Falcons head coach Raheem Morris didn’t hold back when addressing a misleading viral clip of rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr., calling the situation “a joke” and expressing disappointment in how social media twisted the QB’s words.
The clip – which spread like wildfire across Twitter and Instagram – showed Penix discussing his support system during Wednesday’s press conference. Some accounts captioned it to suggest Penix had no support within the Falcons organization, an interpretation that gained traction despite being completely false.
“Stop looking for stuff on a young man,” Morris fired back on Friday. “You don’t need this stuff on him. It is what it is. But all of those things people do, it doesn’t matter to affect this building.”
Morris clearly felt protective of his rookie signal-caller.
“I just feel bad for the kid. I don’t want the kid having to deal with stuff that doesn’t matter or stuff that’s not real… Let his problems be his problems, like third downs. Let’s fix those. Don’t make up [a thing] that doesn’t exist.”
When reporters asked Penix to clarify his comments, he declined, simply stating everyone in the facility knows the truth about the situation.
The Falcons’ support system for Penix is actually extensive. Morris pointed out that the rookie has multiple quarterback-savvy coaches to lean on – offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, QB coach D.J. Williams, passing game coordinator T.J. Yates, and senior offensive assistant Ken Zampese. Robinson, Williams and Yates all played quarterback professionally. Not to mention veteran Kirk Cousins, who’s backing up Penix and brings years of NFL experience.
Williams dismissed the controversy entirely, revealing he talks to Penix and the other QBs more frequently than his own children.
“I don’t even pay attention to it, to be honest with you,” Williams said. “As long as we know. I mean, everything else is just elevator music.”
Rookie Season Struggles
Penix has shown flashes during his first season as Atlanta’s starter but consistency has been elusive. He’s connecting on 58.8% of his passes for 1,807 yards with 9 TDs against 3 interceptions. His QBR of 53.6 ranks 19th in the NFL.
The Falcons have dropped four straight games and sit at 3-6 heading into Sunday’s divisional matchup against Carolina.
Star running back Bijan Robinson – another cornerstone of Atlanta’s young offensive core – strongly defended his quarterback, saying he talks with Penix “every single day.” Robinson acknowledged he’s discussed with Penix how media can take clips and “blow it way out of proportion.”
“Everybody’s here to help,” Robinson emphasized. “Everybody wants you to succeed at the end of the day. So for us, everybody in this building, we all got each other’s back. That’s why I tell everybody, the outside world, the external world is going to try to divide us and try hard. So we got to keep our faith high, and that’s just going to push us through.”