Washington Redskins backup quarterback Kirk Cousins did a capable job in relief of Robert Griffin III last season. If he's needed again in 2013, Cousins wants the Redskins to know he'll be ready to run the read-option.
Schein: The true QB assessment
Think Tony Romo's contract was absurd? Adam Schein does not and uses other quarterbacking news to prove his case. **More ...**
"I believe that if the coaches want me to, I can gain a comfort level with these plays, where I can be fast enough to have them be effective," Cousins told ESPN980, via The Washington Times. "Once at least there's a threat of those plays being run with me in the game, it does change a lot of things for a defensive coordinator. And so it's worth it to explore what it would look like for me to be doing those things ... and that will be a focus this spring."
Cousins -- not exactly a ground threat -- called the addition of mobile passer Pat White a "no-brainer," but the Shanahans aren't about to make the option their base package. Still, triple-threat calls out of the Pistol kept defenses guessing and Cousins doesn't want to see that element vanish when he's on the field (and he doesn't want to lose snaps to White).
We'll monitor this one, but the larger question in Washington is how long until a quarterback-needy team offers an attractive package of draft picks for Cousins. What little we saw from him last season suggests Cousins won't remain a backup forever.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
