Dirty Birds Dispatch: Don’t mess around with Michael Penix
“It’s bad, bad Leroy Brown.
The baddest man in the whole damned town.
Badder than old King Kong.
And meaner than a junkyard dog.”
— Jim Croce
BAD, BAD LEROY BROWN
Apparently, Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is not one to be messed with.
After taking on several Tennessee Titans on Wednesday, the last day of joint practices in Flowery Branch, he wanted everyone to know he doesn’t tolerate any foolishness out there on the football field.
“I’m from Tampa. Dade City,” Penix Jr. said at the postfight presser.
Things got a little sketchy after he tossed a TD pass to Ray-Ray McCloud III and celebrated a little too much for the Titans’ liking. Falcons teammates rushed to his rescue.
“It was just a respect level,” Penix said. “We can talk trash. We can talk all you want. I’ll never call you out of your name, I don’t want you to call me out of my name. If I do, we shall respond the right way. Not, whatever that was out there, but things happen. It is football. … Things just happen.
“I’ve never had that situation on the field before.”
Wide receiver Drake London led the defense of Penix and didn’t immediately calm down after the parties were separated.
“That’s what it is about,” Penix said. “Protecting your brothers. That’s what I grew up on. I‘ve got two little brothers, and I’ve always got to protect them. They know I’m there if they need me.
“Like Drake and the rest of the guys, they felt I needed them, and they came and helped me. We’re here, and we’ve got each other’s back. We are going to ride with each other right or wrong because that’s what it’s about.”
Penix, who won’t play in the exhibition games, pronounced himself ready for the season.
“It was great work,” Penix said. “I’m glad we didn’t cancel practice so we could finish that work. More scuffles happened after that on the other field and stuff like that. Let’s move on and finish practice.”
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MAILBAG TIME
While we’re talking Penix ...
🤔 Reader Darrell Ingram writes: “Every year, the Falcons hold back their starters for most of the exhibition season. We start the year not ready to play. Of all the players, Michael Penix (Jr.) needs to get some playing time during exhibition season. What do you think?”
😤 D. Led’s thoughts: I concur with you. The Falcons got off to a fast start last season, but that was after looking real sloppy in the season opener against Pittsburgh. With their early season schedule (four of five games against playoff teams), they need to come out clicking on all cylinders.
Send potential Falcons mailbag questions to dledbetter@ajc.com, and you may see them answered next week.
REPLACING GRADY
The biggest hole in the Falcons’ defense is the defensive tackle spot next to David Onyemata that used to be manned by Grady Jarrett.
If the Falcons don’t properly fill that position, the opposition will just run the ball down their throats, and there won’t be an opportunity to show off their fancy new pass rushers.
Ruke Orhorhoro, Brandon Dorlus, Morgan Fox and Kentavius Street are the four candidates listed on the team’s depth chart.
We asked new defensive line coach Nate Ollie how Orhorhoro and Dorlus were playing.
“Really like Dorlus, just (the) difference of his demeanor. We challenged him to thrash more,” Ollie said. “When we talk about thrash, we mean use more power. We know that you can win in the B-gap, but can you use power? Hit somebody in the face, and can you push the pocket?”
Dorlus has been working on his power moves. He had a solid game against the Lions. In only 13 defensive plays, he had two tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.
“He’s been doing that more,” Ollie said. “Dorlus has been doing good. I’m really liking his approach. He’s going to be real big for us.”
Orhorhoro played 24 defensive snaps and had two assisted tackles.
“Ruke has been good, too,” Ollie said. “We’ve been challenging Ruke about just taking your seat belt off. When we say take your seat belt off, we mean when you think, you stink. Just get off on the ball. I want these guys getting off, running into dark rooms.”
The Falcons’ new style of play up front is a major change for the players.
“The style that we are asking these guys to play, they have been taught to play along the defensive line different their whole careers,” Ollie said. “It’s kind of like you’re reading blocks and you’ve got a coach who comes in here, now we are telling you, ‘Hey, that’s wrong.’ I just want you to go. Go. Go. Go.”
Onyemata is adapting, too.
“This guy is strong with his hands,” Ollie said. “This style, we have to get him to come off the football. I’m excited. I’m looking forward to seeing what D.O. does for us this year. I think he’s going to do a good job.”
To bring his message home, Ollie yells at the players to “GTFO,” as in “Get The (expletive) Off.”
“You’ve got to live by that life,” Ollie said. “That’s the style of play. That’s what we are talking about when we say repping our style. Getting off. Are you attacking every single play?”
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
We want to hear from you.
🔮 Call your shot: In his second season, running back Bijan Robinson nearly doubled the yardage from his rookie year. He’s ready for his next step to greatness in Year 3.
- But how many rushing yards will he have? Go vote in the AJC’s poll.
🔮 Fantasy world: Where are you going to draft Drake London? His average draft position this year appears to be between 20 and 25, depending on where you look.
MORE EYES ON THE DEFENSE
1️⃣ Xavier Watts: The rookie safety was out there with the first-team defense Tuesday and Wednesday. He had an interception Tuesday, but ball-hog Jessie Bates III raced over and took the ball. He had an interception in the end zone during the seven-on-seven red-zone period Wednesday.
Said Bates: “I think he’s starting to get comfortable. He’s starting to actually talk to us in the meeting rooms. Just starting to understand the defense. I think things are starting to slow down for him. Sometimes, as a rookie, you kind of second-guess yourself. Do I got it? Do I got it? I think he’s really starting to understand what we are trying to do here.”
2️⃣ DeAngelo Malone: He started the exhibition opener against the Lions at inside linebacker, then played outside in the second half. Coach Raheem Morris called his performance “awesome.”
Malone is one of the Falcons’ top special teams players and listed as the third inside linebacker behind Divine Deablo and Caleb Johnson. But the coaches want him to be able to provide depth outside, too.
Said defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich: “I wanted to instill in these guys (that) we’re going to master something. For DeAngelo Malone, he’s been a guy that’s been used as an edge rusher, as an internal blitzer, as an off-the-ball stack linebacker. When you’re asked to do a lot of those things, it’s really hard to master something. So, I made a concerted effort this offseason to say, ‘You’re going to become a stacked linebacker first.’”
3️⃣ Jalon Walker: It’s a small sample size with only 19 NFL snaps, but AJC columnist Ken Sugiura was not too impressed with the former Georgia Bulldog’s NFL debut against the Lions.
TRIVIA CORNER
😯 Last week’s trivia answer: How many divisional titles do the Falcons have? B: 6. Two NFC West titles (1978 and 1998) and four NFC South titles (2004, 2010, 2012 and 2016).
🤔 This week’s trivia question: Who is the Falcons’ all-time leading rusher?
- A. Michael “The Burner” Turner
- B. William Andrews
- C. Bijan Robinson
- D. Gerald Riggs
Don’t cheat, then check back next week for the answer.
HOW TO WATCH
The Falcons host the Titans at 7 p.m. Friday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Fans in the Atlanta market can watch on Fox 5 or stream via the Falcons app. Catch radio broadcasts at 92.9 The Game or channel 88 on SiriusXM.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of the Dirty Bird Dispatch. Questions? Suggestions? Contact us at dledbetter@ajc.com. Follow @DorlandoAJC on X, too.
See you next week.
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
