Cousins: I am .500 QB, want wins for ‘subsequent degree’

EAGAN, Minn. — Making the soar from 12 months 1 to 12 months 2 of the Kirk Cousins period in Minnesota, Vikings coaches and front-office personnel have been adamant that statistics, irrespective of how spectacular they seem, will not lower it if they do not translate to wins and a shot at a postseason run.

This offseason, Vikings common supervisor Rick Spielman has talked about placing the items in place, from new coaches on the offensive employees to the gamers introduced in throughout free company and the draft, to assist Cousins take his sport to the “subsequent degree.”

What precisely does that imply to the quarterback?

“I feel the following degree, actually, is all about successful,” Cousins mentioned throughout necessary minicamp on Wednesday. “I am just about a .500 quarterback in my profession up to now and I do not suppose that is the place you need to be, and that is not why you might be introduced in or individuals or enthusiastic about you.

1 Associated

“If I do not play effectively, if I haven’t got gaudy statistics however we win a number of playoff video games this 12 months, the narrative will likely be I went to the following degree and I’ll not stroll off the sphere on a regular basis feeling like I did but when we win, that is the lifetime of a quarterback is you might be on the subsequent degree. If I’ve my finest 12 months but in 2018 however we’re Eight-Eight, I did not go to the following degree. That is the truth of it.”

The numbers Cousins put up in his first season with the Vikings fail to inform the complete story of a disappointing 12 months. Though the quarterback recorded the best completion proportion (70.13) in historical past amongst QBs who threw for greater than four,000 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in a season, Minnesota didn’t make the playoffs, stumbling to an Eight-7-1 end.

To Spielman, Cousins’ numbers won’t ever be the be-all, end-all of what he is judged on.

“If he throws for 1 yard and we get into the playoffs, that is all that issues,” Spielman mentioned in February.

Cousins was considered the lacking piece for a group with Tremendous Bowl expectations a 12 months in the past. Whereas the offense flexed its muscle groups with a top-10 passing assault and two 1,000-yard receivers, it sputtered at important instances, together with a Week 17 loss to Chicago that may have catapulted the Vikings into the playoffs for the primary time in consecutive seasons below coach Mike Zimmer.

The criticisms surrounding Cousins’ sport are rooted in his 32-30-2 file since turning into a full-time starter 4 seasons in the past in Washington and the truth that he has but to win a playoff sport. The important thing for the quarterback in altering the story whereas elevating his sport to the elusive “subsequent degree” is rooted extra in how he handles himself as a frontrunner, guiding his teammates because the Vikings set up their new system below offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski and assistant head coach/adviser Gary Kubiak that has been tailor-made to the QB’s strengths.

“I’ll do all I can, management what I can management and I feel one factor I can do past simply taking part in one of the best I can is to start out actually teaching and main different individuals in order that I can by no means stroll off the sphere saying, ‘Hey, I did my half however so-and-so did not,’ that may’t occur,” Cousins mentioned. “As a quarterback, you must be bringing others alongside in order that is not a degree you make on the finish of a follow or a sport. That is actually what it is all about.”

Minnesota has one closing follow session Thursday earlier than wrapping up minicamp and heading into the break earlier than coaching camp. Final 12 months right now, Cousins equated the quantity of knowledge overload whereas studying a brand new system to ingesting from a fireplace hose.

Having labored a full 12 months with most of the similar gamers he gained eight video games with final season, Cousins’ familiarity seems to be serving to him shortly get on the identical web page along with his teammates, particularly those he’ll be throwing to on Sundays.

“Having one 12 months below his belt round his teammates is a giant deal and there is a lot that goes into understanding the nuances of every one in every of your receivers and your tight ends and realizing how they arrive out of routes,” Stefanski mentioned. “That was one thing that we positively tried to hurry up the method final 12 months. There’s solely a lot you are able to do that. I feel it is actually useful that he walks out on this follow area and has a list of data of every of his receivers particularly.”

In 2019, Cousins will likely be judged not on his numbers but when he can lead his group again to the postseason for the primary time since Minnesota misplaced within the NFC Championship Sport two years in the past.

Doing so would require him executing his half throughout the offense extra successfully. That is the place his familiarity with Stefanski/Kubiak’s system might repay its greatest dividends.

“Terminology’s completely different,” Cousins mentioned. “We’re saying completely different phrases, however at instances calling the identical factor. It has been an evolution, so it is a transferring goal a bit bit. You possibly can’t take a snapshot of the 2012 Redskins offense and say it is so comparable, as a result of even performs that should be comparable have advanced as defenses have advanced, as offenses have discovered methods to do issues higher. After which I obtained in that system, if you wish to name it that, with Sean McVay in Washington, however then he is advanced that fairly a bit, once I watch by the TV at what he is doing with the Rams.

“So technically, is it the identical system? Sure. Are you doing the identical issues? Is the philosophy the identical? I do not know. It nonetheless appears to be like form of completely different to me, so there’s adjustments, there’s similarities. I am going to put it this manner: I could not simply exit the follow with out trying on the playbook, with out notes. I would not be capable of do a lot. It is new sufficient that I’ve actually obtained to go over issues and ensure I perceive it by way of the route depths and the snap counts and the ideas, as a result of it’s completely different.”