Adam Thielen: Kirk Cousins ‘a great addition’ to Vikings’ locker room

Adam Thielen remembers being on the wrong side of Kirk Cousins’ surgical-like dismantling of a defense.

Cousins was playing for the Washington Redskins, and all Thielen and his Minnesota Vikings’ teammates could do was watch helplessly as Cousins went to work.

‘At Washington, he pretty much picked our defense apart’

It happened more than once, which is among the reasons the wide receiver is thrilled that he and Cousins now are on the same side with the Vikings.

“The last two years really stick in my mind,” Thielen told Bruce Murray and Kirk Cousins during last week’s American Century Classic Celebrity Golf Tournament. “At Washington, he pretty much picked our defense apart and, obviously, last year being the No. 1 defense in the NFL and he’s picking it apart. Obviously, he’s a talented guy, he can make all the throws, he’s smart and he’s also a great guy. He’s a great addition to our locker room, another just stand-up guy and a guy that you want to be around.”

‘It takes a lot of time to get on the same page as a quarterback’

Cousins is also a guy Thielen and fellow Minnesota receiver Stefon Diggs want to convince that they will do their part to help him excel with his new team. That was why, a couple of weeks before the start of organized team activity practices, Thielen and Diggs got together in Atlanta to work with Cousins. “It takes a lot of time to get on the same page as a quarterback, especially with a new offense,” Thielen said.

Speaking of which, Thielen is excited about learning the scheme that new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo has brought to Minnesota.

‘Obviously, it’s just OTAs and minicamp, but we’re really excited about what we can do with this offense‘

“He just brings a lot of energy,” Thielen said of DeFilippo. “He has an unbelievable system. He has a lot of plays that are really fun to learn, No. 1, and then to go out and execute on the field. Obviously, it’s just OTAs and minicamp, but we’re really excited about what we can do with this offense and the players we have to be able to use in an offensive system like this should be really fun.”