FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — For new Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, the work towards team continuity began weeks before the free agency window officially opened. While in line for the Guardians of the Galaxy ride at Walt Disney World's Epcot park, Cousins received a string of messages from an unknown number.
The messages were from Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts, introducing himself to the veteran quarterback and, essentially, recruiting him to Atlanta.
Cousins remembered one of the messages reading, "We're ready for you to take us to the promise land."
However, Cousins understands that coveted destination can only be reached by deliberate building of relationships.
"We need to build continuity. That's got to be intentional. It's got to be more than just what the NFL allows us to do on the field," Cousins said. "That's really what my focus will be the next couple months."
The journey towards continuity continued on Cousins' family road trip from Michigan to Georgia after the quarterback agreed to terms with the Falcons Monday before officially signing with Atlanta at the start of the new league year Wednesday. Over the course of that road trip, Cousins was on the phone for a healthy chuck of time, making several calls to his future offensive weapons like Pitts or Drake London.
With a brand new starting quarterback in Cousins, a fresh head coach in Raheem Morris and a first-time play-caller in Zac Robinson, the Falcons will have a lot of ground to cover before September.
Relationships have to be forged and forged fast. For Cousins, he says a key place that relationship-building happens is in the training room, chatting with teammates as he continues to rehab an Achilles injury.
But more importantly, perhaps, it's in the film room.
"I want to see Drake London. I want to see every catch he's had in the league so far. I want to see every catch he had at USC his final year there. I want to watch Kyle Pitts the same way. I want to watch Bijan (Robinson) the same way," Cousins said. "I want to study these guys, and I want to do it with them.
"I want to make a cutup and say, 'Hey, Drake, you know I've watched this for days at USC, tell me about this route, tell me about this play. Do you think this is a strength of yours? How do we work on this?'"
While the Falcons roster develops that continuity this season, it's something they've already built at the organizational level. The foundation owner Arthur Blank and general manager Terry Fontenot forged helped lure a top-free agent like Cousins to Atlanta.
"A coach I have a lot of respect for said, 'When the owner, general manager, head coach and quarterback are on the same page — that's when you really have a chance to go win a Super Bowl," Cousins said. "... The evidence was just mounting to show that this is some serious alignment."
So far, that's translated to a Falcons team filled to the brim with young talent that Cousins is especially excited to work with.
And while getting to know his future teammates when he was en route to Atlanta, Cousins could already tell there was a key foundation set with the young core he'll soon be leading.
"I've been in locker rooms. I've seen what it can look like," Cousins said. "These guys are sharp. Well-spoken. They want to win. They're humble. I mean, this could be fun."
