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Greg Auman
NFC South Reporter
Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins spoke publicly for the first time since Atlanta used a first-round draft pick on Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. And as the 35-year-old veteran talked of moving forward and co-existing with a high-profile rookie, his core message was this: I’ve been here before.
“This is more the norm than the exception,” Cousins said Tuesday of his situation and his ability to push through unexpected competition.
Most fans know that Cousins came into the NFL as the second quarterback drafted by Washington in 2012, sitting most of his first two seasons behind Robert Griffin III, but Cousins went even further back to his senior year of high school.
He signed with Michigan State in February 2007 as a highly touted recruit, only to find out nine days later that the Spartans were adding another freshman in Nick Foles. Cousins said he was driving home from a Falcons draft party last month when he got a phone call that the team was taking a quarterback with its top pick. He said it was “similar” to when Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio called to tell him the Spartans were bringing in another quarterback to compete with him.
It was Foles who saw limited action as a backup that fall while Cousins redshirted behind starter Brian Hoyer. Foles then transferred to Arizona the next year, sitting out a season as required before becoming a three-year starter and future Super Bowl MVP. Cousins took over as Michigan State’s starter in 2009, and his experience navigating that situation has helped him in recent weeks.
“We looked at each other like, ‘Hey, one guy’s probably going to play here, and one guy isn’t,” Cousins said of his freshman interaction with Foles. “It doesn’t mean you’re not both great quarterbacks. You learn pretty quickly as a freshman in college [that] you’ve got to compete. That’s the way it’s kind of always been and always will be. This is consistent with…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/falcons-kirk-cousins-unexpected-competition-the-norm-in-my-football-journey
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Publish date : 2024-05-15 14:52:13
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