Kirk Cousins' surgically repaired leg is raising concerns

After an unimpressive debut with the Falcons, concerns have swirled about the overall health of quarterback Kirk Cousins' surgically repaired right foot.

The biggest issue is his pre-snap positioning and use of his lower body to throw the ball.

Here is one Great explanation Cousins ​​on pre-snap leg positioning from former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel. Throughout his career, Cousins ​​had the right foot forward. After receiving the ball, he will push off with his right foot to initiate his drop. Now his legs are equal. As a result, he doesn't have that extra burst — probably because he doesn't want to put too much stress on a torn Achilles tendon leg.

Chris Simms explained Wednesday the problems that arose after Cousins ​​got the ball. He is not driving the ball with his lower body. This requires him to plant the right foot firmly and push down on it, gathering extra oomph for the throw. Instead, he's muscled it with his upper body.

As a result, there is less drive. Less pop. Low accuracy.

It didn't help that the Falcons faced the Steelers. It didn't help that Steelers fans overtook Mercedes-Benz Stadium, forcing the Falcons to begin a silent countdown.

As Steelers linebacker TJ Watt explained to PFT after the Pittsburgh win, the advantage was significant.

“[A]Any time you have a silent count all game the home team can have, it's so frustrating for the opposing offense,” Watt said. “And even in the distraction I was able to recover from, it was huge when they had to have a silent count and they were moving and shifting. Either and the ball gets snapped at random times or the ball lands on the ground, which goes to the crowd to create that disaster.”

It helps that Falcon fans weren't present to allow their discontent to coalesce and expand. If that happens next Sunday night, when the Falcons host the Chiefs, a three-word chant may erupt from the stands.

“We . . . want . . . Penix.”

And that's probably why the Falcons didn't play rookie Michael Penix Jr. beyond the first preseason game. Maybe they were worried that they would need him sooner than anyone might expect.

Before we see Cousins ​​in Week 3 primetime, we'll see him cap Week 2 in primetime. In Philadelphia. Against another great defense. With clear things to see when he's waiting for the ball and after he gets it.