Photo by Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsThe Falcons QB Battle Is Already Over
Training camp opens today and there is no quarterback competition in Atlanta. There's a two-time league leader making $1.2 million and a guy who can't take a team rep.
The Falcons don't have a quarterback competition. They have a healthy quarterback and a guy doing 7-on-7 drills in late July.
I've been tracking this since May, when I was at 67% on Tua as the Week 1 starter. Moved to 75% after minicamp. Today, with training camp opening and Penix still not cleared for 11-on-11 work, I'm at 85%.
Here's what nobody wants to say out loud: Michael Penix Jr. has had three ACL surgeries in eight seasons. His left knee blew out in November. He's been cleared to throw since March but can't take a team rep on Day 1 of camp. Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa -- career 68% completion rate, second-best in NFL history -- is running the full offense for $1.2 million.
Read that number again. Atlanta got a quarterback who led the league in passer rating and passing yards in back-to-back seasons for less than most teams pay their long snapper.
Yeah, four concussions. Guardian cap. Stefanski's quick-release system. Next question.
The Stefanski hire sealed it. He won Coach of the Year twice without elite QB play. His system is run-first, play-action, accuracy-dependent -- built for Tua's precision, not Penix's arm cannon. And his staff has zero loyalty to a prior-regime draft pick.
Atlanta has cycled through Mariota, Ridder, Cousins, and an injured Penix since Matt Ryan left. Four years of QB roulette. Tua ends the spin.
Penix might be the future. But right now his future is convincing his knee to let him practice.
Tell me I'm wrong.
The Tilt
The Falcons QB competition is theater -- Tua starts Week 1 and the only real question is whether Penix's knee lets him compete by October.
— Dex Ponce
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