Seeing some of the fire Kirk Cousins emitted has some media members questioning their outlook on the 34-year-old quarterback. On NFL Network, they asked the question: Has the narrative on Kirk Cousins changed after the ‘Quarterback’ docuseries? NFL Network’s Steve Wyche took this opportunity to provide fans a look into the Minnesota locker room after training camp practice on Thursday.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins addressed teammates and coaches Thursday. From what I was told, he further emboldened trust and respect after his “riveting” presentation. pic.twitter.com/7adoN38S5T
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) July 29, 2023
According to Wyche, a player and a coach told him that after practice on Thursday, Cousins “addressed the team” with “30 minutes of riveting conversation.”
Wyche says Kirk “bared his soul like he did in the ‘Quarterback’ series.” He discussed his journey as a backup quarterback in Washington and the dedication necessary for him to get better over the years. Doing things such as “lift[ing] weights on a certain day or drinking a certain amount of water.”
If you haven’t yet, I advise you to watch the “Quarterback” series on Netflix if you have the means/time to do so. It is a deep dive into the world of an NFL quarterback that NFL fans have not seen before. As a Minnesota Vikings fan, there is extra motivation as Cousins was one of the three featured signal-callers in the show.
The journey Kirk and the Vikings took to their improbable 13-4 record last season was remarkable. The pain in every grunt after a crunching hit to the ribs. The jubilation on the sideline when the final whistle sounded after a hard win. Cousins hung tough and led his team to victory after victory.
Cousins discussed how backup quarterback Nick Mullins helped him with Kevin O’Connell’s playbook and the long-winded terminology that followed. Mullins told Kirk to “record the play-call into your phone and then when you’re riding in your call, play back that play-call.” Cousins retold this story to the rest of the team. The selflessness that Mullins showed “are the types of things that this team needs to succeed.”
Wyche goes on to re-iterate how it was “absolutely riveting that Kirk Cousins, one of the oldest guys on the team, was touching guys that just came into the league with this message to where they were like ‘This is our leader.'”
Kirk Cousins has led this Minnesota Vikings team for five years, and the narrative has been the same. Cousins will do just enough to get you to the playoffs but will fold when the lights are brightest. He is the epitome of an average NFL quarterback. He can’t win the big one.
With a crucial 12th year looming, Cousins has to show that these narratives are false. If not, he may find himself out of Minnesota despite all the positive acclaim from the Netflix series.
With stories like this, he’s off to a great start.
