Quick Fix
That is something head coach John Fox is no doubt pushing for. His quick turnarounds with previous teams like Carolina and Denver weren’t sparked by developing young quarterbacks. They came after landing a quality veteran like Jake Delhomme or Peyton Manning. After going 9-23 in his first two years, Fox no longer has the luxury of time or patience from fans.
They expect to see progress in 2017. The only way he can have any true hope of guaranteeing that is with a quality, experienced player under center. Kirk Cousins fits the bill more than anybody. At 28-years old he’s entering his prime. After two years starting he’s used to NFL speed but still has enough time left for GM Ryan Pace to build a proper team around him.
Tiki Barber, the former All-Pro running back and current media personality, explained why Cousins is an attractive option. Even more so than former MVP Cam Newton.
“Kirk Cousins is actually the more viable option, because Kirk Cousins will sit in the pocket and find his guy and read a defense and know pre-snap where he’s going to go with the ball, and if something breaks down, then he finds his checkdown back. Those two guys who they had in Washington were fantastic in giving him support in that role, so yeah, of course you take Kirk Cousins over Cam Newton, even though Cam Newton was the MVP.
With Cam Newton, you get an MVP season one year and then the next year you get what the hell we saw in 2016. And what do you want? I’m not sure I want that roller-coaster. I’ve seen that roller-coaster — not with one guy, but with multiple guys over the course of my career. … With Cam Newton, you’re getting year-to-year volatility. With Kirk Cousins, you haven’t had that. It’s been pretty consistent.”
So why would he even consider coming here?
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Simple. He was born here. Cousins is a native of Barrington, Illinois. A quaint town just 50 miles outside of Chicago. Even after moving to Holland, Michigan for high school he was within a three-hour drive of downtown. The guy is has the Midwest in his blood. He’s never lost a game playing in the state of Illinois. He beat Northwestern twice in college and has topped the Bears twice at Soldier Field.
If the Redskins believe they won’t be able to hang onto him beyond 2017, and signs are growing that will be the case, why not try to make a play for him? In many ways Cousins represents the best of the Romo and Garoppolo worlds. He’s an Illinois native who still has a bright future ahead of him. At the same time he’s seasoned and has Pro Bowl success in his background.
