Falcons’ Michael Penix Jr. ready to distribute the football to his weapons
FLOWERY BRANCH — When the Falcons decided to accelerate their developmental plan and drop quarterback Michael Penix Jr. into the starting lineup, he was surrounded by an array of weapons.
Now, as the starter and anointed quarterback of the future, Penix is set to lead the Falcons in the season opener against the Buccaneers at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Running back Bijan Robinson carried the load running the ball last season after the rookie Penix was named the starter, and wide receiver Drake London was the main target. Even tight end Kyle Pitts got in the action with a big-time, late-game touchdown catch against the Commanders.
That was the plan when the Falcons used top-10 draft picks on Pitts (fourth in 2021), London (eighth, ’22) and Robinson (eighth, ’23). Stockpile the weapons and then add the quarterback — after the Falcons botched the passing of the torch after trading Matt Ryan.
The Falcons played only three games together with Penix last season, and he did not play in the exhibition games this season.
“Everybody is working together,” Penix said. “Making sure that we’re coming together as one. We’re operating at a high level so we can come out and be successful come Sunday.”
The Falcons have elected to lean on their offseason workouts, training camp and two joint practices with the Titans to prepare them for the season.
“We’re all locking into the details,” Penix said. “Just getting all these touches in each and every day. Just finding ways to make us better, by the day.”
The Falcons beat the Bucs twice last season, but Kirk Cousins was at the controls. The Bucs have won the past four NFC South titles and have Super Bowl aspirations.
“Yeah, it’s big-time,” Penix said. “It doesn’t matter who we open up with. We want to get a win each and every week. I always want to put a ‘W’ on that column. I feel like it’s big. It’s the kick-start of this division, just seeing how things will go early on.”
Wide receiver Darnell Mooney, a deep threat who finished last season 8 yards short of 1,000 receiving yards, was slowed in training camp by a shoulder injury. He played two games with Penix last season, missing the finale with a different shoulder injury.
Mooney has returned to practice after missing most of training camp.
“He made a lot of big-time plays for us last year, and he will this year, as well,” Penix said. “So, it’s definitely a big, big thing.”
Mooney appeared comfortable running routes during the open period at practice Wednesday.
“Any opportunity I can get some throws with him,” Penix said. “That’s the biggest thing.”
During the special-teams period, Penix had Mooney running routes separately.
“I feel like we had a really good offseason,” Penix said. “It’s not (that) I don’t feel like it’ll be a setback, or anything like that, with him being out for these past couple of weeks, but I feel like our offseason helps to bring us into where we want to be, and we’re going to continue to grow with that each and every day.”
The offense finished in the top half of the NFL in four key categories, with 369.8 yards per game (sixth), 130.5 rushing yards per game (10th), 239.5 passing per game (fifth) and 22.9 points per game (13th).
Other weapons include wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud and tight end Charlie Woerner. Also, wide receiver Casey Washington had a strong training camp and could be pressed into duty if Mooney is not ready.
“We got to prove to ourself that we are everything that we say we want to be,” Penix said. “That’s just going out there dominating each and every week. Not just on Sundays or game days, but each and every day. We put pride into just taking care of the ball, of course, and going out there and scoring points. That’s what it’s all about. Taking care of the ball and scoring points … you’ll win football games.”
Tampa Bay’s defense likely will present the Falcons with some looks the Falcons haven’t seen. So, Penix will be seeing some things for the first time in the NFL.
“Everything’s not an un-scouted look,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “But there’s always going be new wrinkles.”
The Falcons plan to be prepared.
“So, you always got to be ready for those things,” Morris said. “That’s what, your rules are going to handle those things. It’s kind of going back to what you’re comfortable doing and being able to go play fast versus those type of looks, whether it’s offense, defense or special teams.”
Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson likes how things are coming together.
“We’re getting close,” said Robinson, who’ll be a hot candidate for a job as a head coach if things go well in 2025. “I think it’s been a really good couple weeks of work. Obviously, two weeks ago we had our great scrimmage against our defense, kind of simulating some game-like situations, and then having the Titans out here going against another defense, another scheme, other players, finally, that our guys can go against. I thought there were a lot of positives.”
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.
