r/nfl Dolphins 19h ago

Highlight [Highlight] Michael Penix Jr. on how it transpired that he was not named the week 1 starter: "I just told (HC Kevin Stefanski) I'm not where I want to be right now"

Upvotes

489 comments sorted by

u/POWBOOMBANG Saints 18h ago

I wanna shit talk Penix but if he isnt healthy then I dont want to clown him for not putting himself in harms way 

u/JW_BM Cowboys 18h ago

Yeah, Penix's answer here comes across as honest and realistic. If he's still struggling with his confidence in his body post-injury, but feels he's close, then sitting out a couple weeks makes sense.

u/Its_R3SQ2 Falcons 18h ago

Yeah this is literally what cam newton was telling him on his podcast. Don’t come back unless you’re ready.

u/foshiiy Texans 18h ago

Didn’t he come back early from his shoulder injury and fuck his career?

u/Stillburgh Seahawks Chiefs 18h ago

Newton was forced back in bc Rivera was in job saving mode. But the irony is that if he had just let newton fully heal and sacrificed a season, he likely would have been fine

The fo was going to give him plenty of grace

u/McSlurminator Panthers 10h ago

Cam is just as much at fault as Rivera. Cam would have gone in with two broken legs. Rivera should have been the one to tell him no.

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u/Adventurous-Ear-1024 Panthers 10h ago

That’s simply not true.

2016 injury? Or 2018 injury?

It wasn’t 2016 because Cam and Ron just went 15-1 and made it to the Super Bowl year before

In 2018 when he took that hit from TJ, they were 6-2 before losing 6 in a row after.

2019 was Ron’s last year and Cam while not the same wasn’t limping out there because Ron was forcing him.

u/TangerineTasty9787 Panthers 7h ago

While I don't know about the hot seat, Cam's shoulder wasn't right in 2017 and first half of 2018. We were still winning, but we had to bring in the back up for Hail Mary's as it was hurt.

The TJ Watt hit basically killed it; maybe at that point, resting for the rest of the season and planning on taking 2019 off and getting surgeries right away he could've fixed his various injuries. Or maybe he needed to take 2017 off, but it's hard to say as he was still playing great, and it was just a risk if he got injuried again he was done for as he didn't want to miss time for it to heal propery

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u/littleemp Patriots 18h ago

Which is why he should take the advice offered.

u/Aurion7 Panthers 12h ago edited 12h ago

More 'didn't stop playing and almost certainly made things way worse', if you want to be exact.

He'd already had one shoulder injury a couple years before, and the second one needed surgery too but the team was 6-3 after the Steelers game and was trying to make the playoffs so for that and other reasons that presumably made sense at the time the team let him stay on the field. Ended up only having surgery at the end of January and his arm was never the same.

u/AMadWalrus 18h ago

Which is how he knows

u/ahundredpercentbutts Panthers 16h ago

How do you think he knows?

u/foshiiy Texans 15h ago

Thank for being the 4th person to tell me this. It really helps.

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u/greatwall23 49ers 18h ago

just get 100% and then come in when Tua needs to be benched

u/GoatPaco Titans 17h ago

Will he be ready by halftime Sunday

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u/Thriven Cardinals 18h ago

I feel like Tua is a massive threat to replacing a #1 QB but also... It's Tua, and he's a 100% threat to himself

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u/NandomRameGeneratorr 18h ago

Also, it’s pretty hard to fault a guy for being cautious when he has already shredded his knee twice.

u/Tarmacked Giants 18h ago

It’s not his second time. It’s his third.

u/NandomRameGeneratorr 16h ago

Yeah I should’ve clarified twice before this ACL tear

u/ethaxton Bengals 15h ago

First time on the left knee though. Previous two times were his right knee.

u/gogosox82 Bears 17h ago

3 times actually

u/zamboniman46 Patriots 18h ago

If you play hurt it's a good sign that you're tough and teammates will respect that. But at that position if playing hurt becomes a detriment nobody gives you credit for being hurt, you just suck. Basically what happened to Baker in Cleveland

u/hunteddwumpus Lions 16h ago

The whole playing through injury thing has always bothered me cause at some point a backup is better than an injured starter

u/AmishWithoutAutism Lions 16h ago

Yeah but also there was nobody better than crippled Baker in CLE at the time

u/MuppetEyebrows Browns 8h ago

Backup Case Keenum played very well against Cincinnati in the season finale, when Baker finally sat.

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u/cmm324 Bills 8h ago

Yet, Josh keeps somehow playing hurt. Couple years ago it was a broken hand, last year he played the broncos game with a broken foot... I wish he would stop getting hurt.

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u/LATL21 Falcons 18h ago

He has to be extra cautious cause if he goes down to injury again quickly, he’s probably finished in the NFL.

u/[deleted] 18h ago

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u/SMF1834 Giants 18h ago

He's not your buddy, guy

u/LocalLifeguard4106 Dolphins 18h ago

He’s not your guy, friend

u/JaehaerysIVTarg Seahawks 18h ago

He’s not you friend, pal

u/screwhead1 Saints 18h ago

He's not your pal, amigo.

u/abcamurComposer Eagles 18h ago

He’s not your amigo, fella

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u/POWBOOMBANG Saints 18h ago

Love you too

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u/Lamar_Allen Lions 18h ago

I’m sure it’s not just physical. He was just cleared to practice like a week ago. There’s no way that’s enough time to learn an entirely new offensive system

u/dillpickles007 Falcons 17h ago

I mean it's not like he's going to get to practice with the first team now, him doing 11 on 11 for the past two weeks is all the prep he's gonna get until Tua inevitably gets benched and he gets a week with the first team.

u/hnglmkrnglbrry Broncos 18h ago edited 17h ago

Also there is literally no better job than backup QB. Never take a hit and make 8 figures while extending your career another 5 years.

You won't ever find a photo of Chase Daniels frowning.

Edit: I'm not saying he wants to be a backup. I'm saying when the alternative is one of the cushiest jobs on earth it really helps soften the blow. Losing your starting job at any other position means you're still taking hits or just kicked off the team. But not for QBs.

u/MiniatureLucifer Saints 18h ago

Athletes who are talented and driven enough to make it to the nfl level generally don't want to sit on the bench and collect a check. These are the most competitive people on the planet

u/JetsJetsJetsJetz Jets 18h ago

Yeah for real. I'm in sales and I'm not the most competitive person, but I always want to shoot to be at the top. I understand how they would hate not starting.

u/Stillburgh Seahawks Chiefs 18h ago

There’s a reason Russ kept wanting to be a starter despite being back up level in his later years. These guys don’t want to sit.

You have to have a crazy drive to keep playing to make it in the NFL. You dont get that far without some form of mental levels of crazy for work ethic

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u/Ig_Met_Pet Broncos Texans 18h ago

Seems kind of shitty of the team for letting him take the blame like this, imo. Usually they say the players wants to go, but training staff or coaching staff didn't let them. Don't see why they couldn't have done that here. Or just not said anything specific.

There are chuds who will take it the wrong way anytime an NFL player says they chose not to play.

u/MadManMax55 Falcons 18h ago

If he's been cleared by the team's medical staff and they lie to the press about it they could get in trouble with the league. That hasn't stopped teams from lying about a player's injury status in the past, but it is a good reason not to do it.

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u/expellyamos Dolphins 19h ago

Atlanta?

u/freekfyre Chiefs 18h ago

Great show

u/stale_cum 18h ago

Thicc Judge Judy lives rent free in my head.

u/MadaoBlooms Colts 18h ago

u/BlackLeader70 Lions 18h ago

Every time I walk down an aisle and see Arizona iced teas and the price is higher than the can that pops in my head.

Also the black kid who identifies as a 35 year old white guy from Denver who’s really into IPAs.

u/Kdot32 Texans 17h ago

“Yea thats him officer”

u/hothoneyoldbay Eagles 16h ago

"... I called them"

u/MadaoBlooms Colts 12h ago

Don't forget "Yoohoo!"

u/StuMacherGhostface 18h ago

...... it's Michael Vick.

u/MadaoBlooms Colts 18h ago

I should have been ready for that punchline but I still died laughing

u/BigBuford1337 Chargers 18h ago

He had no chance.

u/AtBat3 Eagles 18h ago

Hell yes it is

u/LaidOffinAlb Chargers 18h ago

Though that episode with the Japanese tree was weird

u/118238 Eagles 18h ago

There are a lot of weird episodes, not just that one

u/Gengh15 Vikings 18h ago

The man’s just skirting over the Amsterdam episode where Liam Neeson talks about his interview?

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u/DoobieDoobis Commanders 18h ago

That’s the point. Atlanta is really like that. I lived there for 4 years in undergraduate and almost none of those episodes were really something I would say impossible.

u/cheddah_- 18h ago

Teddy Perkins is one of my favorite episodes of any series ever

u/fiasgoat 49ers 17h ago

The fact they made sure there would be no ad breaks or anything just made it better

I will forever miss that show. My favorite ever

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u/sonderific3 17h ago

Growing up there the episode where paper boi gets lost in the woods hit home hard for me

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u/screwhead1 Saints 18h ago

Has anyone realized that Earnest looks a lot like Troy Barnes? I'd be curious to see them in the same room together.

u/wacko4rmwaco Cowboys 18h ago

Also the musician childish gambino

u/JacobRodneyCohen Vikings 11h ago

Invisible car was GOATED

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u/YouDownWithTPP Cowboys 18h ago

I’m so curious if I’m missing something with this comment, especially since it has almost double the amount of upvotes than the post itself lol

u/expellyamos Dolphins 18h ago

It's a joke

u/YouDownWithTPP Cowboys 18h ago

I know I guess I’m asking what the joke is lol. Clearly in the minority here

u/RynoXD Chargers 17h ago

It's a joke on "not where I want to be" where Penix is saying he isn't ready preparation wise, whether its physically, playbook, skills right now. And OP is joking that Penix is saying he doesn't want to be part of the team/Atlanta.

u/here_now_be Seahawks 17h ago

Thank you Peter.

u/jfugginrod Chiefs 11h ago

I am so fucking stupid. Thank you

u/wesxninja Colts 17h ago

OP is implying the place where Penix doesn't want to be right now is Atlanta

u/PunchesChinchillas Chargers 17h ago

He’s not where he wants be (Atlanta the location?)

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u/HateAndCaffeine Falcons 18h ago

Cam Newton interview must have worked on him

u/BarPouch Lions 18h ago

This is the first thing I thought when I saw this. I’m going to guess that more conversation happened between him and Cam off camera.

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u/fightnightrd4 11h ago

That was solid advice from Cam so I don’t doubt it at all.

u/awisechoicee 18h ago

I dont think ive ever seen confirmation of a guy saying hes not ready. Ive only seen guys playing when they shouldn't.

Maybe its a good move? Either way its interesting.

u/froginbog Patriots 18h ago

It is interesting but also smart. If he came back early and looked bad his career could be over. Baker played through injury and his career nearly ended because of how that changed how he was perceived

u/HotDadBod Chargers 18h ago

With this coach no less

u/THEHYPERBOLOID Falcons 18h ago

I really wonder if either Stefanski learned from that or Penix learned from that, or both.

u/brandon520 Browns 17h ago

I'm guessing Both. Stefanski has to be eating crow after watching Baker go do fine and him taking on the Watson fiasco. Penix is smart to wait too considering It didnt seem like Stefanski battled for him.

u/better-bitter-butter Eagles 18h ago

It's the only sane choice. 

I also cant think of a single star QB in NFL history that would make that choice.

Sanity and athletic achievement is a venn diagram with a microscopic overlap. 

u/RobbLCayman Seahawks 18h ago

It was posted a month or so back but Cam Newton was giving Penix this exact advice on his podcast, saying ymhe wish he hadn't rushed back but you have to fight every instinct because you may not have the chance again even when 100% so it's damned if you do, damned if you don't. Looks like he took it to heart.

u/schm0kemyrod Falcons 18h ago edited 9h ago

Yea, this whole situation really makes me think back to that discussion and wonder if it stuck with Penix. I’m hoping that it did because I’d rather see him playing at 100% so the organization knows whether there’s enough talent to pass on drafting a QB next year.

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u/United-Edge889 Raiders 18h ago

Penix has had like 4 ACL injuries, I understand why he’s not in a rush to get back

u/Corsonacon Bills 17h ago

My theory is that his willingness to step back is actually medical related. Not that he hasn't healed already, but just that he wants to be in an even better physical condition before stepping back on the field. Because looking bad would end his career, but taking another leg injury would also end his career and also potentially his ability to walk.

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u/zombiekoalas 49ers 18h ago

Its smart a multitude of ways.  Getting healthy - the largest, and it gives Tua time to fail.  

If he started and looked bad he would have people clamoring to start Tua.  Now its the other way around.  He gets to get healthy and be the one breathing down Tuas neck.

u/BringMeTheBigKnife Falcons 18h ago

I don't think Tua is gonna need much time lol

u/BlakkandMild Eagles 17h ago

I saw a podcast clip a little while back where he was talking to Cam Newton and Cam was advising him not to come back before he’s ready even though he’d have every inclination to. Cam felt that was one of the things that derailed his career and didn’t want to see it happen to another young player. I wonder if he really took that to heart.

u/utubm_coldteeth Packers 18h ago

I respect him for it

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u/Mulching-SZN Vikings 18h ago

9 accomplished this feat no more than 2 weeks ago /s

u/Ole_FE_Lung Rams 18h ago

The dude is sitting right next to Tua in these meetings. I'm sure he's taking plenty of notes on not playing when you shouldn't

u/Iswaterreallywet Lions 18h ago

Bro took one look at who is QB competition is and said yeah I’m doing what he did

u/probation_420 NFL 18h ago

I love it.

If you go out there with "noise" in your head - whatever you wanna call it. Fear, anxiety, doubt, etc. - you're going to hurt your team's chances to win, and you're going to hurt yourself.

u/wattro 18h ago

Oh c'mon let's not disregard Anthony Richardson Sr

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u/Strong-Sky5196 Seahawks 18h ago

He’s had so many major injuries, I’m sure everyone in his camp is telling him not to risk the next decade over a few weeks of additional recovery.

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u/chzboiga 18h ago

Kyler Gordon has been saying he's not ready since he got paid

u/spazz720 Steelers 18h ago

Definitely rare, as most wouldn’t want to risk the starting job opportunity.

u/esports_consultant Chargers 9h ago

He's shown enough potential he can do stuff like this. It's definitely a good move at this point in his career. 

u/samhouse09 Seahawks 9h ago

It’s also the polar opposite of Tua, who could literally die next time he has a concussion and continues to play.

u/Tjengel Bears Packers 8h ago

You should read up on Kyler Gordon the king of not being ready

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u/SomethingCreative13 Falcons 18h ago

I wonder if the Falcons fans who spent a decade and a half bitching about Matt Ryan on social media have come to realize how good we had it. I wonder if any if them have done any self-reflection and understand that they were absolute fucking morons.

u/daskaputtfenster Vikings 18h ago

Thats why I never hated having Kirko. Yeah, his ceiling was lower than I'd like, but his floor gave us a great opportunity to compete every year. 

u/Plants_R_Cool Vikings 17h ago

Right, we went through a decade of awful to average QBs and people were SO excited to get rid of Kirk.

Kirk was fucking awesome for us. It really blows that he got hurt.

There's a lot of fans who seem to have this opinion of "if you don't have a top 5 QB you might as well tank until you get one" and I think it's the dumbest shit I've ever heard.

u/Mammoth_War_9320 Packers 17h ago

As a Packer fan I never understood the hate for Kirk.

Dude would drop 400 yards and 3TDs on us every matchup and I was always left thinking “I thought this guy was supposed to stink”

He was a very above average QB during his tenure with the Vikes.

u/MoreTrifeLife Commanders 15h ago

Kirk Cousins vs the Packers:

6-5-1; 67% completion; 3,339 yards (average 278); 24 TDs 8 INTs; 8.5y/a; rating of 106

u/SoDakZak Vikings 14h ago

And wasn’t one of those games cut short with tearing his Achilles?

u/lightsaberfingers Vikings 13h ago

He was playing his best game yet as a Viking when that happened. Just classic Vikings shit. If He survived that season and drags us to the playoffs ahe goes up a tier to the fandom. But instead the Vikings get Vikings things. Fucking Sam Darnold Super Bowl champion.

u/MoreTrifeLife Commanders 12h ago

Kirk in 2023:

4-4; 69.5% completion; 2,331 yards (average 291); 18 TDs 5 INTs; 7.5y/a; rating of 103.8

Had he played nine more games he would have likely hit 4,947 yards, 38 TDs and 11 INTs.

u/dhtdhy Vikings 17h ago

I didn't hate Kirk. I hated his contract. If you're going to demand that much money, you should have the post-season success to back it up, which he didn't. His contract prevented the team from addressing other positional needs. Kirk's agent should be in the Hall of Fame for swindling teams lmao.

I still don't understand this quote from Kirk when he justified his contract size: "It's not about the money, it's about what the money represents". Kirk was an above average QB getting paid ELITE money. Would've loved for him to stay and mentor a rookie QB but for a lower price.

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u/nerdyintentions Falcons 16h ago

Yall got rid of Kirk and immediately got better. You actually dropped Kirk at the exact right time and made us look like idiots for signing him.

The problem was letting the QB you got to replace him leave.

u/Noctumn Bears 13h ago

Did the Vikes get better after losing Kirko? I feel like they were always competitive in the division before and after

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u/dicksjshsb Vikings 15h ago

Im still not convinced that Kirk’s ceiling was that low either tbh. Pretty clear he wasn’t the guy to will a shitty team to a ring but folks acted like he couldn’t possibly do it even with a top tier team or just some better luck.

Later in his career with the vikes he had some great games in prime time and plenty of high pressure comebacks/game winning drives. Overall a very solid above-average QB that brought us a lot of fun wins and decent seasons.

Plenty of talented quarterbacks that had what it takes to win an SB but never had it all come together. Think Kirk’s one of em

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u/PM_UR_CHEST_PILLOWS Falcons 18h ago

One of my buddies is one of them, complaining about the current QB situation while still thinking Matt Ryan sucked.

I’ve also gotten some negative comments for wearing my Ryan jersey to Falcons games since he left.

The bottom half of this fanbase is embarrassingly unintelligent. Just go to the Falcons sub at any point, especially after a game.

u/horseshoeprovodnikov Panthers 16h ago

Which is insane considering that the state of Georgia cares a lot about football from high school, to low level college, all the way to the cathedral in Athens. Football is part of the fabric of that state.

u/Metalbound Falcons Lions 16h ago

All the way up to college, then either those people only care about college ball, or they moved here from somewhere else and kept cheering for the other team.

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u/No-Football-7386 18h ago

I hadn’t thought about it this way. I was a Ryan truther the whole time and this at least lets me salvage a little bit of smug pride from this whole shitshow.

u/PossibleAspect9252 Falcons 18h ago

I think about this all the time. People ran him out of the building. Hilarious thing is i bet if you asked those same people if they would be ok with Matt suiting up week 1 this season, some of them would unironically say yes

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u/Efficient_Ant_4715 Rams Buccaneers 18h ago

At least Falcons twitter is pretty funny 

u/DryDefenderRS NFL 18h ago

Did Falcons fans really do that? There are only 5 QBs in the 32-team era that were definitely better than him. Did everyone except those 5 have haters in their own fanbase?

Did Steelers fans have Roethlisberger haters? Do Bills fans have Allen haters?

Probably Rivers, Prescott, and Romo had some haters in their fanbases, but only because their playoff records were notably worse even than Ryan's.

u/EnQuest Falcons 18h ago

Bro they wanted Vick back when he was like 42 and Matt was still playing well

u/Metalbound Falcons Lions 16h ago

Yeah but that's for other reasons (racism).

u/EdVed_4_Prez Steelers 17h ago

People hated on Roethlisberger (on the field, off the field completely different story) at the end of his career because he was running on fumes after his elbow injury. A big part of that was because we weren’t doing anything to address the qb situation after him, and it was well known he wouldn’t mentor any young wbs coming in. Steelers brass always sees the team in win now mode so they wouldn’t spend any resources on a legit qb. This is how we ended up using a first round pick on Pickett after Ben left because we were basically forced to

u/A_thombomb Falcons 17h ago

Yes the whole time basically, and people honestly still do. For some reason they just can’t dissociate the average with the great, and Ryan leaned more on the great side.

u/tvcneverdie Falcons 18h ago

Yes.

They absolutely did.

There was a solid 30-40% of the fanbase that never forgave him for not being Michael Vick, even though Vick wasn't half the QB that Matt was.

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u/Infamous-Historian81 18h ago

Every year there would be dueling falcoholic articles about how blessed we are and how we may need to find the future at QB. Well…

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u/aT_ll Falcons 18h ago

I know this sub is always looking for its next joke but I don’t understand why we’re surprised a guy who tore his ACL in November and just got cleared for 11 on 11 less than a month ago isn’t starting week 1 for NFL action, especially with less than 1 full season under his belt. It’s really not that big of a deal.

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u/bulletpharm Browns 19h ago

Kevin Stefanski going from the worst QB room to the 2nd worst QB room in one off-season is some cruel joke from the football gods

u/Potato-baby Cowboys Buccaneers 18h ago

It’s karma for Baker lmao

u/Beneficial-Lynx7336 18h ago

Ohhhhh YEAH.

Football gods are like FUCK YOU.

u/hartsbreastmilkstash Steelers 18h ago

“Turn on the plagues”

“Right away Mr Patterson”

u/doubleyoshi Giants 18h ago

It’s funny that Atlanta would have been a good FA landing spot for baker next year

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u/Skimaster77 Bills 18h ago

The grass is greener, but it's like a puke green and there's still a weird smell in that one corner.

u/Yhendrix49 Eagles 18h ago

The Falcons QB situation isn't good but it's definitely not the 2nd worst; you got the Jets with Geno and Cade Klubnik, the Dolphins with Malik Willis and Kyle McCord who they only signed after they got rid of 3 other QBs, the Vikings with Kyler and Wentz, and the Cardinals with Brissett and Minshew.

u/Character_Listen33 18h ago

Willis might not be ass. That’s all I have as a rebuttal to your entire comment.

u/EnochofPottsfield Dolphins 18h ago

I'd say Willis is good enough on the ground to have a floor above Tua while also having the upside of an arm/veteran that figures it out after sitting

I mean I doubt it, but the ceiling is at least there

u/Hebrewhammer8d8 49ers 18h ago

He doesn't have Matt LaFleur play design and game calling. We will fund out if he can became competent in running an offense.

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u/hallstar07 Bears 18h ago

As a bears fan I have to say he was better than Jordan love so I support your rebuttal

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u/Little-Mushroom-3961 49ers 18h ago

Kyler and wentz is nowhere near 2nd worst or even that bad. Kyler is an above average QB who can pull off some insane shit occasionally and wentz is an average backup.

And it's a pretty good upgrade for the Vikings who won 9 games with two QBs who arent even good enough to be backups.

u/my_nameborat Broncos 18h ago

I swear Kyler is going to surprise people this year. He’s not as bad as everyone thinks and the Vikings roster is way better than the cardinals

u/SlipShodBovine Eagles 18h ago

And KOC seems to be a great coach for QBs. Vikings don't belong on the list.

u/Pad_TyTy Lions Lions 18h ago

Mentions Vikings but mysteriously neglects a certain player. 🤔

u/daskaputtfenster Vikings 18h ago

You commented this 9 minutes ago according to my app. Sign from the football gods that 9 is ready to ascend

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u/jimbooneu Ravens 18h ago

Jeez when ya put it like this. No wonder there’s so much bad football being played the last few seasons. Half the teams have a bad qb and there’s like less than 10 good qbs in the league

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u/WeBlitz 18h ago

I legitimately believe Kyler, Brissett, & Willis would be the best QB in Atlanta. They’re definitely the 2nd worst.

u/DDDUnit2990 Panthers 18h ago

Saying Kyler on a league minimum is worse than this situation is a ridiculous statement. He’s pretty clearly been top 15 when healthy based on both eye test and advanced metrics

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u/Joe_Kangg Patriots 18h ago

Dang, there really aren't 32 NFL QBs

u/THEHYPERBOLOID Falcons 18h ago

The unfortunate thing is that I know one of those QBs is inexplicably going to have the game of their life against the Falcons. (Not Geno though. He got that out of his system in 2013 when he went 16-20 with 3TDs and the Jets beat us 30-28.)

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u/AnxiousChargersFan 18h ago

some cruel joke from the football gods

No football gods needed, this is all his own poor decision making.

He sent Baker packing.
He recruited Deshaun Watson.
He brought in Tua.

How he won coach of the year not once but TWICE will always be perplexing.

u/jhorch69 Cowboys 18h ago

Because the coach of the year award is really just an award for whatever team most overperformed their preseason expectations

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u/smurf-vett Texans 17h ago

Also set a 3rd draft pick on fire getting Gabriel

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u/Unknown1776 Cowboys Lions 18h ago

Legitimate question, is it the 2nd worst? The browns are definitely the worst, but the caridnals, jets, and dolphins might be worse then the falcons.

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u/Sarcasticfury Ravens 18h ago

He knew what he was signing up for though

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u/posted3030 Steelers 18h ago

Deserved if he had a part in giving watson money and the handling of Baker.

u/TheSmokedSalmon420 Browns 18h ago

I swear he’s a decent coach lol

u/ActnADonkey 18h ago

maybe stefanski makes the qbs worse...

u/goober-actual Bears Bears 18h ago

he deserves it

u/BlitzburghBrian Steelers 18h ago

IDK that sounds like an objective upgrade the way you say it

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u/Chrisgpresents Patriots 18h ago

kid listened to cam newton and hung on every word of his advice to him

u/thy_armageddon Giants 18h ago

Penix isn’t where he wants to be physically or mentally, so the Falcons have had to opt into the model of physical and mental health; Tua Tagovailoa.

u/AssassinInValhalla Bills 18h ago

And he will be all of those things until he's sacked once. Having watched us almost kill Tua a couple times on clean hits was hard to watch

u/thy_armageddon Giants 18h ago

Hey man, some would say Tua is one head trauma away from an ended career, but in a way aren’t we all one head trauma away from an ended career?

u/THEHYPERBOLOID Falcons 18h ago

gets the sudden urge to check his life insurance policy

u/wattro 18h ago

Some of us get 3 tries

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u/wannaknowmyname Falcons 18h ago

He's always been very honest to the media

u/Worldly_Sort8835 Falcons Lions 19h ago

I mean, this was the plan all along lol

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u/coolguybradford Falcons 18h ago

Fine with me, didn’t really want him having to deal with Pittsburgh defense his first game back

u/EctoRiddler Dolphins 18h ago

That’s what he meant. He’s not where he wants to be, which is dealing with the Pittsburgh defense.

u/steppewarhawk Seahawks 17h ago

Everyone shits on Baker for going in while hurt and not ready, and now everyone is going to shit on Penix for doing the right thing and not going in while not ready. Nobody learns and just wants to sling 'x is bad' opinions. So tiring lol.

u/Chickenfriedricee Lions 18h ago

Health wise, mentally or physically or team wise 

u/Nickelnick24 Eagles 18h ago

I’d rather he get himself right to where he can play with confidence, literally does nobody any good for you to be bad and ruin your mental fighting through a come back from injury. Too many guys ruin their careers coming back early

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u/Ok_Recognition_6727 17h ago

People shouldn't question Michael Penix Jr. on why he's not playing week 1 in early September after tearing his ACL in November.

People should question Patrick Mahomes on how he can play week 1 after tearing his ACL in mid-November.

For a lot of athletes it takes a year to physically recover and another year to feel normal. How is Mahomes doing it in 10 months.

u/HumansNeedNotApply1 15h ago

Genetics, luck. Some people are kinda built differently, Adrian Peterson for example was able to come back in 8 months during his peak physical years from a torn MCL and ACL.

u/Kingblack425 Steelers 13h ago

Adrian Peterson tore his acl then he remembered he’s Adrian Peterson and ACL are just for the weak mortals knees proceeds to just walk it off.

u/altavista4eva 15h ago

Not all tears are made equal, they can vary in degree of severity etc

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u/NoAnteater8836 Commanders 18h ago

You have to wonder what he’s going through right now mentally. I’ve watched him since college and was super super high on him before all the injuries.

Rehab is a grind and he is at the point where he’s done more of it than play football.

u/lucasbrosmovingco 18h ago

Was there ever a before all the injuries time with him? Bro has been hurt out of the womb.

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u/disastrousanddull NFL 15h ago

3 ACL injuries has to be heavy.

u/ssovm Falcons 18h ago

Before all the injuries? This is his first injury since junior year of college.

u/NoAnteater8836 Commanders 18h ago

Yes. I was high on him before the injuries mounted up in college. I knew he’d be damaged goods by the time he made the league.

u/Pradooo Falcons 14h ago

Being a Falcons fan is the gift that just keeps on giving baby

u/Toto_LZ Steelers NFL 19h ago

I feel the same way when I’m in ATL 

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u/OtherwiseElk3037 NFL 18h ago

Are we to understand that Michael Penix is trying to frame Tua starting as being his decision? Genuine question

u/Substantial_Good9669 18h ago

I'm not sure that's a fair statement considering he was directly asked whether him not being medically available week or was his decision or not.

Framing it implies he was discussing tua being named the starter and brought this up unprompted. 

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u/whyamiherewhaaat 18h ago

“Starting” isn’t even mentioned - which part of the clip showed Penix framing anything other than his own health? Genuine question

u/liteshadow4 49ers 49ers 18h ago

I mean it’s quite obvious the only reason Tua is starting is due to injury?

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u/McJambles Falcons 18h ago

Fade me

u/ApolloX-2 Cowboys 14h ago

He meant Atlanta, he meant I’m not meant to be in Atlanta.

u/OhlookSILLagain Bears 12h ago

That's means he got outplayed.

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u/emp_mei_is_bae Seahawks 13h ago

its crazy that paying Tua the minimum is an overpay

u/Mammoth-Quantity8439 Broncos 18h ago

Ya, you definitely had a helping hand in the decision 👍

u/RocNewYolk Bills 18h ago

"I'm not where I want to be right now" can be interpreted in a few different ways. Headline writers are giggling to themselvesnright now.

u/therealhairyyeti Bears 17h ago

I feel bad for him. His body just can’t seem to handle football.

u/CrazyJo3 Bears 17h ago

Cooked

u/FlashyGanache2838 17h ago

Tua gave him a tip

u/Seatowndawgtown Seahawks 16h ago

Complete mental block for Penix right now. Don't blame him, I'd be gun shy if I tore my ACLs three times as well

u/YesNotKnow123 Jets 15h ago

Didn’t he say he had like the most amazing knees in the world or something

u/TheReal9bob9 14h ago

Losing the position to the guy that blamed his own loss on being shorter than the OL and wished he could play in israel has gotta sting

u/antidid4 Vikings 14h ago

May actually be listening to the advice Cam gave him this summer.

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u/thebenefactorsedge 9h ago

Bruv knows Tua will stink it up for a few weeks, which will give him more time to heal. It will also quiet any noise of the team sitting him if/when he plays bad once he’s the starter. Genius move by Penix and his team IMO