Kyle Shanahan has been a long-time fan of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. The San Francisco 49ers head coach, then in Washington with his father, Mike Shanahan, was the one who advocated drafting Cousins.
In 2012, Washington had already secured Robert Griffin III with the second overall pick. Mike Shanahan had always intended to draft two quarterbacks that year, so he entrusted that decision to his son.
"He was like, 'Hey, do you still want your guy Kirk?'" Kyle Shanahan recounted on Thursday. "I was like, 'I don't know about that, dad, we've gone another direction.' He was like, 'No, the plan was we're going to take two. We're still taking two.' Then we ended up taking Kirk, which I was pumped about because that's who I wanted originally."
On Thursday morning, as the 49ers gear up to face the Vikings on Monday night, Shanahan presented his defense with film of Cousins. Star pass rusher Nick Bosa shared his impressions of the seasoned quarterback.
"He plays a position to a T," Bosa told reporters in the locker room ahead of Thursday's practice. "He goes through his reads. He's on time with the ball. He's accurate. He's smart. So, obviously, a good combination."
Cousins is presently tied with Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the most touchdown passes this season with 14. He has completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 1,679 yards while tossing four interceptions. However, he has just 10 carries for 17 rushing yards, so no one is expecting him to threaten the 49ers defense with his legs.
Bosa sees that as an opportunity. Following his league-leading 18.5 sacks last season, the pass rusher has accumulated only 2.5 sacks this season.
"Yeah, we've got to pressure him for sure," Bosa declared. "We've got to get people in his face quick, and we've got to be good coverage-wise because he will get rid of it if you're not. But, yeah, once we lock everything down on the back end, we should get there."