Kevin: Did you see that Bleacher Report story about how McLovin already knows who he is drafting at #21?
Ken: I think he says that kind of thing often. I heard through the grapevine that he already likes a quarterback in the third round. I just don't think a guy with his talent and success locks in like that.
Kevin: Kirk would renounce Jesus and jihad when that happens. Photoshop fun with that headline...
Ken: No way. There is zero controversy with any quarterback once we get to that part of the draft. Pretty sure at that point, they are all projects. Not to mention Kirk is "entrenched" as the starter.
Kevin: I just mean if I'm Kirk, I'd rather have another high class weapon at that pick than a guy riding pine.
Ken: I would bet dollars to donuts that McLovin straight up told Kirk and his agent that they were going to add a guy in the draft and not to worry about it because Kirk was the man no matter what. Nobody should know better than Kirk the value of having a guy in the wings being groomed. I also think he gets the fact that McLovin is in charge of the team and its future. McLovin is not Kirk's agent. The Redskins are best served by being in the business of developing quarterbacks. I think I would be a bit surprised if we took a quarterback in the third round, mostly because true project quarterbacks with upside can be had in the sixth round. My bet is we take either a wide receiver or running back in the third. Alex Collins out of Arkansas is my guy there...or maybe even Kenyan Drake.
Kevin: Ken, I know you want a late round QB because you had a stiffy for all the Gus Frerotte and Colt Brennan drama. Late-round Redskins quarterbacks to you are what TMZ is to millennials. We're on the same page, though: it's good business to have two quality quarterbacks on your roster. I think we were the only two people in town that loved the KC draft pick. I'm just saying if I was Kirk (with a selfish/competitive chip), and I have one year to prove myself, having another CB or RB or OL with that 3rd pick would be nice. So, Colt McCoy will be the one declaring jihad?
Ken: I have to be honest, I see the Kirk Cousins/Colt McCoy pairing as something this team could roll with for years. If Kirk turns out to be as good as I think he is, Colt could be his caddy for a long time. When a starter and a backup have as good a relationship as these seem to have, it works to the benefit of the team. This is all to say that if they do draft a rookie quarterback, he will not be part of any immediate plans to break up Colt and Kirk. These are the problems/decisions good teams get to make, by the way. It is very true that we need guys who will see the field for us sooner rather than never. As for my love of backup quarterbacks...what can I say? When you have thrown as many errant passes in flag football as I have, you just kind of learn to love those guys. And yes, that is me saying, "I know exactly how a professional backup quarterback must feel since I played flag football." Hahahaha. #patwhite4ever
Kevin: For those that don't know, Ken has the pocket presence of John Beck, the arm strength of Mark Brunell (vintage 2016) and the interception % ratio of a certain Vinny Testavarde (vintage 1988...and most other years). Ken, do you ever see a situation where KC could lose his starting job? Say for example, he's out three weeks with a shoulder strain sitting on a 5-5 record and Colt or the rookie wins three in a row? It would be a very Mike Shanahan thing to do to bench Kirk in a contract year to lower his free agency value. This regime...probably not.
Ken: Kevin thinks that just because he can noodle-arm a 20 yard pass with 10 full seconds of hangtime (because that is what you are looking for in a quarterback), he is the better passer between the two of us. He has yet to field a team and take me on though, likely due to his pants being on fire after those last comments. I see no situation where Kirk loses the starting gig this season. There is nobody on the roster--and likely nobody coming--that just put up a season like he had in 2015, and the fact is, he is officially the "guy" here, which means that as long as he is healthy, he plays. Even if he came out and performed like the public defender from My Cousin Vinny, he would still be the starter.
Kevin: "A season like he had." You mean a full season with zero wins against teams with winning records? You mean kneeling the ball before halftime on the six yard line with no timeouts? The Redskins did rank 9th as a team in Yards After the Catch, so let's take a deep breath and bust out the beyonce gif. I know we are all desperate for a solid QB in this town, but I thoroughly love that you've already written KC's Ring of Fame speech and even scribbled loose notes for his Canton speech. You're like an incumbent president..."everything is great and we are poised for another four year stretch of greatness." Has the last 20 years taught us nothing about being cautiously optimistic? Either way, KC's 101.6 QB rating last year does bring a large smile. Once I see you purchase a KC jersey I know you really mean what you're preaching and I'll cease and desist with the jabs. Any chance you use a crowbar to crack open that George Costanza-tight wallet and buy a jersey for a player that's in a contract year?
Ken: 4,166 yards; 29 touchdowns vs 11 interceptions; 70% accuracy; NFC East champion...Is that the season you are poo-poo'ing? Also, don't be the guy who says Kirk needs to be looking over his shoulder when the guy standing there is Colt McCoy. Are you trying to convince us all that Jay Gruden would all of a sudden decide to "go with" Colt? Come on, man. We have a starter and we have a backup. That's all I'm saying. It is the cleanest quarterback situation we have seen in Washington in a decade. Kirk hasn't been "given" anything. He earned the starter's job. Sooooooo, the job of the starter is to start. It's easy. There is no competition to be had. There is no other direction to go this season. It's not like our backup is Tim Tebow.
Kevin: I never said KC was or is looking over his shoulder. Of course he's the starter. The Pinball Wizard even knows that. He is our guy and I love him. I pose these what-if scenarios because usually you go on an epic, homer tangent that myself and all the fellow commenters can laugh at. Regarding my tone of voice, I'm poking fun of your month of podcasting where you lambasted us not extending KC, whereas I thought the franchise tag was the only and smart move.
Ken: Well, it wasn't the only move...and you telling me what is smart is like Ray Charles telling me his thoughts on Picasso paintings. I have gotten comfy with where we stand, and the proliferation of players on one-year deals makes me think that McLovin has a constant eye on future salary cap space. Crazy right? Remember the old days when we just handed out future salary cap space like candy on Halloween? I'm going to give McLovin the benefit of the doubt, but he could still sign Kirk to a long-term deal before July 15, right? getting back to your question, in what scenario would you bench Kirk?
Kevin: The only scenario I see Kirk getting benched, and it's .0000001%, is if this vail of darkness gets pulled off the golden boy image like it did for Tiger Woods and it turns out Kirk Cousins is doing all this mad stuff like running a $20 million underground Ferret Fighting Ring for underage Cambodian girls.
Once again, I give Kevin the last word and he doesn't disappoint. Next week, we will do our schedule prediction together. For those of you who have never sat in a drunken car ride home from FedEx with Kevin and I (someone else driving), this is the kind of conversation where things get said that we always want to take back. Things like, "Trung Canidate is worth two or three wins alone."