J. Kapp 11 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 26, 2022 12:13 pm
Man, the temperature in the VMB house goes up about 30 degrees whenever Kirk Cousins is the center of conversation.
I will try to be level-headed here and go back to what I said earlier.
We've argued for four years about what kind of quarterback Kirk Cousins is. But hopefully everyone agrees that he has areas he could improve upon. I mean, Tom Brady has areas he could improve upon, so certainly Cousins does.
So ... IF Kirk Cousins is going to make a leap, IF he's going to become a Tier 1 quarterback (fully recognizing that some people feel he already is), THIS is his best chance.
Why? Because virtually all the things that his supporters say have held him back are gone.
• He wasn't wanted in Washington, at least not by ownership. Since the Vikings just extended Cousins, I'd say they want him.
• Mike Zimmer, whom Ben Leber says hated him, is gone, replaced by a coach who apparently loves him.
• His head coach is a sharp offensive mind and a former quarterback who will work closely with Cousins.
• His OC, Wes Phillips, is also regarded as an up-and-coming offensive mind.
• His offensive line, while not as good as he had in Washington, should be improved.
• He's got weapons galore at the skill positions — including guys like Nwangwu, Smith-Marsette, Nailor, and Chandler, guys we don't know much about, but who have the talent to break through.
• He's supported by one of the best running backs in the game.
Excellent post. Its rare I agree with almost every single line.
Given all the advantages Cousins has going into 2022, he SHOULD have the best season of his career. If he doesn't, then IMO even Cousins' most ardent supporters will have to admit that maybe it's not everybody else's fault.
However, that does NOT mean the Vikings are going to make a deep playoff run. There are still a ton of question marks for this team, especially on defense. But barring a slew of injuries, the offense shouldn't be the biggest issue. If the offense struggles, I'd say the chances of Cousins getting extended again are pretty slim.