Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins leads drills during Kirk Cousins Football Camp at Hope College in Holland Thursday, July 11, 2013. The camp was open to middle school boys. Cousins also played football at Michigan State University and Holland Christian High School. (Cory Morse | MLive.com)

HOLLAND, MI – Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins returned to his hometown Thursday to work his own middle school football camp at Hope College, and he arrived ready to teach.

But when he gathered the youths around him on Ray and Sue Smith Stadium’s midfield turf at the conclusion of opening day, Cousins was the one who was asking for a little help.

“I asked them if they had any touchdown dance ideas for me, and they have the next 24 hours to come up with some good ones before the camp is over with,” Cousins said.

“We will see what they can come up with. I’ve already seen some pretty below average dance moves. My older brother is quite a dancer, but I am quite limited. I tend to stick with just spiking the football.

"Since my singing high school video got out a couple of months ago, I think I'm going to have to bring in some dance steps if I get an opportunity to score a touchdown down the road."

Cousins, who starred at Holland Christian High School and Michigan State University, is gearing up for his second season in the National Football League. Cousins was drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft, and he had a successful rookie season playing backup to starter and fellow rookie Robert Griffin III. Cousins filled in for the injured Griffin late in the season and helped lead Washington to a victory over the Cleveland Browns.

Washington finished 10-6 overall during the regular season a year ago and won the NFC East before losing to Seattle 24-14 in the playoffs. Cousins played in three games last year and completed 33-of-48 passes for 466 yards. He threw four touchdown passes and three interceptions.

Cousins' performance has some saying he is the best backup quarterback in the league.

“It’s all about performing well with the chances you get,” Cousins said. “I believe I did that last year, but you are only as good as your last game. As soon as I get an opportunity this year, people are going to forget about what I did last year and remember most recently. So you are always working, always learning. I would much rather be on the list of starting quarterbacks than on the list of back-up quarterbacks, but we will see what God has in store.”

Cousins said he hopes to make the camp an annual event. He formed a staff that includes friends, family and Hope College players, and they will continue to work with the youths through Friday.

“It’s all about having fun, it’s about bringing positive energy and having a great attitude and teaching these kids a lot about football and a lot about life,” Cousins said. “But I also want them to learn what it means to grow from a boy to a young man and into the right kind of young man, which means operating with high character, making good decisions and be a leader in their community.

“I think this is a way for me to give back to the entire community of Holland," Cousins added. "This is a community that means a lot to me. I feel that I am very fortunate to be from this community. I feel as supported as any player in the NFL from their hometown. I love to be able to get back to this community. I remember being a middle school student growing up here. It is a dream come true for me to do this camp.”

Washington’s training camp is scheduled to open July 25. He said if you think an NFL training camp is grueling, try teaching about 150 middle schoolers.

“I’ll tell you what, training camp is about three to six weeks depending on how you want to look at it,” Cousins said. “This is only for two days. If I had to do this for three weeks like I do training camp, I would be pretty gassed. I would say a day of this is tougher than a day of training camp.”

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