Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins showed his heart and was right when he tried to tackle a Cincinnati Bengals linebacker in Sunday’s game.
Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins was picked off by Vontaze Burfict on Sunday in the Week 3 preseason matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. That play resulted in a 62-yard return for a touchdown for the Bengals.
Before crossing into the end zone, Cousins tried to run down and tackle the Cincy linebacker. It sounds like a really, really bad idea — the highest-paid and most important player on the field trying to put himself in harm’s way. However, give Cousins an A for effort.
If you missed it, check out the play below:
🚨 PICK-6 ALERT 🚨@Bengals LB @King55Tez takes it 62 yards to the house! #CINvsWAS https://t.co/HG4ciyoC6N
— NFL (@NFL) August 27, 2017
Let me first say that Cousins has some wheels on him. It wasn’t the best of tackle attempts. Punters have done better. Then again, Cousins is the quarterback. Should we expect him to tackle?
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If he’s the last man in backfield, yes. At that point, he’s no different than a punter or a kicker. Someone has to stop that runner. According to CSN Mid-Atlantic’s Peter Hailey, Redskins head coach Jay Gruden supported the effort:
"“To let a guy score a touchdown on our home field is unacceptable so I’m happy he did that…That was the right move. He should do that.”"
I agree. Fans at FedEx Field would have lost it if Cousins had just stood there and watched the fiasco. What football player in his right mind wouldn’t try to stop the runner?
In a world where people are more concerned about how much they’re being paid, Cousins has heart. Give him some credit. He wasn’t thinking, “They’re not paying me enough for this.” He was trying to help his defense make a play on the guy. Anyone who thinks that’s wrong doesn’t understand the raw attributes of football.
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Was he going to bring down Burfict by himself? I doubt it, but he could slow him down. That was the play. If that doesn’t show that Kirk Cousins is all in for being a long-term quarterback, bring back Robert Griffin III.