Falcons to move OC Zac Robinson down to the field
FLOWERY BRANCH – After scoring just one touchdown over the past two games, the Falcons are moving offensive coordinator Zac Robinson from the press box down to the field.
The Falcons (1-2) are set to face the Commanders (2-1) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“So, we’ll move Zac down to the field to be able to get that little cleaner communication for (quarterback Michael Penix Jr.) to be able to get it to him if something does happen along those lines,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said on Monday. “To be able to be more visual and see the quarterback and do some of those different things. To have him have a clear line of communication with Mike to help him out a little bit more.”
The Falcons had to use timeouts on their opening drives in the past two games. It was noise in Minnesota and headset problems against the Panthers.
Robinson is on the field during practices.
“We’ll correct them throughout the process,” Morris said. “It’s how we practice. It’s how we do walk-throughs and it’s how we do everything else. We get close to that.”
There were also times when it appeared the plays were getting to Penix late into the play clock.
But the timing issue will not fix all of the offensive problems.
“He was off,” Morris said. “I don’t want to take away from the fact that he did not play well.”
Penix was missing wide-open receivers and completed 18 of 36 passes for 172 yards and two interceptions. He finished with a career-low passer rating of 40.5.
“But there are definitely ways to get him going,” Morris said. “He has high standards for himself. So (Sunday), he definitely got down on himself. He definitely was not his normal, happy, competitive self. Got a little down on himself. Got a little upset. There’s different ways that we can help bring him back.”
The Falcons were shutout in a 30-0 loss to the Panthers on Sunday. The offense never reached the redzone in the game. Quarterback Kirk Cousins came on in the fourth quarter to finish the game out.
Against the Vikings, in a 22-6 win, the offense was 1 of 5 in the redzone and scored a touchdown when the Vikings were trying to get the ball back.
Kicking situation: The Falcons plan to bring in competition for kicker Parker Romo, who missed field goals from 49 and 55 yards against the Panthers.
He made 5 of 5 in the win over the Vikings, including a 54-yarder.
The Falcons released former Pro Bowl kicker Younghoe Koo on Friday.
“We have to bring competition in,” Morris said.
Romo beat out five other kickers, who were brought in on Sept. 9.
The other kickers were Zane Gonzalez, Michael Badgley, Ryan Heicher, Ben Sauls and Maddux Trujillo.
Darnell Mooney update: Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney, who’s coming off a shoulder injury, had 11 targets, but caught only four passes in the loss to the Panthers.
It was his second game back from the injury after missing nearly all of training camp. Morris said he’s 100% health-wise.
“But you are talking about a guy who missed the entirety of training camp,” Morris said. “He got there the (first) day he was gone for the rest of training camp....When he got back, he knew it was going to be a moment that he’s got to ramp him up, right? So, like, really, when he’s going in, his first goal is to see if he’s almost out of training. So, he’s getting back, right? And he won’t, and Darnell won’t ever make that excuse.”
Mooney must reach the point where he can go out and play.
“We’ve got some things we’ve got to work on for sure,” Mooney said. “It’s been tough.”
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.
