After being unable to play for five days due to contracting COVID-19, Kirk Cousins returned for a joint practice session between the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings.
Kirk missed one full-speed practice, which took place on Thursday and was followed up by a light workout on Friday. Then, the team traveled on Saturday before playing a game on Sunday and were off on Monday.
“I was commenting to my wife that if I was to miss five days and you had to pick which five, strategically we probably picked a good five,” Cousins said.
Cousins has had a pretty rough time due to COVID-19-related regulations. The athlete was sidelined for five days earlier this month after Kellen Mond tested positive, having been deemed as close contact with the other player. This left only one out of the four quarterbacks on the Viking’s roster available for play.
Then, on December 31, 2021, Cousins contracted the virus just two days before a game against the Gren Bay Packers. This left him unable to play for the team and the Vikings were eliminated from contention for the playoffs. After a tumultuous series of events, Cousins is back in action.
“There was some resiliency there. There were a couple plays he’d probably like to have back or maybe would’ve liked to have let go and throw into a window, and you know what? He just kept playing. There was no flinch,” said Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips.
Practice environment
Ed Ingram, a rookie for the Vikings who has been moved into the starting right spot, praised the team’s practice environment. He also said he was happy Cousins returned to the field.
“I love it when any of my teammates get fired up,” he said of Cousins.
Things went well for both teams, with the 49ers reintroducing Arik Armstead and Emmanuel Moseley to the field after they were out for injuries. The 49ers and the Vikings took measures to prevent fights to increase productivity. With several big games coming up and players returning to the field, both teams are looking to improve their play as much as possible.
“That’s a pretty big emphasis. We have a deal with Kevin. Anyone throws a punch, we’re going to kick them out of practice. We know how important it is to get this practice work in right now,” said 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.
The session was quite unlike the joint practice between the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots, where five players were kicked out due to fighting. The quarrel led to a female fan being struck after the scrum spilled into the spectator area, almost ending the day’s practice session. While hits are part of the sport, Matt Rhule, the coach of the Panthers, took issue with a player’s attitude towards the hit.
“… I didn’t see the hit, but I did see him standing over the player. That’s not how we want to practice. Things happen in football. There were some good clean hits. But we don’t stand over somebody and taunt them,” Rhule said.