When Kirk Cousins was introduced as the Atlanta Falcons' new starting quarterback on March 13, he expressed belief that he'd be entering an offense similar to the one he played in the previous two years with the Minnesota Vikings?
Why?
Coaching trees - both first-year Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and Vikings head coach and offensive play-caller Kevin O'Connell took their respective jobs after working with the Los Angeles Rams and head coach Sean McVay.
Robinson worked under O'Connell as assistant receivers coach in 2020 and assistant quarterbacks coach in 2021 before ascending to quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator for the past two years.
O'Connell and Robinson were both students of McVay's proverbial school of offense, and considering the Rams' offensive success under his tutelege, it's easy to see why.
As such, both O'Connell and Robinson took many of the same offensive principles learned under McVay to their new stops, resulting in a Falcons offense Robinson believes shares plenty of resemblances to the one O'Connell orchestrates in Minnesota.
"Very similar," Robinson said last week. "Kevin O'Connell took from the Rams and did a lot of the same things. We're kind of in a combination between what they've done here and the run game and some different things than what we've done with the Rams."
During OTAs, the Falcons' offense has featured heavy doses of shifts, speed and pre-snap motion, which linebacker Kaden Elliss said has made life difficult for Atlanta's defense.
The Rams led the NFL in 11 personnel - three receiver sets - last year while the Falcons ranked No. 31 league wide. Conversely, Atlanta was tops in 12 personnel, which features two tight ends. Atlanta's operated extensively in 11 personnel during open OTA sessions.
Another key aspect of the McVay-driven Rams offense is play action, something Cousins operated extensively with O'Connell and now-Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, who was Minnesota's offensive coordinator in 2018 and 2019.
Robinson said his offense has been a good combination of ingredients, as Cousins is having to learn new information, but there were also lots of concepts that mirrored his time in Minnesota. Now, Cousins knows everything, because it's been firmly installed.
Nonetheless, the final product remains closely associated to the one O'Connell fields up north - with Falcons quarterbacks coach T.J. Yates mirroring Robinson's thoughts about the commonalities.
"With Kevin O'Connell coming from the Rams, a lot of this offense is very similar," Yates said last week. "There's not a lot of new things. There is some new stuff that Zac did in L.A. that he brought that Kirk is currently learning, but there's a very large portion of this offense that he already knows down pat, which is good, because you can already jump to those 300- and 400-level conversations."
The Falcons Podcast:Watch | Spotify |Apple Pods
Cousins, who spoke after Atlanta's opening OTA session May 14, just over two months after officially signing his four-year, $180 million contract, said he didn't feel like he was in Year 5 working within the system, but he was optimistic in how he started.
Another variable to consider is that some of Atlanta's primary offensive staff, from Yates to offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford and running backs coach Michael Pitre, were also on Arthur Smith's staff last season.
Yates, a seven-year NFL quarterback, spent the past two years as Atlanta's receivers coach, but he's nevertheless been prompted to learn a new offense.
And at times in Atlanta's four-man quarterbacks room, Cousins is teaching his coach - largely because of the foundation he has in the scheme from his time with O'Connell.
"You don't need to go back to the basics," Yates said. "So, it does help you get along with some things. For the most part, he has way more experience in the offense than even I do or some of these coaches have. So, it's good to learn from him. He's learning from me, vice versa. It's a very good room."
Cousins has enjoyed his first two and a half months with Robinson, describing his new play caller as a hard worker and great football mind who has presence that encourages players to respond to his coaching.
The duo has spent lots of time on task together and Cousins has illustrated strong command and anticipation at such an early stage in his acclimation process, though he admitted there are still bumps in the road on occasion.
"There's times where he calls the play and I'm thinking, 'Alright, I got most of those words, but give it to me one more time,'" Cousins said. "That's where you feel like you're a rookie again, when you're new. But there's also a lot of things where you say, 'Great. I had concerns that maybe I would be starting over, but I can spit that play out, no problem. I know that read, been there, done that.'"
The goal, Cousins said, is to form such a cohesion - not just with Robinson but the playmakers to whom he's throwing - that it looks like Atlanta's offense has been together for five years.
There's palpable buzz about what the Falcons can do offensively, with Cousins spearheading a unit that includes three weapons previously drafted in the top-10 in tight end Kyle Pitts, receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson and an offensive line returning each starter from a season ago.
Much of Atlanta's offensive success ultimately comes down to the play-calling of Robinson, who has held the role in preseason games but never in the regular season. This is where Cousins's experience, not only across 12 NFL seasons but within a similar offense, is particularly valuable.
The Falcons believe they have the pieces to make the postseason for the first time in six years. It's a big spot for Robinson to debut as a play-caller - but one in which he's quickly finding his footing, thanks in part to Cousins and the speed with which the offense has been installed.
"It's great," Robinson said. "This is my first time doing it, so having the comfort of a veteran quarterback like Kirk that's coming from this system, couldn't ask for anything better."
