A Kirk Cousins super fan had a makeshift shrine set up on a glass partition of the 300 level of Allegiant Stadium Sunday, as the new Las Vegas Raiders quarterback led the team to a season-opening win against the Miami Dolphins.
Terri Polley of Salem, Oregon, was wearing a No. 8 Cousins jersey and had series of six photos of Cousins taped to the glass, to send good vibes his way during his regular season debut with the Raiders.
“I just wanted the Raider Nation to understand, show respect for this quarterback,” Polley said. “He’s awesome. That’s just how I feel about it. Absolutely, god, what he’s done everywhere he’s gone. I feel like he’s been a No. 1 quarterback for all of them.”
Polley was in Las Vegas with her son-in-law celebrating her 72nd birthday a few weeks early, marking her first time attending a game at Allegiant Stadium.
“Well, I thought a lot about it,” Polley said. “My daughter said, ‘Well, why don’t we laminate him?’ And so I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that way I can hold him.’ And I didn’t know I was going to have this spot because my daughter and her husband right here got me tickets for my 72nd birthday, which is Sept. 25. So, this is my birthday gift. Never been here before. Never ever. This is just amazing. I love it.”
Aside from her photo tribute to Cousins, Polley also made a sign with two photos the QB, with “You like that” written on it, which proudly held up each time the Raiders scored a touchdown Sunday. The saying was made famous by Cousins back in 2015 after he led Washington to a 24-point comeback win over Tampa Bay.
Whether Polley’s shrine was a good luck charm or not, Cousins helped the Raiders win by completing 21-of-30 passes, throwing for three touchdowns, with the first being his milestone 300th TD in the NFL.
Polley said her son-in-law has been a Raiders fan since she met him when he was a teenager, so she has followed the team for many years. But her fandom kicked in when Cousins signed with the team this year, as she followed the 15-year NFL veteran during every stop of his career.
“Minnesota, that’s when everybody was like, MVP, and when he was with Atlanta, loved him there. I don’t know what to say. I just have followed him. I fell in love with him coming right out of college in the draft. And I follow my players that I like. He’s my top (favorite player).”
As much as Polley was dazzled by Cousins’ play on the field, she was equally impressed with the Las Vegas experience itself during her birthday trip.
“Wonderful, absolutely amazing,” Polley said. “The night lights in this city are beautiful, just beautiful. We went out in the day and then went out at night and I just kept going, ‘Keith, these lights are so beautiful because Vegas is.’”
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.
