If You Want to Hate Kirk Cousins, Don’t Listen to Him Speak

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Kirk Cousins played like shit on Sunday. There really isn’t another way to say it. You could call the shit, “poop”, if that makes you feel better, but the end result is the same. His play so far, as a Viking, has made me very nervous about his time here going forward. This is a team that will probably find itself in a lot of big games this year, as long as Dalvin Cook can stay healthy and our offense can continue to run the ball with the type of authority it has in the first two weeks of the season.

In his first chance to make a good 2019 impression, he was right up there with the referees, as the winner (or loser) of the blame game, for week 2’s loss to the Packers. I’m not good at hiding my feelings.

After such a tough loss, I was really looking forward to today’s press conference, so I could see what Zimmer and Cousins had to say about the performance. Zimmer was his usual self, and continues to be one of the best press conference watches in all of sports. And the more I listen/watch Kirk Cousins at the podium, the more I feel the same way about him. I just like guys who are themselves. I like those who are real, honest, and willing to take blame when they deserve it. Kirk is definitely that guy.

My ears started perking early, when Kirk admitted that there were a lot of open receivers that he missed on Sunday.

“I felt like people were open when you watched the film and so you just want to make those throws and make those clean reads and learn from the ones that weren’t very good.”

Now, that was honest and perceptive but it’s not anything groundbreaking. What’s he supposed to say? “Nobody was open”? That wasn’t going to happen because we’ve all already seen plays on the internet that had Diggs or others wide open. But, he gets even more honest and shows a good sense of humor later in the interview. There were two more quotes that got me to write this blog about how likable this mother fucker is.

A question came from Mike Max (that guy’s voice is one of a kind) essentially asking if Kirk thought it was important to bring a sense of calm, confidence, and authority to a huddle. Kirk said, he did think it was important, but not all encompassing, and gave a thoughtful answer that led into a quick description of the final offensive drive in the Packers game. This got me.

“I found myself on that drive… we were running the ball so well, really trying to talk to the o-line, talking to Alex [Mattison], talking to Dalvin [Cook]; getting them fired up. You get them rallied and going… and then..uh… and then you throw a pick… so you know, you can have the greatest motivational speech in the world and I know quarterbacks who never said boo to anybody. They just walked around the building, quiet as a mouse, didn’t rally anybody, and they went out and won. So at the end of the day, it’s about playing well and no one really cares about the other stuff. If you win and play well, that’s really all that matters.”

How can you listen to or read that, and not smile a little bit? Not everyone can hold themselves accountable in front of the press and fans like Kirk Cousins does. Think what you want about his play, you have to respect his accountability. It’s not just accountability, though. He knows exactly how this league works and he knows he needs to play better or he won’t be here. Read for yourself:

During Zimmer’s appearance earlier, Mike had said very bluntly, that he has the utmost trust in Kirk Cousins. When asked about Zimmer’s comments, here is what Kirk had to say:

“It’s nice to be believed in… You gotta go out and earn it though, in this league. Nobody’s giving you anything, this isn’t a charity. You gotta play well to earn people’s confidence. So, if he’s saying that, it’s because he’s seen practice reps, he’s seen game reps, he’s seen what we’re capable of, as an offense, throwing the football.

Believe me, I’m not going to be playing quarterback here, if I play the way I did this past Sunday, for much longer. I understand that and I look forward to getting out there and playing at a much higher level.”

So do I, Kirk…. because I like you. But, I like the Vikings winning more. So, go play better and win some games so we can celebrate you instead of criticizing.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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