Sep 14, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) warms up before the game between the Washington Redskins and the Jacksonville Jaguars at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
By everything we can tell about Kirk Cousins, he is a great guy. He has every intangible anyone could possibly ask for. He is a humble, hard worker, eloquent, all around great guy. He is the type of guy that you would proudly let your daughter date. Hell, I might even let him date my wife. If you need further evidence, just check out this video from his speech at the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon. But when it comes to playing quarterback, intangibles can only take you so far. Kirk Cousins, unfortunately, isn’t very good at being an NFL Quarterback.
On Sunday, Robert Griffin III got injured, and Kirk Cousins proceeded to complete his first eight passes while leading the team to three touchdown drives. That is very good, but it does not mean that Kirk Cousins is very good. There are two key factors that Kirk Cousins will struggle to overcome.
First off, his next opponents are Eagles, Giants, Seahawks, and Cardinals. It will be much more difficult to look good during that stretch than it was to come in as the backup in the Jaguars game. I actually like where the Jaguars are headed, but they are still likely a few years away from getting there, as it is a team with plenty of holes on both sides of the ball. Facing the Eagles
More importantly, his mechanics, and therefore, his accuracy, are very inconsistent. It was something that he struggled with in college as some games he could hit receivers and other games, he would miss passes short, long, and every other way imaginable. He consistently throws off his back foot and fails to square his shoulders when his pocket starts to shrink. In these situations, he fails to recognize coverages and throws into traffic frequently. He was able to tear up poor defenses, as his arm is good enough to beat teams, but when he faces good teams and is put under pressure, his game goes downhill. Without the ability to step up in the pocket and deliver accurate throws downfield, there is no way that he can consistently have success in the NFL.
In the grand scheme of things, Kirk Cousins is a very good quarterback. He is better than 99% of people who have ever played quarterback. He started at a major Division I college and got drafted in the middle rounds of the NFL Draft. I have seen him make elite throws. He has the talent to make defenses pay if he has time in the pocket and isn’t forced to play from behind. I have no doubt that he will have some good games this year. Everything he has already accomplished is very impressive. Despite all that, he has not shown the skills necessary to be a successful NFL quarterback. Those players are incredible, and by comparison, Kirk Cousins isn’t very good.