FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Michael Penix Jr. was shopping with his girlfriend at Costco on Tuesday evening when the call came from Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris.
It was time. Morris made the decision to bench Kirk Cousins and insert the rookie quarterback into the starting lineup – and right into the fire of a playoff chase.
All of a sudden, Penix felt it in his gut.
“I was actually getting a hot dog,” Penix recalled of the pivotal moment during his whirlwind of a Wednesday. “When I got the call, I wasn’t hungry no more.”
My, how a bit of significant news can change everything.
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Penix, drafted eighth overall in April, knew this day would come eventually. But this surely wasn’t the plan the Falcons had in mind for much of this season.
After signing Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract in March – with a whopping $100 million guaranteed – the Falcons seemed content with putting Penix on ice for an extended period while the veteran showed the youngster how it was done.
For nearly the first three months of the season, that vision had come to life. The Falcons were 6-3 after nine games. The franchise was seemingly on its way to winning the NFC South crown and securing its first playoff berth since 2017. And Cousins had some huge moments along the way, including a 500-yard game against the Buccaneers and a clutch, last-minute drive to pull out a win at Philadelphia.
Then the crash came. And it was time for Cousins, too. As in time’s up.
Five games. Nine interceptions. One touchdown pass. That was the damning bottom line for Cousins as the Falcons (7-7) tumbled right out of their big quarterback plan.
So, that’s that. The Penix Era is on. And not just for this weekend, when the New York Giants (2-12) bring problems worse than Atlanta’s to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“When it’s your time, it’s your time,” Penix said.
When the Falcons drafted Penix, it ignited some serious criticism of general manager Terry Fontenot, given the investment in Cousins and the needs elsewhere – such as a dynamic pass rusher. It also seemed rather awkward that the Falcons didn’t even tell Cousins that they were looking to draft his replacement until they were on the clock to select the strong-armed Penix, who led Washington to college football’s national championship game in January. He topped the nation by throwing for nearly 5,000 yards and 327 per game last season, with a 36-to-11 TD-to-INT ratio.
As it turns out, the widespread draft-night second-guessing was way premature. And overboard. Especially when considering the value of a legit quarterback.
Well, as stunning as that draft night sequence was, Morris and Co. dropped another bomb the night after Atlanta snapped a four-game losing streak at Las Vegas.
Sure, Cousins has been in the worst slump of his career and has thrown more picks (16) than anybody in the NFL this season. As he acknowledged, “There’s a standard. … I wasn’t playing to that standard enough.”
Yet Morris had been so adamant in recent weeks in maintaining that he’d stick to his plan. Of course, things change when your season is slipping away. That’s part of the message Morris sent, intended or not, to the rest of the players in his locker room.
He said, “I think it’s just what we deal with in the NFL. … Everybody knows, the NFL is a short-lived league.”
And how. Just nine months ago Cousins was viewed as a critical answer for a franchise that has a sorry reputation for raising expectations…only to have it blow up. This is clearly what it looks like now with Cousins.
Still, with a chance to still claim a playoff berth – the Falcons likely need to win their final three games while having the Buccaneers (8-6) stumble in any of the three games they will be favored to win – it’s striking that Morris is making the switch to a rookie.
The Falcons barely gave Penix as much as any spot duty during the first 14 games. In minimal mop-up snaps in two blowout losses, he threw five passes (for 34 yards and no picks).
Then again, Morris and the rest of his staff, including offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, know what they’ve seen from Penix on the practice field and behind closed doors in the meetings. Maybe that’s convinced them that Penix gives them a better chance of winning with these make-or-break games at hand. Or they’re desperate.
Regardless, Penix doesn’t sound fazed, fitting his M.O. as a cool customer.
Playoffs?
“My previous coach used to preach, ‘1-0.’ A mindset,” Penix said. “I’m really focused on this week right now. That’s all I can focus on right now, what we have in front of us. That’s the Giants. Trying to make sure I’m prepared to be able to do whatever I can to help us win this football game. We’ll take it one game at a time. I’m not looking too far ahead.”
Then again, intended or not, the Falcons are getting a jump on next season by making the switch to Penix, who developed behind the veteran while other four rookies played extensively from a record-breaking crop that had six quarterbacks drafted within the first 12 picks.
The timing may suggest some risk in making the switch now, given that it’s typical for rookie quarterbacks to be challenged by a transition after cracking the lineup. A huge boost could come with the support by a strong rushing attack featuring Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.
How other elements of the offense flows offers quite the intrigue. The Falcons are flipping to an offense with a left-handed quarterback, which means the receivers must adjust to a different spin. Right tackle Kaleb McGary, meanwhile, is now the blind-side protector.
Then again, Penix brings another dimension as a mobile quarterback, which will give Robinson more play-calling options that could include even more extended use of pistol formations and read-option designs. On the other hand, how Penix adjusts to deciphering NFL defensive schemes could be huge. He said the time spent taking mental reps behind Cousins was a huge benefit; he marveled at how quickly the former starter processed on the fly.
“A fifth read?” he said of watching Cousins. “You don’t see that a lot. How’s he processing so quickly to get to that fifth read? Just seeing how he canceled out routes, just based on coverages.
“I learned a lot of that,” Penix added. “I’m ready to showcase it.”
Cousins called Penix on Tuesday, night, too, after Morris told him of his demotion. He pledged to fully support the rookie and bring a positive vibe into the building – even while dealing with the disappointment of losing his job.
That dynamic is hardly automatic in the cut-throat NFL environment. Yet since the offseason workouts and through training camps, there has seemed to be a mutual kindship between the rookie and the 13th-year veteran.
“I look up to Kirk,” Penix said. “To be honest, Kirk couldn’t do no wrong in my eyes.”
So, during the walkthrough on Wednesday, Penix said he tried utilizing some of the subtle things he picked up from Cousins, 36, such as his way of breaking down instructions in the huddle. During practices, Penix primarily ran the scout team.
After logging 45 college starts in six seasons at Indiana and Washington, Penix is more seasoned than most rookies.
Yet he’s still a rookie.
“I ain’t going to lie, I’m going to be nervous running out of that tunnel,” Penix said, envisioning the moments before kickoff on Sunday. “But whenever I get on the field, it’s a whole different mentality. I’ll be ready.”
That’s the plan.
This, following another key phone call after he received the news of his promotion on Tuesday night. He shared a moment with his father.
“My dad, he was excited,” Penix said.
But his father, it turns out, had no time to talk.
“He kind of got me off the phone,” Penix said. “He was like, ‘I’ve got to tell your uncle. I’m going to talk to you later.’ ”
After all, it’s time.