Cousins is no Brady. Brady was the exception, not the rule, winning a super bowl against Mahomes in the modern era as a non-mobile, old, pocket passing QB. Brady could do it because he's Brady. He didn't need to scramble, because he always knew how to get into the right play, has seen every defense known to man, and has unreal IQ and knows how to manage games and situations perfectly. I don't really think you're gonna see that again in the modern day. Even older active QBs in the league right now, like Stafford, can get outside the pocket and move a bit whether it's on scrambles or play action boots, etc. Goff can do it some as well, even though he's more of a pocket passer. I mean look at Rodgers. He's old, he's not nearly as mobile as he was before the injury, he doesn't have the bounce in the pocket that he always used to have, he has two of the most insane receivers in the league in Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson, they have an outstanding young RB in Breece Hall, he has his handpicked offensive coordinator that he has extensive history with anddddd... they're terrible and Rodgers looks terrible, missing throws he'd never miss in the past and he cannot really evade pressure anymore, nor can he create off-script like he used to be SO deadly at doing for all of his career basically. Cousins is finished really. It's not like he doesn't have talent, he has talent in the receiver room, Bijan Robinson is an incredible back who is young and hungry to make a name for himself, Kirk doesn't have a whole lot of excuses, just like Aaron.
It’s only 2 years guaranteed for basically the same annually as Daniel Jones. It was a gamble, it’s not paying off. Thankfully they also planned ahead and got Penix. This was always a bridge QB deal.
Hindsight is 20/20 dude.. Cousins was the clear mvp favorite and was playing the best ball of his life before the injury.. and Cousins has been a consistent solid QB for about a decade.. The Falcons paid him based on that production.. Kirk has still played some great ball this season for example throwing for 509 yards 4 TDs, 1 INT on 72.4% against Tampa.. so he’s shown what he can do which is worth the money.. the problem is he’s been extremely inconsistent because the injury is still clearly limiting him.. No one knew how this injury was going to affect Cousins.. hence why the Falcons also drafted Penix as insurance..
He’s getting taught how to read film, how to talk NFL ball, how to handle the media, how to handle body conditioning, etc. Kirk isn’t playing well at all, but there’s plenty of off the field knowledge he can learn from Kirk Cousins. That man hasn’t been in the NFL for 13 years for nothing.
KOC had Kirk playing probably the best football of his entire career right before he got injured. But now, there are two main problems. He's not 100% healthy, and the other problem that is not fixable is..... he doesn't have KOC anymore.
Kurt I agree with you that Cousins isnt the guy and the Falcons paid the wrong guy but it is kind of funny that you’re criticizing him throughout the video and for the most part he is making the right throws. Im not trying to defend him but if theres any games you can trash him on it would be the Chargers game imo. Outside of the 2 picks and a handful of missed throws he had his best game of this 4 game stinker stretch against arguably a top 3 defense in the league rn.
@@ssponjosito the Vikings 'D' was giving him all the underneath stuff and the flat routes to the sideline. The only deep shot he took was to McCloud as the Falcons were going after replacement Vikings CB Shaq Griffith. Who was starting in place of injured starter Stefon Gilmore.
Kurt is on the money about Kirk being off his game 🎯....I don't know what's going on BUT as a Falcons fan, we need a change in something AND FAST....we've been through enough the past 7 seasons 💯....ON TOP of the 16'-17' Superbowl loss....if you're still here like myself after all of that YOU ARE A TRUE FAN OF THE LOGO
The pass to Pitts in the crossing route you were unsure if it hit his hands and was on his back shoulder, was Pitts fault for taking his eyes of the ball before he secured the catch. It did hit him in the hands. That one was not Cousins' fault.
I completely agree with you, but i can also see the reasoning behind not benching a guy you paid 180 mil after 4 bad games. I just don’t know at what point morris is gonna simply take the hit and try something different. Kirk is simply untrustworthy and unstartable.
Some people are going to start feeling resentment in the locker room because they feel the team is being held back due to politics. If Penix is ready, I’m sure several players secretly ready to play with him. That alone could probably give us like a 2 game boost in wins.
I feel your pain watching this… they’re just doing the brain dead approach of “oh I’m gonna let my rookie qb sit back and learn” but what is penix actually learning here at this point… just let him play.
That approach is not brain dead on its own. But if you have somebody like Alex smith, russel Wilson rn etc that are playing well. Right now, Kirk is selling and Penix has had at least some time to figure things out. It makes sense to make the switch
they study this film even harder than this during the week i’m sure penix is at least learning where kirk is falling short and working together to improve
Bro you should be an analyst for a network, an advisor for a team, or a coach. Your expertise within this makes 100 percent sense. I knew from the get go when they signed him they would end up regretting it. No offense to Falcons fans. But honestly you’re really good at this. Love your content! 👊
The problem is when a GM makes a move to pay a lot on a free agent player they won’t bench that player. They won’t bench him this year until the last game of the season. Watch
I just can't anymore. Falcon fan here. What is the point of letting a veteran QB throw interceptions over the Rookie? Might as well let the Rookie try try to figure this out. We owe nothing to Kirk. He will get his bag. The loyalty will bring Raheem down too. Raheem needs to clean this team up. Too many mistakes.
It would be different if Kirk was playing well. I don’t hate their approach, but I do hate that they won’t admit it’s failed. The falcons offense isn’t some bottom 5 unit that penix is gonna walk into you have weapons all over, a good line, let him RIP. This isn’t the panthers team Bryce walked into this is a team you can win the division with and Penix cieling can elevate weapons. Especially guys like Mooney.
Kirk usually has plenty of time to throw and still makes these questionable decisions. The o-line is good and Bijan sets some great blocks as a RB as well. He also refuses to throw the ball away. Just no excuses for this kind of play.
The o line is mediocre at best. How many penalties did they commit? Also imagine having a ‘unicorn’ TE/receiver that can’t block, catch, or break tackles. This is not a 1 vs 1 sport. Any QB will perform the same under this line with a TE that has no heart. Watch 4 min mark and tell us the line is good. The only thing wrong with the QB is his contract which locks up the roster flexibility. The boneheaded higher ups have no excuses
He was doing really well last year before the injury so you'd usually give a guy like that a year of grace, just look at Russell Wilson. Penix waiting makes it tough but I'd imagine Aaron Rodgers would be in this same situation if he was on the falcons.
What’s up man!!! Everything you are saying is spot on!!! I might be fanboying right now but I was super bummed when you left the Falcons… I watched you at the Falcons training camp your rookie year and thought you were the future… Live your content… Keep up the good work!!!
@@lavs8696yep. This is literally it. I can’t believe this narrative is around that “the Vikings knew” bro they were literally about to do EXACTLY what Atlanta did but with JJ McCarthy. It was 100% smarter to do a 1 year deal but they were gonna pay the guy too.
Kwesi Adofo Mensah made the decision to move on from Cousins because in the NFC Wildcard game vs the Giants, he saw firsthand what the Vikings ceiling was with Kirk in the playoffs. Would not give Cousins another extension that off-season, and converted his roster bonus to a signing bonus to lessen his cap hit. After that i knew that he was finished in MN after '23. I don't have anything personal against Cousins, he's a good football player and a better person. But also somone who wanted no part of the "big moment" when it arrived. '4th and 8' was hard proof of that.
They won't cut him. They will bench him and he will demand a release. They won't release him and fine him until him and his agent find a trade destination that will take some money
Haven't watched barely a lick of Falcons tape this season other than this video. But how much of this could be related to his Achilles injury from last year? It's barely been 12 months since the injury, and he's 36 already to boot. We know guys come back faster and faster from these types of major injuries, but sometimes it still takes a "get right" year especially for somebody as old as Kirk. This tape reminds me of early 2023 Burrow, with the calf injury that wasn't fully healed. Total lack of mobility, lack of zip on passes downfield, etc. And you are spot on - if you can't be mobile you have to be perfect with your reads, timing, and accuracy. Lack of mobility removes margin for error in play design, and it's clear from the tape that Kirk isn't capable of overcoming a bad play. He just doubles down on the bad with those "fuck it" throws.
Kirk has played bad. He actually cost them a win. But he's not the main problem. Look at the trash on defense. #20 and #21. They have zero ball awareness.
No movement or creativity in the pocket when things break down. Evident with the amount of balls that were batted down and the double pump throws that turn into picks. If he had the ability to pull the ball down and make an athletic move out of the pocket more plays could be created. Our receivers quit after they run their routes and the ball doesn’t come out. If they knew he could make a move out of the pocket then the receivers would continue to create on the back end. Trained responses by the receivers!!!
Watched Kirk for years with the Vikings. He’s never been mobile and he’s always needed help, but he was at least a guy who would make smart plays, could get rolling, and was able to move around in the pocket a little. You could put him on a nice rollout to buy him time and get him comfortable. His feet were good. With his leg now he’s just bolted to the ground back there, he can’t even shift his weight around right, it’s bad. And he’s in his head bad on top of it. But the Achilles has really been it for him.
i agree with everything you said in this, but yea at 11:53, that pass to Pitts was a drop, they showed the slowmo replay, and it hit him right in the hands, as he was turning his head, the DB did even touch him, so that was on Pitts, but Cousins has been off on throws all year, I thought it would get better throughout the season as he gets more game reps with the WRs but they are somehow getting worse, a lot of low throws i have seen
Raheem Morris will never see the playoffs as a head coach. "He played better than last game" as a response to reporters in the postgame interview about Cousins is wild.
That's zero pressure play made me lose my shit. Everybody on the planet knows Vikings bring zero pressure. You know you're hot let it go. Check down, throw away, something
One of the other things worth pointing out for the falcons is how predictable they are. I'm not sure if it's because of Kirk's limitations but just in this game they pass 35/36 times out of shotgun and run the ball 13/17 under center and 16/17 from the pistol.
The only stat you need is Jared Goff has 47 rush yards this season and is an MVP candidate, it’s not about scrambling, it’s Goffs decision making, timing and accuracy. Kirk is just playing unacceptably bad football.
He threw 5 picks in 1 game and WON... obviously more talent and better coached team... he also has several games with under 150 yards.. cherry picking stats much?
@ Not really bro, with the exception of that game , when Goff drops back he gets that completion when necessary, you can’t tell me that Kirk isn’t surrounded by a comparable talent pool with the likes of London, Mooney, Bijan and Pitts. Call it cherry picking stats if you want, but I would say looking at one single bad game in a season of Goff playing some of his best ball is a direct contradiction. Cousins has had 50+ more passing attempts than Goff, but only 16 more completions and 100 more yards, how do you explain that inefficiency? How do you explain Goff being sacked 23 times with 10 INTs and Cousins being sacked 25 times with 15 INTs with 50+ more passing attempts if Cousins isn’t just saying “F it” and throwing it anywhere downfield to avoid the sack? You want the stats there you go.
I literally have him in fantasy n showed up when needed mid season, but now I’m paying the price for drafting him 😢 had high hopes, now crying while watching this.
Yeah, as a Falcons fan it's been rough. It's not even the fact he throwing the interceptions, it's they are horrible decisions. I'm still got hope he can decide to not throw ducks. At least one more game. Haha
Kirk Cousins has always been a B+ NFL starting quarterback. If you have an otherwise-overwhelming team, you can win a championship with Cousins. If not, then forget about getting past the second round of the playoffs. Cousins has never had the talent to carry a team, and now in his mid-30's, post injured hamstring, he's got even less physically to offer. Enter Michael Penix. Here's a guy with a legitimate gun for an arm, like a lefty Matt Stafford. Penix is very mobile, but he's also disciplined, so when he scrambles, he keeps looking downfield, and he can hit targets deep. Of all the high-potential QB prospects from the 2024 draft, Penix was considered the most ready to start immediately. Now that he has seen veteran Cousins preparing for over half a season of starts, Penix is ready to take over. It's simple: Forget the money. If Falcons fans want to have fun watching football, get Cousins out of there and replace him with Penix.
I’m sorry anytime Pitts is lined up outside he should be read 1 no matter what, at 4:50(possibly) and 5:20 that’s 2 TDs missed, he’s being used so incorrectly it’s horrible to watch he 100% has to make those contested catches gotta capitalize on every opportunity given even if it isn’t the best
I’m with you my guy….Kirk is cooked….the front office don’t want to say we made a mistake by paying him all this money to have him on the bench even though Michael Penix Jr can clearly do what he’s done and more….
Not sure whether he gets lazy, the toll of playing football for 2 months makes him lose focus or something else but Kirk’s play has always declined after October. This season it’s worse than I’ve ever seen but it was so frustrating to watch him play down the stretch when he was in Minnesota.
receiver was late to the hash. They're developing a rookie who will struggle at some point too. They need to show Cousins loyalty during these times the same way they will show Penix. Look at Stroud this year versus last year.
at the 5:24 mark, why is he not immediately throwing a high back shoulder fade to Pitts? He gets separation in man cover and the safety shouldn't be able to arrive in time before that throw would. It even looks like that is his first read and he moves on immediately despite Pitts getting space off the line
Kurt, I'm pretty sure the elephant in my room is different than the one in yours.. Mine may have spent some time in Atlanta, but it's not _from_ there.
The best guy should be starting period, there’s no if’s ands or buts about it. It’s coaching malpractice to sit the best chance you’ve got a at legitimate playoff run.
I think the falcons are trying to do what the packers have been doing for years, benching the rookie and letting to old guys play so the young guys can learn from him, but it’s not like that for the falcons, it’s not that Kirk is bad, it’s just that he is not Aaron Rodger’s and Brett farve. I don’t think the falcons realize it though.
I agree with a lot of this but the amount of times you had to debate whether Pitts, the supposed unicorn, was at fault should be pointed out too. An elite player has to make those catches. Chase is making those catches. Kyle Pitts is not it and the excuses have to stop. That was disaster of a pick given all the elite players taken right after him...
Kirk has had one of the worst months of football I've ever seen
And just 4 weeks ago i was feeling pretty good about where we were as a team.
@@gunerz3146 it was october
We need to get my boy Benkert on ESPN to analyze football on a big touchscreen
Shoot, at this point, might as well put him in instead of Kirk. 😅
Cousins is no Brady. Brady was the exception, not the rule, winning a super bowl against Mahomes in the modern era as a non-mobile, old, pocket passing QB. Brady could do it because he's Brady. He didn't need to scramble, because he always knew how to get into the right play, has seen every defense known to man, and has unreal IQ and knows how to manage games and situations perfectly.
I don't really think you're gonna see that again in the modern day. Even older active QBs in the league right now, like Stafford, can get outside the pocket and move a bit whether it's on scrambles or play action boots, etc. Goff can do it some as well, even though he's more of a pocket passer. I mean look at Rodgers. He's old, he's not nearly as mobile as he was before the injury, he doesn't have the bounce in the pocket that he always used to have, he has two of the most insane receivers in the league in Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson, they have an outstanding young RB in Breece Hall, he has his handpicked offensive coordinator that he has extensive history with anddddd... they're terrible and Rodgers looks terrible, missing throws he'd never miss in the past and he cannot really evade pressure anymore, nor can he create off-script like he used to be SO deadly at doing for all of his career basically.
Cousins is finished really. It's not like he doesn't have talent, he has talent in the receiver room, Bijan Robinson is an incredible back who is young and hungry to make a name for himself, Kirk doesn't have a whole lot of excuses, just like Aaron.
Falcons should be charged with malpractice for giving Cousins that 4 year deal.
It’s only 2 years guaranteed for basically the same annually as Daniel Jones. It was a gamble, it’s not paying off. Thankfully they also planned ahead and got Penix. This was always a bridge QB deal.
@JustAGuyOutHere Its a 4 year contract. He will be on the cap 4 years.
Hindsight is 20/20 dude.. Cousins was the clear mvp favorite and was playing the best ball of his life before the injury.. and Cousins has been a consistent solid QB for about a decade.. The Falcons paid him based on that production.. Kirk has still played some great ball this season for example throwing for 509 yards 4 TDs, 1 INT on 72.4% against Tampa.. so he’s shown what he can do which is worth the money.. the problem is he’s been extremely inconsistent because the injury is still clearly limiting him.. No one knew how this injury was going to affect Cousins.. hence why the Falcons also drafted Penix as insurance..
As a Vikings fan.... I know your pain
@@HalseyHFWno he won’t 90 million over the first 2 years and only 10 million year 3
The best thing about Falcons tape is watching Bijan pickup the blitz
It’s actually upsetting to me, they should have Bijan releasing more for checkdowns, he should have had 7 receptions for like 63 yards this game
How is penix suppose to learn from a guy that’s thrown 8 INTs and 0 TDS in the last four games… bros on a paid vacation pretty much right now
By doing the exact opposite of what he's seeing
“Ok so Kirk did this. Let me NOT do that.” 😂
He's going to Learn Not Too 😂
He’s getting taught how to read film, how to talk NFL ball, how to handle the media, how to handle body conditioning, etc. Kirk isn’t playing well at all, but there’s plenty of off the field knowledge he can learn from Kirk Cousins. That man hasn’t been in the NFL for 13 years for nothing.
Learning what not to do I guess 🤷🏿♂️😅
As a Falcons fan, this was cathartic to watch lol so for that, I thank you.
Love seeing a former ATL QB being honest about the current situation. Great video, great take Kurt!
🤝
KOC had Kirk playing probably the best football of his entire career right before he got injured. But now, there are two main problems. He's not 100% healthy, and the other problem that is not fixable is..... he doesn't have KOC anymore.
Hella wild to clown Cousins for 2 picks then try to prop up Jordan Love like he didn't throw 3 picks against that defense.
He’s lucky he didn’t throw 4. Van Ginkel almost had another pick 6.
Kurt I agree with you that Cousins isnt the guy and the Falcons paid the wrong guy but it is kind of funny that you’re criticizing him throughout the video and for the most part he is making the right throws. Im not trying to defend him but if theres any games you can trash him on it would be the Chargers game imo. Outside of the 2 picks and a handful of missed throws he had his best game of this 4 game stinker stretch against arguably a top 3 defense in the league rn.
@@ssponjosito the Vikings 'D' was giving him all the underneath stuff and the flat routes to the sideline. The only deep shot he took was to McCloud as the Falcons were going after replacement Vikings CB Shaq Griffith. Who was starting in place of injured starter Stefon Gilmore.
Kurt is on the money about Kirk being off his game 🎯....I don't know what's going on BUT as a Falcons fan, we need a change in something AND FAST....we've been through enough the past 7 seasons 💯....ON TOP of the 16'-17' Superbowl loss....if you're still here like myself after all of that YOU ARE A TRUE FAN OF THE LOGO
The pass to Pitts in the crossing route you were unsure if it hit his hands and was on his back shoulder, was Pitts fault for taking his eyes of the ball before he secured the catch. It did hit him in the hands. That one was not Cousins' fault.
Pitts should have caught that, but was still a bad ball because it wasn’t in front of him
I completely agree with you, but i can also see the reasoning behind not benching a guy you paid 180 mil after 4 bad games. I just don’t know at what point morris is gonna simply take the hit and try something different. Kirk is simply untrustworthy and unstartable.
Some people are going to start feeling resentment in the locker room because they feel the team is being held back due to politics. If Penix is ready, I’m sure several players secretly ready to play with him. That alone could probably give us like a 2 game boost in wins.
Now do Darnolds 5 TD film as a palate cleanser.
Talking heads dont like the vikings 😂 Skol
4 of them against blown coverages against the worst corner in the league, congrats!
Great analysis, just found your channel. I've never wanted the Penix as bad as I do now. Good luck with NBC!
I feel your pain watching this… they’re just doing the brain dead approach of “oh I’m gonna let my rookie qb sit back and learn” but what is penix actually learning here at this point… just let him play.
He is also learning form thr defenses. I’m a Kirk hater but the stats show qbs do better after sitting one year
That approach is not brain dead on its own. But if you have somebody like Alex smith, russel Wilson rn etc that are playing well. Right now, Kirk is selling and Penix has had at least some time to figure things out. It makes sense to make the switch
@@umeeerrr-u4dconsidering old nfl schedules he sat over a year by now
That isn’t all rookies learn from, just putting him out there if he isn’t ready is just as brain dead
they study this film even harder than this during the week i’m sure penix is at least learning where kirk is falling short and working together to improve
As a vikings fans, thank you, Falcons, for taking him off our hands 😂
Penix pls! He needs the job.
Would love a Stafford breakdown from the Bills game. Shameless Rams fan here 😅 Keep up the content for us football nerds 💪🏾
He’s one of my favorite
Bro you should be an analyst for a network, an advisor for a team, or a coach. Your expertise within this makes 100 percent sense. I knew from the get go when they signed him they would end up regretting it. No offense to Falcons fans. But honestly you’re really good at this. Love your content! 👊
New here, Good take brother 40 mil to give f it passes is unacceptable, you my friend have a new Subscriber..
The problem is when a GM makes a move to pay a lot on a free agent player they won’t bench that player. They won’t bench him this year until the last game of the season. Watch
I’m a falcons fan and agree with everything your saying. You see the field in a unique way
Y’all don’t know he was a pro Qb?
Mobility is a big piece that most teams have that we dont. And that’s a big piece.
I just can't anymore. Falcon fan here. What is the point of letting a veteran QB throw interceptions over the Rookie? Might as well let the Rookie try try to figure this out. We owe nothing to Kirk. He will get his bag. The loyalty will bring Raheem down too. Raheem needs to clean this team up. Too many mistakes.
Love it man, I fully agree! When Penix does get a start I hope you do one on him.
Come back Kurt :(. We fans always liked you
7:18 Bijan blows sh*t up 😂😂
It would be different if Kirk was playing well. I don’t hate their approach, but I do hate that they won’t admit it’s failed. The falcons offense isn’t some bottom 5 unit that penix is gonna walk into you have weapons all over, a good line, let him RIP. This isn’t the panthers team Bryce walked into this is a team you can win the division with and Penix cieling can elevate weapons. Especially guys like Mooney.
He’s a deep ball specialist, Mooney would essentially become WR1 with Penix and would probably hit 1,200 yards on the season.
Kirk usually has plenty of time to throw and still makes these questionable decisions. The o-line is good and Bijan sets some great blocks as a RB as well. He also refuses to throw the ball away. Just no excuses for this kind of play.
The o line is mediocre at best. How many penalties did they commit? Also imagine having a ‘unicorn’ TE/receiver that can’t block, catch, or break tackles. This is not a 1 vs 1 sport. Any QB will perform the same under this line with a TE that has no heart. Watch 4 min mark and tell us the line is good. The only thing wrong with the QB is his contract which locks up the roster flexibility. The boneheaded higher ups have no excuses
He can’t throw the ball away because he’s a statue in the pocket, that’s the issue
@@Halopunk90the offensive line had 4 players graded over 70 in this game. They are good. Kirk is just a sitting duck.
@@Halopunk90the o line isn't the problem my guy😂😂
Granted our line can be a lil inconsistent at times but we honestly have one of the best lines in the league, both passing and rushing.
My fault falcons fans i decided to trade for Kirk in fantasy and he has now not scored since I did this😅
Damn jack Jack get ya mans he selling us since you lucked him up 🤣
He was doing really well last year before the injury so you'd usually give a guy like that a year of grace, just look at Russell Wilson. Penix waiting makes it tough but I'd imagine Aaron Rodgers would be in this same situation if he was on the falcons.
As a Falcons fan, you are very accurate my guy 🎯
What’s up man!!! Everything you are saying is spot on!!! I might be fanboying right now but I was super bummed when you left the Falcons… I watched you at the Falcons training camp your rookie year and thought you were the future… Live your content… Keep up the good work!!!
Damn! He told nothing but the truth!!!
how do i identify the Mic linebacker on every coverage
W from the Vikings from Moving on from him and the media clowning them for it. Trust Kwesi and KOC
only reason they moved on is because the falcons outdumbed them and offered him an extra year
Except the Vikings were going to keep him. They literally only got lucky Atlanta offered the multi year.
@@lavs8696yep. This is literally it. I can’t believe this narrative is around that “the Vikings knew” bro they were literally about to do EXACTLY what Atlanta did but with JJ McCarthy. It was 100% smarter to do a 1 year deal but they were gonna pay the guy too.
Kwesi Adofo Mensah made the decision to move on from Cousins because in the NFC Wildcard game vs the Giants, he saw firsthand what the Vikings ceiling was with Kirk in the playoffs. Would not give Cousins another extension that off-season, and converted his roster bonus to a signing bonus to lessen his cap hit. After that i knew that he was finished in MN after '23. I don't have anything personal against Cousins, he's a good football player and a better person. But also somone who wanted no part of the "big moment" when it arrived. '4th and 8' was hard proof of that.
The vikes gave him an offer he couldn't accept, nice way to say "see ya" 🫡
New nickname for him - Cousins the Cowardly Dog.
Scared of any pressure
love from Belgium
Kirk Cousins still has a job in the NFL, what about you?
Russell Wilson should have been hired.
IDK if you can question the toughness history... Cousins was constantly under pressure and hit in Minnesota and still delivered decent
Problem is if they cut Kirk after this season it's a $65M cap hit.
I think Penix will outplay his rookie contract and play at the level they expect Kirk to be at . That should offset some.
They won't cut him. They will bench him and he will demand a release. They won't release him and fine him until him and his agent find a trade destination that will take some money
No need to cut him, let him be a highly paid mentor and coach Penix through it next season from the 2nd string position
@ and in the trade scenario almost guarantee. Atl will be paying his contract out even though he’s on another team. Similar to Russ
Thank you Kurt
Haven't watched barely a lick of Falcons tape this season other than this video. But how much of this could be related to his Achilles injury from last year? It's barely been 12 months since the injury, and he's 36 already to boot. We know guys come back faster and faster from these types of major injuries, but sometimes it still takes a "get right" year especially for somebody as old as Kirk. This tape reminds me of early 2023 Burrow, with the calf injury that wasn't fully healed. Total lack of mobility, lack of zip on passes downfield, etc. And you are spot on - if you can't be mobile you have to be perfect with your reads, timing, and accuracy. Lack of mobility removes margin for error in play design, and it's clear from the tape that Kirk isn't capable of overcoming a bad play. He just doubles down on the bad with those "fuck it" throws.
curt is cooked skol
Kirk has played bad. He actually cost them a win. But he's not the main problem. Look at the trash on defense. #20 and #21. They have zero ball awareness.
I think defense is suffering at this point because of the morale being at an all-time low due to bad QB play. Bad QB play impacts the whole team.
Definitely a Pitts drop, but it could have been out in front a little more
Kirk’s velocity is just gone.
No movement or creativity in the pocket when things break down. Evident with the amount of balls that were batted down and the double pump throws that turn into picks. If he had the ability to pull the ball down and make an athletic move out of the pocket more plays could be created. Our receivers quit after they run their routes and the ball doesn’t come out. If they knew he could make a move out of the pocket then the receivers would continue to create on the back end. Trained responses by the receivers!!!
Watched Kirk for years with the Vikings. He’s never been mobile and he’s always needed help, but he was at least a guy who would make smart plays, could get rolling, and was able to move around in the pocket a little. You could put him on a nice rollout to buy him time and get him comfortable. His feet were good.
With his leg now he’s just bolted to the ground back there, he can’t even shift his weight around right, it’s bad. And he’s in his head bad on top of it. But the Achilles has really been it for him.
Had it not been for Justin Jefferson, I wonder what his Vikings days would have looked like
Please keep playing Cousins, signed the Buccaneers fans!!
Pitts wide open at the top of the screen on that 4th down miss to Ray Ray😑😑😑😑
i agree with everything you said in this, but yea at 11:53, that pass to Pitts was a drop, they showed the slowmo replay, and it hit him right in the hands, as he was turning his head, the DB did even touch him, so that was on Pitts, but Cousins has been off on throws all year, I thought it would get better throughout the season as he gets more game reps with the WRs but they are somehow getting worse, a lot of low throws i have seen
Raheem Morris will never see the playoffs as a head coach. "He played better than last game" as a response to reporters in the postgame interview about Cousins is wild.
In a sense they are ruining ape ox confidence before he even starts . In his head he gotta be like”I’m not better then this”
Honestly, kirko chainz is gone, It's now Kirko no gains
Kirko shartz
That's zero pressure play made me lose my shit. Everybody on the planet knows Vikings bring zero pressure. You know you're hot let it go. Check down, throw away, something
Benkert never got a fair chance in the nfl. I was excited when he was on the falcons.
Another W upload.
Wow. So many missed opportunities to open receivers...especially Mooney who seemed to winning a lot.
Sure I could find it but have you ever done a Goff breakdown?
One of the other things worth pointing out for the falcons is how predictable they are. I'm not sure if it's because of Kirk's limitations but just in this game they pass 35/36 times out of shotgun and run the ball 13/17 under center and 16/17 from the pistol.
Ah! Ah! F*uck It! Lol 😂😂😂
Got a new subscriber. Now diagnose my alumni: Cal Bears 🐻 football 🏈.
The only stat you need is Jared Goff has 47 rush yards this season and is an MVP candidate, it’s not about scrambling, it’s Goffs decision making, timing and accuracy. Kirk is just playing unacceptably bad football.
He threw 5 picks in 1 game and WON... obviously more talent and better coached team... he also has several games with under 150 yards.. cherry picking stats much?
@ Not really bro, with the exception of that game , when Goff drops back he gets that completion when necessary, you can’t tell me that Kirk isn’t surrounded by a comparable talent pool with the likes of London, Mooney, Bijan and Pitts.
Call it cherry picking stats if you want, but I would say looking at one single bad game in a season of Goff playing some of his best ball is a direct contradiction.
Cousins has had 50+ more passing attempts than Goff, but only 16 more completions and 100 more yards, how do you explain that inefficiency?
How do you explain Goff being sacked 23 times with 10 INTs and Cousins being sacked 25 times with 15 INTs with 50+ more passing attempts if Cousins isn’t just saying “F it” and throwing it anywhere downfield to avoid the sack?
You want the stats there you go.
Not just the interceptions, Kirko leads the league in fumbles.
I do want to thank the Falcons for taking him off our hands - Sam Darnold is proving to be an upgrade on KC.
Good stuff
You need antidepressants to be a falcons fan…but I’m gonna ride with the dirty birds to the end
Only reason Penix isnt playing is because they are trying to keep Terry from getting fired.
Thank u Kurt for breaking down his film…. We haven’t won a game in like a month because of this type of shit Kirk has been doing
I literally have him in fantasy n showed up when needed mid season, but now I’m paying the price for drafting him 😢 had high hopes, now crying while watching this.
Yeah, as a Falcons fan it's been rough. It's not even the fact he throwing the interceptions, it's they are horrible decisions. I'm still got hope he can decide to not throw ducks. At least one more game. Haha
They do need to move on the Penix and let Cousins be a backup and mentor.
Kirk Cousins has always been a B+ NFL starting quarterback. If you have an otherwise-overwhelming team, you can win a championship with Cousins. If not, then forget about getting past the second round of the playoffs. Cousins has never had the talent to carry a team, and now in his mid-30's, post injured hamstring, he's got even less physically to offer.
Enter Michael Penix. Here's a guy with a legitimate gun for an arm, like a lefty Matt Stafford. Penix is very mobile, but he's also disciplined, so when he scrambles, he keeps looking downfield, and he can hit targets deep. Of all the high-potential QB prospects from the 2024 draft, Penix was considered the most ready to start immediately. Now that he has seen veteran Cousins preparing for over half a season of starts, Penix is ready to take over.
It's simple: Forget the money. If Falcons fans want to have fun watching football, get Cousins out of there and replace him with Penix.
I’m sorry anytime Pitts is lined up outside he should be read 1 no matter what, at 4:50(possibly) and 5:20 that’s 2 TDs missed, he’s being used so incorrectly it’s horrible to watch he 100% has to make those contested catches gotta capitalize on every opportunity given even if it isn’t the best
I’m with you my guy….Kirk is cooked….the front office don’t want to say we made a mistake by paying him all this money to have him on the bench even though Michael Penix Jr can clearly do what he’s done and more….
Not sure whether he gets lazy, the toll of playing football for 2 months makes him lose focus or something else but Kirk’s play has always declined after October. This season it’s worse than I’ve ever seen but it was so frustrating to watch him play down the stretch when he was in Minnesota.
receiver was late to the hash. They're developing a rookie who will struggle at some point too. They need to show Cousins loyalty during these times the same way they will show Penix. Look at Stroud this year versus last year.
5:41 Kyle beat the linebacker up the sideline. Ik he wasn’t the Hot Route but to know your a Linebacker is on Your TE and not look that way is insane
they rolled out the brinks truck for him. couldn't be me. and yea the league diff. u can't be standing still back there.
The play at 12:00 was 100% on Pitts btw, dudes the sorriest 4th overall pick in NFL history.
at the 5:24 mark, why is he not immediately throwing a high back shoulder fade to Pitts? He gets separation in man cover and the safety shouldn't be able to arrive in time before that throw would. It even looks like that is his first read and he moves on immediately despite Pitts getting space off the line
Kurt, I'm pretty sure the elephant in my room is different than the one in yours.. Mine may have spent some time in Atlanta, but it's not _from_ there.
You said "Clear Since Day 1" when the Falcons started 6-3. You have no idea what your talking about.
My man at that point we were saying the falcons were a saquon drop, a Koo 58 yarder, and .025 left on the playclock away from 3-6 at that point anyway
Falcons should conclude cardboard dummies won't work.
Not just on the field. forfeit.
Someone said Cousins is a poor man's Darnold 💀💀💀💀💀
MN D main redemption is takeaways right now.
The best guy should be starting period, there’s no if’s ands or buts about it. It’s coaching malpractice to sit the best chance you’ve got a at legitimate playoff run.
Lol sounds like when i wanted the Falcons to put you in
Trade of the year: Kirk & Pitts for Brock Bowers.
Kirk must've forgot he doesn't play for the Vikings anymore with all these bad balls this game. I was just as frustrated as you watching this live
I get everyone talkin about kirk but the defense sucks woth those weapons on all levels
I think the falcons are trying to do what the packers have been doing for years, benching the rookie and letting to old guys play so the young guys can learn from him, but it’s not like that for the falcons, it’s not that Kirk is bad, it’s just that he is not Aaron Rodger’s and Brett farve. I don’t think the falcons realize it though.
I agree with a lot of this but the amount of times you had to debate whether Pitts, the supposed unicorn, was at fault should be pointed out too. An elite player has to make those catches. Chase is making those catches. Kyle Pitts is not it and the excuses have to stop. That was disaster of a pick given all the elite players taken right after him...
bro tryna get resigned
Terry Fontenot deserves to be fired and I hate to be that guy to say someone doesn’t deserve their job
Kirk too
I’ve said everything you just said about Cousins for the last 6 years. He’s going to be there for a while, settle in.