Rick Spielman’s Opinion on Kirk Cousins and the Promised Land
Dustin Baker
|
Since his termination on January 10th, former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman hasn’t passed on many public-speaking opportunities. And predictably, he’s often asked about the Vikings.
Spielman is diplomatic, usually replying to questions with extensive feedback while not making many waves. Sometimes, it even sounds like he’s talking in code, particularly for matters pertaining to his former partner in Minnesota, Mike Zimmer.
On Wednesday, Spielman was point-blank asked about Kirk Cousins and whether the 32-year-old quarterback can win a Super Bowl with the Vikings. He did so with Rich Eisen and responded this way:
The topic is popular because Cousins is embroiled in contract extension talks with the Vikings new general manager. If Cousins and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah cannot find middle ground, Cousins will either play out the final year of his deal in 2022 or be traded elsewhere in the coming days or weeks. Recently, Russell Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos, and Carson Wentz trekked to Washington. The market is hot.
If Adofo-Mensah doesn’t believe Cousins can win a Super Bowl, a trade is imminent.
On Spielman’s reply, well, it was vintage Spielman. He did not say yes or no. Because Spielman was the number-one-with-a-bullet character responsible for bringing Cousins to the Vikings, the fact he didn’t answer an emphatic yes is telling.
On the other hand, Spielman made wise points about the team nature of football, discussing how Nick Foles won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles — defeating the Vikings along the way — so he essentially implied, “If Foles can do it, Cousins can do it.”
But he didn’t say those exact words.
Spielman is correct on the team aspect of winning a championship. Too often as of late, football is perceived through a lens of mano a mano, with quarterbacks single-handedly dueling each other. Yet, when quarterbacks like Foles, Joe Flacco, Eli Manning, and Trent Dilfer own ring hardware, Spielman’s point resonates.
A good or elite quarterback general provides guaranteed relevance, outside of examples like the 2020 Houston Texans or 2021 Seattle Seahawks. That is the allure of employing and paying an elite QB1.
The risk, though, is dinking around for 10 years like the Green Bay Packers with one of the best quarterbacks in history but consistently collapsing in key moments of the postseason simply because the other 51 guys aren’t quite good enough.
While Spielman notably didn’t provide Cousins a ringing endorsement — and that’s pretty damning — he provided long-winded context regarding the team aspect of the sport.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. His YouTube Channel, VikesNow, debuts in March 2022. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
You must be logged in to post a comment.