Appearing as a guest after Kirk Cousins on Monday night’s ManningCast, Sean Payton couldn’t help but take a little dig at the Vikings quarterback.
“That’s the great thing about batting cleanup on this show. That’s the thing, I had to sit and listen to Kirk Cousins for a whole quarter … uh,” said Payton, who was the third and final guest on the show, as the Mannings introduced a clip.
He was then shown video of Payton dancing in the locker room following the Saints’ 52-33 win over the Vikings on Christmas Eve 2020, but Payton’s apparent boredom at the Cousins segment and his re-living of post-Vikings celebrations didn’t sit well with celebrity Vikings fan Josh Duhamel.
Duhamel proceeded to bring up history – namely the Saints’ reprehensible conduct to win the 2009 NFC Championship “Bountygate” game — since when the Vikings had Payton’s number twice in the playoffs: the Minneapolis Miracle in 2017 and when Kirk Cousins led the Vikings past the Saints in New Orleans in 2019.
You think Vikes fans don’t remember how dirty you are? We own you bro. pic.twitter.com/0P64tVQuX4
— Josh Duhamel (@joshduhamel) November 8, 2022
You can see Payton’s dig at Cousins more clearly here, at the 15:30 mark.
Anyway, enough about the embittered, SKOL-chanting Sean Payton, how did Kirk Cousins’ debut on the show go?
Cousins spoke with Peyton and Eli Manning during the third quarter of the Ravens-Saints game, and while the Mannings were trying to get Cousins to spill on Griddys and his sudden diamond chain fascination, the Vikings quarterback was trying to glean their offensive secrets.
The Vikings quarterback put a question to the Mannings about how they deal with cover zero defenses, which comes after Cousins particularly struggled against man coverage in the Week 2 loss against the Eagles – the Vikings’ only loss this season.
Coming back after the break, Peyton actually declined to answer, instead offering to send Cousins his old notes before shifting the conversation back to lighter fare – namely Cousins’ attempt at a Griddy celebration.
Though Cousins’ appearance on ManningCast was intended to be – and, indeed, was – a light-hearted affair, his effort to engage the two Hall of Famers on their Cover 0 tactics shows he remains a student of game, no matter his newfound fame as an internet meme following the Vikings’ 7-1 start.
Kirk’s appearance in yet another post-road game celebration featuring some serious bling – this time shirtless – has the quarterback worried about how things go if the Vikings keep winning.
“If we keep winning these away games I don’t know where it’s going to go, but I’m kinda nervous about where it’s gonna end up,” Cousins joked.
As for the Vikings outstanding 7-1 start, Cousins said that every week a part of the team has stepped up.
“It’s been an interesting combination. In one game special teams is making big plays for us, in another game it’s defense, great pass-rushing and great turnovers, in another game it’s Justin Jefferson making big players or Dalvin Cook going off, it’s really been a team effort.”
And in an ominous warning to the rest of the NFL, Cousins reiterated: “I really think we haven’t played our best football yet.”
Keeping things light, the Mannings quizzed Cousins on his attempt at the “Griddy” celebration, comparing it to the one done by Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki.
They’re both bad, though Kirk argued (correctly) that Gesicki’s was worse, but then Cousins promised/threatened that he’ll do another Griddy after the next rushing touchdown he scores.
You can watch Kirk Cousins’ full ManningCast appearance here.
Kirk Cousins is waiting for another shot at the griddy 🕺😅
"I definitely set the griddy back a few years." pic.twitter.com/Km91gXlysf
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 8, 2022
