Kevin Ross II

A year ago, every national pundit was sure that the Dallas Cowboys would have an epically bad season. They talked ad nauseam about the Cowboys’ horrendous defense, and picked Dallas to finish last in everything. Of course, when the dust settled, the Cowboys stood atop their division with a 12-4 record, and were a controversial call away from playing for a conference title.

Fast forward a year and the talk nationally is now on Dallas’ counterpart: The Redskins. It’s not about the defense with Washington, as the talk centers around Kirk Cousins being named the starter. Earlier this week, ESPN dropped its infamous “Power Rankings” on the football world. The Redskins dropped five spots in a week from 27th to 32nd. ESPN’s rational for the Skins plummet to dead last was simple: “Cousins has averaged one turnover for every 29 snaps in his career, the worst rate of any player in that time.”

The bigger picture

On the surface, this statistic seems damning and will have Redskins fans wondering if they should boycott the season altogether. But if you step away for a moment, you might be surprised to learn that a high turnover rate for a young QB is NOT a precursor to failure. Kirk Cousins has started 14 games, which essentially gives him the same amount of experience as a rookie. During this timeframe, he is averaging one interception for every 21 passes. This seems unforgivable until you realize that in Peyton Manning’s first 16 starts, he also averaged one interception for every 21 passes.

What separates guys like Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck—who committed a high amount of turnovers during their first 16 starts—is that they vastly improved in year two. Manning’s interception total went from 28 in year one to 15 in year 2; Andrew Luck threw 18 INT’s as a rookie and the next year he threw half that amount. NFL quarterbacks that turn into franchise signal callers eliminate interceptions once they get their feet wet in the league. And after 14 starts and four off-seasons, Cousins’ feet are so wet that they are wrinkled.

A plan for resurgence

The good news for Cousins and his feet is that a plan for his resurgence is in place. Going back to the team in Dallas, the Cowboys dealt with a similar situation with Tony Romo. Up until last season, Romo was known worldwide for throwing a plethora of interceptions, especially in key moments. So the Cowboys’ plan for last season was simple: Under the direction of offensive line coach Bill Callahan, Dallas leaned heavily on its offensive line an running attack, and less on Tony Romo.

Strategically, Dallas lowered Romo’s passing attempts from 535 in 2013 to 435 in 2014. They made Tony Romo throw the ball exactly 100 times less, and instead used those opportunities to run the football. They turned Tony Romo from a gun slinging interception maniac to a patient game manager, and the results speak for themselves. The Redskins hope to accomplish the same goals with Kirk Cousins, as they will decrease his passing attempts and allow him to become more of a game manager.

Cousins’ confidence

Kirk Cousins made his weekly appearance on the Grant and Danny show on CBS radio 106.7 “The Fan” this week, and he expressed his feelings on being labeled a game manger, saying “I can make the throws that need be made in crunch time, and I can make the big plays that will make fans think that I can play, but it’s not about that. For me, it’s just about staying in myself and letting the play come to me, if the check down is open I’m going to take it.”

Cousins was quite passionate about this topic, and it’s clear that Bill Callahan and Jay Gruden are adapting Dallas’s blueprint for success. Dallas proved last season that a good running game and a game managing QB can hide a multitude of deficiencies in the defense and special teams. The Redskins are hoping to shut the pundits up as they attempt to turn Kirk Cousins into the next Tony Romo.

Kevin Ross is a freelance writer covering all things Washington Redskins. His work can be found on Examiner.com.