What are the Falcons' plans for Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr.? | Pro Football Talk | NFL on NBC

COUSINS WANTED TO DO. HERE, HE IS TALKING ABOUT IT. LIE. TREMENDOUS UM, LITERALLY DECADES THERE HAVE BEEN DECADES OF GOING TO TRAINING CAMP EVERY DAY PUTTING ON YOUR PADS AND THINKING MAYBE TODAY COACH WILL CANCEL PRACTICE AND TO TELL US TO GO TO THE WATER PARK SO MUCH. SO THAT LAST YEAR IN MINNESOTA, THERE WAS THAT NARRATIVE BREWING, IT WAS JUST A RUMOR. OUR LONG SNAPPER PLAYED THE CRUISER PRANK I'VE EVER SEEN, HE HIRED 5 COACH BUSES TO THE BUILDING, AN IDOL PRACTICE FIELD. THE LYMAN DIDN'T EVEN GET TAPED BECAUSE THEY WERE SO LIKE WE'RE DEFINITELY GOING TO THE WATER PARK AND THEY JUST WALKED BUT NO 1 SAID HE THINKS THEY JUST WALKED PAST DRILL. THEY JUST KIND OF STAND AROUND, LOOKING AROUND LIKE SURELY, HE'S GOING TO BLOW THE HORN AND TELL US. WE'RE ON THE BUS. NO HORN, BLUE PRACTICE STARTED, THE BUSES DROVE OFF. THEY DID NOT TALK TO THE LONG SNAPPER FOR ABOUT A MONTH. IT'S NOT FUNNY. PRANK. TO THE PERSON WHO PULLS THEM OFF, BUT YOU'VE GOT YOUR PLAYERS WHO ARE THINKING THEY'RE GOING TO GET A DAY OFF AND THEN THEY GOT TO REFOCUS ON WORK WHEN THE PRANK WAS TO LEAD THEM TO BELIEVE. I MEAN IT'S IT'S IT'S IT'S GENIUS BUT IT'S NOT FUNNY TO ANYONE BUT THE GUY THAT PULLED OFF THE PRANK, I MEAN, IT'S IT'S PROBABLY PRETTY FUNNY THAT LONG SNAPPER WHOSE NAME WE DON'T KNOW BECAUSE HER COUSINS DIDN'T SAY IT AND I DON'T REALLY KNOW MANY LONG SNAPPERS, PROBABLY GOT CUT PROBABLY GOT CUT. WHERE'S THE LONG SNAPPER? GET THE MONEY TO HAVE 5 BUSES SHOW UP DUDE, YOU GOT TO SAVE EVERYTHING YOU MAKE. I KNOW WHAT'S THE MIDDLE OF KIND OF DOUGH MAN, THAT'S INTERESTING. THE FALCONS HAVE CREATED A MYSTERY AS THE REGULAR SEASON APPROACHES AND I KNOW SOME FALCONS FANS DON'T LIKE TO HEAR IT. BUT WHEN THEY TELL US WE'RE NOT PLAYING THE EIGHTH OVERALL PICK IN THE DRAFT AND THE FINAL 2 PRESEASON GAMES EVEN THOUGH HE'S NOT THE STARTER AND THIS IS HIS OPPORTUNITY TO GET LIVE REPS BEFORE HE SITS ON THE BENCH ALL YEAR. WHEN THEY TELL US, WE'VE SEEN ENOUGH FROM HIM, IT MAKES YOU WONDER WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON AND IT MAKES YOU WONDER IS SIM SAID EARLIER THIS WEEK WHETHER OR NOT KIRK COUSINS IS GOING TO BE READY TO GO WEEK 1. WHEN THE STEELERS, COME TO TOWN, HERE'S COUSINS WITH AN INTERESTING MEASURE ON HOW HE'S FEELING AS HE CONTINUES THE ROAD BACK FROM THAT RUPTURED, ACHILLES TENDON. THE ANKLE FEELS GOOD. SO, UM, UM, I UH, I SPRINTED ON THAT DEAL AND THEY TOLD ME I WAS AT 18 MILES AN HOUR AND I'M TRYING TO IT'S LIKE BREAKING THE SOUND BARRIER. I'M TRYING TO BREAK 19 MILES AN HOUR. I'LL NEVER THEY WILL GIVE OUT T-SHIRTS IF YOU CAN BREAK 21 AND I SAID THAT'S NOT FAIR BECAUSE YOU GUYS HAVE THIS TO JOIN. SO THEY'RE REALLY COOL T-SHIRTS TOO BUT THEY SAID THEY HAVE A GROUP CHAT AND EVERYTHING AND I CAN'T GET IN. SO I SAID, BUT I'M GOING TO START MY OWN GROUP FOR PEOPLE WHO BREAK 19 MILES AN HOUR WHO CAN'T GET TO 21 MILES AN HOUR. SO, I BROKE IN 19 BEFORE. MY POINT IS JUST COMING OFF THE INJURY. I GOT TO GET BACK AND BREAK IT AGAIN BECAUSE I'M STILL HANGING OUT IN THE 18S. ANYWAY, HE'S LOOKING KIND OF THINK HE IS WITH THAT SLEEVELESS SHIRT, DEREK HE'S WORKING ON WHATEVER. HE'S 5 TOO, IT'S WORKING. YEAH. HEY, YOU KNOW YOU COULDN'T, YOU COULDN'T DO MANY SQUATS, MAYBE WITH STARTED FOCUSING ON THE CURLS MANY SQUATS. MAYBE WITH THE UH DO MANY SQUATS. MAYBE WITH YEAH KIRK COUSINS LOOKING JACKED. I KNOW HE'S CHANGED HIS DIET. GLUTEN-FREE GRAIN-FREE IN RESPONSE TO THE ACHILLES INJURY AND THAT'S GREAT THAT HE'S ABLE TO SPRINT AND THAT'S 1 OF THE PUSH BACKS. I GET FROM THE FALCONS FANS, HE'S SPRINTING AT PRACTICE SPRINTING AT PRACTICE IS STILL DIFFERENT FROM GOING OUT AND PLAYING FULL CONTACT FOOTBALL. WHEN YOUR BODY IS MOVING IN ALL POSSIBLE DIRECTIONS AND YOU ARE DOING CHANGE OF DIRECTION. YOU'RE PLANNING YOUR FOOT. AND IT'S MOVING AND WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED. LAST YEAR YOU PHYSICALLY AND VISUALLY COULD SEE THE SNAPPING OF THE TENDON. VIOLENTLY IN THE BACK OF HIS LEG. SO RUNNING STRAIGHT LINE IS 1 TYPE OF PRESSURE THAT YOU PUT ON THIS INJURED AREA PLANNING AND MOVING IN CLEATS, I MEAN CLEAT, RUN IT, YOU KNOW, JUST EVERYTHING CHANGES WHEN OUT THERE ON THAT TURF, THAT DOESN'T REALLY WANT TO GIVE. AND I WHY WOULD THEY TELL US? WE'VE SEEN ENOUGH FOR WHAT FOR WHAT WE'VE SEEN ENOUGH, WE KNOW WE KNOW HE'LL BE PERFECTLY FINE SITTING ON THE BENCH. HE'S SHOWN AS HE'S PREPARED TO NOT PLAY. IT MAKES KNOW THE MORE I THINK ABOUT IT. THE LESS SENSE. IT MAKES WE'VE SEEN ENOUGH FROM HIM. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE PLANNING, BUT WHAT DO YOU NEED TO SEE FROM GUY WHO ISN'T GOING TO PLAY? RIGHT, I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T, I MEAN I DON'T REALLY KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT IF IT WERE ME AND I I THE THING, I, I GO BACK TO WITH THIS SITUATION IS WELL, WERE HE MORRIS COMES FROM LOS ANGELES, RIGHT? WITH THE RAMS RAMS, DON'T PLAY ANYONE OF SIGNIFICANCE IN THE PRESEASON. THAT'S WHY SETS AND BENNETT HAS GOTTEN ALL THESE SNAPS WHEN JIMMY GAROPPOLO IS THE BACKUP. I MEAN THAT THEY'RE GETTING HIM READY TO THE FIRST RIGHT, I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T HIM READY TO BE THE BACKUP. GETTING HIM READY TO BE THE BACKUP. THEY'RE GETTING HIM READY TO BE THE BACKUP, BUT HE WOULD BE THE 1 PLAYING ANYWAY BECAUSE JIMMY GAROPPOLO WOULDN'T BE PLAYING BECAUSE SIGNIFICANCE. BUT THE, THE POINT OF WHAT I'M TRYING TO MAKE HERE LIKE I DON'T THAT THAT'S THE EXPLANATION THAT I CAN COME UP WITH FOR WHY THE FALCONS ARE DOING THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE DOING, THEY TRY TO PUT THINGS IN UH STRESSFUL CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS. THEY HAD A SCRIMMAGE ON WEDNESDAY. IT'S PART OF WHAT KIRK COUSINS WAS TALKING ABOUT IN HIS PRESS OR 2, YOU KNOW, THEY FELT LIKE THEY GOT REALLY GOOD WORK IN THAT SCRIMMAGE. BUT THERE TO TO YOUR POINT, I MEAN, MICHAEL PENNIX IS NOT A YOUNG QUARTERBACK COMING INTO THIS LEAGUE. IT'S NOT LIKE HE'S 2021, YOU KNOW, HE'S 23 24, WHATEVER HE IS. HE'S GOT A LOT OF EXPERIENCE. HE'S LIKE BOND NIXON THAT WAY HE PROBABLY WOULD BE READY TO START AS A ROOKIE IN MOST SITUATIONS BUT THAT'S NOT THE SITUATION HE'S IN. SO I THINK IT PROBABLY WOULD IN THIS SITUATION BEHOOVE THE FALCONS TO SAY. YEAH, HE'S A HE'S THE BACKUP AND WE KNOW THAT AND HE IS A PLAYER OF SIGNIFICANCE, BUT WE SHOULD PROBABLY PLAY HIM ANYWAY. IS HE GOING TO PLAY? THAT'S THE APPROACH. I WOULD TAKE TO IT. IT'S NOT THE APPROACH. THE FALCONS ARE TAKEN TO IT. THAT'S THE APPROACH THAT THEY'VE GOT TO LIVE WITH. THERE'S A THE ATLANTA FALCONS OBVIOUSLY AND THIS IS JUST 1 OF AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT HARDER TO DISCERN WHAT THEY'RE DOING BECAUSE THEY'VE ALREADY DONE IRRATIONAL UNPREDICTABLE STUFF. SO THOSE OF US WHO ARE MOSTLY RATIONAL HAVE A HARD TIME FIGURING OUT WHAT IS COMING NEXT. BUT AS I SAID EARLIER THIS WEEK AND I'VE SEEN AND IT REALLY IS ON 1 HAND. IT'S FLATTERING THAT THESE AGGREGATION SITES ARE TAKING OUR CONTENT AND SLAPPING A FEW TWEETS FROM SOME RANDOM INCELS ONTO THE BACK END, CALLING ME OUT AND THEN PUT MAKING IT A STORY, BUT WE KNOW HOW THIS GOES. WE KNOW HOW HEX? I'M SORRY. WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT ARE WE DEALING WITH? WE WE'VE BEEN IN WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN RESIDING IN THAT CELL TO MAKE THE PROGRAM, THAT'S ALL. SO ANYWAY, WHAT'S RIGHT HERE IN THE SHEET? BUT ANYWAY, ANYWAY, ANYWAY UM, WHAT AM I SAYING? UM WHAT'S MY POINT? I HAD A POINT. OH, OH, I MEAN THEY CALL IT A CRAZY CONSPIRACY THEORY. I DON'T THINK IT'S A CRAZY CONSPIRACY THEORY TO SAY. THEY'RE, THEY'RE GETTING THEY'RE GOING TO SAY THAT KIRK COUSINS ISN'T 100% AND WE'RE GOING TO GIVE THEM A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND WE'RE GOING TO LET MICHAEL PENDEX PLAY. WHILE KIRK COUSINS GETS ALL THE WAY TO THE POINT WHERE WE'RE COMFORTABLE AND THEN IF PENDEX PLAYS WELL, PENDEX KEEPS PLAYING. IT GIVES YOU THE PERFECT COVER TO BENCH THE ROOKIE QUARTERBACK. BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT BENCHING HIM KIRK COUSINS IS READY TO GO. I DON'T THINK THAT'S ALL THAT. CRAZY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IF I WOULD HAVE SAID BEFORE THE DRAFT THAT THE FALCONS