Original subtitles

This is the story of three quarterbacks who all started the 2024 NFL season

with the same goal, hoisting the Lombardi trophy.

Of course, wanting it only gets you so far.

Just ask Joe Burrow, who in his second year as a pro, fell three points shy of

Super Bowl title.

23 -20 Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals.

In his four NFL seasons, he's become one of the league's biggest stars.

But his most recent season

was cut short by a wrist injury.

The question is, are you worried about Joe?

I'm not worried about Joe Burrow going for 5 ,000 yards.

The riff?

Pretty good, isn't it? How can we get back to the Super Bowl?

That's the pressure of being a quarterback in the NFL.

You know how much you mean to your team and to your teammates, and you want to

be out there for those people.

Burrow enters 2024 with his sights set on Super Bowl redemption, and he's not

the only one.

Jared Goff.

First overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, and another Super Bowl runner

That was in 2018.

And just three years later, L .A. traded him to Detroit.

In the three years since, golf and the Lions have been reborn.

Giving the city of Detroit a chance to root for a contender.

Now the Lions, we know they're Super Bowl or Bucs, and it's Super Bowl or

We have very high expectations from the outside looking in.

You got to keep a level head, babe. Got to keep a level head.

But we have high expectations for ourselves.

Our goal is to win Super Bowl, and that's the bottom line.

And then there's Kirk Cousins. Kirk going to fire left side.

Touchdown Atlanta!

Everybody needs a little rush in their lives, and I get mine when I go to break

books to get my hair cut.

Two years after we captured his 2022 season, a 12 -year veteran is back.

Same Kirk, different story.

I think Kirk looked incredibly rusty and like an older quarterback who hadn't

played in months because he popped his Achilles.

From recovery to relocation, Cousins enters 2024 taking nothing for

granted.

The big question for me was, how long is it going to take to get to a place

where we feel like we've been playing together for years?

This

life is

definitely... Not normal.

The fucking course that's happened.

We went out, and I actually cut this one down out in the woods.

Three quarterbacks. Oh, why don't I help you pick out your outfit?

With three unique styles.

I'm not trying to push this on you.

It's just a very chic fashion decision.

With one common goal.

Cheers. They're built to win the Super Bowl, so the only threat to the Detroit

Lions are themselves.

That is not how a leg should be going.

Burrow is arguably on any Sunday the best quarterback in the league.

If we make the playoffs, I'll be happy as a clam.

The cousins that we are watching right now. No, no, no, no, no. Honestly.

It looks like the end to me. Each of them playing the hardest position in

sports.

Ooh, messed up.

Gotta restart.

I'm no good at that one.

You get bored sometimes. A lot of off time.

You can only watch so many documentaries and TV shows all day.

So I would just move between my stations in the house and come and practice for

like 15 minutes at a time.

I feel like everybody has their things that they like to do when they're by

themselves that not a lot of people know about.

I had someone come and teach me the keys and then I watched YouTube videos.

Starting off on E -flat, G, B -flat, and D.

With the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select Joe

Burrow, quarterback.

I would say my journey has been a roller

coaster of emotions at times.

Joe wearing that T -shirt with the 740 area code from his home of Athens, Ohio.

And what a great story. He has started his career at Ohio State, didn't work

there, transfers to LSU, and wins the Heisman, wins the national championship.

This is what I wanted to do from the time I was five years old, was hoist

trophy.

And when I got drafted, you know, Athens County area, it was kind of just felt

like I had some unfinished business back here.

You know, my career didn't go the way that I wanted it to at my first stop in

college. And college decided to come back and try to make a name for myself

the state.

I'm sorry, what's your name? Alex. Alex. I didn't want to just call you Mr. F

all day. It was a joke.

In Cincinnati, hope is spelled J -O -E.

Hey, that was a dime right there.

He has completely changed the fate of the franchise.

Let's go.

You've got all the. He has the forest to him. How fun.

The environment at Cincinnati Bengals games have become a college atmosphere.

Let's go!

Doug had big wins.

Joe Burrow went into Arrowhead and beat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game,

and it was this cocky confidence coming from the Bengals that we own Arrowhead.

And everyone always wants to talk about, like when we went to the Super Bowl,

everybody was like, you know, this is the biggest game you've ever played in.

Well, you had that point in your life.

It's just another football game.

But when you're playing sports from third grade on, you're playing in

championship games. And at that point, it's the biggest game of your life. And

so it feels the same to me.

What up, Aaron?

That's my man, Joe Coolborough.

Joe Cool. Joe Cool.

Joe, nice to meet you, brother. The bigger the moment, put it in my hand,

more calm Joe Burrow comes.

That was a dimer.

I love that timer.

Joey Burrow is now making $55 million a year. The new highest paid quarterback

in the NFL. He's going to Paris.

Fashion show.

Michael Rubin's white party. Look at Joe Burrow, okay?

Joe Burrow is there.

He's everywhere.

Yeah, he is everywhere.

Football, man.

Talking football.

And then 2023.

Talk about a drive for Joe Burrow.

You talked about Joe Cool. That ball was perfectly thrown.

Let's go, baby.

Let's go.

I felt really good about the year.

It's the words that no fan in Cincinnati wanted to hear Joe Burrow done for the

season. Out for the remainder of the season with a torn ligament in his

Watch the game. You saw him wincing on the sideline. As crushing, as

as you could possibly imagine.

I tore my scaphoid lunate ligament.

No other quarterback that we could find that had it.

If you've got to get surgery, you've got to get surgery.

That's the way that I look at it.

Joe Burrow working his way back from a wrist injury that forced him to miss the

last seven games of the 2023 season.

But he is ready to remind everyone in the league what he can do.

Something like that.

I think I've always wanted to learn how to play the piano because I thought it

was cool.

Never really had an excuse to do it. I figured it would help with the wrist a

little bit, whether it does or it doesn't. I don't know, but it couldn't

Do you feel there's a pause to you guys lifting?

Yeah, I'm always excited about it. I mean, this is what we work so hard for.

When it's coming, you can start to feel the energy in your body just

get higher. I don't really know how to describe it other than, like, you can

feel your body getting ready to...

Going to do crazy shit every week.

And the story of this football team is what could be the comeback story in the

NFL this season.

Now the training camp is starting. Bengals players are reporting today.

And look at Joe Burrow going with the blonde hair.

I mean, sometimes you just got to do weird stuff to mix it up a little bit. I

don't know how else to say it. Sometimes you just need a little spice in your

life, I would say.

He's the most popular figure we have.

here in Cincinnati and Ohio.

And so everything he does is scrutinized and everyone's paying attention to. And

he has an effect on the youth in our area, my children included.

One of my sons had bleached blonde hair for the rest of training camp and going

into his season. And nine of his friends did the same thing.

Joe Burrow is back at quarterback for the Bengals.

And so are the expectations this offense could lead the Bengals back to the

Super Bowl.

It's all going to start with number nine this year, staying healthy, and it's

been great to see him go through a full camp like he's done.

I feel great about how training camp went.

Well, I'm going to look at you first, and if that station doesn't get enough

width, boom, now it's on you.

But you only have so many of these seasons.

Ah, Joe, Joe, Joe.

And when you start out your career, you're like, okay, I'm going to be

for 15, 20 years. It seems like a lot. And then you blink your eye and you're

year five.

And it's like.

Well, next time I blink my eye, it's going to be year 10, now where we're at.

Joe Burrow is an all -time talent at the quarterback position.

Now, he doesn't have an MVP yet. I think he's about to win one.

From Cincinnati, the Bengals are hosting the Patriots as week one

of the NFL season.

Healthy Joe Burrow means optimism.

Back leading his team. Had a really good offseason rehabbing. That's what we

fucking live for right here.

Not to mention, he learned a piano to help with the wrist dexterity.

Hey, man.

Good to see you. Good to see you. Good to be fucking back.

I bet.

Hell yeah.

Yeah. Turbo cut.

Pearl loses the ball.

And that jumps on top of him. That's a loss of three.

Turbo cut.

Burrow dropped.

And the Patriots put the pressure on Joe Burrow.

Burrow looking.

End zone.

Got a sticky touchdown.

Cincinnati. There is a question, though. Did he control it?

It is not a touchdown. It's incomplete.

See the ball right there?

It's out.

Points are off the board.

180.

The throw caught.

Hudson lost the ball.

Looks like a touchdown instead of a turnover.

And the Bengals are going to lose at home on opening day to a team that won

games and had the third pick in the draft.

We got married this summer, June 22nd.

Yeah, now we're sending out some thank you notes. Well, she is. I'm just kind

helping. No, I really, you do actually need to help because I've done a million

of them.

Okay, you can just do the label.

Okay. Do you want me to load them in there?

I want you to just, like conveyor belt, like label, label, label, label.

That's bad.

Are you messing it up over there?

You can't undo it. What are you doing?

Jared. Hold on, hold on, hold on. Just one of them. Just get a new envelope.

No, just peel it off real quick. Relax.

Okay, that's actually impressive.

What was wrong with that? I put it on the wrong corner.

Oh.

No, I think that was the right. Oh, it was upside down. Can you just let me do

my thing here?

He was at our wedding, too.

I couldn't have imagined the day without him.

I saw him before I saw Jared.

I walked down the aisle to him almost.

And then when we were walking back out, they let him out, and he came up to us.

For the longest time, he told me I was Quincy's stepmom.

And then when he proposed to me, he told me I am Quincy's real mom.

Quincy decided he wanted to call her mom, so I said okay.

I earned it.

The 2016 NFL Draft is now officially open.

I was picked first overall by the Rams in 2016.

You hear your name called. You walk on the stage. It's all kind of a blur after

that, but such a great memory for all of us. We met in 2018.

Jared was playing for the Rams. We just hit it off right away, and they won a

million games. We started at 8 -0, I think. We met right before the season

started. First of all, that was a good luck charm, obviously. We just win every

game.

The confidence that Jared Goff is delivering the football right now, he

feel there's a spot anywhere that he can't put the ball.

Best quarterback performance I've seen in my seven years in the league in

person. Very, very good, man.

You know, that's just how it goes. And then you go to the Super Bowl. Very,

difficult game to watch at the end of a very, very incredible and exciting

season for the Los Angeles Rams.

Yeah. You know, it's just fun and roses and dandy.

And then you realize that it's not always like that, but... Turbo set! And

Green Bay Packers moving on to the NFC Championship.

So 2020 season happens.

Three weeks after the last game of the season, get a call from Sean and really

did not expect anything. He lets me know, you know, they're trading me to

Detroit. And I'm like, oh, well, OK, all right.

What the hell? You know what's happening? And I would say about 30

that phone call, it was on Twitter.

It is monster news. A blockbuster trade in the NFL.

Lions have traded quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Rams for Jared Goff and

whole bunch of draft picks. Sean McVay wanted a new quarterback.

This is a boon for the Rams. I don't know if Jared Goff going to the Lions is

going to make him better. In fact, the Lions aren't very good. And compared to

the Rams, it's not even close.

You feel like you've been betrayed or like you're not wanted.

I think for me, ultimately, it was the fact that there wasn't a conversation

and that there wasn't like a, hey, we're thinking about moving on type of thing.

There was nothing.

You know, you wish that it wasn't such a blind side and you wish that there was

some sort of maturity, I guess, to have that

conversation and to be able to let me know what's going on and how things went

down and why this is happening.

It was my first real taste of true adversity, and your career is kind of at

fork in the road.

The day I get traded, I was at my house with my buddies. I keep getting a phone

call from a number I don't have saved, and I'm not answering it. I'm like, hey,

I'm dealing with some stuff right now. I'm not answering this phone call.

My agent texts me, hey, Brad's trying to call you. Just answer that. And I'm

like, oh, shoot, okay. I answer the phone, and Brad sounds like he's out of

breath. And, you know, he's, Jared, Jared, you know.

Oh, thank God we got you on the phone.

We're so excited to have you here. We're so excited.

When we got the opportunity to land him, it was a no -brainer because I had an

idea of what we were going to start going through, and I knew how resilient

was and just thought that he'd be a good fit for the journey we're about to

take. You know, Dan gets on the phone and says the same thing. You know, we

can't believe we were able to get this done, and we can't wait to see it.

I remember the call, and I remember my excitement. And I just, I wanted to make

sure he understood how excited we were, how excited I was.

You're going to be part of the foundation.

We're going to build this from the ground up.

You're going to be a huge part of this, and you're ours.

Like, you belong with us. We're going to be tied to the hip.

It kind of brought me from this moment of, like, picking up the pieces to,

reinvigorated with this energy of like oh like this is what it feels like to to

truly be wanted and to have you know these guys behind you and I hadn't felt

that in quite some time I was going to dinner with my friends that night I

remember you called me and you told me the news I remember you were like Will

you come with me?

And I was like, yeah, Detroit.

I don't even know. Like, I didn't even know. I've never been to Michigan.

I didn't hesitate, but I also did not know what I was getting myself into in a

good way and a bad way. I can't imagine, like, having stayed in L .A. that whole

time.

A lot of people saw it as, like, I was being cast away or I was being sent to

career to die. And I think, you know, a lot of people in my former organization

may have thought that as well.

For me, I saw it as what an incredible opportunity to be somewhere that has

never won and has never been to the top of the mountain. And how incredible

would it be if we're able to build this thing into a winner?

I mean, that's my guy. You know, that's my quarterback.

Every head coach has got a quarterback. If you want to have success, you better

have a quarterback.

And I got one, Jared Goff. To be able to be with a head coach who's a first

-time head coach and a GM who's a first -time GM.

be able to be the first decision they made when they got here and prove them

right. And, you know, how great of an opportunity is that? And so I'm trying

to cry, but it's been so

incredible to build with them. But that moment of hearing them on the phone and

knowing that the opportunity that I had here was special.

I go to every single home game at least, but the first year in Detroit, I missed

a game. It was against the Minnesota Vikings, and I was going to shoot Sports

Illustrated, and it was actually my first shoot as a model for them, so it

really huge deal, and Jared was so supportive.

We were 0 -10 -1 at that point and just trying to find any way to win. We were

kind of joking, you know, what if we win this one?

You're not going to be there for it.

First victory of the year on the line.

This will be the final play of the game.

The Lions, 11 yards from the end zone.

They can win it with a touchdown. We were on the last shot of the day, the

setting, so you have to, like, get that last shot before the light goes away.

And we were out there, and all of a sudden, I hear everybody like, and I'm

what?

Goff's got it. Back, looks, throws, and throws.

Touchdown Detroit Lions.

They did it.

It's open.

Wait. It's open.

Go.

And then I see the last play of the game, and it was just insane.

I couldn't believe that I missed it, but I was just so happy.

It's over!

And how big is that?

Have a day, Jared Goff.

But I was really kind of jealous that I wasn't there for that.

But maybe I needed to be away. Maybe I was bad luck that year.

No.

Always good luck.

What did you do with your time?

I read books and I watched the Barbie movie.

The what movie? The Barbie movie.

It was pretty interesting. We got a steel drum. We got a steel drum.

We made it, Cooper.

Yeah.

killing it absolutely we're gonna go down love that

most

people just go to the caribbean for a vacation but uh we were there for a

completely different reason so this is not the cells this is just preparation

yeah that's just the ivy

Are you okay?

Yeah, I'm good. I just don't like to look. I know.

I was aware of the benefit of stem cells and how it can help with healing and

recovery, and I had been twice to Antigua to get stem cells just for

health benefits.

I don't fully understand all that goes into it. It's a little bit above my

But stem cells, you're allowed to harvest in the United States, but you're

allowed to then put them into someone in the United States. And so they get the

stem cells from the United States.

Then they have to go offshore, whether that's to Mexico or to South America or

to the Caribbean, and then you can get them, whether it's an IV or a direct

injection, to the site of injury.

At Green Bay, playing the Packers early in the fourth quarter.

I get stepped on all the time, so it just felt like so many snaps feel where

you're in a dirty pocket and somebody's cleats get you on the back of the heel.

And I went to walk off to the sideline because we were going to have to kick

field goal, and I just couldn't feel the ground underneath my foot. I went to

press like you would always press to walk, and I couldn't. It was like if you

were to try to press on a gas pedal and you couldn't.

I don't know, my ankles.

Inside of it, outside of it.

The back.

And my mind was going to, you know, can I turn around in six days and play next

week?

When he got hurt, I tried to stay calm. I didn't know the whole story of what

had happened. So I'm on my phone just trying to get updates and ask my family,

what do you think, what are they saying on the TV?

Just what is this going to mean was running through my head.

Our team foot and ankle surgeon, Dr. Coetzee, put his two fingers like this

right on the Achilles as I was just sitting there on the table.

And I remember him having his fingers there for a second at the most.

He puts it up and he goes, it's torn. You're done.

Sorry, man. That's all right.

And then just kind of wondered what it would mean for the next several months

and for next year, knowing that.

my contract with the Vikings was expiring after the season. And I

praying, just talking to God in that moment. Because I've always felt that as

Christian, I've kind of done this football journey with God together. And

kind of the author of the story, and it's my job just to steward what he

me. And so I just kind of felt like, okay, God, you know, give me the

give me the grace to kind of handle what's next.

The thought was that if I can get these stem cells, that maybe they'll make a

difference for my healing.

This is hitting.

So it must be working, right?

Did we just give you Tylenol?

No. I just asked him to get Tylenol.

I'm not to the point of Tylenol yet.

Pain is just weakness leaving the body.

It was one of many things we did just to try to help the healing process as best

we could.

You are leaning left quite a bit. Don't tell me that.

Yep.

I think the toughest part for me during the entire rehab process was probably

twofold. It was sitting out because I just hadn't done that. And so watching

NFL go on without you is a sobering reminder that you're not

that important.

Secondly, I realize I'm not a very patient person, and I wanted this

heal much faster than it did.

You know the Claymation movie, Santa Claus is Coming to Town? The warlock,

really creepy. He sings this song, just putting one foot in front of the other.

It hits in my head every time.

Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walking out the door.

Soon you'll be practicing in phase three in minicamp.

Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walking out

the door.

A fast -walking man is hard to beat.

A fast -walking man is hard to beat, is that what he says?

It's a great lyric. A slow -walking man is also hard to beat.

It's depending upon the phase in rehab you're in, you know? Put one foot in

front of the other.

And soon you'll be walking across the floor.

My expectation before getting hurt was that we're going to play in such a way

that I'll be back as a Viking for a long time.

But once I tore my Achilles, all that was up in the air.

But what happens with him now? What does the future look like for Kirk? My

anticipation is Cousins will have a strong market, even at age 35, coming

a torn Achilles.

Cooper's been my main receiver as of late.

So I can...

Try to keep my touch and accuracy up.

Great catch, Coop.

This is a dedication.

Kirk Cousins, treat the Super Bowl like the ocean and crawl and drag your way

there.

If another team makes Cousins an offer that is more than the Minnesota Vikings

offer, what do the Vikings do and then what does Cousins do? Between the RF

therapy and the laser therapy, his scar is going to heal really nice.

I think for Kirk, it's kind of like, all right, not just the amount of money per

year, but like how many years are we talking about here? They told me that

rehab would be like the stock market, where you're kind of in a general trend

up, but some days are better than others. And I joke with them that since

surgery, it's just been a bull market.

Hey, Doc, good morning. How are you? Doing well.

Not too much pain?

No, pain has not been an issue.

I really think you're a month ahead of schedule, but this looks wonderful.

We just don't know where Cousins is going, and where he does go will

so much.

Bumpy starts for the Bengals to start this season in week one.

I mean, I don't want to totally overreact to a loss in week one. We've

Bengals team start slow.

To me, there's going to be a couple of weeks where this group is starting to

find their rhythm and get their things together.

At this point in the year, You're not really focused on what happened last

I know how to handle myself mentally and lean on the people that I need to lean

on.

You know, when we're watching, we're wanting Joe to do well and the team to

so we feel the pressure probably that he's going through, but he doesn't seem

get as nervous as maybe we do during the game, so that's a good thing.

When your dad is a college coach and your mom has been around football for a

long time, you listen to them as much as you can. You can.

They're the people in my life that allow me to focus on football as much as I

can, and two are there for me.

Robin, I don't think she's ever missed a game.

And that's soccer, baseball.

He ran some track, all those things. She never missed a game.

I just spent a lot of time with her growing up.

Dad was around a lot, but he was on the road recruiting.

Feels like...

Yesterday, but it also feels like so long ago.

My mom, she was a school teacher, so she was getting up at 4 a .m., working out,

making me breakfast, driving me to school, going to her school, driving me

baseball games, an hour to AAU practice, to AAU tournaments on the weekend.

Yeah, just a lot of...

Things going on as he transitioned from being what we thought was a Division I

basketball player to the point where, yeah, I am going to be a football

I was better at football, and I started lifting more and gaining weight, and I

couldn't jump as high.

I was fired up about it.

My dad was a coach at Ohio University. He was a defensive coordinator.

It helped me shape my leadership, and it just allowed me to be comfortable in my

own skin and be myself.

Those schedules are long, just like ours are now.

But my mom was an all -star. She made me a priority. I always appreciated that.

A lot of nights it was my mom and I watching whatever we watched, American

or Biggest Loser. Biggest Loser. I loved the Biggest Loser.

After my sophomore season of football, I got my first offer from my

dad's team. I didn't really know what that meant.

Like, oh, my dad's team is offering me a scholarship because it's my dad's team.

Like, I didn't really put too much stock into that.

But then I started getting a bunch after that.

And so then I kind of realized, okay, I probably have a better chance of being a

football player than a basketball player.

I think my personality is quite a bit like my mom's. I think the

athletic side.

is more like my dad's side.

My inability to fix things around my house is on my dad's side.

I don't really like doing, like, laundry or dishes or anything. That probably

comes from you doing everything for me.

I was going to say, who does, right?

But that's because I did it for you, which, in hindsight, I probably should

taught you a little more how to do things by yourself. I'm going to know

I guess I know how to do them. I just don't like doing them.

That's fair.

I could do a load of laundry.

I don't know if I know how to work my laundry, my washing machine or dryer,

I'm sure I could figure it out.

Let's be sharp here, fellas. Let's be sharp. Here we go.

Here we go. A wide fit to Dixie left.

I still have the Detroit Lions prevailing. I don't think any of us

surprised if they go to the Super Bowl this year.

We have a lot of expectations this year.

Our standards and our expectations internally are as high as ever.

It's one thing being the hunters and the stat stack losers and the, you know,

bad news bears.

Now you're like one of the teams.

Can you live up to the expectations? That's the biggest question.

First playoff home game for Detroit in more than 30 years.

First down. That's going to do it. That's going to do it. Jared Goff

against his former team.

There's a little bit extra because it was my old team, but to be honest,

a playoff game for this city was so much greater than any personal vindication.

For the first time since January 5, 1992, these Detroit Lions are going to

playoff game.

Jared Goff.

Here it comes!

Here it comes!

Here it comes!

Here it comes! Here it comes!

Okay,

I'll just say it like this, all right? Hey, you're good enough for fucking

Detroit.

It's the greatest thing that ever happened in my career was getting traded

And

the

city, they wrap their arms around me. They really have, and it's been special.

It really has.

Welcome to the NFL.

This is crazy. I can't believe it. But before we get off the stage, I need to

hear one thing.

Jerry Goff!

Jerry Goff!

Jerry Goff! I told Jerry, I was like, I'm going to do it. He's like, nah, bro,

don't do it, don't do it. You know Jerry. He's all, don't do it. I just

be low -key. I was like, nah, I'm doing it.

They all love him.

We love him as players, but they love him.

It's very weird and surreal, but it's very cool, and it's become some sort of

war chant.

They're chanting his name because they see him as like one of their own or like

their friend that they're sticking up for.

It's also this really cute like community thing.

It's special in the way that it brought everyone together.

It's been really special for me and my family and being able to be a part of

this city and I'm just so thankful.

Our season begins with a game involving two teams that are very familiar with

one another. It was just last year the Lions and Rams met on Super Wild Card

weekend right here in Detroit and engaged in a classic. The Lions came out

top. That was Detroit's first step in a playoff journey that took them all the

way to the NFC Championship game. And their anxious to prove that last year

not a blip. They're not a one -year wonder.

I love you. Love you, babe. Thank you.

All right, love you.

Bye. Bye.

Let's go, baby!

Let's go!

Garrett Goff, the former number one for the Rams, made his name enchanted around

the state all year.

All the hoopla was out the window at that point we had kind of gotten out of

way the year before and They're a good team. We're a good team They were coming

in here trying to beat us in week one and you know, we want to get that W

put another one together now first first down one first down one first down

let's go here we go trying

to

get it to stay brown inside and the Rams have come up with the turnover I got it

Tom put it on me I got it just put it fucking on me I got it In those

situations, late in the game, in the red zone, I really have to do a better job

taking care of the ball.

100 % on me.

You're good.

I got you.

You're good. I got you.

Those are the hard moments when the whole stadium's wondering why you made

bad decision, and now you have to come out and show that you can respond and be

that guy that your teammates are relying on.

Let's go, fellas.

Three ties in. Let's go get one.

Turbo set.

Two minutes to go.

And gone. In the middle of the field. Got Patina in the corner.

And now with 20 seconds left, it is up to Jake Bates.

To tie the game from 32 yards.

And he does.

And we will have more football in Detroit. End of the fourth quarter. All

up at 20 between the Lions and the Rams.

Let's do some more.

This is a cool picture. These are the two guys trading for each other. Number

one picks on each other's side.

You've got a dogfight.

You don't want to let this one slip because I felt like that was going to

playoff ramifications.

And Detroit's a yard away from winning number one of the season.

Let's go.

Jared Goff and the Lions hoping for a walk -off touchdown.

Hey,

what are you guys doing over there, fucking changing all your

shit? I'm trying to keep you all balanced.

Hey, look at this place.

This is what you're supposed to do.

Love you, man. Love you. Appreciate you.

Turner, do you want to hit some?

I'll pitch.

Love the haircut, bud. Great Clips did you right.

Great Clips has been dad's go -to for two decades.

All right, I want to see some Babe Ruth power.

Woo! Nice. That's a frozen rope.

Drop the bat. Drop the bat.

Plant the plate.

Oh, I don't have the ball.

He likes to carry the bat to first like Serrano in Major League.

Wait till I introduce you guys to Big League Chew.

Oh, my goodness.

Oh, run.

Run the bases. Take your bases.

That'll weigh Serrano.

That'll weigh Serrano. Power hitter.

I had a tough decision last March, you know, whether to stay in Minnesota.

or whether to go elsewhere.

The biggest move of the day, Kirk Cousins goes from the Minnesota Vikings

Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons signing Kirk Cousins to a four -year, $180 million contract.

Absolutely thrilled to be an Atlanta Falcon.

Our family, my wife's family, have so many ties to Georgia, the great city of

Atlanta. We were married here in Roswell.

Our younger son, Turner, was born in downtown Atlanta on Ted Turner Drive.

There's a reason he's named Turner.

This feels like home. We're so excited to be here.

I don't know that any of it has really sunken in yet. I think it's a process

where things hit you over time.

So watching Minnesota play on TV, preseason game without us, that was very

strange and kind of sad.

And, you know, they just go on without you. And like, oh, I didn't realize I

going to feel.

weird about this and I'm sure like tomorrow will kind of be the same thing.

I heard somebody describing it as when you see someone dating the person you

used to date in like high school or college you're like I used to throw to

Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson and now someone else is enjoying doing that

that's interesting.

I was asked by the broadcasting crew for the game what about Atlanta made you

want to leave Minnesota and I said

That question is the wrong question. I didn't want to leave Minnesota. There

nothing about anywhere that made me want to leave Minnesota. We wanted to be in

Minnesota.

But it became clear that we were going to be there year to year.

And that's what we didn't want.

And at that point, we said, all right, we need to look elsewhere. If that's our

only option, then we'll be back. And when we said, well, we looked around and

found there's an opportunity that would be a longer commitment.

Would you be interested in giving us that longer commitment? They said.

nope, we're good with our offer. And I said, okay, you made my decision really

easy, you know.

Ended up signing with Atlanta and was pretty excited about the chance to get

down there and start fresh.

And then, you know, was pretty surprised when the NFL draft happened.

With the eighth pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Atlanta Falcons select

Michael Pinnock Jr.

Well, there it is.

Oh, white.

That is the first surprise of the NFL draft, to say the least.

And he is going to the place that just made a very expensive investment

in a veteran quarterback.

I wasn't expecting us to take a quarterback so high. At the time, it

had been a little bit misled, or certainly if I had the information

agency, it certainly would have affected my decision. I had no reason to leave

Minnesota.

with how much we loved it there if both teams are going to be drafting a

quarterback high but i've also learned in 12 years in this league that you're

not entitled to anything it's all about being able to earn your spot and prove

yourself kurt provides us a chance to go out and win the south he's fit all the

mold as far as everything that we believe in from a character standpoint

everything that we believe in from a decision -making standpoint and we knew

gave ourselves an immediate chance when we picked up kurt

And we wanted to put ourselves in a position to maintain that excellence

our next young product learning and playing behind them.

What did you guys see there?

Corner kind of played in between.

There's no really great way to do that, right? Particularly when you're talking

about the quarterback position when there's only one guy that can play

throughout the season.

How different is it often?

It's different enough to feel like I'm starting over.

One of the biggest changes would be the amount of motions we have.

I started noticing, whether it was 2023 or 2022, that Mike McDaniel in Miami was

using a lot of motions with Waddle and Tyreek Hill. And then coming here to

Atlanta, I noticed as we installed plays this spring and in training camp, that

just about every play had a motion of some kind or a shift or some way to try

confuse the defense.

I sat down and I made a list of every single motion or shift in our offense.

There's like 45.

Different ways to move people around pre -snap.

So that was a lot to learn.

There's some things that are subtle but different enough that it can cause some

real problems if you're not figuring that out.

The season begins in Atlanta.

The Kirk Cousins era begins for the Falcons.

The energy in this building, the energy around the Falcons organization, they

feel that they have their answer at quarterback with Kirk Cousins. They

that this roster is built to win and built to win now.

Let's go. Let's go.

Let's go. There he goes. Let's go.

So here comes Kirk Cousins.

And now he's going to do something we've not seen happen in almost a quarter

century. The last quarterback to tear his Achilles and then start games the

year, Trent Dilfer back in 2000.

All right, man, one play at a time.

One play at a time. My Achilles felt fine. I think what was challenging for

was football didn't feel normal.

You're with a new team. You're with a new system in a new home stadium. There

was just so much that was different.

Now, I do think we did start out well.

Here's Kirk looking back now. He'll go to the left. Going to throw.

Kirk! Touchdown, Atlanta leads!

Yay!

And Kirk Cousins finds a lot of the child pets in the end zone.

That's like where daddy goes to take a break so he can go potty.

Huddle, huddle, huddle.

Huddle.

Yeah.

Yeah, bump right.

Yep.

Here we go, man.

Listen to me.

Bundle right tight. F float, then F blast.

To two jet FG stucco. Silent one. Yeah.

Here we go. Here we go.

Pittsburgh says they have it, and T .J. Watt does.

Second turnover of the ball game.

I knew that was going to happen.

So what happens is he has to send that motion before he gives the indicator to

the right guard to tap the center. I mean, there's a lot going on here before

the snap.

It's a lot.

Just operationally, it's just a lot to...

to get the play in late and send the flow, then send the blast. Cadence, TJ

Watts timing it off, trying to, you know what I mean?

We're winning by one, but Daddy just accidentally gave the ball to the other

team. So you know how in flag football you were leaning over and handing

somebody the ball through your legs?

So Daddy's football player friend was handing him the ball and he messed up

he dropped it and the other team got the ball.

I have to.

Give the foot, then send you.

I sent you and then gave the foot, and if I do that, we have no room for error.

It's a fumble every time.

It was just all week long I was paranoid I'm going to do it one time and it's

going to screw it up, and it did.

And the ball game will end.

Pittsburgh a winner.

It was a pretty rough first experience.

Yeah, good job. Go green, man.

There's just a lot of questions when you lose of, you know, is this who we're

going to be? Are we going to be better?

Kirk is not 100%. There's so much pressure on the Lions. The Bengals lose

home to the Patriots. What are we doing?

It's hard to play quarterback in this league.

There's always plays that you want back.

You felt like you could have made a better throw, a better decision.

Those are every game, really.

On Sunday, Joe Burrow said he didn't have an answer for the lack of offensive

rhythm the Bengals had against the Patriots.

164 yards passing, no touchdowns. How worried are you? Are they in a must -win

week two? Is Joe Burrow in trouble?

You're going to take the heat when you lose, and you're going to get all the

credit when you win.

How I like it.

Now, the Lions. Oh, yeah.

We know they're Super Bowl. They're juggernaut. In a Super Bowl or a bus.

Everybody's been talking about them as the best team. They are the favorites.

And just all the pressure on a team that's never been to a Super Bowl.

As a quarterback, I'm not concerned with outside opinions, outside narratives.

All I want to do is win a championship.

It's my number one goal and all I think about.

The Falcons are a good team.

And Kirk Cousins kind of struggled this week.

And, you know, he's feeling it.

So many emotions.

Here we go. You go ahead.

Just emotions, just everything. There's a lot of emotions. We're

trying to figure out the rhythm of it.

I think the big question for me was.

How long is it going to take to get to a place where we, I, feel like we've been

playing together for years?

Because we don't have time.

And if it takes six weeks, you know, this season could be lost.