Michael Penix Jr. was always eventually going to start for the Atlanta Falcons. The question, however, was when.
Four seasons ago, it was just another year of Matt Ryan. Now, everything has changed for the Atlanta Falcons. After Ryan, it was Marcus Mariota. Then it was Desmond Ridder, followed by Kirk Cousins, and now, it is Michael Penix Jr.’s time.
At this point, the quarterback change has become a yearly routine for the franchise. However, the Falcons hope they have their guy with Penix. Of course, rivals like the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers hope the opposite.
That said, Matt Ryan’s prediction of success for Penix was not what those teams were looking for. That said, for Penix to get a shot, it took the team sitting Kirk Cousins down to break the news. Having already done that, now the question is what the Falcons will do with Kirk Cousins.
The Falcons might have been considering those outcomes on top of moving Penix up the depth chart. At least, that would explain why they told Penix he would start in the manner in which they did.
Michael Penix Jr. reveals how he was named the starter
Speaking in an interview on “Pro Football Talk,” Michael Penix Jr. relayed how he was told he would be the starter over Kirk Cousins.
“I was surprised when I got the phone call. I got a phone call from my OC and he doesn’t really call me that much. And especially at that time, it was like 8:30 at night. I was like, ‘okay, he don’t call me at this time.’ It was like ‘somethings going on’ so it was surprising,” he said.
His first start came on December 22 against the New York Giants. Penix completed 66.7% of his passes for 202 yards and an interception. In total, he started just three games.
Michael Penix Jr. is enjoying the best of both worlds
Rookie quarterbacks usually take defenses by surprise, but then the defense catches up after studying an entire season of tape. With just three games under his belt, Penix has the luxury of being able to soak in the starts, but not so much time that defenses can develop a read on him.
Brock Purdy arguably enjoyed the same thing to start his career. As such, he essentially got two years with the element of surprise. Penix is in great shape to enjoy the same thing.
Of course, it comes down to whether Penix has more tricks than the ones he displayed in his three starts. If he doesn’t, then he has no element of surprise left. That said, he has plenty of time in the off-season to learn more complex formations, plays and reads to keep ahead of the defense. How will Penix fare in his second season?
