In the aftermath of a not-impressive debut with the Falcons, concerns are spreading regarding the overall health of quarterback Kirk Cousins’s surgically repaired right leg.
The biggest issues are his pre-snap stance and the use of his lower body in throwing the ball.
Here’s a great explanation from former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel about Cousins’s pre-snap leg positioning. Throughout his career, Cousins had his right foot forward. After getting the ball, he’d push off the right foot to start into his drop. Now, his feet are even. As a result, he doesn’t have that extra burst — presumably because he doesn’t want to put extra stress on the leg that had a torn Achilles tendon.
Chris Simms explained on Wednesday the problems that arose after Cousins got the ball. He’s not driving the ball with his lower body. That requires him to plant the right foot hard and push down on it, mustering the extra oomph for the throw. Instead, he’s muscling it with his upper body.
Consequently, there’s less drive. Less pop. Less accuracy.
It doesn’t help that the Falcons faced the Steelers. It doesn’t help that Steelers fans overtook Mercedes-Benz Stadium, forcing the Falcons into a silent count early.
As Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt explained it to PFT after the Pittsburgh win, the advantage was significant.
"[A]nytime you can have a home team on a silent count all game, it’s so demoralizing for opposing offenses,” Watt said, “and even on the fumble that I was able to recover, it was huge when they have to go silent count and they’re motioning and shifting and the ball gets snapped at a random time or the ball ends up on the ground, that goes to the crowd for creating that havoc.”
It does help that there weren’t enough Falcons fans present to permit their discontent to coalesce and amplify. If that happens next Sunday night, when the Falcons host the Chiefs, a three-word chant could emerge from the stands.
“We . . . want . . . Penix.”
And maybe that’s why the Falcons didn’t play rookie Michael Penix Jr. beyond the first preseason game. Maybe they were concerned that they’ll need him sooner than anyone might have expected.
Before we’ll see Cousins in primetime for Week 3, we’ll see him in primetime to cap Week 2. At Philadelphia. Against another great defense. With clear things to watch when he’s waiting to get the ball and after he has it in his hands.