Kirk Cousins Taking Advantage of Extra Time with Younger Players

[Viktor]

Vikings Offensive Coordinator Kevin Stefanski was asked about the uniqueness of Cousins’ willingness to spend time working with players lower on the depth chart. He reminded that the three days of extra practice are valuable for all involved and shouldn’t be taken for granted.


“One of the things we talked about is those players don’t have to be here, they get to be here, and really, take the opportunity that we are getting and let’s apply it, because we aren’t just out here to put a check next to a box,” Stefanski said. “We are trying to get better.”


The advice doesn’t apply just to the players, either.


“I think our coaches are outstanding teachers,” Stefanski said. “Watching these last few days, listening to our coaches teach, getting all this information across to our players, I think it is so impressive to watch these guys work together.”


Does Cousins, then, act as an additional coach during this phase of camp?


While he does bring plenty of experience to the huddle, Cousins said he mainly tries to leave the coaching to, well, the coaches.


“I’m always in a learning mode; I don’t know that it’s a teaching mode,” Cousins said. “I’m going to communicate, encourage a guy when I feel he’s doing something right and coach him when he’s doing something wrong, but we have so many coaches. We’ve got a lot of voices out there telling these guys what to do. So if anything, I just want to be an encourager and affirm them when they’re doing things the right way and ask questions, too. A lot of times I can learn from even these younger guys as to what they’re seeing or what their issue is.”