What the Hell is Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins Thinking?

Really, what the hell Kirk

Last night was the Pro Bowl. I do not watch the Pro Bowl. It is the sorriest excuse for an "all star" game. The fact that it is the week before the Super Bowl speaks volumes to how dumb this "game" really is. Sure, the players are "all stars", but when you have 2 teams filled with 53 players each that do not have one single player playing in that game, you do not have the best of the best. Last night there was no Julio Jones, Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Donta Hightower, Adrian Clayborne, none of those guys. Those guys are all preparing for the biggest game of the year. Without these players, the Pro Bowl has to add players like Phillip Rivers, Travis Kelce and Kirk Cousins. For as good as those guys are, or were, they are not even in the top three of their position in the NFL. The game is a joke.

One of the players I just mentioned I want to talk about today. As I already stated, I did not watch the game, but I do check Bleacher Report and ESPN.com in the morning, and I saw Kirk Cousins going full on Pete Rose while tackling and stripping the ball from Aqib Talib after an interception. I watched the full tape, and if I did not know better, I'd think that Cousins was playing in a very important late season game, or in the playoffs. He was going all out. When asked why he hustled so hard and went for the strip, Cousins said, "I wanted to win the game".

That is preposterous. This is not a "game". I cannot stress that enough. The players, with Cousins being the exception, go maybe 25 to 50 percent. There is no pass rushing allowed. You cannot try and block kicks. A fan ran on the field, and instead of being escorted off, he and Ezekial Elliot had a race. I mean, this game is pointless, but not to Kirk Cousins apparently.

I have so many questions as to why Cousins was trying this hard in the Pro Bowl. First of all, just why? Why put all that effort into a pointless, shameful excuse for an all star game? I get wanting to be competitive, I want to win when I play pick up basketball all the time, but even I have my limits. I know, when my team is down 10-2, we play to 11 by 1's and 2's, and the other team hasn't missed a shot, I save myself for the next game. I'll go about 65 to 70 percent, but I'm not going all out like Kirk Cousins.

Second, why do this when you are about to become a free agent and about to come into a lot of money? I know that these players have a real chance at getting hurt anytime they step on a filed or a practice field, but the Pro Bowl has always seemed like the one field where no one takes it seriously because of their big contracts. Kirk Cousins, while I think he is marginal at best, is going to get paid by someone. He will probably get franchised once again, but I think he still will get somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 million again this year, but then next year, if he stays healthy, he is going to get a major contract. So, why all the effort in the Pro Bowl? What if you broke your arm going for the strip? What if you fractured a finger on your throwing hand and you couldn't grip the ball? What if you separated your shoulder? There was so much more risk than reward going all out like that after throwing a meaningless interception. Who cares that you got picked off in the Pro Bowl? I would have let Talib walk into the end zone. I think Talib expected the same thing, but Kirk Cousins took this as seriously as he does any game. I have already said, I get being competitive and wanting to win, but you have to know your limits and the situation. This was such a pointless waste of time, but Cousins took it way, way too seriously.

Some people may like this, I just thought it was stupid. No one in any other all star game takes it this seriously, not even Russell Westbrook in the NBA all star game, and he is way better at his profession, more competitive too, than Cousins will ever be at football. Cousins is lucky that he didn't seriously hurt himself, and if I were a GM considering signing him, seeing this last night would definitely make me hesitate to give him any kind of long term deal. This was a mistake by Cousins, and he is so lucky that he didn't seriously hurt himself.

Finally, it was a very nice pick by Aqib Talib. It was awesome.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man. He remembered the Pro Bowl was on tv when he woke up this morning and heard something about pro football. Maybe next year he can set his DVR to miss it again. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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