.

That's all I have to say about that.

I'd be happier with Kirk Cousins if I was confident that he could be more accurate in the mid-to-deep range. It was a good game against a team that gave up 10 TDs and 0 INTs against Eli Manning & Mariotta the last 2 weeks, so it's a tough game to really evaluate Cousins. However, the next 3 games will really tell the story. You get a shot at the Panthers (legit top-tier defense), the Giants (Kirk's nemesis... coming off a bye), the Cowboys (not really a great defense, but mid-level & it might be a team rejuvenated with healthy players coming back... oh, and he's still the only QB on the roster who hasn't defeated the Cowboys). I've said for weeks that's it's always about the next 5 games. He took a step in the right direction. People calling for us to sign him now are probably jumping the gun... might as well wait to see how the season plays out at this point.

Smoot Point said:

I'd be happier with Kirk Cousins if I was confident that he could be more accurate in the mid-to-deep range. It was a good game against a team that gave up 10 TDs and 0 INTs against Eli Manning & Mariotta the last 2 weeks, so it's a tough game to really evaluate Cousins. However, the next 3 games will really tell the story. You get a shot at the Panthers (legit top-tier defense), the Giants (Kirk's nemesis... coming off a bye), the Cowboys (not really a great defense, but mid-level & it might be a team rejuvenated with healthy players coming back... oh, and he's still the only QB on the roster who hasn't defeated the Cowboys). I've said for weeks that's it's always about the next 5 games. He took a step in the right direction. People calling for us to sign him now are probably jumping the gun... might as well wait to see how the season plays out at this point.

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That's awesome.

Think about it.

People don't mention it much, but Cousins' humility is huge.
And probably the main reason he's developed so much.