Vikings sign QB- Kirk Cousins to a 3 year, ~$86 million deal

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Re: Vikings sign QB- Kirk Cousins to a 3 year, ~$86 million

Post by 808vikingsfan »

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Re: Vikings sign QB- Kirk Cousins to a 3 year, ~$86 million

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Re: Vikings sign QB- Kirk Cousins to a 3 year, ~$86 million

Post by mondry »

cstelter wrote:
Pondering Her Percy wrote: Again I don’t buy the whole “saints second half thing”. We had a punt blocked and threw a pick all inside the 50 and they got 2 tds off of it. How is that on the defense. We only gave up one true TD that game. The rest were caused by bonehead plays. Philly yeah they played horrible but many like to throw the saints game out there and that’s not the case. It’s no easy task no matter how good you are to stop Drew Brees from scoring inside the 50
How is that on the defense? Force a 3 & out. Force a FG-- maybe the guy misses. Worst case if he makes it it's only 3 instead of 7. I guess if it's no easy task to stop Drew Brees, we shouldn't expect our guys to do it, or be concerned if they can't.

How about a 3rd & 1 play where we left Kumara wide open with a TD for the taking, but Snead misfired. Nothing to worry about folks, that was a 3&out so it's all good.

We only gave up one true TD, huh? Well, I guess we have nothing to be concerned over. What about an 11 play 50 yard drive starting at their 25 for a FG to go ahead with only 25s left to play??? Just because we gave them great field position on 2 of the TD's doesn't mean they would have stopped a drive had it started on their own 25 yard line.

Me? I get the whole "saints second half thing".
Well said. It always baffles me when people are willing to let one side off the hook because of whatever. Especially when that side of the ball is the team and head coaches strength. The first TD drive was 12 plays and 80 yards where at any point the defense could have gotten themselves off the field. The go ahead field goal drive was 11 plays, 50 yards, and get this, only took 64 seconds off the clock.

That should never happen against the #1 ranked defense in the NFL at HOME unless the other team truly has you figured out.

Zimmer's defenses are fundamentally sound but when you watch the film you realize there are weaknesses a team with superbowl leveling coaching and talent can attack. It's a game of cat and mouse, anytime you strengthen an area of the field you leave something else weaker. In the first half we took away what the saints wanted to do and had the upper hand. In the second half they said fine, we'll adjust and attack other parts of the field and had success which made us "pick our poison". Either adjust to what they are doing now and leave the original game plan less defended or continue to get shredded by what they're currently doing.

Make no mistake about it, we were on the ropes and just as we were about to go down we got in one last huge upper cut right before the final bell rang. Without the Minneapolis Miracle the story would be "wow zimmer's D blew a 17 point lead at home, wtf?!"
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Re: Vikings sign QB- Kirk Cousins to a 3 year, ~$86 million

Post by Norv Zimmer »

Fat Stupid Loser wrote:
Cliff wrote:To me the reason they didn't keep him is simple: he didn't want to be on the team and he was a free agent. They already *had* franchised him twice. To me it had a lot more to do with Cousins not wanting Washington than Washington not wanting Cousins.

Hopefully the Vikings keep winning and we don't have to experience that side of him.
It is a really long 3 year story. I mean really long. How to summarize in a couple paragraphs. Probably can't.

Kirk was drafted 4th round because Shanahan didn't believe in RG3 but was forced by the fanboy owner to give away a million picks to get the superstar. Eventually the owner and Bruce Allen were "convinced' by Scott McCloughan to start Kirk. They didn't like it because Kirk wasn't their pick. They didn't like Scott because he got credit for improving the team, not them. He got fired.

Kirk played great second half of 15, went on a tear. They low balled him at around 12M a year, his agent countered at 19. The FO "needed to see more" and rather than giving him a long term deal, franchised him. The next year he tore it up again. Still, somehow they didn't believe in him, low-balled him and Kirk didn't bite, they franchised him again. Then the FO put out a vindictive, childish presser essentially calling him greedy and throwing their franchise QB under the bus.

After the 3rd time Bruce Allen gave Kirk the finger in July '17, Kirk, I believe, decided he was going to free agency. Not necessarily to leave the Skins but he decided that he wasn't going to allow Bruce, who's only interest in anything is to win the deal, to determine his value and future. He was going to let the market decide his worth and end the debate. Then he could negotiate with the team. They however traded for Smith, probably knowing that they destroyed the relationship and Allen's ego wouldn't allow him to correct it.

So in the end I think Kirk had no respect for the FO. I think that is warranted. Given the choice he would probably move on and not be associated with them anymore. I don't think that was the case until late 2017 given all the interviews and press related to it. I think Kirk thought once the market determined his value, that Bruce would negotiate like a normal FO and was surprised by the trade. At least he said the trade for Smith surprised him.

So Washington wanted him but only for 19M and a two year out. Typical Bruce Allen win the deal contract.

Time to dye my Cousins jersey purple.
I have pretty much said this in multiple posts already :(

Nobody likes me I am going to go and cry in a corner now.
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Re: Vikings sign QB- Kirk Cousins to a 3 year, ~$86 million

Post by Pondering Her Percy »

cstelter wrote:
How is that on the defense? Force a 3 & out. Force a FG-- maybe the guy misses. Worst case if he makes it it's only 3 instead of 7. I guess if it's no easy task to stop Drew Brees, we shouldn't expect our guys to do it, or be concerned if they can't.

How about a 3rd & 1 play where we left Kumara wide open with a TD for the taking, but Snead misfired. Nothing to worry about folks, that was a 3&out so it's all good.

We only gave up one true TD, huh? Well, I guess we have nothing to be concerned over. What about an 11 play 50 yard drive starting at their 25 for a FG to go ahead with only 25s left to play??? Just because we gave them great field position on 2 of the TD's doesn't mean they would have stopped a drive had it started on their own 25 yard line.

Me? I get the whole "saints second half thing".
They started from our 30 and 40 off the INT and blocked punt!! When Case and your ST make bonehead plays like that, it puts your defense at risk. The defense for the most part, was doing their job. That's your QB and ST putting you in a terrible position. Turnovers are what can cost your team games. No matter how good your defense is. That's just knowing football. Look at the saints game in 09. We had that game in the bag if it wasnt for 5 turnovers. Even though our defense wasnt as good then, is giving up 31 points to the saints on our defense?? Maybe, given the fact that some of those turnovers were when WE were in the redzone. However, neither of these plays this year happened in the redzone. It happened in our own end. One first down for the Saints after the INT and they are in the redzone. One first down from the saints at their own 25 and they are at the 35. HUGE difference. Two first downs for the saints after the punt and they are in the redzone. That's all it takes. Good defense or not, that's never a position you want to be in. And we were in that position. "But thats ok Case. Throwing a terrible INT at our own 30 is no big deal. We have the #1 defense, it should be easy to force a 3 and out". No. Not how it works. Our defense was put into terrible positions twice and those two plays gave NO all the momentum they needed. BOTH plays started themm in scoring range. BOTH. Even if we forced two 3 and outs that still 6 points either way. And like I said, a couple first downs and they are well into scoring range. If those two bonehead plays dont happen, I doubt the Saints score over 17 points. Simply because we had the chance to continue to win the field position battle by protecting the football. We didnt. The punt would have completely flipped field position. Having the Saints start from their own 25 or have them start from our 40. Hmmm.

As for Mondry's comment. No, it wouldnt be "Zim blew a 17 point lead". It would be this TEAM blew a 17 point lead. The defense didnt throw an INT. The defense didnt allow our punt to be blocked.

This is me looking into the WHY. Why did our defense allow them to come back? Could they have played "better". Sure. But when your offense and ST are putting you in bad positions, that's tough. No less the pick was RIGHT after our defense got off the field. 1 play to be exact. Gave our defense 0 rest. Lets not look on the surface of things and just look at a box score. There was a lot that went behind those final two TDs.
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Re: Vikings sign QB- Kirk Cousins to a 3 year, ~$86 million

Post by S197 »

Our offense over the past few years has been set up to not make mistakes because it's not a scheme that can come back from large deficits. It's a ball control, clock management, wear the defense down type of scheme that worked because of the defense. The Rams game was probably the perfect example of how things fall into place when executed well. But honestly, I think this strategy is antiquated based on the NFL rules which so heavily favor the offense. I'm hoping with Cousins and Flip the strategy will be less conservative this year. It's simply not feasible for a defense to be dominant 100% of the time.
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Re: Vikings sign QB- Kirk Cousins to a 3 year, ~$86 million

Post by dead_poet »

S197 wrote:Our offense over the past few years has been set up to not make mistakes because it's not a scheme that can come back from large deficits. It's a ball control, clock management, wear the defense down type of scheme that worked because of the defense. The Rams game was probably the perfect example of how things fall into place when executed well. But honestly, I think this strategy is antiquated based on the NFL rules which so heavily favor the offense. I'm hoping with Cousins and Flip the strategy will be less conservative this year. It's simply not feasible for a defense to be dominant 100% of the time.
Agreed. The more film I watch of Cousins the more I like him (though I kind of hate the ball clasp he does before throwing). He's probably the most aggressive QB we'll have started since Favre. If the line can give him protection, we should see a fun offense attacking the middle of the field with a few more deep shots. Exciting combo with Diggs/Thielen/Cousins/Cook. Flip seems like an agressive guy (he learned under one for sure).
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
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Re: Vikings sign QB- Kirk Cousins to a 3 year, ~$86 million

Post by dead_poet »

Good insights on Cousins on the field.

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Re: Vikings sign QB- Kirk Cousins to a 3 year, ~$86 million

Post by fiestavike »

S197 wrote:Our offense over the past few years has been set up to not make mistakes because it's not a scheme that can come back from large deficits. It's a ball control, clock management, wear the defense down type of scheme that worked because of the defense. The Rams game was probably the perfect example of how things fall into place when executed well. But honestly, I think this strategy is antiquated based on the NFL rules which so heavily favor the offense. I'm hoping with Cousins and Flip the strategy will be less conservative this year. It's simply not feasible for a defense to be dominant 100% of the time.
That's a good take. I would also add that during the years Norv Turner was here, the pass protection was so piss poor that the entire system simply didn't function worth a darn.

It may well be that trying to run a ball control offense doesn't make much sense in this day and age. I'm inclined to agree with that.
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Re: Vikings sign QB- Kirk Cousins to a 3 year, ~$86 million

Post by S197 »

Off topic, but since we're talking about the defense:
@NicholasJOlson (Nick Olson):

The average passer rating allowed by a cornerback in 2017 was 84.3. The Vikings' passer ratings allowed were:

• Xavier Rhodes: 73.2

• Terence Newman: 76.7

• Mackensie Alexander: 60.3

• Trae Waynes: 83.0

Not a single cornerback was below average in passer rating allowed.
It's a little poorly worded but the lower the score the better. Basically, none of our CB's were average or below.
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Re: Vikings sign QB- Kirk Cousins to a 3 year, ~$86 million

Post by PurpleMustReign »

S197 wrote:Off topic, but since we're talking about the defense:
@NicholasJOlson (Nick Olson):

The average passer rating allowed by a cornerback in 2017 was 84.3. The Vikings' passer ratings allowed were:

• Xavier Rhodes: 73.2

• Terence Newman: 76.7

• Mackensie Alexander: 60.3

• Trae Waynes: 83.0

Not a single cornerback was below average in passer rating allowed.
It's a little poorly worded but the lower the score the better. Basically, none of our CB's were average or below.
They are all below. I don't understand.

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Re: Vikings sign QB- Kirk Cousins to a 3 year, ~$86 million

Post by mansquatch »

S197 wrote:Our offense over the past few years has been set up to not make mistakes because it's not a scheme that can come back from large deficits. It's a ball control, clock management, wear the defense down type of scheme that worked because of the defense. The Rams game was probably the perfect example of how things fall into place when executed well. But honestly, I think this strategy is antiquated based on the NFL rules which so heavily favor the offense. I'm hoping with Cousins and Flip the strategy will be less conservative this year. It's simply not feasible for a defense to be dominant 100% of the time.
You need your offense to be able to make plays when things go wrong. That is what propels teams like NE, PIT, and perhaps more than any of them, GB to the top. If the QB can turn around and make a play when no one else is, especially if that play results in points, it changes the game. That is why the position is the most important in the game. On the flipside, the QB can make major errors that will throw a game away before it even starts.

To me this is a balancing act. The Vikings let Keenum go out there and heave it at times. He made plays and won us games, most obviously against WSH and NO in the regular season and playoffs respectively. Given that they let a guy like Keenum do it, I hope they'll have the comfort to let Cousins go out there and get them leads early. That will cover up a lot of defensive issues.
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Re: Vikings sign QB- Kirk Cousins to a 3 year, ~$86 million

Post by Mothman »

S197 wrote:
dead_poet wrote:Tying the Purple Knot

https://spark.adobe.com/page/Su294yKCnYAaU/
Nice read, thanks. Six different starters in six years is crazy. Absolutely unheard of unless maybe you're the Browns.


... and yet other than the respite of the Culpepper era, hasn't that practically been standard operating procedure for the Vikings for decades? Injuries have played a role, of course, but I'm pretty sure Green had a 6 yeas stretch in which 6 different QBs started (Gannon, Salisbury, McMahon, Moon, Johnson and Cunningham). Childress did too (Johnson, Jackson, Holcomb, Frerotte, Favre and Webb— I think Bollinger started at least one game as well). Oddly enough, they managed to reach conference championship games in each of these 6 year periods.

Let's hope we see some stability and a an NFL championship with Cousins starting.
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Re: Vikings sign QB- Kirk Cousins to a 3 year, ~$86 million

Post by Mothman »

PurpleMustReign wrote:
S197 wrote:Off topic, but since we're talking about the defense:
@NicholasJOlson (Nick Olson):

The average passer rating allowed by a cornerback in 2017 was 84.3. The Vikings' passer ratings allowed were:

• Xavier Rhodes: 73.2

• Terence Newman: 76.7

• Mackensie Alexander: 60.3

• Trae Waynes: 83.0

Not a single cornerback was below average in passer rating allowed.
It's a little poorly worded but the lower the score the better. Basically, none of our CB's were average or below.
They are all below. I don't understand.
He meant they weren't below average in quality of performance. In this case, being below average numerically was good. In other words, allowing a passer rating below the average of 84.3 was actually better than average!

Who's on first? ;)
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Re: Vikings sign QB- Kirk Cousins to a 3 year, ~$86 million

Post by Pondering Her Percy »

dead_poet wrote:Good insights on Cousins on the field.

For anyone that says Cousins "wasnt a good teammate" I say bull####. He seems like a very humble guy, a leader, appreciative to his teammates, etc. I'm so excited he's our QB
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