Falcons QB Kirk Cousins Talks Michael Penix Jr, Bijan & More with Rich Eisen | Full Interview

joining us right now on the rich oen show is Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons how you been Kirk good to see you I'm doing well Rich good to see you ah it's been it's been a minute I think I think the last I think the last time I saw you might have been backstage at NFL honors or something like that maybe where you could have been we usually run into each other during Super Bowl week every year so that's always fun to connect kind of rehash the Michigan Michigan State season kind of check in you you don't want to do that now do you Kirk no it uh that rehashing hasn't been in my favor as of late as when coach I you know when they hired Coach Harbaugh I thought the neighborhood just got a little tougher and uh but when Coach Harbaugh left you know I think there's a glimmer of hope so we'll see how it plays out well I mean do how much are you in contact with the program in East Lancing Kirk you know um obviously a lot of change uh when coach Antonio was still there when his a lot of his people were still there it was a little easier to stay in touch but uh now with the new regime a little harder but um a lot of respect for Jonathan Smith for what he did at Oregon State I think he knows football I've played with some guys in the NFL who played for him in college at udub and at Oregon State and they speak really highly of him so I think the Spartans got the right guy um but uh as you know the Big 10 Big 10's only getting tougher so it's uh it's not the big 10 that you and I grew up in sir I am sitting in Big 10 country in Los Angeles so you can exactly you know what I'm saying I mean good good goodness gracious have things completely changed and and I guess before before we do hit the here and now just way back I I I've never really spoken to you about this because I I'll never forget when I'm on the NFL Network draft set in Radio City Music Hall and RG3 had already been drafted by Washington and then your name gets called in the fourth round and I just looked around I'm like what just happened and I'm wondering were you surprised when you got drafted by Washington when you did back in the Kirk yes I think what just happened was the line that was going on in my family room as well um you know I I tell people that of 32 teams that were picking that day I would have told you Washington was the 32nd most likely to take me um it was a heads scratcher that moment where you would normally be celebrating with everybody in your family room it was the opposite it was just kind of a low energy surprise I I guess I'm going to Washington feels like a dead end kind of a thing so um obvious ly it all worked out it it took a little longer than I than I would have wanted to have it all kind of work out but um uh you know certainly this NFL career has been an interesting journey and it started with with going to Washington yeah no doubt I mean you're entering year 13 now uh after six years in Washington and six in Minnesota and the six years in Washington you had to you know you had to really earn everything that you got as well opportunities and then contractually as well so I guess like just looking back then and informing you now um H how how were you able to make the most of what you got not knowing when you were going to get it Kirk well it was a major blessing to go to Washington um I did not know it at the time I don't think too many people in the league knew it at the time but to go into a building with Mike Shanahan as the head coach Kyle Shanah Hannah as the play caller Shawn McVey is down the hall as the tight end Coach Matt LeFleur my day-to-day contact as the quarterback coach Mike McDaniels the low-level assistant basically helping out I remember Raheem was the DB coach but those guys the guys I all named when me when meetings would end in the spring and there was kind of some open time in the afternoons everybody would kind of make their way to the quarterback room and I knew if I just kind of hung around in the quarterback room there would be some unbelievable football discussions going on from a bunch of young guys who weren't much older than me and I guess I assume that's how every NFL meeting room was but I I learned that that was the exception not the norm so to be indoctrinated into pro football in that environment uh it paid dividends immediately in in my development as a young player which is such a big part of having a successful career is do you get off to the right start but then to this day I mean my head coach today is was one of those guys so um you know it was a major blessing to end up there even though in my you know limited perspective I thought it was a dead end so MC Daniel was getting you coffee is that what he was doing back in the day he wasn't he wasn't getting me coffee but I'm I'm confident he was getting somebody coffee and uh his his office was pretty much like a closet and um uh you know and he worked his way up in my years there he ended up being receiver coach but um uh there's no doubt that you know he was printing stuff and and going to the copy machines and you know getting call sheets made for for Kyle and you know the basic quality control stuff but he also knew football really well we would have some really good disc discussions off to the side um you know during practice so uh just so grateful that I got to cross and I told Mike that when I saw him you know we practice against the Dolphins last week and uh postgame after our preseason game went out and shook his hand and just told him you know uh how much I appreciated his impact on my career and how much I uh you know respect him and and am not surprised of his success as a head coach yeah I mean and again I don't know if you saw what uh Tua is saying and I know this is not your table but Tua talking about the power of a coach um believing in you you know and saying that and that's been a big topic of discussion in our media world over the last 24 hours and I'm wondering could you give voice to that uh and who those guys are please go for I absolutely can you know I never really was in the culture uh at some of the places I've been to like you know really praise you or tell you where you stand but when I got to Washington I remember I got motioned into the head coach's office by the assistant to the head coach and I thought oh no I'm in trouble and this this was after you know seven or eight weeks of of the spring practices and Mike Mike Shanahan said just sit down Kirk and I thought uh oh you know here I can't even go to the summer break without getting in trouble and he said Kirk I I just want to let you know that you know what you've done this spring um has been really impressive I think you're doing a great job with your reads your progressions your throws really proud of you um everything we thought we were getting when we drafted you we believe we're getting just wanted to let you know that and give you that feedback that we're really excited and we think you have a high ceiling and and da da da and he said you're good to go and I I I thought it was like a prank or something because I was just not used to that in my football upbringing but um I quickly learned that that staff that culture was to give you that feedback and that still permeates to this day with Raheem um he's a cheerful coach he enjoys coming to work and it reflects in the way he treats people and talks to people and so um I can agree with what Tu has said I remember Mike McDaniel gave me a book when I went home for that summer break he said go read the book Talent is overrated and uh again hadn't had coaches who recommended books for me to read and my coming up but uh Mike recommended that book I read it uh learned about what it means to have deliberate practice from that book and um to this day you know when I practiced against the Dolphins I said hey hey Mike thanks for recommending that book you know deliberate practice kind of changed my life and changed the course of my career and and Mike said uh yeah when I recommended you read the book I didn't realize you were going to take it to heart that much and live it out for the next decade so uh those coaches continue to have a huge impact on my career oh I I I thought you were going to say an actual current dolphin would turn around go wait a minute he he told me to go get that book just last week you know cuz I'd imagine he could do that I'm sure he's still recommending it you know I love that Kirk Cousins here on the rich is show how are you feeling going into the season what's your health yeah feeling good um I think I turned a corner fully with the Achilles over the summer um where I could really you know get back to my old self and uh um you know it's been a good camp I think it was really helpful during OTAs to still be able to go through the practice reps even though I wasn't yet 100% and was able to kind of still get the work in and get to know my teammates on the field so um you know I I'll keep feeling better as we go but but I feel really good and um you know just kind of buying our time now here until week one yeah So the plan is or you're definitely going to start week one we see you out there against Pittsburgh Kirk yep yep yeah yeah when I when I injured it they told me it was a nine-month deal which would have taken me to August 1 so even from the moment I went into surgery I was expecting August 1 to kind of be the the clear date um and with no setback you know I I always thought that was going to continue to be the case and it really was and um and they told me that really it takes until about 12 months to I guess fully fully be done but uh but after nine months you're pretty much ready to go okay did you connect with Rogers in any way shape or form to compare notes talk about stuff yeah we spoke the day before my surgery we spoke over the phone you know he was about eight weeks in um and so I was was basically able to ask him you know what did the first eight weeks been like what do you recommend from a you know modality standpoint what should I be doing with my time how should I be spending my time very helpful conversation and then he checked back in in December right about when he was trying to hit the practice field again he checked back in just to see how I was doing and uh um and so we've been able to connect a little bit and uh you know the there a lot of guys tear their killes we got two or three on our team here with the Falcons I think three guys who have torn their Achilles and have come back and had great careers so um you know that gave me hope knowing how many guys have done it and have gone on to good things so then obviously a new spot for you Kirk um and new system would you say or is it similar to like how what is your adjustment level here yeah I think it's similar to when Kevin came to Minnesota from La you know my initial thought was oh I was with Shawn McVey Kevin's been with Shawn McVey so you know we should be speaking the same language when he when he arrives little did I know how much changes over the years when wasn't with Shawn because Shawn's such a great football mind it was constantly evolving and so with Kevin I felt like I was kind of starting over learning a lot of new good stuff but uh stuff I hadn't done with Shawn from five or six years earlier and I think some of that too now with Zach um you know it was a similar system Kevin and Zach were together when they won the Super Bowl after the 21 season but in just those two years you know Kevin had unique ideas in Minnesota and and with the ram Zach and Shawn had unique ideas and they kind of went their separate ways and so now we're kind of reconvening after two years saying hey here's what I did in Minnesota here's what you did in La um you know and how can we I wouldn't say meet in the middle but how can we kind of combine the best of the two to to do what we want to do this fall and obviously you know you choosing the Falcons and you Landing there and you being there and you know we all saw what happened on draft night with them choosing a guy who they're already considering as your successor right now depending on timing and things of that nature what has Raheem morrris told you about Michael pennock's role and yours within it Kirk yeah I think he uh I think his message to me was hey we we would like to think that we're not going to be picking very high in the years to come you know hopefully we can have a the kind of Seasons we all want to have where we're not going to have the chance to pick high and get a quarterback down the road so we kind of need to get ahead of it now um but you know the message to me was just uh you know nothing changes for you just just uh go to work and and do your job and honestly Richard reminds me of when I went to Washington and I I thought one thing about what would happen there and then it ended up being very different and so I learned a long time ago not to presume something to just understand that uh this league you know every year is is is a long year and anything can happen and just go out each day and work as hard as you can I remember too when I was a freshman in Michigan State and Nick Foles and I came in the same class and I I kind of felt like it was maybe a dead end for me because of of Nick FES and the high school career he had had for us to be there together at Michigan State but it all worked out we both ended up having good college career careers you know Nick's become a Super Bowl MVP so um you know I think I think there's always room for a good quarterback and uh and I think that's true for both me and Mike so are you saying in that analogy like you're in the role of if you will RG3 where the franchise expends a lot of capital to bring you in and then then somebody else is brought in and penx is in the role of Kirk Cousins in that analogy I I don't know if if penx was drafted 102nd overall on the third day of the draft I'm not talking similarities I'm not talking about actual draft order you know what I mean I'm just yeah yeah I think I think going going in the top 10 is a little different but uh but yeah we um you know I I think we both know that this NFL career is a marathon not a Sprint um you know Mike's been through a lot you know through his six years you know Indiana then at udub he's been through injuries he's had to fight through a lot so um you know my story his story we both know that this journey takes a lot and it it goes every which way and you just take it one day at a time and keep putting good things on tape you know playing well when you get the chance and and believe that if you do that you know good good things are in store and we can win a lot of games and we can both uh you know have great careers couple things left for you here Kirk um you've been around a lot of talented players give me give me a glimpse of Bon Robinson there's so much yeah uh Buzz about him and um you know good human great human uh as well but what do you what do you see from him that that might lead to thinking this is a Breakout this is a star this is this is an offensive uh Juggernaut that you can quarterback Kirk well I think that uh you know his movement skills are there that's that's undoubt you know undoubtedly true that when you watch him run get him the football you just say oh you know I've been around dvin cook who who is Elite as a as a cutter and and had great movement skills I think bejan's you know in that class um uh you know his ability to catch the football and run routes is something you don't often see from a running back and then you mentioned it just the the caliber of person the quality person the smile he has on his face the positive attitude he carries um you just feel like that's going to serve him really well over the course of his career so um The Challenge right now is because we we're not taking people to the ground practices aren't live what you don't get to see is the ability to really make people miss and break tackles and turn a you know a two- yard run into a 12 yard run or a one yard loss into a seven yard run and I think that's an ability that he's shown on tape that I have gotten to see until it's live football so um I'll be excited like everyone else and that's true of not just not just bejan but several guys in our team I can't wait week one to kind of see their their ability uh when it's the real thing and uh if I'm not mistaken uh a a belated birthday wish is in order right was yesterday correct yeah 36 yesterday y the big 36 uh is it true that you were allowed to I guess uh work the music for the team yesterday and I'm glad you brought this up so so back when yeah there's the playlist so back when I signed uh they sent a message out on the team app that said if you want to suggest songs for practice you know send them here so I went back to the you know the drawing board and I submitted back in April like you know 100 plus songs probably and I just you know was hoping to kind of balance out you know the other genres that we're going to get so um was just kind of trying to create some variety and then usually the music play at practice wouldn't be my first choice you know most of the time and I always kind of ask for you know sprinkling in some of my selections and uh yesterday it was just one after another I kept saying man I used to listen to this song in seventh grade or I just listen this in eth grade or I like this song you know we've had like four in a row that's like four more than we ever get and uh so at the end of practice I went over to our our DJ who was a coach's assistant Madison I said hey Madison I got to give you an ad a boy that was that was quite the playlist today and she said well it was your birthday I had to play all your songs and so somehow it it got out that that was my curated playlist and I said well you know if I actually was going to curate a practice playlist it' probably be a little different but okay we're in the we're in the general ballpark so I said next year next year I'm actually going to curate the practice playlist and every single song is going to be well thought out and handpicked by me but uh I got 364 days to figure that out you sure do uh one of the members of our team RJ Herrera who's our jack of all trades at the Rich Eisen show he has a theory that a lot of your songs on your playlist are Guitar Hero or band hero or maybe Madden songs and that this is sort of an insight to you being a gamer back in the day there's no doubt there's no doubt that a lot of those songs I do think showed up on Madden around 2004 but uh uh for some reason I kind of gravitated towards polling songs from like my high school middle school years and so most of those songs were songs that were played like when I was Middle School maybe even like the high school wait room like the songs that got played so but the the sad reality is that most of my teammates you know have heard and know none of those songs because there's like a 12 year age Gap and they were all born in the 2000s so when I was in Middle School listening to them they were like four years old so um sometimes just got to teach them about what the 90s were like and uh and hope for the best you're the old you're the OG now Kirk you're the OG it's uh it's true honestly you know when I was a rookie Mike Shanahan brought Shannon sharpen to speak to our team and one of the lines he said that I liked was he said uh keep cleats on your feet and so every year I have a birthday during training camp and I I remind myself I still have cleats on my feet on my birthday and so I'm trying to stretch that into my 40s if I can but that's certainly a goal is to keep cleats on my feet as long as I can Kirk Cousins great chatting with you great catching up with you great to hear that you're going to be out there week one and uh look forward to seeing what you could do in your new digs appreciate the time absolutely great hopping on with you and catching up and uh Super Bowl week if not sooner we'll see you now well maybe uh I won't see you Super Bowl weekk in the we're see one way or another either me your Ro playing in the game that would be preferred um yeah I think I've seen enough of you not playing in the game I don't take that offense to that but you do realize in your new digs that if there's any spot that an Atlanta Falcon fan would want to win the Super Bowl in other than their home stadium it would be the Super doome so they could tell all the saints fans who won the championship in that building you're aware of that rivalry I'm sure like that oh yeah no you're and you're well aware and and I'm I'm well aware and uh the Super Bowl was in New Orleans my rookie year so I thought hey you know let's take it full circle my rookie year was kind of my introduction into the NFL we've talked about my rookie year here in this interview and uh why not go win the Super Bowl uh when it's back in New Orleans where it was my rookie year best of your family sir thanks for the time all right thanks Rich we'll see you that's Kirk Cousins the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons right here on the Rich Eisen show I love that that was great catch the Rich Eisen show every single day on the Roku Channel 12 to3 Eastern for free