It’s not fair to say that the Falcons defense has been at a disadvantage over the past two seasons, but Jimmy Lake’s defense is definitely benefiting a lot more facing Kirk Cousins everyday than Dean Pees’ and Ryan Nielsen’s defense was facing Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, and Taylor Heinicke. Earlier today The Morning Shift explained why this will make the Falcons defense that much better down the stretch of the season.
“You know one of the things that I find interesting, I’ve never really thought about a quarterback so much sharpening DBs like in the secondary and I love that Jimmy Lake is kind of pointing to that because, obviously breaking news I’ve never played DB or wide receiver, but i’m thinking about it and obviously when you have corners going against wide receivers that can be you know an interesting matchup where you know you’re watching those guys and watching their techniques, but I never thought about it in terms of a quarterback actually sharpening his secondary.” Mike Johnson said.
One player in that secondary that would definitely co-sign Mike’s comments is second year safety DeMarcco Hellams, and earlier this week Hellams talked about Kirk Cousins, and how he believes he’s making the defense better.
“He definitely can make us better. You know we’re getting a look almost everyday from one of the best quarterbacks in the league, so I'm sure when we’re going in a game we’re prepared for a quarterback. You know there are good quarterbacks in the league, but they might not be as good as Kirk, it’s going to be easier for us as a defense.
When Falcons Defensive Coordinator Jimmy Lake spoke to the media earlier this week he also talked about the challenge the defense has faced going against Cousins.
“Iron sharpens Iron. Going against our offense right now is punching a lot of holes in our defense, and you know checking our run fits, checking our pass fits, checking hey I think this pressure is going to work, oh my gosh they blocked it up maybe we have to change it, and vice versa I know our offense is also learning a lot of things as well, and so this is great work against out guys.”
Kirk Cousins is making the entire team better in some way shape or form whether it be with his play on the field, off the field, his leadership, or his ability to make his teammates better. The Falcons and Kirk Cousins should be excited about what’s to come next for Atlanta Falcons football, including a defense that is already going to be battle tested by the time the regular season here.
