Why Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Grew Up Idolizing Michael Vick

When Michael Penix Jr. emerges from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium tunnel before the Atlanta Falcons’ season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 8, he will be just the third left-handed quarterback to enter the ground. Red and black.

However, Penix will not be the first of his first name. That honor belongs to Michael Vick, the No. 1 overall pick in 2001 and the Falcons’ quarterback from 2001 to 2006.

While Vick electrified crowds with three Pro Bowl nominations, two top-five MVP finishes and a trip to the NFC championship during the 2004 season, Penix watched on television about 450 miles south in Tampa, Florida.

Penix, born in May 2000, wears the number 9 because his uncle, Joe Bain, wore it as a wide receiver at the University of South Florida in 2004, when Penix attended his first college football game.

The number followed Penix throughout his football career – but when he started out, his No. 9 jersey was paired with Vick’s Nike cleats, a now-fitting tribute to the last left-handed signal-caller to represent the Falcons on the field.

“He was my favorite quarterback,” Penix said after being drafted. “He’s done great things here, obviously. I’m happy that I can be old enough to see that era and see what he did for the game, how he changed the game just by being able to do it in the in the air and on the field, in the way he did it and at the level at which he did it.

But Penix’s passion for Vick is not one-sided.

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Vick, now 43 and working as an NFL analyst on Fox Sports 1, has Penix’s number and the two stay in touch. Penix said he could contact Vick whenever he wanted or needed, and Vick sent him a congratulatory text the morning after he was drafted by the Falcons 8th overall in April.

Penix said he’s glad their relationship worked out the way it did, and he’s now ready to carry the flag for the next generation of left-handed passers in Atlanta — even though his time may not come until several years, as the Falcons are willing to roll with $180. million veteran Kirk Cousins ​​​​at center for the foreseeable future.

Vick entered Atlanta in a similar situation. Chris Chandler was 36 when Vick was drafted and was the starter in Vick’s rookie season.

And while Penix shares several similarities with Vick, Falcons quarterbacks coach TJ Yates thinks the 24-year-old signal caller also resembles Cousins.

Yates said Penix and Cousins ​​are able to extend plays inside the pocket with subtle moves because of their vision and anticipation, while connecting on shots downfield and fixing their eyes on the big plays.

Penix may mirror Cousins’ work within the structure, but when the game breaks down and his young legs and 4.49 40-yard dash speed enter the equation, differences arise. produce.

But Penix, who totaled 119 rushing yards during the 2019 season, isn’t necessarily looking to run; he had 35 attempts in each of his two years in Washington and didn’t eclipse 22 carries in any of his other four years.

Vick, conversely, played on the field. He led the league in yards per attempt five times and broke the 1,000-yard barrier in 2006, two years after rushing for 902 yards. During his 13-year NFL career, he scored six or more touchdowns as a runner three times.

So, Penix said he doesn’t think he and Vick share the same skills, sparked by Vick’s ability to create with his legs — although the 2023 Heisman runner-up thinks there are similarities.

“I feel like we both throw the ball really well,” Penix said. “I think a lot of people see the way he extended plays and the way he ran, and they forget he had a cannon. The ball just flew out of his hand like it was nothing, like it’s effortless. So I feel like for me and him, we kind of have that in common.

“But I’m going to give him his flowers for what he did with his legs.”

Vick ended his tenure with the Falcons unceremoniously, spending 21 months in prison for his role in a dog fighting ring. Matt Ryan became the face of the Atlanta franchise for 14 years afterward, winning MVP in 2016 while guiding the Falcons painfully close to their first Super Bowl victory.

But in the two years since Ryan was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in the spring of 2022, Atlanta has struggled with quarterback incompetence — which is why it signed Cousins ​​and actively pursued Penix as a long-term solution.

Now Penix is ​​forced to play the waiting game — but when it comes time to play football in Atlanta, he’ll do so with an opportunity paved and perhaps inspired by Vick.

“A dream came true,” Penix said. “It’s a dream I’ve had since I was little.”

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