Cam Jordan Didn’t Hold Back When Talking About Kirk Cousins
Josh Frey
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Vikings QB Kirk Cousins is a rather polarizing player in the league. Some folks love his consistency to throw for 4000 yards and 25 TDs on a yearly basis while others point to some meltdowns on primetime and only one playoff win on his resume as reasons why he can’t be a true franchise QB.
Well, this week, a video surfaced of Cam Jordan, a rival pass rusher who plays for the New Orleans Saints, discussing QBs at Von Miller’s pass rush summit. Here is how he described the difference between the average QBs and the great ones:
“In this game, everybody knows a fast, wrong decision could be a right decision, and a fast right decision [means] you’re a winner. And a slow, right decision, get your a** on the bench because there’s somebody out here that’s gonna be moving at a different speed. Slow, right decisions, we love ’em. Call ’em Kirk Cousins.”
Essentially, what Jordan means here is that the great QBs are the ones that make fast, instinctual decisions whereas slower decisions make it easier for pass-rushers to impact plays and disrupt the quarterback’s rhythm. If a quarterback takes longer to make a decision on a throw, the probability that they will get sacked goes up.
There is a bit of validity to this critique of Cousins. If we look at NFL Next Gen Stats, there were 40 quarterbacks during the 2022 season that qualified for the average time to throw statistic. Of those 40 quarterbacks, Cousins ranked 24th at 2.83 seconds, ranking between Baker Mayfield at 2.82 seconds and Brock Purdy at 2.84 seconds.
One QB that has lived at the top of this list throughout his career is the great Tom Brady, and 2022 was no different as he averaged just 2.45 seconds to get the ball out of his hand, a whole tenth of a second ahead of Joe Burrow who placed No. 2 in this category at 2.55 seconds.
However, Cousins does come ahead of a number of excellent quarterbacks in this category, including Justin Herbert (2.86 seconds), Josh Allen (2.87 seconds), Patrick Mahomes (2.89 seconds), and Lamar Jackson (3.00 seconds).
Now, these QBs can get away with taking longer to throw the ball for one main reason: mobility. If things begin breaking down, they are plenty capable of escaping the pocket, extending the time for their receivers to get open. This is something that Cousins isn’t as capable of doing, especially compared to Allen and Jackson.
That being said, in Cousins’ defense, the Vikings pass protection with Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill provides him the luxury of extra time to sit in the pocket and wait for a play to develop. It also must be noted that Kevin O’Connell’s offense has emphasized pushing the ball downfield, and in order to do that, receivers have to be able to get into their routes before Cousins throws the ball.
This is also an interesting comment based on who it comes from: Jordan, who has played Cousins on a number of occasions with the New Orleans Saints. In his regular season career against the Saints, Cousins’ teams are 2-3, but this is largely due to some defensive failures (i.e. the 2020 Christmas Day game when Alvin Kamara ran for 6 TDs). Cousins, though, has largely been spectacular against New Orleans.
Over five regular season games against the Saints, Cousins has completed 70.6% of his passes for 1569 yards, 13 TDs, and 2 INTs. We also can’t forget the overtime playoff win in New Orleans where Cousins threw for 242 yards and the game-winning TD in overtime to Kyle Rudolph.
In all, perhaps Cousins could speed up his decision-making a tad as a passer. If he made snap decisions in a Brady-esque fashion, it would make things much easier for the Vikings to capture that elusive Super Bowl. However, he’s certainly found a great deal of success in this league, particularly against Jordan’s Saints. We’ll see if that continues in Week 10 when the two teams meet again.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.