Pewter Pulse: What The Heck Are The Falcons Doing With MICHAEL PENIX JR.?!

hello P people Scott Reynolds here with another Peter pulse what the hell are the Falcons doing with quarterback Michael penck Jr I know I cover the bucks but I also cover the NFC South and it's important to pay attention to Tampa Bay's division Rivals especially ones that have been anointed the NFC South Champions before the season even begins right yes we just had Falcons head coach and former bucks head coach Raheem Morris on the Peter Report podcast but don't worry I switching allegiances but this is a Falcons themed petor pulse and for good reason I'm also recording a couple of bucks related pter pulses this week just for you so don't worry but penck the Falcons first round pick is a Tampa area kit from Dade City and he's newsworthy right now why because he's not playing in the Falcons preseason finale this week and he didn't play Saturday against Baltimore as a healthy scratch what the hell is going on I give you my thoughts on that in just a minute but first your reminder to hit the Thumbs Up Button give us a like and also leave a comment love reading your comments doing those two things helps us with the YouTube algorithm helps us get in front of more great Bucks fans like you so let's get to this Michael penck mystery shall we because it just doesn't make a lot of sense as to why he's only playing in one preseason game this year Michael penck did play in the preseason opener against Miami after having joint practices against the dog dolphins and he completed nine of 16 passes for 104 yards including a beautiful 41 yard pass downfield he looked good but then Raheem Morris surprised the NFL World by shutting him down for the rest of the preseason for the record Kirk Cousins who was the big free agent import from the Minnesota Vikings hasn't played in any preseason games and is not expected to play in the finale either the 36-year-old quarterback is coming off at Tor Achilles and while he was clear to participate in training camp on July 25th he's been protected he's been practicing and the expectation is that he'll be the opening day starter but he'll do so without taking any hits in the preseason or really eluding any pass rushers either the fact that penx has been yanked from the preseason games seems like the Falcons are concerned about cousin's ability to stay healthy this year doesn't it perhaps Atlanta is anticipating cousins going down at some point given the fact that the Vikings lost their first round pick JJ McCarthy who was slated to be the starting quarterback to a season ending knee injury in the preseason opener well maybe that spooked the Falcons pennx didn't miss a start the last two years at Washington but he had two torn ACL injuries and a shoulder injury in his previous stop at Indiana so maybe there are some frail concerns with pennx and if pennx is going out there with backup offensive lineman in the preseason well he is even more In Harm's Way the decision not to play penck the last two preseason games seems to be based around protecting him from injury Falcons head coach Raheem Moore suggested as much in a recent appearance with K Adams on up and Adams what we can do in practice to simulate that against our own guys while mitigating injury while we limit putting him In Harm's Way it's just not worth it you don't get Mulligans if you do get a player hurt that you are counting on I want to put myself in the best situation not to have that the key part of Morris's statement is counting on which indicates that they are expecting penx to play at some point during his rookie season would the Falcons shock the league and start the year with penx to give cousins more time to heal if he's not ready to start well that would be quite the week one surprise wouldn't it maybe the Falcons don't want penck to shine too much in the preseason and create a quarterback controversy if cousins struggles at the start of the Year remember they signed cousins to a 4-year 180 million doll contract including a 100 million in guaranteed money so they don't want to pull Kirk right away even if he struggles and sometimes the backup quarterback is the most popular quarterback in tal for struggling teams it's crazy that Atlanta is not getting pennic the necessary experience that he'll need for the future in these preseason games Jordan love the Packers quarterback well he played in all of the preseason games during his rookie year and so of Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City and both those guys were first round picks who didn't start their rookie years the Falcons are blowing a big opportunity to give penck some game reps and level up in the preseason joint practices can simulate game action and better protect quarterbacks but it ain't like the real thing if the Falcons are doing this which they are they're doing a big disservice to penx and their football team by not playing him in this preseason finale but maybe that benefits the Bucks down the road somehow Tampa Bay plays in Atlanta on Thursday Night Football in week five and then again at Raymond James Stadium in week eight who knows who will beat the Falcons quarterback when they face the Bucks twice in the month of October but I do know if it's Michael penx Jr he's not going to be prepared as he could have been and perhaps should have been when Todd B's defense gets a hold of him we want you to get a hold of more bucks content and NFC South content so for more P pulse episodes and other great bucks video content visit and subscribe to pter Report TV it's our YouTube channel make sure you follow us all season long on X Facebook and Instagram at pewterreport and visit pewterreport.com for all of our training camp pre-season and regular season action for your Tampa Bay Buccaneers and I'll be back soon with a new Peter pulse