Kirk Cousins had a bad day last Sunday, failing to sustain drives and throwing 3 4th quarter interceptions to put the dagger in what was easily a winnable game. Because most NFL fans are short sighted and stupid to apply a hair of logic to a situation I have to write this article to say this: if you believe Colt McCoy is the answer at quarterback until RG3 gets back you are an idiot. Plain and simple.
If the Cleveland Browns, a franchise just as inept as Washington has been over the past decade, releases you after 3 years you are not starting quarterback material. He hasn't played a full season of NFL football in the five years he's been in the league. The most was 13 games in 2011 where he threw for 14 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Not only is McCoy skilled at turning the ball over, he's also been historically terrible at actually generating points. In terms of third string quarterbacks, he's pretty good. Maybe he could come off the bench one day and win you a game, but he isn't a starter. He's had a chance to prove it and he lost it. Both McCoy and Cousins have a good relationship with interceptions and fumbles but at least Cousins also flirts with touchdowns here and there.
Kirk Cousins has shown that he isn't clutch. Aside from the Ravens and Browns game in 2012 Cousins has simply been unable to get the job done. He went 0-3 as a starter in 2013 and he's 0-4 as a starter this year. He puts up gaudy passing numbers but always accompanies them with something that makes us question whether he's really that good. Against Philadelphia he threw a key interception and when he had a chance to redeem himself he threw three straight incompletions to end the game. Against the Giants he destroyed any chance of a comeback with 5 turnovers. Against Seattle he played okay but couldn't move the ball on several chances given to him by the defense. Against Arizona he had a total meltdown with 3 fourth quarter interceptions to end the game.
In my expert opinion as an ex-junior varsity-benchwarmer-quarterback Cousins lacks the mental focus to be a winner. There are three mental elements required to be a successful quarterback:
1. The complete understanding of the offense to where you aren't thinking but rather naturally reacting to what you get from the defense.
2. The ability to shake-off a bad play and throw like it never happened.
3. The ability to ignore high pressure situations and play as if it's any other drive.
In my opinion Cousins has number 1 but lacks either 2, 3 or possibly both. When he messes up he compounds it 100 times more instead of moving on. The "damn I just let my team down with an interception" feeling stays in his mind well after he throws an interception and messes with his ability to naturally read and react to the defense. This results in some pretty ugly looking interceptions at the worst possible times. This has never been a problem with RG3.
This is a fix-able problem and it only gets fixed with experience. He shows great potential, especially for a 4th round pick. With 10 touchdowns in only 5 games he'd be on pace for 32 in a full season, which would be good for #4 in the NFL last year. He needs to get over the mental hurdles and once he does that he will easily be one of the better quarterbacks in the league. Unlike McCoy, Cousins actually shows some ability as a upper-level quarterback who can move the ball well.
Quarterbacks used to develop for years before being thrust into starting duty. Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton & 2012 RG3 are all exceptional athletes who've raised expectations to unreal levels. Alex Smith was a late bloomer and there's nothing saying Cousins won't figure out how to shake off the bad plays. Will he? I have no idea but I sure hope he does. Until then however, he should still be the undisputed starter until RG3 comes back.
If the Cleveland Browns, a franchise just as inept as Washington has been over the past decade, releases you after 3 years you are not starting quarterback material. He hasn't played a full season of NFL football in the five years he's been in the league. The most was 13 games in 2011 where he threw for 14 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Not only is McCoy skilled at turning the ball over, he's also been historically terrible at actually generating points. In terms of third string quarterbacks, he's pretty good. Maybe he could come off the bench one day and win you a game, but he isn't a starter. He's had a chance to prove it and he lost it. Both McCoy and Cousins have a good relationship with interceptions and fumbles but at least Cousins also flirts with touchdowns here and there.
Kirk Cousins has shown that he isn't clutch. Aside from the Ravens and Browns game in 2012 Cousins has simply been unable to get the job done. He went 0-3 as a starter in 2013 and he's 0-4 as a starter this year. He puts up gaudy passing numbers but always accompanies them with something that makes us question whether he's really that good. Against Philadelphia he threw a key interception and when he had a chance to redeem himself he threw three straight incompletions to end the game. Against the Giants he destroyed any chance of a comeback with 5 turnovers. Against Seattle he played okay but couldn't move the ball on several chances given to him by the defense. Against Arizona he had a total meltdown with 3 fourth quarter interceptions to end the game.
In my expert opinion as an ex-junior varsity-benchwarmer-quarterback Cousins lacks the mental focus to be a winner. There are three mental elements required to be a successful quarterback:
1. The complete understanding of the offense to where you aren't thinking but rather naturally reacting to what you get from the defense.
2. The ability to shake-off a bad play and throw like it never happened.
3. The ability to ignore high pressure situations and play as if it's any other drive.
In my opinion Cousins has number 1 but lacks either 2, 3 or possibly both. When he messes up he compounds it 100 times more instead of moving on. The "damn I just let my team down with an interception" feeling stays in his mind well after he throws an interception and messes with his ability to naturally read and react to the defense. This results in some pretty ugly looking interceptions at the worst possible times. This has never been a problem with RG3.
This is a fix-able problem and it only gets fixed with experience. He shows great potential, especially for a 4th round pick. With 10 touchdowns in only 5 games he'd be on pace for 32 in a full season, which would be good for #4 in the NFL last year. He needs to get over the mental hurdles and once he does that he will easily be one of the better quarterbacks in the league. Unlike McCoy, Cousins actually shows some ability as a upper-level quarterback who can move the ball well.
Quarterbacks used to develop for years before being thrust into starting duty. Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton & 2012 RG3 are all exceptional athletes who've raised expectations to unreal levels. Alex Smith was a late bloomer and there's nothing saying Cousins won't figure out how to shake off the bad plays. Will he? I have no idea but I sure hope he does. Until then however, he should still be the undisputed starter until RG3 comes back.
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