“It’s something you can never be perfect at,” he said.

“You can fine tune it and get better and better at it, but we’re never there. That’s something we’ll always be focusing on.”

So like anybody looking to learn something new, he turned to the best people in his field of work.
Cousins spent the offseason trying to pick the brains of many of his former teammates who are now in the NFL.

His first call was to former wide receiver Blair White, who now catches passes from Indianapolis Colts All-Pro Peyton Manning.

Cousins said he talked to White about how the Colts’ offense operates.

Cousins said he also spoke with former Spartan Brian Hoyer — now a backup to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady — and watched film of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

“I watched those guys specifically and tried to learn from them, and I felt like it was helpful,” Cousins said.

The Spartan quarterback now will try to implement some of what makes those players so great into his own game.

Along with bettering himself, Cousins will do everything he can to help his teammates adjust to new offensive coordinator Dan Roushar.

To make it a smoother transition, the quarterback said he will try to act more like a coach on the field and take the younger guys under his wing.

“I think for us as a team to be better, the focus has to come off me and I need to pour it into receivers, and to young offensive lineman and to develop them because we’ll be counting on them in crucial situations this fall,” he said.

Setting the bar
Filling out his goal sheet for the 2011 season, junior running back Edwin Baker said he had a vision. With all of the hard work he put in, the Spartans leading rusher last season is aiming for the 2,000 yard mark.

“2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns,” Baker said.

“I put (the goal sheet) on my wall and I look at it every morning.”

Although he is on the Heisman Watch List, 2,000 yards is a big number, but Baker is 100 percent confident he can get there.

“If I say it, I’m going to believe it,” he said.

“I’m not going to say anything I don’t believe I can get.”

Fitting in
With senior defensive lineman Kevin Pickelman limited in the spring because of an injury, a spot opened up for junior Anthony Rashad White.

A 6-foot-2 defensive tackle, surrounded by two 6-foot-7 defensive ends in Tyler Hoover and William Gholston, he is using this opportunity to create a three-man rotation at the position when the regular season arrives.

White believes he has at least one thing in his favor that separates him from his counterparts.
“We played against Cam Newton’s team in the championship game,” said White of his time at Fort Scott Community College.

“We got five sacks on him. I got one.”

Now, if White earns more playing time, he hopes to do the same to Big Ten quarterbacks all season.

“If Pickelman comes back, he’s ready to play, it doesn’t matter as long as we’re both working together and we can get good fill on the defensive line and make plays, it doesn’t matter,” White said.