ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Redskins expected more this season, as did quarterback Kirk Cousins. With some better throws, among other issues, the Redskins know they could have scored quite a few more points so far this year. So, naturally, Cousins is the focus of this week's mailbag.
@john_keim Kirk and the contract - is he getting closer or crumbling under the pressure. Should be a weekly tracker lol #jkredskins
— Amir Bormand (@amirbormand) September 30, 2016
John Keim: I wouldn’t say he’s crumbling under the pressure of playing for the next contract. During the offseason he was pretty clear in conversations with teammates that he was OK with the contract situation. He would tell them that he had bet on himself in the past and was comfortable having to do so again. His career was built on this belief, from the time he left high school until now. Each step, Cousins has been rewarded for his confidence.
But any time someone isn't playing well, you wonder why. So I do wonder if he’s pressing, not from the contract but from trying to prove himself again and perhaps from the expectations, knowing what's at stake for the team as much as anything. I don’t know if it makes a difference either way as to why he's struggling, but the point is, I don’t blame the contract -- unless he does feel he has to live up to $20 million. But I still think it would be more about other factors.
It also could be from having more responsibility placed on him. Coaches would disavow this notion, but it’s something one teammate wondered about in August. His fear was that too much information would slow down Cousins’ process a little bit. Sometimes he’s been more indecisive and it’s cost them opportunities, both in the red zone and elsewhere. Other times, he’s just making bad throws and it’s really that simple.
Against the Giants, Cousins skipped a pass to Rashad Ross in the end zone. He was wide open. Now, there was a holding call that would have nullified the play, but from Cousins’ end it was just a bad throw stemming from nothing else.
But there have been times, in the first two games especially, where I wondered why he hesitated on a look -- the missed throw to Jordan Reed in the end zone vs. Pittsburgh, for example. The play was there; he had a linebacker one-on-one with the entire end zone with which to work. But he was late and needed a perfect throw -- which he didn’t make.
But is he close? I saw improvement in the game against the Giants -- he was more decisive on some throws and, perhaps, more relaxed -- but I also saw more missed chances. I do think the offense is close to a 35-point game -- the opportunities have existed for that to happen the last two games. Cousins does not have to be a Pro Bowl talent to make it work, which is why I think there’s hope for him and the offense. I’m not going to debate if he’s worth a big deal or not -- he hasn’t played like it through three games. But I do think he can make better throws to open targets. We saw him do it in the final nine games last year with consistency.
The troubling part has been all the missed chances in the red zone and the inability to find tight end Jordan Reed in this area. Add another missed one to the list: the play right before halftime vs. New York was supposed to go to Reed. But the headset cut off early, as the coaches were telling him to hit Reed, who had one-on-one coverage. Instead, Cousins stuck with the play on the other side and eventually was sacked. Reed was wide open. Those are the types of situations that must be corrected for him to have the sort of season he and the Redskins anticipated.
Again, the key is that the opportunities are there, which means the chance for Cousins to have better success exists.
