Trip to Washington won’t be a revenge game for Kirk Cousins, Kevin O’Connell
Kirk Cousins AND Kevin O’Connell it undoubtedly did not channel their insides Patrick Peterson AND Jordan Hicks when requested to share some emotions about dealing with their former staff in Washington on Sunday.
Three days after Peterson and Hicks broke from conventional NFL type by mocking and trash-talking their former staff throughout and after a win over the Cardinals, Cousins and O’Connell threw out some moist blankets by hinting that this week’s game means one thing extra. for them greater than a probability for their present franchise to be 7-1 for the primary time since Brett Favre led the 2009 staff to a 10-1 begin.
“I spent six years there and I have a lot of great memories,” mentioned Cousins, a fourth-round decide of Washington in 2012. “You just think about a lot of people that I worked with there. The coaches, the players, the teammates of the team.”
He performed on not one, however two franchise tags earlier than Washington let him out the door as a younger man with robust stats for Minnesota and the league’s first totally assured multi-year contract. Why did not it work?
Cousins shrugged and accepted his share of the blame.
“I would say any time you go .500, it’s a league you want to win; you have to win,” mentioned Cousins, who went 26-31-1, together with 0-1 within the playoffs, in Washington. “That’s what you’ve been doing lately, and you’re only as good as your last game. When you’re .500, it’s hard to have that consistent power anywhere.”
O’Connell spent three seasons in Washington, two as quarterbacks coach in 2017-18 and one as offensive coordinator in 2019. He was Cousins’ place coach in 2017.
What type of reception are they anticipating when Cousins tries to go 2-0 towards Washington on his first enterprise journey there?
“I don’t think Kirk or I thought too much about it,” O’Connell mentioned. “Anytime you go on the road as a 6-1 team in this league, I don’t think you can expect an extremely warm welcome. They’ve won three straight, so they’re at a critical point in their season.”
Cousins mentioned his favourite reminiscence in Washington was what occurred again on the staff’s facility after profitable the NFC East in Philadelphia the day after Christmas in 2015.
“We pulled into the facility at 2 in the morning, 3 in the morning and the bus couldn’t move because it was packed with fans,” Cousins mentioned. “I’ll always remember that. The bus lastly comes by means of the gate, drops us off, and now we’ve to return to our vehicles.
“My wife came to pick me up. She and I will never forget trying to get out of that practice facility and not being able to because people were all over our car banging on the windows. It was just incredible. This it’s really the whole thing. , being able to put your fans in that position to be excited for your team. Because of our start, we’re in a similar position this year.”
O’Connell mentioned he grew as a coach in Washington due to Cousins and “how he challenged me as a coach.” It was O’Connell’s third season in teaching.
“That was really the beginning of what made a really special relationship for us here,” he mentioned. “I’m very excited to come to work because I’m nearby [Cousins] and being able to join this offense side by side with it.”
Condolences to the Zimmers
Cousins and O’Connell opened their weekly press conferences by providing their condolences to the previous coach. Mike Zimmer and his household two days after Zimmer’s son and the staff’s former defensive coordinator, Adamdied on the age of 38.
“Adam was a tremendous person, tremendous football coach,” Cousins mentioned. “Everyone here loved working with him, spoke highly of him. It’s tragic. Just praying for the family.”
Tomlinson may be a game-time choice
Protective remedy Dalvin Tomlinson (calf), safety Cam Bynum (private affairs) and recipient Jalen Nailor (sickness) didn’t follow on Wednesday. Limited had been posteriors Cameron Dantzler (neck) and Za’Darius Smith (knee). Fully concerned, however on the damage report was on the receiving finish Adam Thielen (knee).
Tomlinson is the most important damage concern this week behind tight finish Irv Smith Jr. (ankle) was positioned on injured reserve. O’Connell referred to as Tomlinson “week-to-week.” He mentioned Tomlinson may be a game-time choice this week, however the staff will err on the facet of warning.
“We want to make sure we’re not pushing it too fast, too fast,” O’Connell mentioned.
