Mike Florio's Been Doing This Long Enough to Know How It Works

Yesterday Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported there are credible indications that Kirk Cousins is seriously considering moving his family to Atlanta. Cousins, who has spent the past six seasons with the Vikings, is set to become an unrestricted free agent next Wednesday, is constantly in the conversation whenever the classic parlor game of which quarterback could be on the move becomes a topic. All signs have been pointing to the Vikings wanting to keep him, just at their preferred price point — which is essentially the story of Cousins' entire career, having previously done a similar song and dance with the then-Washington Redskins.

The Falcons make a ton of sense because they need a competent signal caller and Cousins' wife hails from the area. Still, there were plenty of people there in response to cast doubts on the piece. Which happens from time to time when Florio posts something juicy that none of the other insiders seem to be on. The PFT founder felt compelled to respond to the critiques by highlighting some of the finer points of his reśumé.

People can take issue with the tone and debate whether it's really necessary to respond like this but on the other hand there are few things more annoying in the world than having something solid and seeing people try to shoot holes in it — with an overwhelming amount of the criticism coming from those who have never picked up a phone or shot a source a text in their life. We'll have to see what goes down with Cousins to see who gets the last laugh but it's important to note that even if the Vikings end up keeping the veteran, it doesn't necessarily mean the report is wrong, it could just mean preparations were made for something that never came to pass.

Florio then joined The Pat McAfee Show this afternoon, taking aim at the stenography arts as employed by scoop merchants.

"When the agent sends the group text to all of the folks who are clamoring to be the first ones to win the thumb race to Twitter with the details, the reporters don't ask questions," he said. "They don't push back."

That's a bit of a broad brush yet there's definitely some truth in there depending on which reporter is involved. Not to besmirch anyone. Including Florio.

If we wanted to look at this through a positive, inclusive lens it might look something like this. There are certain stories Pro Football Talk is not going to break. There are also certain stories that only Pro Football Talk is going to break if the two modes of operation are really that different. There's never been more meat on the content bone for everyone from all outlets to stay full and giggly.

That's just not as entertaining, though.