NFL Week 17 overreactions: What to do with Kirk Cousins, Tony Romo?
The NFL's regular season is over, and the playoff field is set. But before the Super Bowl tournament begins in earnest, here's a look back at Week 17 along with five overreactions we're pushing back on:
Tony! Tony!
The Tony Romo crowd showed up in force on social media Sunday. And it didn’t matter that he played only six snaps in the Dallas Cowboys' 27-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Romo completed three of four passes for 29 yards and a beautifully thrown 3-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams in his only series of the season. But that was enough evidence for some to say he should reclaim his job from rookie Dak Prescott.
The Cowboys are in an excellent spot. They have the future of the franchise in Prescott, who's playing at an MVP-caliber level, with a superb supporting cast. And if something were to happen to him in the playoffs, Romo showed he can step in and keep the Cowboys in Super Bowl contention.
But switching starting quarterbacks now would only undo all the momentum Dallas has built on its way to a 13-3 season and home-field advantage in the playoffs.
Sunday was a positive step for Romo. But until Prescott provides a reason to make a move, the rookie should remain in the lineup.
Washington shouldn’t pay Kirk Cousins
He may have lost some money late in the year, but at the very least Cousins displayed in 2016 that he can be a competitive starting quarterback.
The key here will be the cost.
Cousins earned $19.95 million this season on the franchise tag. He’s set to become a free agent, and the Washington Redskins now have a choice to make: lock him up to a long-term deal, let Cousins test the market, or decide more of a sample size is needed and extend another franchise tag tender, which is expected to be near $24 million in 2017.
That figure will likely be the baseline for negotiations.
Cousins completed 67% of his passes for 4,917 yards and 25 touchdowns with 12 interceptions this season. And while many will look at his fourth-quarter pick in Sunday’s 19-10 loss to the New York Giants that killed Washington’s hopes for a playoff berth as a sign that Cousins isn't worth it, he wasn’t the sole reason the team lost.
The running game — again — disappointed. Not counting a Week 16 victory against a weaker Chicago Bears defense, in which Washington posted 208 rushing yards, the offense averaged only 63.4 yards on the ground from Weeks 12-17. That made the scheme too one-dimensional and put too much pressure on Cousins to make plays. It shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that Washington lost four of its final six contests.
Cousins proved he’s a good passer who can manage games and even make enough plays to win a few here and there. Washington knows it has a good fit with him in coach Jay Gruden’s offense. And the Redskins have a solid young core than can compete for postseason berths.
As long as the two parties can agree on a rational salary, this looks like a pairing that's worth the investment.
The 49ers were right to blow it up
San Francisco didn’t wait for Black Monday to announce another major shakeup, firing coach Chip Kelly and general manager Trent Baalke on Sunday as the team's 2-14 season sputtered to completion.
This now marks the second season in a row the franchise has fired a head coach that was in the first year of his tenure (Jim Tomsula was relieved after the 2015 season). And 2017 will bring the fourth different head coach in the past four seasons.
The 49ers have long been one of the most prestigious franchises in the NFL. However the vacancies in San Francisco may not be as appealing as some other gigs. The roster Kelly worked with was rife with holes. Quarterback is the chief concern with doubts about Colin Kaepernick’s future as a viable starter in the NFL.
Coaches and general managers are also always looking for stability, and this second overhaul in as many seasons may give top-tier candidates pause. That’s not even factoring in that the Niners had one of the most highly regarded coaches in Jim Harbaugh but ran him out of the building following the 2014 season because of friction with Baalke.
The optics aren’t good. The team’s actions show an admitted mistake after handpicking Kelly. It also indicates that an impatient ownership isn’t sure of what it wants. And perhaps most damning of all, the constant turnover paints the appearance that the team cannot create an environment conducive to winning and will scrap the plan right away if adversity strikes early.
The Browns need to draft a quarterback first overall
It’s a mistake so many quarterback-starved franchises make when they acquire the No. 1 overall selection in the NFL draft: Take a swing and make a play for a potential franchise passer.
Now that the Cleveland Browns are officially on the clock after they finished the regular season 1-15, the real speculation starts.
Sure, the team's decision to trade out of position to pick Carson Wentz last year will make fans cringe. But as the developments of Dak Prescott (fourth round) and Derek Carr (second round) have shown, not all productive quarterbacks come in the top 10.
And reaching for an unworthy prospect could be just as detrimental as not having a capable one in place. North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky, Wyoming's Josh Allen and Clemson's Deshaun Watson are the trendy quarterbacks already starting to crop up in the pre-draft cycle. But are they worthy of the first overall pick?
That's the question the Browns will contemplate. But taking the best overall player is often the better move.
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Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes
PHOTOS: Week 17 NFL action