Backward Thinking September
28,
2022
The irony, finding ourselves after week 3, is
palatable. We now see the Eagles ranked at #1 in the power ranking, where
the Vikings loss is used to calibrate the season. Really
... was it that bad ... Philadelphia's home opener. Well, what is for
certain is that I'd rather lose this contest rather than at year end. What
am I saying? How would the Eagles feel about facing the Viking again ...
even on their home turf. If you're thinking that they would relish that
idea you'd be fooling yourself. What you maybe didn't see was absolute
shock on the faces of those Eagles fans because they couldn't clearly understand
what they were seeing. They know what's coming & there's a price to be
paid for allowing yourself to be too exuberant ... way to early in the
season. Enjoy that #1 seeding ... as the season will grind upon Jalen
Hurts ... run baby run!.
Again the irony. If A. A. Ron constructs Kirk Cousin's final drive versus
the Lions what we'd hear would be,, "He's one of the greatest quarterbacks of all
time". The real reaction to Kirk Cousins precision strike was nothing
less than absolute shock. The thought that permeates was, "Cousin's got
lucky." Really! Really! Since 1993 Green Bay has had two
Hall of Fame Quarterbacks (Rodgers & Favre). This is Kirk Cousins 5th
year steering this ship ... year after year rummaging through quarterback after
quarterback ... but now there's continuity at that position. Which begs
the question, exactly what is the exact impact of Kevin O'Connell?
When addressing Kirk Cousins past records ... you know, so that he could be put
down ... was all this history a reflection directly upon him alone or was it
something entirely different. It wasn't all that long ago than Fran
Tarkenton was asked, "Why don't you stay in the pocket (like other pocket
passers)?" His response, "What Pocket?" How can you
possibly access his present status based upon his history alone which obviously
contained a whole host of mouse traps beyond his control ... leading to very bad
habits..
On the other hand, what you could state is that Kirk Cousins has a propensity
toward happy feet when pressured but so did Fran Tarkenton except he wasn't a
pocket passer per se. In prime time games, those match ups usually involve
elite teams where Cousins has to match an offensive track meet, a ferocious
defense or both. In most instances, he had to do so with one hand tied
behind his back (Washington's Daniel Snyder). That's the reality. To
this juncture, I've never seen Kirk Cousins protected in the pocket the way Nick
Foles was protected in either Super Bowl LII or in our NFC Championship
game. Foles had an elite offensive line & he wasn't touched, a luxury
that Kirk Cousins never had. So what has changed & should Kirk Cousins
assessment be in line for a complete reevaluation?
Now in his 4th year, Garret Bradbury has become more than relevant with Ezra
Cleveland on his left Ed Ingram on his right. Although Oli Udoh is a strapping
specimen, he did not posses that developed skill set, in the depth of
experience, that would be required to be thrown in at right guard. My
belief is that Udoh destiny is as our swing tackle where he's better
suited. We forget that for the first part of our 2021 season, Christian
Darrisaw was recovering from abdominal surgery, & as the 2021 season evolved, it
became clear that Darrisaw was rapidly approaching elite status giving Cousins solid
bookends by year end. Now with the addition of Ed Ingram, that young offensive line is
continuing to develop & has the potential to approach elite status,
something that Kirk Cousins previously never realized. Maybe you haven't
noticed it, but he's not only focused down field, the look of his confidence in
that pocket is now evident. That Eagles loss was paramount in the
evolution & development of Cousins offensive line as growth can only come
from facing elite competition. Even though the Vikings appeared to be outclassed
in that match, the progress made, given a chance to catch our breath, actually
was closer than you think. On 1st & goal from the 9 going in, if we
had pounded the rock with Mattison inside the red zone, having recorded an Irv
Jr unrecorded TD, the result would have indicated something very
different. Donatell & O'Connell are not going to volunteer to shoot
themselves in the foot
again.
Donatell has to be pressed from the comfort of the stability within his mind
into being quite uncomfortable. Bynum has to be moved into coverage (slot
corner) as what you're sporting now isn't anywhere near elite. You've got
to get Asamoah into a meaningful rotation where raw experience will pay
dividends. Metellus has made his potential apparent as we require a solid
security blanket behind Harry the Hit Man's experience. It's time for
Lewis Cine to toss his chips into the ring & realize his destiny which doesn't happen from the
bench. Screw your fear of players making mistakes as your defense up to
this point is getting shredded. Teach, reinforce & allow it to
happen.
How would you access
Mathew Stafford prior to him departing to Los Angeles & how does that parallel
Kirk Cousins? What is the irony within the O'Connell/Cousins knowledge
base & does wisdom abound? Cousins last drive within the evolution of
his precision strikes indicates a new divergent timeline. Go ahead ...
hold onto the past ... it's as if Drew Brees were still playing ... A. A. Ron
stick bones ... & Brady's emaciation! Are the Eagles the NFC's #1
squad???
Really!!!
The Viking Ghost Writer
http://MyVikingBlood.org
Date: September 28, 2022
