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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — New Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has enjoyed a crisp preseason, but last week he did have a practice pass picked off by cornerback Antonio Hamilton Jr. Everyone on the field looked ready to move on to the next play — everyone except Hamilton and Cousins. The cornerback took off sprinting for the end zone 60 yards away, and the quarterback and his repaired Achilles tendon took off after him.
Cousins didn’t catch Hamilton, but he left the effort pleased with the result.
“I don’t like when defensive players peacock a little bit as they sprint down, so I thought, ‘I’m going to chase this guy,’” Cousins said. “I hope I closed on him so it shows on tape. And I kind of did, so I loved putting that on tape.”
Cousins topped 18 mph on the GPS tracker all players wear during practice on that play, a significant milestone although not the one he was hoping for. The 36-year-old was disappointed he didn’t get above 19 mph because that has been his goal since the surgery to repair his Achilles last year. Cousins made that time pre-surgery but hasn’t since, he said.
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That barrier, he believes, is a realistic goal. Anything beyond that, he’s willing to concede, is not in play. The Falcons give out T-shirts to all their players who break 21 mph in practice or a game, and Cousins joked that he finds that unfairly exclusionary.
“I was like, ‘That’s not fair because you guys have this club I’ll never be able to join,’” he said. “They are really cool T-shirts, too. They said they have a group chat and everything.”
Sneak preview 👀@KirkCousins8 🎯 @kylepitts__ pic.twitter.com/TpGpLucV8M
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) August 21, 2024
Although Cousins knows 21 mph is out of his reach — as it has been throughout his career — he said his ankle “feels great,” and the veteran has taken every first-team snap this preseason for the Falcons. In that time, his new teammates have seen exactly the player who is referenced in Mike Sando’s annual Quarterback Tiers this week. Cousins was voted into Tier 2 with the highest ranking of his 13-year career (2.38 average).
“He has gotten way more courageous in the pocket,” a defensive coach told Sando. “I have to give him that. He understands football, can throw the ball on time, can make all the throws.”
For a Falcons team that started Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke the last two seasons (and saw that trio combine for an 80.5 passer rating, which ranked 27th in the NFL in ), Cousins’ arrival has been an injection of hope.
“He’s a guy who has proven himself day in and day out to be a ballplayer, and to have him on my side now is really, really cool,” third-year wide receiver Drake London said. “To go out there and see No. 18 is really, really dope.”
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The Falcons believed one benefit of signing Cousins would be helping to pay off the potential of London and his fellow young offensive standouts Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts, and the veteran has made a special effort to tutor London and Pitts in the finer points of the passing game. Cousins did not play in any of Atlanta’s preseason games, but he was spotted tutoring London on the sideline while wearing his helmet during the first half of Friday night’s game against Jacksonville.
Stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready 🤣@KirkCousins8 pic.twitter.com/dAEmPk3Gil
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) August 24, 2024
“Kirk is the guy,” wide receiver Darnell Mooney said. “He’s the reason everybody is flowing. Kirk is the one who’s making everything happen.”
Ray-Ray McCloud III compared Cousins’ impact to that of Ben Roethlisberger, whom McCloud played with in Pittsburgh.
“Every day is something you can sponge from,” McCloud said.
Cousins’ mentoring opportunities got an unexpected addition when the Falcons selected quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick in April’s draft. Coach Raheem Morris said he didn’t expect Cousins to divert any of his attention to tutoring Penix. Cousins has done it anyway.
“He’s great,” Penix said. “He’s so smart. I just continue to learn from him and watch what he does day in and day out and how he carries himself and how he leads the offense. I make sure I’m taking that in.”
The Falcons signed Cousins to the largest total-value free-agency deal in NFL history, a four-year contract that is worth up to $180 million and essentially binds the team to the quarterback for the next two seasons when he is guaranteed $90 million of that deal.
“It’s an expensive decision because he is that guy,” assistant general manager Kyle Smith said. “Everything we did to get Kirk Cousins tells everyone what we believe about Kirk Cousins.”
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Safety Jessie Bates III, last offseason’s big free-agency addition in Atlanta, said Cousins’ mere presence has been “priceless” for the offense. The Falcons now are focused on protecting that presence. While Cousins has looked healthy, it’s not far from anyone’s mind that he is 36 years old and coming off a season-ending injury.
“We certainly have a chip on our shoulder from that standpoint,” offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron said before adding a playful jab. “Kirk’s coming back from an injury and everybody appreciates Kirk. And let’s be honest, he’s kind of old as well so you want to avoid any type of contact, so I’ll do my best and I’ll strain as long as I can to keep him clean.”
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(Photo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
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Courtesy : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5723992/2024/08/27/kirk-cousins-falcons-quarterback-tiers/