Cousins confirms every Falcons fan’s fears with latest comments on Achilles injury

Thursday's press conference for Atlanta Falcons veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins saw the quarterback continue to insist the Achilles is healthy. Despite the concerns the media offered Cousins continually insisted that he was healthy and was ready for Week 1.

What Cousins did offer when further questioned was talking about losing the red jersey for the first time and making that adjustment. The quarterback hasn't faced live reps since the injury with Raheem Morris opting to hold out his starters through all three preseason games.

Judging from their Week 1 performance and Kirk's comments it is safe to say it was the wrong call. If Cousins is healthy and simply lacks confidence and dealing with this amount of rust it is a reflection on the coaching staff. Punting game one in defense of going into the season fully healthy is flawed logic.

Kirk Cousins' explanation is an indictment of Atlanta Falcons preseason decisions

Raheem Morris has continued to defend his preseason decisions citing a need to go into the year fully healthy. While health is important it is worth noting that your backups are fully capable of losing and looking unprepared as well.

If Cousins is as healthy as the Falcons are telling us the veteran is you wasted game one. These are reps the veteran should have been taking in the preseason when the games didn't matter. Gaining confidence and building chemistry with his new weapons and OC.

Kirk Cousins and Raheem Morris both explaining away what we watched against the Steelers as rust and easing back into the lineup is an indictment against Atlanta's decision-makers.

Perhaps this would be a bit different if the Falcons season didn't start with the Steelers, Eagles, Chiefs, Saints, and Bucs. In that five-game stretch, there isn't room to ease your veteran quarterback back into the starting lineup.

Even with a fully healthy and confident Cousins, the Falcons are going to be clear underdogs in each of the next two games. Wasting Week one in an effort to keep your roster healthy could push you into a 0-3 hole you won't be able to climb out of.

For Atlanta, they have to hope Cousins is right and his debut was simply a veteran quarterback dealing with extreme rust. The alternative explanation without question has Atlanta starting 0-3 and perhaps worse.

Atlanta's only hope of quieting the calls for Penix and concerns with Cousins is to pull the upset and prove Kirk Cousins is healthy and all Atlanta's preseason hype wasn't undeserved.