Former NFL head coach Mike Shanahan recently commented on the Minnesota Vikings quarterback and why he believes he is the right fit for the team.
After the Minnesota Vikings failed to make the playoffs last season, much of the blame has been placed on the shoulders of quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Some believe that since the Vikings gave Cousins a hefty $84 million contract last March, he deserves to be blamed for the majority of the team’s lack of success in 2018. Despite setting numerous single-season passing records for the franchise last year, the jury is still out for some on Cousins being the long-term quarterback in Minnesota.
Currently, he is preparing for his second season as the Vikings’ starting signal-caller. In an attempt to make things a little easier for Cousins and the rest of the team in 2019, Minnesota has added a bunch of new talent to their offensive coaching staff this offseason.
Longtime Vikings assistant Kevin Stefanski is now the team’s offensive coordinator, former Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak has been brought in as an offensive advisor, and a few other new faces have been added to Minnesota’s staff to help get the offense back on track in 2019.
The Vikings are hoping that their new coaches will be able to minimize Cousins’ mistakes and maximize his greatest strengths next season. Something that former Minnesota offensive coordinator John DeFilippo was unable to figure out in 2018.
A number of the Vikings new assistant coaches have all spent time working together during their time in the NFL. Most of them were a part of the Denver Broncos’ staff when Mike Shanahan was the team’s head coach from 1995 to 2008.
So it’s not surprising to find out that Shanahan believes that Minnesota will be fine with Cousins as their quarterback, especially with some of his old co-workers steering him in the right direction.
The former Broncos head coach recently commented on the Vikings’ current situation under center.
"“(The Vikings) have the right (quarterback) there. Not everybody can see that, but hopefully when they get him a supporting cast, people will see that.”"
Get him a supporting cast? Hopefully Shanahan is mostly referring to Minnesota improving their offensive line this offseason because Cousins already has a number of talented skill players to help him out on offense.
Guys like Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, Kyle Rudolph, and Stefon Diggs certainly made the job of the Vikings’ quarterback much easier last season. Not really sure what else Shanahan would like to see Minnesota add to their offense this year.
Despite this portion of his comments, it’s still good to hear that Cousins has the support of a former NFL head coach who has a pair of Super Bowl wins under his belt.