One Michael Penix Jr. pass explains so much of the Falcons’ belief in him

But against an actual defense, the throw had to have enough loft to get over a cornerback but enough zip to reach Hodge before a safety could make a play. It had both. And Penix delivered the throw just before the Carolina pass rush closed in.

All of this made for a superlative play by Penix, who was making the third start of his career at the end of his rookie season. It would have been remarkable if the throw to Hodge were exactly what Penix was supposed to do. It showed off accuracy, arm strength and touch.

But here’s maybe the most impressive part about the play, as recounted recently by quarterbacks coach T.J. Yates. Falcons coaches weren’t necessarily expecting him to make that throw.

As Yates put it, each defensive coverage has holes that can be exploited.

“And it wasn’t like that’s something that we super coached that week, weren’t really looking at it,” he said.

And when he completed the throw?

“He surprised all the guys on the sideline,” Yates said. “It was like, ‘Oh, wow, that was a good throw. That was a good throw. Good job, Mike.’”

Penix’s physical ability is one thing. It was a difficult pass to complete, and he did it. But the mental acuity to quickly digest what he was seeing from Carolina and make the decision to throw it to Hodge — that’s evidence of Penix’s difference-making ability.

Recognizing and reacting to a coverage as quickly as Penix did, “it usually takes some time to do that,” Yates said at a recent media session with assistant coaches at the team’s Flowery Branch complex. “That was one of the reasons why we love him. His ability to see the entire field and process things, and how quickly that came to life in games, was really cool to see. Because you never really know until guys get in the games and live bullets start flying at you, but it’s just like the rest of his demeanor. It never changed.”

It’s May. The story right now is Wednesday night’s schedule release. Even the start of training camp is two months away.

But it’s not difficult to be eager to see what Penix can do and bullish that he’ll be the star that the Falcons are counting on him to be.

“There were a couple things throughout those three games where just his ability to manipulate defenders with his eyes and how he saw the entire picture was kind of set in stone for all of us,” Yates said. “We were like, ‘All right, we got a guy here.’”

And it’s not only that he had this skill as a rookie but that he was showing it without having had much practice time before his elevation to the starting job. Remember, Kirk Cousins was the No. 1 quarterback from the time he arrived and was working with the first-string offense. Penix ran the scout-team offense.

It wasn’t as if the Falcons were training him to be ready to take over at the end of the season. And, still, when given the opportunity, Penix flourished.

“You can do it in practice, you can talk about it in meetings, but when you see a guy have zero hesitation and be able to get to the backside of a progression or see a coverage, decipher a coverage, process it in a split second, that’s when you know you have a guy that has the ability to take an offense or take a team or an organization to the next level,” Yates said, speaking a large mouthful. “That was pretty apparent pretty quickly.”

And to add to the anticipation, Penix was throwing to targets with whom he didn’t have much familiarity and using a playbook designed for Cousins. In offseason workouts, Penix now is benefiting from time with the likes of wide receivers Drake London and Darnell Mooney, tight end Kyle Pitts and running back Bijan Robinson. Now going into his second season and knowing Penix will be his quarterback, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson reviewed the Falcons’ plays from last season, went back to Penix’s college game video from Washington, watched other teams around the league and even picked up ideas as he scouted draft prospects.

Having Penix at quarterback “opens up a different avenue within the offense,” Robinson said.

There are reasons to question if Penix is indeed the rightful successor to franchise legend Matt Ryan. Penix started in only three games, the Falcons lost two of them, and he threw three interceptions and completed less than 60% of his passes.

The limited playing time is inarguable. But, if not for shortcomings unrelated to Penix, the Falcons could have won all of the games. On two of the interceptions, Penix’s targets had their hands on the ball but didn’t secure it. And it would seem logical that, as he gets more time with the No. 1 offense, the completion rate will increase.

When Penix threw various routes to targets in the three starts, that was the first time they had performed them together, even in practice, Yates said.

It doesn’t mean that Penix will be a Pro Bowl selection or that his inexperience won’t ever cost the Falcons a game or even that the Falcons will end their seven-year playoff drought. He’s still young, and there are a lot of holes to fill on a defense that wasn’t very strong last season and now will be heavily reliant on rookies.

But it does mean that, when the season rolls around, no one should be surprised by anything that Penix does.