Jammed into a corner in the offices at Redskins Park, Kirk Cousins finally got what he had been asking for: his own study place.
Cousins had been displaced from time-to-time when it came to watching film and taking notes, with the quarterback having to lug his study materials to and from his townhouse near the team facility.
Now, Cousins has a monitor to watch film, whiteboards and plenty of storage space in what he calls his own “QB nook.”
“I’ve got my Jeff Foxworthy ’You Might Be a Redneck’ peel-off calendar every day. So I got some of those fun office knick knacks, some of the stuff from Michael Scott’s desk in ’The Office’ I put on there to be funny,” Cousins said. “We’re kinda playing up the whole office thing. It’s a good place to go to work now.”
Cousins is entering his third season as the Redskins’ starter and opens the year Sunday against a familiar foe: the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 29-year-old has a 102.9 passer rating against the Eagles and the Redskins have won five consecutive games against Philadelphia. Still last year, Cousins threw a pick-six in both Eagles games.
“We found ways to win last year, but it certainly wasn’t perfect,” Cousins said. “It never is, but you go back and look it, there’s plenty of plays you want back.”
The Eagles’ defense under coordinator Jim Schwartz will be a challenge. Last year, Philadelphia’s first with Schwartz, they ranked fourth in defensive DVOA, which measures efficiency against a league-baseline.
The unit is led by a dominant front-seven, anchored by Pro Bowler Fletcher Cox. Former Baltimore defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan and former Buffalo cornerback Ronald Darby were added in the offseason.
“They’re very versatile players who can do multiple things,” Cousins said.
Coach Jay Gruden said Cousins will be ready for whatever the Eagles throw at his quarterback.
“He’s always going to prepare himself,” Gruden said of Cousins. “That’s not the issue. That’s the one thing that you have to be consistent about at the quarterback position. … You have to continue to prepare yourself and he’s very good about that.”
That process for Cousins now includes a quiet place to study, think and prepare.
“He’s a very private person,” Gruden said. “He makes his own notes, he’s a unique individual when it comes to that — very detailed. That’s a good thing … sometimes.”
In his nook, Cousins even has a Muhammad Ali quote on his wall. The quote? “The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses — behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.”
“I thought it was a fitting quote for what that room should be about,” Cousins said.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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