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Quotes: Kirk Cousins (10.8.14)

Quarterback Kirk Cousins

On his evaluation of Monday's performance:

"I didn't like that we lost. I think we avoided negative plays. There weren't a lot of sacks, there were no turnovers. That's a positive, but when you lose you lose and that is all matters in this league."

On what has to happen to be more successful on third down:

"It's a collective effort. The whole deal, we've got to all be on the same page – receivers, linemen, running backs, quarterback, we've just got to all be firing and understanding our role. If we each do our individual job and are on the same page, the coaches are putting together good schemes that are going to give us a chance to be successful. But that is definitely an area where I think we can be better."

On how much defenses change when the offense is facing third down:

"Every defense is different, the way a defensive coordinator's philosophy is on third down, what they are going to do and if they are going to pressure or change their coverage or be very basic and stay the way they are going to stay. But obviously you get into third-and-long, third-and-medium, defensive linemen are able to anticipate pass and pin their ears back and rush in a different way than they may on first or second down."

On if he does anything different as a leader from now on and his thoughts are on the locker room last week:

"Yeah, I will answer your first question first. As a leader, you just stay positive, set a great example, try to motivate your teammates the best way possible, try to influence guys to hopefully raise their level of play. But I don't think my approach to leadership or how I am going to lead is going to change whether we are on a three-game losing streak, a three-game winning streak. If I start to change who I am as a person – as a leader – based on conditions around me, that doesn't make for a very good leader. I think I need to be steady no matter what is going on. Your second question, I didn't see anything of that nature after the game. I thought that all of us were very frustrated with the loss and have been frustrated with the losing streak you mentioned. It's just important to now focus on Arizona and get a win."

On if he is more conscious about making big plays down the field now:

"I think it all comes down to the situation of the game, the play calling, the coverages they are playing, the matchups we have. All of that affects when the ball goes down the field, when the ball goes into Alfred Morris' hands, when it goes to someone else. That is all affected by a lot of different factors. But yeah, we dialed up a couple deeper throws and we hit them. It says a lot about DeSean [Jackson] and about our play calling being able to get things schemed up in the right way to where we can get guys open downfield. That is not easy to do."

On what makes Andre Roberts a reliable receiver:

"Andre is a total professional. He works very hard, he is very intelligent, he understands his role, he understands the details of route running, he knows how to get open and he doesn't have a big weakness. He has great hands, he's got good speed, he can beat guys over the top, he can win versus zone coverage. He is a guy you have a lot of confidence in because you feel like he is very versatile as a receiver."

On how frustrating it is to have only one win as a starter:

"Yeah, it is important. At the end of the day in this league it's about winning – winning the division, getting into the playoffs, winning in the playoffs. That is something that we are trying to do here and we need to improve obviously. There's places where we are coming up short and when you play this game in this league, the other team is very good, too. And so every time you go out there you have to bring your highest level and the margin for error is very, very small. We have to understand that in our approach day-to-day, week-to-week, just really be attentive to the details and attentive in our preparation to make sure that all bases are covered so that margin of error goes our way."

On if it is fair to be graded on wins:

"I don't know what's fair or not fair. I don't know if that is for me to say. I just think that at the end of the day it is my job as a quarterback to help this team win. And there is a lot of other statistics and things you can look at to evaluate players' performances, but I don't think it is my place to say what's fair and not fair. I just know that I need to go out there and help this team win."

On if he feels extra pressure as quarterback when team falls behind and they have to throw:

"No, it is just a part of playing the quarterback position. You are going to get behind at times, you are going to be ahead at other times and all of that is going to affect play calling and you don't expect every game to go the perfect way and completely have a 50-50 balance throughout the entire game all season long. So, we are well prepared and have worked very hard to be able and react to whatever situation happens and if we have to throw it to get back in the game then that is the job we have to do."

On similarities between Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson and Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman:

"I think you start with the similarities that they are both very good, both very highly paid. Talented players, guys you've got to think about and know where they are and have an awareness of what they can do. I think Patrick is just an unbelievable athlete, was a high pick for a reason and has proved it every year in Arizona, and it will be a fun challenge for our receivers and a fun challenge for our offense and our passing game to go against a player of his caliber."

On if his leadership style is affected by his belief that this is quarterback Robert Griffin III's team:

"I think I am doing it every bit as much as I would regardless of the circumstances. I think I am leading the way I would lead and taking charge and doing all I can. It hasn't shown up in the win column yet but I am going to keep working and keep preparing and keep learning and keeping getting better and I think we have got better days ahead coming soon."

On if teams are doing something to take wide receiver Pierre Garçon out of games:

"I don't know that anything has been too different. I think you just go where your reads take you and some games – for 17 straight games – whatever the stat was – it may have taken us to Pierre five or more times. Every week it is going to change and he is a great player. If teams are very concerned about him it is going to open the door for a lot of other guys, it is going to make my job as a quarterback much easier. So, he has been doing a great job for us and we have total confidence in him. I would love to have every guy on the team with five-plus catches every game but there are only so many plays to be run and it is going to change from week-to-week."

On Arizona's blitzes and how he has progressed when facing the blitz:

"They do a great job of pressuring and using confusion and complexity and that is something that we need to be prepared for this week. Iit comes down to scheme and preparation and everybody being on the same page with offensive lineman, the center, the running backs. There is a lot of different pieces that come together to pass protect and understand where we are going and it starts with me and IDing things. So, that is an area I believe I have improved in quite a bit since coming into the league and I am sure there is still a lot more room to grow. But it will be a good challenge for us seeing that kind of pressure."

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