Vine King of the East, Kirk Cousins, created a new catch phrase.
Last year we had "You Like that!" Last week we got a cribbed "Oooohweeee." Now we received "How you like me now?!"
Unlike the previous two, this one was directed to his general manager, Scot McCloughan, following Sunday night's 42-24 pummeling of the Green Bay Packers. CSN Mid-Atlantic caught the exchange:
After Cousins repeated his exclamatory question, McCloughan replied: "Hey, I appreciate you. That's good stuff, man."
There didn't appear animosity behind Cousins' fiery question. It was the reaction of a competitor with a subtle but clear underlying message: Pay me.
Cousins signed his $19.9 million franchise tag this offseason knowing he'd have to prove himself to earn a long-term deal after just 25 career starts. McCloughan added this summer that he hoped Cousins played so well this year he forced the team to fork over a Brinks Truck-worth of dough.
After a rough start to the season, Cousins has proven worthy.
In his last eight games, the 28-year-old has completed 67.8 percent of his passes with 16 touchdowns to just four interceptions for a 104.9 passer rating. Cousins' ability to spread the ball around has been the catalyst as the Redskins have streaked to 6-3-1 in the thick of the NFC playoffs.
"I'm always trying to prove myself and I'm always going to be evaluated as long as I play this game," Cousins said after the game, via the Washington Post.
The Redskins earned 515 total yards of offense on a blustery Sunday night at FedEx Field when Cousins clearly outplayed Aaron Rodgers. Behind Cousins, Washington ranks second in the NFL in total yards per game (418.5), second in yards per play (6.4) and third in passing yards per game (301.4).
Brock Osweiler was given a $72 million contract with $37 million guaranteed. Cousins is exponentially better than Brock.
Is the Redskins' quarterback worth $21 million per year? In a vacuum, probably not. But as the going rate for quarterbacks rises, Cousins continues to prove he's on a short list of capable passers that roam the planet.
