Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins has a unique dual role with the Raiders, so he's focused on the positives.
The Las Vegas Raiders signed Kirk Cousins to be a mentor for their younger players, and Cousins also happens to be their starting quarterback. He's solid on the field, and as the Raiders’ designated old head he also has a gift for saying the right things at the right time, which he did a lot in a piece from Ryan McFadden of ESPN.
"I remember going out to minicamp my rookie year [in Washington] and just being grateful that I got to wear an NFL helmet for one practice," Cousins said. "I always felt like I was one year at a time, one day at a time sometimes, and taking that one day at a time mentality has led me here."
Cousins is now 38, which means there’s a genuine generation gap between him and many of the youngsters. He occasionally makes pop culture references that go whizzing over the heads of the newer Raiders, and defensive end had some fun poking and prodding the quarterback about this.
"He's headed towards senior [citizen]. Nah, I'm just playing," Crosby said jokingly. "He's the oldest of the group, for sure. But he brings great energy, too. That's one thing I give him a lot of credit for. He never shies away from cracking jokes and being one of the guys, and he's been incredible."
The incredible part needs to at least partially translate to real games for the Raiders’ QB gambit to succeed, but he has been a steadying influence. The Raiders have talked a lot about just getting the basics right to get out of the 3-14 hole they fell into last year, and that part is viable.
"As a quarterback, you want to help the next tier guys to elevate their play," Cousins said. "I think that's what quarterbacking in this league is about; trying to help elevate the guys around you, so that when you step in the huddle, 10 guys play better, and also enjoy relating with the coaches and building a bond with them where you can finish each other's sentences."
Cousins also acknowledged that he thought he might be done when the Atlanta Falcons released him, and he deserves real credit for that. But he was a near-perfect fit for what coach Klint Kubiak wanted, even if signing Cousins did have something of an “any port in a storm” feel to it.
"Before Klint called, you have to ask yourself, 'What's next if I'm done?'" Cousins said. "Then I had the opportunity to come to [Las Vegas], and you focus on the task at hand."
The task at hand right now is competence. It’s not sexy, but the Raiders are hoping it will win them a game or three more than they won last year as they continue to rebuild their roster.
