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Marc Raimondi, ESPN Workers Author
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — A shirtless Kirk Cousins swayed forwards and backwards, virtually dancing in place with a number of costly chains round his neck whereas carrying fashionable, black-rimmed glasses.
It was November 2022, and Cousins’ Minnesota Vikings had simply come from 10 factors right down to beat his former crew, the Washington Commanders, in a key late-season sport. That was the origin of Cousins’ alter ego, which was dubbed by teammates as “Kirko Chainz.”
That model of Cousins — minus the chains — has at all times existed. There’s the Cousins that goofs round by quoting ’90s Ben Stiller motion pictures reminiscent of “Heavyweights” and jokes about taking teammates on a tour of casual-dining chain eating places reminiscent of Texas Roadhouse. After which there’s the ultraserious Cousins, the one who focuses maybe too laborious on the “significance of the second.”
“I feel, actually, my spouse [Julie Hampton] would inform me that you simply actually obtained to be the man who’s simply cracking jokes and having enjoyable on a regular basis,” Cousins mentioned. “That is your finest self.
“I do know she’s proper, however it’s laborious for me. … And so, I am looking for that stability.”
Kirko Chainz is headed to the ATL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nIZ5MmN0Do
— NFL (@NFL) March 11, 2024
There have been two realities of Cousins on the sector, as nicely. The 36-year-old Atlanta Falcons quarterback has seven seasons throwing greater than 4,000 yards, and eight with greater than 25 landing passes. However his groups have been to the playoffs with him as a starter solely 3 times, and he is 1-2.
Then there’s “Monday Night time Soccer,” which options the Falcons on the street towards the Philadelphia Eagles (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Cousins has a 3-10 document on MNF, and from 2014 to 2019 he had the longest dropping streak — 9 video games — of any quarterback in MNF historical past. However a more in-depth look reveals these numbers is perhaps deceiving. In any case, the Falcons are hoping Cousins reverses these fortunes towards the Eagles (1-0), particularly with Atlanta coming off a season-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“That is quite a lot of enjoyable for tv,” Atlanta coach Raheem Morris mentioned of the scrutiny on Cousins’ big-game points. “It is great things to speak about.
“All of these issues, you have [still] obtained to exit and play and you bought to arrange. You bought to belief your course of and go on the market and win.”
Morris mentioned he remembered comparable perceptions about one other quarterback he is aware of nicely, Matthew Stafford, who’s 6-9 on MNF with 19 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
Morris was the defensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams when Stafford helped the Rams win Tremendous Bowl LVI.
“We went out and began off profitable rather well, and we had a tricky stretch there in November,” Morris mentioned of the 2022 season. “All people forgot about us, after which Matthew Stafford occurred and went to the playoffs and received us the Tremendous Bowl.
“So, we gave him all of the credit score.”
Cousins has the third-worst profitable proportion for quarterbacks in MNF begins, after Jim Everett (2-10) and Andy Dalton (2-8), in accordance with ESPN Analysis. However statistically, he hasn’t performed poorly, particularly in comparison with his friends.
Cousins has 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with a 54.3 complete quarterback score (QBR) on Monday nights. The league common QBR since Cousins made his first profession Monday begin in 2014 is 56.4. And Cousins has received three of his previous 4 Monday video games. In his most up-to-date one, Cousins led the Vikings over the San Francisco 49ers, going 35-for-45 passing for 378 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in Week 7 of final season.
Cousins mentioned he believed his supposed MNF struggles had been “a dated narrative.”
There are additionally completely different colleges of thought in relation to whether or not the quarterback ought to bear accountability for a crew’s wins or losses. Morris mentioned it is a crew end result.
Cousins agrees. The final time he performed the Eagles was a Thursday night time sport on Sept. 14, 2023. He went 31-of-44 for 364 yards with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions. The Vikings nonetheless misplaced 34-28.
“You get on the airplane [after the game], you say, ‘Look, I did not play protection, I did not return punts,'” Cousins informed ESPN. “I performed quarterback and performed nicely. We misplaced — would’ve beloved to have performed even higher.
“However you have gotta ask your self, ‘Are you taking part in profitable soccer?’ And there is elements you possibly can management and there is elements you possibly can’t.”
Dalton mentioned if somebody goes to say a quarterback struggles on “Monday Night time Soccer,” all it means is “he is taking part in good individuals,” as a result of the platform typically tries to function one of the best sport or finest groups.
“There isn’t any stress,” Dalton mentioned. “It is simply one other sport performed later. Nothing modifications. You are going to have extra cameras, and the sideline crew will likely be there earlier than the sport, however it’s all the identical.
“If you are going to stand up extra as a result of it is ‘Monday Night time Soccer’ or be extra nervous as a result of it is ‘Monday Night time Soccer’ then you’ve gotten the improper mindset.”
There’s some added stress on Cousins and the Falcons this week. Cousins, in his first sport again from a torn proper Achilles suffered in Week 8 final season, struggled towards the Steelers. He was 16-of-26 for 155 yards with one landing and two interceptions. Cousins had 19 passing yards within the second half, the bottom second-half complete of his profession.
The efficiency, so out of sync with Cousins’ profession so far, and Atlanta’s scheme referred to as into query the quarterback’s well being. The Falcons labored largely out of the pistol set, which Cousins had by no means finished greater than 10 instances in a sport in his profession. Cousins was arrange below heart on just one play, and the offense, below first-year coordinator Zac Robinson, didn’t make the most of play-action — which Cousins has excelled at traditionally — as soon as.
It was the primary time he began a sport and didn’t try a play-action cross. Final season, Cousins threw 5 touchdowns with out an interception on 91 play-action makes an attempt. Since coming into the NFL in 2012, his 94 passing touchdowns off play-action rank second behind Russell Wilson (104), in accordance with ESPN Analysis.
Cousins denied there have been any setbacks in his restoration, and Morris chalked up his quarterback’s play to “rust.” The playcalling, the coach mentioned, was merely the system and never an try to cowl up any Cousins deficiency. The Falcons haven’t misplaced their confidence in Cousins.
“Would not need anybody else main our crew,” Robinson mentioned.
Cousins has put up nice numbers over the course of his 13-year profession and parlayed that into lots of of thousands and thousands of {dollars}. Atlanta signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract within the offseason with $100 million assured.
There was sufficient confidence in Cousins and the 2024 Falcons, with their younger ability gamers reminiscent of operating again Bijan Robinson, large receiver Drake London and tight finish Kyle Pitts, that the crew bought out its season-ticket packages earlier than coaching camp for the primary time in 20 years.
“There’s been manufacturing, there’s been a monetary profit to that,” Cousins mentioned. “However yeah, at this level, the field that I wish to verify is taking part in — and profitable — significant video games in January and February.”
Maybe the important thing to that’s discovering a stability between the tongue-in-cheek Kirko Chainz and the hyperfocused Cousins. He’ll get one other likelihood to vary the narrative Monday night time.
“I feel there’s an depth, there is a seriousness, there is a focus,” Cousins mentioned. “My spouse will let you know, ‘Kirk, seriousness will not be a advantage.’ So, seriousness is sweet and all, however I feel you have to stability it with having enjoyable and having fun with the second.
“And so, I by no means wish to lose my depth, however I additionally wish to be sure I’ve a blast as I am taking part in. I feel that is when your finest self comes out is if you’re having a blast.”
