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There has been much debate about whether or not impending free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins is a good quarterback or a “special player”. Recently former Washington General Manager Scot McCloughan said: “I don’t see a special player” when asked about Cousins.
Well, former Broncos and Washington Head Coach Mike Shanahan whom drafted Cousins and preferred over Robert Griffin III called bollocks on that statement when speaking to the New York Daily News.
“There’s no question in my mind that he’s a special player, If you don’t think he’s a special player, that means you don’t watch him practice very often. You take a look at some of the games he’s played in. He hasn’t played with a good defense that’s been in the upper half of the league, I don’t think, since he’s been there. You can’t always do it by yourself. You got to have an offense and a defense for a quarterback to be really successful… especially when you get in the playoffs. But I guarantee you he’s a special guy.”
As we know, there are now multiple rumors out there saying the Broncos will make a big push for Cousins once free agency opens. Some are saying that “It seems it’s more likely than not that Kirk plays for the Broncos next year.”, so it’s noteworthy that a former Broncos great Head Coach feels like this about Cousins. Also, if Mike Shanahan feels like this about Cousins, it is safe to assume that former Broncos Head Coach and current Front Office member Gary Kubiak feels the same.
Since taking over for RGIII to start the 2015 season, Kirk Cousins has logged a passer rating of 109.6 on throws without pressure, which is second only to Drew Brees in that spanhttps://t.co/eSStNCsnLl pic.twitter.com/2OoDYLrAd7
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) January 30, 2018
Shanahan went on to say that if you provide Cousins with a supporting cast around him “he’ll play well”.
“I think Kirk Cousins could be successful in any offense that he ran,” Shanahan said. “Those quarterbacks are hard to find. But everybody needs playmakers around them. I think that’s what everybody else’s job is… to get those coaches the best supporting cast. But it starts with the quarterback. When you have a guy like Kirk Cousins on your team — and you can get a supporting cast for him — he’ll play well.”
The Broncos supporting cast isn’t the best and they may or may not be losing one of or not both of their top receivers, but they have enough to get it done. I would also expect General Manager John Elway to make sure he surrounded Cousins with as much talent as possible.
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