Now we know one other thing that Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins likes besides rallies against Tampa Bay: the band Creed blasting in the weight room.
Cousins tweeted out early Thursday that it was a great day because they played Creed in the weight room.
Today the @Creed Greatest Hits album was played during the team lift.
— Kirk Cousins (@KirkCousins8) May 19, 2016
Today was a good day.
The bar is set low these days. But some Creed songs do apply to Cousins and the Redskins:
"With Arms Wide Open": I think this is self-explanatory. That’s what he and the receivers are looking forward to this season. With strong talent around him in the passing game, I don’t think this one is a stretch.
"My Sacrifice": OK, this might be going a bit much but Cousins is sacrificing -- in a major sort of way -- by playing under the franchise tag and not on a long-term deal. OK, he’s still making $19.95 million guaranteed but if he doesn’t play as well or gets hurt, he’ll lose out. The flip side is that he stands to greatly benefit if those arms are wide open and he connects often. The other part of the sacrifice, of course, is the work he's put in to reach this point. Even when it was clear he wasn't the starter, Cousins remained consistent in his study habits. It's paying off now.
"Higher": If Cousins takes his game to new levels, then he’ll cash in big time and the Redskins will be happy to pay him whatever. It likely would mean an excellent season by the offense and team overall.
"What if": Again, it’s obvious, right? What if Cousins doesn’t sign a long-term deal? What if he has a great year? What if he doesn’t? All sorts of possibilities here.
"Torn": That’s what Redskins fans were for a while last season, with a devotion to Robert Griffin III but wanting to see the team win. That meant needing Cousins to play well.
"Overcome": This describes Cousins’ career, starting in high school. Division I schools weren’t impressed, yet he somehow managed to get Michigan State’s attention. Even then nobody pegged him as a future starter, which he became. And when he was drafted, it was three rounds after Griffin, expected to be the next face of the NFL. Yet here Cousins stands, with a chance to cement himself as the Redskins' starting quarterback for a long time.
"Are You Ready?": Is Cousins really ready to become a top-15 quarterback? His stats last year suggest he is, with 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. A lot of that success occurred in the second half of the season so is he ready to play that way for an entire season?