Raheem Morris' comments prove his Kirk Cousins preseason plan backfired

Forget a quarterback controversy. The way Falcons head coach Raheem Morris has already mismanaged quarterback Kirk Cousins, Atlanta's problems start at the top.

The Falcons were one of Week 1's biggest disappointments, laying an egg at home against the Steelers in an 18-10 loss.

Cousins, who Atlanta signed to a four-year, $180 million contract this offseason, struggled, finishing 16-of-26 for 155 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Entering Monday night's Jets-49ers game, his 29.2 QBR ranked 25th out of 30 quarterbacks. ( h/t ESPN )

His performance was so bad (and his usage so questionable) that afterward, speculation ran rampant that he isn't 100 percent back from last year's season-ending Achilles injury.

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Field Yates shared data on Atlanta's offensive alignments against Pittsburgh. It revealed that 96 percent of their snaps were from pistol or shotgun formations, perhaps an indication the Falcons wanted to limit Cousins' movement when dropping back to pass.

"Kirk Cousins isn't healthy from that Achilles," surmised ESPN's Damien Woody.

Morris downplayed concerns about Cousins' health on Monday, saying, "He's been healthy since he's been here."

ESPN's Marc Raimondi added that Morris suggested "Cousins' issues were likely due to 'some rust from not playing for so long.'"

Gee, if only there were a way Cousins could have received snaps in a game-setting before Week 1.

Oh wait, there was.

Morris' comments confirm what we thought when he made the awful decision to sit Cousins throughout the preseason.

By his admission, it may have cost the Falcons a Week 1 win.

"We played, I thought, winning football in two phases of the game, and we didn't play winning football in our offensive phase of the game," he told reporters.

In July, Cousins discussed the benefits of playing in the preseason.

"I think seeing live bullets and playing is helpful," he said.

Morris didn't give Cousins that opportunity, and the Falcons are suffering because of it.