http://es.redskins.com/topic/393091-101sportscom-challenge-for-rams-get-to-kirk-cousins/
101sports.com: Challenge for Rams: Get to Kirk Cousins
http://www.101sports...o-kirk-cousins/
(Emphasis is mine)
When the Rams defense digs into the turf Sunday at FedEx Field, setting up to go after Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, their pass rushers can’t waste time. The ball will be gone. Cousins won’t stand around and wait for the Rams to hit him.
Cousins isn’t elusive. He doesn’t scramble much. He will stay in the pocket.
Cousins won’t make anyone’s “Best Quarterbacks” lists. After all, we’re talking about a fourth-year QB that has played in only 15 NFL games including 10 as a starter. He has more career interceptions (21) than touchdown passes (19) and a mediocre passer rating of 76.9.
But Cousins does present a challenge for an aggressive defense that thrives on pressuring and disrupting quarterbacks.
Cousins is one of the quickest draws in the NFL.
He sets up. He fires. He releases the throw before the pass rushers have time to blink.
This is part of coach Jay Gruden’s system. He doesn’t want his quarterbacks to loiter, free-lance, or otherwise hold onto the ball. If you want to play QB for Gruden’s Redskins _ sorry, Robert Griffin III _ then you’d better be decisive and deliver the pass without hesitation.
The Rams have an abundance of active, swarming pass rushers known as “Sack City.” The cast includes defensive ends Robert Quinn, Chris Long and William Hayes. (Plus Eugene Sims, who injured a knee in the season-opener vs. Seattle.) And on the interior are defensive tackles Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers and Nick Fairley. It’s a group that features five first-round draft choices, impressive career sack totals, and enough pass-rush heat to make any quarterback squirm.
Last Sunday “Sack City” got after Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson for six sacks and 22 total QB pressures. The mobile Wilson couldn’t escape the rush. The Rams trapped him early and often.
This may sound crazy, but Cousins figures to be a more difficult challenge for the Rams.
It’s not because Cousins is the superior quarterback. Obviously, Wilson is the better player. And unlike Cousins _ a stationary target _ Wilson is capable of breaking down a defense with his quicksilver running ability.
But in the simple task of getting rid of the football to avoid sacks, Cousins can frustrate a defense with his rapid-fire delivery.
According to Pro Football Focus, Cousins needed an average of only 2.41 seconds to put his passes in flight last season.
In Sunday’s 17-10 opening-afternoon loss to Miami, Cousins averaged 2.32 seconds to release his throw.
In 2014, Cousins used only 2.5 seconds or less to get the ball out of his right hand on 60 percent of his passing attempts. Against Miami, 72 percent of his passing attempts went airborne in 2.5 seconds or under.
That fast release time puts Cousins near the top of the charts among NFL quarterbacks over the past two seasons.
This is what happens when Cousins uses 2.5 seconds or fewer to defy the rush with his quick-release trigger.
In 2014 … a 70 percent completion percentage and a 101.9 passer rating.
Against Miami … a 77.3 completion percentage and a 94.3 passer rating.
But when Cousins holds the ball for more than 2.5 seconds, he’s a different quarterback. And not nearly as good. On his 2.6+ throws last season Cousins completed only 49 percent with a passer rating of 61.5.
Facing Miami, Cousins connected on 44 percent of the his 2.6+ passes, threw two interceptions and had a sickly passer rating of only 13.
The Rams’ assignment couldn’t be clearer.
Their rushers have to find a way to out-quick Cousins, and it won’t be easy.
(skipping to conclusion lol...)
The Redskins have at least one menacing pass rusher in outside linebacker
Ryan Kerrigan, who roams the edges of a 3-4 defensive alignment to hunt for a pass-protection weakness or mismatch. Left defensive end
Stephen Paea had a sack and three hurries vs. Miami last week, and outside linebacker
Preston Smith gave the Dolphins as much trouble as Kerrigan.
The young Rams O-line will be tested by the Redskins. Count on it.
And the Rams’ defensive line will have to speed up to put a hit on Cousins before he flicks his wrist.
Read more at the link.
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Sweet find.
His quick decisions are why I'm not as worried about sacks as other people. I'm worried about turnovers....
No moronic "oh I thought Jordan was going to stay there" INTs.
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I said in the twitter thread before the Dolphins game, that Cousins avoids sacks like the plague...I didn't realize how good he was at it until I read those release stats.
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I'm seeing his pocket presence improving and, along with more trust being built in the Oline (if they continue their solid play)... we might actually see Kirk improve on his issues when it comes to improvisational plays or longer developing ones.
He used to panic before, but I didn't see that against Miami. He was sliding and generally moving well within the pocket, but it did affect his accuracy a little bit. Two examples of this:
1) The pass to Roberts that was slightly behind him after the PA, I believe in the third quarter. The one Roberts surprisingly caught. Cousins drifts to his left because someone got around Moses (barely, though, I believe it was a blitzing DB or LB maybe coming off the edge, can't remember exactly) and he bought a split-second more time there by doing so, but his throw was slightly off.
2) The 3rd and 7 right before the last play of the final drive. Miami's DEs explode off the ball and he properly stepped up (maybe took too big of a step, though)... he was initially looking towards the right side of the field, but when he stepped up he quickly turned and he threw the pass to Thompson who was running a quick out to the left. He pushed the ball too far towards the sideline, it wasn't catchable at all.
But that's not even the real negative... had he held on to it for just one more half second (and he had that time), he had Reed wide open on a curl to that same side of the field. Reed destroyed his guy, like bad.
So, the problem to me is he needs to start trusting his (very good) instincts in the pocket a little bit more as well as the Oline holding up. I hope they continue to play it conservatively and let these guys all really get the confidence necessary. Slowly build it, even if it's at the cost of some games early on. They've got to be looking at this film right now and saying "okay, we're close here, just have to do this or that". Don't let it snowball now and completely ruin their confidence.
There's some real potential here that's close to being realized, it's not just imaginary. I want to scream at Kirk and say "hold on just a little longer", but I also don't want him to against a Rams Dline that will thrive if he does, lol. I don't want the Oline to feel like they failed, either. I'm hoping the team sticks to the plan and keeps building. Maybe a couple of those plays we missed against Miami we hit on now and it makes all the difference.
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He definitely does have potential and even after the 1st interception, he came back into the game poised and ready to continue to make plays.
With his ability to release and avoid sacks, I think with a few strong games and a longer stint as the starter, he may be something more then another journeyman in the league.
I did hear that he happened to stare down his receiver a few times against Miami, even when the receiver was alone on the right side (had 3 on the left). I think it was Cooley who mentioned it and that if he froze the safety in the endzone (directly in the middle), he could have had a TD.
I'm just hoping these are the things being brought to his attention in the film room and if the O Line plays like they did against Miami, I think Kirk will be able to push a few more scoring drives for us. Clean up the completely insane drive killing penalties and could build a nice offense.
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I've always admired his ability to get rid of the ball quickly. And he seems to put the ball where he wants it to go.
It's his decisions where to throw it that is sometimes . . . . Unfortunate.
That's one reason why I could imagine him doing really well at dink and dunk.
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http://es.redskins.com/topic/393007-predict-the-special-teams-gaffe-s-for-this-week/
Predict the Special Teams gaffe (s) for this week
Will Tavon Austin have multiple TD returns, or will we be lucky and limit him to just one?
Will our new kicker miss 2 or more FGs (given that we're only allowed one TD per game)?
Will there be a blocked kick?
Will we kickoff out of bounds?
I think our only kickoff will go out of bounds, one of our three unsuccessful field goal attempts will be partially blocked, but on the plus side, we will hold Tavon Martin Steve Austin to just one return TD.
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2 missed extra points and we lose 23-22.
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Snap goes over Way's head and while he is trying to get it out of the end zone for a safety, the Rams recover for a TD.
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I'll go in a different direction.
50+ yard return negated by block in the back penalty.
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3 missed FG's, 1 blocked punt.
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- New kid will kick it off out of bounds.
- Austin will take one to the house.
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Missed Chip Shot Field Goal
missed XP
Tavon Austin takes it to the house
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New kicker kicks field goal into center's butt. Before he is tackled, he farts, ball comes out, bounces into Ram's 320 pound NT who outruns everyone 90 yards for touchdown. Rams win it 35-34.
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I predict on a Rams PR, Tavon Austin will cough it up and we score after a spectacular hit by our 2nd rd rookie, Preston Smith...
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you're assuming we're going to score a touchdown. How sweet of you.
I'm going with something extravagant. I say Tress Way punts a 70 yarder, which bounces off the uprights into the waiting arms of Austin. Then Austin, getting turned around, actually moonwalks backwards past our terrible coverage, and scores.
Or we run another swinging gate. During the alignment shift, players get turned around, and actually run a play in the wrong direction.
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I think it's a better than 50% chance that T. Austin takes one to the house.
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Jeff Fisher sends only his kicker out to midfield for the coin toss to mock us for cutting Kai. Our new kicker misses 2 extra points and a FG.
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FG unit comes on when we stall 4th and 2 at the Rams 5 yard line. Three penalties later the ball is at the 45 and we decide to punt.
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The holder holds the ball on the wrong side for the new kicker. Jay Gruden explains that it takes some time for the field goal unit to adjust to a new kicker, and that the mistake was simply part of the learning curve. Gruden also explains that the holder was instructed to go to that side by RG3 in an audible, despite the fact that RG3 was on the sidelines listening to his Ipod.
Later in the game, the Redskins line up to kick an extra point from the 35 yard line instead of the 15. The Redskins are penalized 15 yards for unsportmanlike conduct, and the prior touchdown is nullified under a new rule designed specifically for the Redskins.
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In a game in which I predict our punter nets an average of 75 yards per punt and where our new kicker sets the NFL record for the longest FG completed, the only gaffe, per se, occurs in the 4th quarter when we are leading 105 to 0, as our ST coach accidentally sends in the signal to onside-kick, which we successfully recover, however, a sidelines clearing brawl ensues, with fisticuffs occurring at the 50 yard line.
During the melee, Gruden loses a contact lens.
Outwardly we have to condemn the onsides-kick to the media and the world at large. Sure it looked like pouring it on, after all, scoring 15 consecutive touchdowns with 15 successful conversions would undoubtedly wrangle anyone's weave, but it sure riles up the stache of schlitz drinking Fisher.
It was in fact a miscommunication and unintentional.
In repentance we spend the remaining possessions we have punting the ball on 1st down.
