Kirk Cousins just wanted to say he’s sorry. The Washington Redskins backup quarterback’s phone filled up with messages after he replaced the injured Robert Griffin III and finished off Sunday’s 31-28 overtime victory against the Baltimore Ravens.
“I added up the text messages after the game on Monday morning, and I had like 140 people who had texted me. I think I responded to like two,” Cousins said. “I called my dad, I talked to my parents, I talked to my siblings, my brother and sister, I talked to my grandparents. That was about it. I want to apologize to the 137 people I haven’t responded to. You’re probably not going to get a response, so I’ll see you in the offseason.”
It’s unclear if Cousins’ in-game cameo will lead to a starting appearance Sunday at Cleveland. For now, the Redskins are keeping that a secret.
But as for his performance in tying the score Sunday with 29 seconds left on an 11-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon, the rookie out of Michigan State learned quickly that a small sample size can lead to some major judgments.
“I don’t feel like going 2-for-2 is a very convincing argument to say I know what I’m doing or that I’ve proved I know what I’m doing,” Cousins said. “I think I still got a lot of football in me to show that.”
Teammates, of course, were quick to heap praise on Cousins after the win. Wide receiver Josh Morgan even likened him to Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird.
“Josh is a basketball guy, so I’ll take that as a compliment,” Cousins said with a smile. “If he’s making that comparison, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Other players hurting
Griffin (sprained lateral collateral ligament in right knee) isn’t the only injured player trying to play Sunday.
London Fletcher (left ankle) didn’t practice Wednesday, though that’s nothing out of the ordinary for the veteran linebacker with an active NFL record games-played streak of 237. Left tackle Trent Williams (left thigh bruise) was a limited participant like Griffin.
Asked how he was holding up, Williams responded slyly, “I’m holding up.”
Garcon (right foot) participated fully in practice and continues to progress.
“As time goes on it gets better, but there’s no real significant thing that’s different from Monday to Tuesday or Sunday to Thursday or game to game,” Garcon said. “Sometimes you feel better, sometimes back and forth.”
Cornerback DeAngelo Hall (right ankle) appeared to bounce back from Sunday’s game.
“Little banged up, but it’s a process,” Hall said. “Ain’t none of us fully healthy right now.”
Jackson sees increased role
Rob Jackson was a part-time player even when outside linebacker Brian Orakpo was first lost for the season with a torn left pectoral muscle. It was expected that Jackson would split time with Chris Wilson.
That was the case for a while, but now Jackson is emerging as an every-down player. He played 52 snaps Sunday, or a season-high 87 percent of the defensive action.
“I saw it online that I played 52 snaps. But I didn’t notice that I played that many snaps. I didn’t feel fatigue or like it was anything different,” Jackson said.
• Stephen Whyno can be reached at swhyno@washingtontimes.com.
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