Jordan Rodgers, brother of Aaron, raised a few eyebrows recently when he said he’d take Kirk Cousins as his quarterback ahead of Cam Newton. It turns out that a longtime NFL player is in agreement with him.
Tiki Barber said on CBS Sports Radio’s “Tiki and Tierney” that he, too, would prefer Cousins, citing his consistency and more traditional quarterback skills.
“Cam Newton is the kind of quarterback who, he’s not going to make the risky or stupid throw,” Barber said, via CBS Sports Radio. “That means his completion percentage is lower. He doesn’t feel like that kind of quarterback, but he is that kind of quarterback. He’ll throw the ball away before he’ll take a sack or throw it into bad coverage, which is good. But it also makes him a kind of one- or two-trick pony. ‘’m throwing the deep ball or I’m firing it into Greg Olsen on a seam route or whatever it may be, or I’m tucking it and running it. So you become a one- or two-trick guy. So Jordan Rodgers is stating the obvious, but he said it in a way that actually makes a lot of sense. Kirk Cousins is actually the more viable option. Kirk Cousins will sit in the pocket and find his guy and read a defense and know pre-snap where he’s going to go with the ball, and if something breaks down, he finds his check-down back.
“So yeah, of course you take Kirk Cousins over Cam Newton, even though Cam Newton was MVP. With Cam Newton, you get an MVP season one year and you get what the hell we saw in 2016. What do you want? I’m not sure I want that roller coaster. I’ve seen that roller coaster – not with one guy, but with multiple guys over the course of my career. With Cam Newton, you’re getting year-to-year volatility. With Kirk Cousins, you haven’t had that. It’s been pretty consistent.”
Well, there’s a reason that Cousins is in line for a huge payday. Newton can do things that few other quarterbacks can, but some people will always prefer the traditional pocket quarterback in the name of safety and consistency.
