But the former Redskins coach raised more than a few eyebrows Thursday when he compared Cousins to two Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
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“I remember just being with (John) Elway his first year, or Steve Young, and you take a look at their touchdown-interception ratios — you’re talking about Hall of Fame quarterbacks — and actually Kirk’s statistics are better than theirs,” Shanahan said in an interview with 106.7 The Fan. “They didn’t have that great running game and they were counting on the passing game. So I think what (the Redskins) are doing right now is great."
Shanahan spent time coaching both Young and Elway. After serving as offensive coordinator with the 49ers, he went on to win back-to-back Super Bowls as the Broncos’ head coach.
Shanahan in Washington drafted Cousins as a fourth-round pick in 2012, the same year Robert Griffin III was picked second overall. He says the Redskins’ strong run game has benefited Cousins this year the same way it did for Griffin as a rookie.
“One of the reasons we ran the ball as much as we did with Robert in 2012, even though it was a little bit different-type scheme, was to take a little bit of pressure off the quarterback,” he said. “When you start throwing the ball twice as many times as you’re running it, it really puts a lot of pressure, not only on the quarterback, but the offensive line — they can do so many things coverage-wise. And it’s really tough. It’s a really tough situation.”
