Kirk Cousins, Falcons Describe Emotions of 'Really Hard' Benching
The wives of Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and quarterback Kirk Cousins are good friends. Their children hang out together at local pools. Cousins has been an invaluable resource to Robinson in his first year calling plays.
So, when the Falcons decided to bench Cousins and finish the final three games of the regular season with first-round rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr., Robinson said it was "really hard" to process emotionally.
"There's a human being element to all of this," Robinson said during his press conference Wednesday. "Kirk’s been awesome since he's been here, and as a first-time play caller doing this, there was nobody else I'd rather hitch my wagon to than Kirk and a guy that's played a ton of football and had so much success."
But the well of success suddenly ran dry. Cousins, who led the NFL in passing yards at the end of October, endured a dismal five-game stretch that included just one touchdown pass and nine interceptions. The turnover-heavy spell ultimately led to his benching.
Robinson, head coach Raheem Morris, general manager Terry Fontenot and the rest of Atlanta's coaching staff and front office were united in their decision to bench Cousins for Penix.
But as safety Justin Simmons said Wednesday, that doesn't make it any easier considering the time and effort Cousins gave to leading the Falcons each week. It's especially true for Robinson, who spent significant time game-planning with Cousins and accepted his share of the responsibility for Cousins' struggles.
On-field play aside, Robinson stressed the human nature of such decisions.
"Kirk understands it's a business," Robinson said. "We all understand that's just what comes with these things at certain times. And he's handled it awesome. But to say it was some sort of easy decision or easy to talk to, that would be out of line because it's just, you feel sick about it, and it just kind of went the way it did."
Cousins learned about the change Tuesday evening. Morris called Cousins into his office, which Morris said likely set off the alarm in Cousins' mind, but Cousins, a 13-year NFL veteran, has learned to not assume anything.
That includes the status surrounding his job, even with his four-year, $180 million contract signed only nine months ago.
"My years in the league, I've never really had expectations or been surprised," Cousins said. "I think in the league, anything can happen."
The lack of surprise understandably didn't lessen the pain for Cousins, who was rather brief in most of his remarks during his press conference Wednesday.
"It's disappointing, but it's pro football, and there's no entitlement," Cousins said. "You’ve got to go out and earn it every single day. I think I've said that really since I got here, ‘You’ve got to go and earn it every single day.’ And if you don't, then you're always going to be competing, and change can happen."
After his benching, Cousins called Penix and offered his support in any way possible. Cousins will be Atlanta's No. 2 quarterback, and he told Morris he plans on being the best backup he can be.
For statements like that and many others during their conversation, Morris was complimentary of how Cousins handled the situation.
"Obviously, any time you take a step down in a demotion, it's not going to be met with great appreciation and all those things," Morris said. "But Kirk was a professional. He's a pro. He's a man. He's a great human. He's a great father. He's a great football player. He's done a lot of great things for us this year.
"He handled it with class. He's an absolute professional. I can't say enough good things about who the man is and how he is and what it is. But obviously it comes with some disappointment when you lose your job."
Simmons said his initial reaction to the news, which came via team-wide release, was to look inward. He wanted to see if the Falcons' defense could've done anything more to help Cousins, and Simmons noted there were a few games where the unit made life tougher on its offense.
With Penix taking over at quarterback, Simmons is particularly focused on the defense creating short fields and generating more takeaways. In Monday night's 15-9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, the Falcons dominated field position and forced a pair of turnovers.
Yet Atlanta's offense still struggled, and Cousins -- who was 11-for-17 passing for 112 yards, one touchdown and an interception -- played a central part in that.
So, the Falcons made a football decision.
"It's part of the business of it, and you have full trust in the coaches upstairs, the front office, the whole nine," Simmons said. "Obviously, they're always looking to do what's best for the team."
Veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett echoed as much Thursday, citing Atlanta's hopes of making a playoff push -- the Falcons are 7-7 and just one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for first place in the NFC South.
Tight end Kyle Pitts said the timing is tough with only three games remaining in the season, but he added it's "pretty cool" for Atlanta to have a reset heading into its home stretch.
Yet while few outside the building were surprised about Cousins' benching, Pitts didn't see it coming.
"I didn't think it would have happened, this early or now," Pitts said. "Also, I just work here (laughing). So, I'm not really tuned into decisions. So, just going out and trying to get wins and making the best of it."
The Penix-led Falcons will try to do exactly that when they host the New York Giants (2-12) at 1 p.m. Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.