Kirk Must Step Up for 2021 To Be a Success
K. Joudry
|
Expectations are a tricky thing. When he was first selected by Washington back in 2012, very few would have expected him to one day become Minnesota’s QB1. Fast forward a few years and Cousins has been leading the purple for three seasons. Expectations have never been higher.
Head over to Cousins’s Pro Football Reference page. You’ll see that he’s exactly at .500 for his career. 51-51-2. It’s actually kind of remarkable, in a weird way. He’s now 33-years old, so there’s no time like the present to start rising above mere mediocrity.
If you read The Athletic, you’ll probably know that Tom Brady was given the distinction of being the top player to ever play in the NFL in their Top 100 players of all time list. It’d be hard to disagree, especially after what he accomplished last season in Tampa Bay.
Why is he the best? Because he wins a ton. No excuses. The guy just wins. Last night, Dallas threw everything they had at TB. As a recent PFT piece suggests, there would have been plenty of excuses for Brady if TB lost: “The Bucs had four turnovers and were minus-three in turnover ratio. They committed 11 penalties for 106 yards. They allowed 451 yards. They had the ball for 8 minutes, 54 seconds less than the Cowboys. They won anyway.”
Therein lies the key: they won anyway, largely because of Brady’s heroics.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”858098″ player=”26281″ title=”10%20bold%20predictions%20for%202021%20NFL%20season” duration=”223″ description=”The 2021 NFL season is slated to get started Thursday when Tom Brady and the reigning champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys. Both teams hope to be in the championship conversation in 2021. For Dallas, that will have to include Dak Prescott remaining healthy.Another season that will certainly be defined somewhat by the pandemic also includes a number of young players set to make their marks. This includes second-year quarterback Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow attempting to take that next step. These are among the individuals and teams we look at in giving you our 10 bold predictions for the 2021 NFL season.” uploaddate=”2021-09-06″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/snapshot/858053.png” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/858053/858053.m3u8″]
Obviously, Cousins falls far short of Brady (who doesn’t?). The point, though, is that the only thing that really matters in the NFL is wins. Brady gets respect because he wins a ton, and he’s usually the reason why. Cousins gets dismissed because his teams tend to be just so-so, and he’s often the reason why.
2021 may end up being different. After all, we live in a strange world. What we need is more than just an impressive completion percentage and TD/INT ratio. We need more than merely prepackaged media tidbits and answers following losses. We need a QB who can do what Brady does when everyone is watching: lead our team to a win.
No excuses. No more pointing to turnovers, lousy defense, or injuries. No blame on coaches or penalties. When he accepted a massive deal in Minnesota and then a second one through a contract extension, Cousins signed up to be the leader in purple.
Right or wrong, being the top-dog means you get the glory or blame. To whom much is given, much is expected. Kirk, it’s time to step up.