In six career starts, he's put up good numbers in three games and not-so-good numbers in the other three. He's a fourth-round pick who is either a young quarterback still developing or a guy who is what he is. Cousins needs to do a lot of things right to play well. When he doesn't, he can't rely on a cannon arm to avoid danger or his legs to bail him out. He knows that; the NFL world knows that.
Cousins can't stare down receivers and get away with it, as the New York Giants, who entered the game feeling they could pressure him into mistakes, said he was doing. Cousins turns the ball over a lot (four interceptions and a lost fumble against the Giants) for a guy who is said to be someone who can manage games well. He gets rid of the ball fast; he also takes chances on throws, and if he's off, it's a pick. "On certain routes, he was staring down his targets," Giants safety Antrel Rolle said.