Kirk Cousins Lack of “It” Factor Makes Him Bad Fit for THIS Team

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SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 10: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings walks off the field after an incomplete pass on 4th down in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on December 10, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – DECEMBER 10: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings walks off the field after an incomplete pass on 4th down in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on December 10, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

The Vikings’ offensive line has been bad since Mike Zimmer took over. We’ve known that. EVERYONE knows that. But, there is something different this year that makes them look a lot worse. Hmmm…. any guesses?

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Kirk Cousins was hailed as the guy who would push us over that Minnesota hump that has plagued every major sports team since 1991. Most of the season, he’s been the opposite. But why?

He doesn’t have the ability to improvise and make something out of nothing. He Lacks “It” Factor.

First, I want to preface everything by saying that Cousins doesn’t need to have that “it” factor to be successful in the NFL. He is living proof of that. We just paid this mother fucker $84 Million guaranteed. You can’t be much more successful than that.

However, you do need to be able to improvise if you want to be elite because to make those awe-inspiring plays (like this)…

… you need to be able to think quickly on the fly and trust your instincts. Luckily, we have a really good defense and a myriad of offensive weapons so we don’t need Cousins to be elite. To be successful though, Cousins needs something that his 3 predecessors before him didn’t need as much. A good offensive line.

Out of the QB’s who have led the Vikings’ offense in recent years, Teddy Bridgewater had the best escapability but Keenum also had an uncanny feel for the pocket and an ability to escape pressure at the last moment while still keeping eyes down the field.

Bradford, like Cousins, was a statue in the pocket. Bradford though was much better at getting the ball out quickly. His ability to see the field and make the best decision possible in 2 seconds made his time here a success, outside of injuries, which have plagued him his entire career.

Kirk has proven that he has very little — to zero — escapability and REALLY struggles to quickly go through reads before hastily landing on the right target while the pocket collapses around him. You can see some examples here.

Again, I want to be clear. We can win with Kirk Cousins. He is a good quarterback. He is better than Keenum and Bridgewater. The problem lies with how he fits this team. The fit is terrible because the offensive line is terrible. We can try to address that in the offseason. Until then, it’s up to new offensive coordinator, Kevin Stefanski, to scheme around his shit o-line.

Kirk isn’t going to awe us very often. Outside of his rocket-shooter right arm, he just doesn’t have it in him. But, if his coaching staff helps him out he can be successful.

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Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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