The MMQB’s Albert Breer: Why the Falcons Drafted Michael Penix Jr. | The Rich Eisen Show
The MMQB’s Albert Breer and Rich Eisen discuss why the Atlanta Falcons draft Michael Penix Jr. despite having signed Kirk Cousins.
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Rich is a Jets fan. Falcons are doing what the Jets should have done for the past decade.
You mean Zach Wilson and Sam Darnold?
Always remember you know so much more about your local team then any national guy with a microphone
Rich is acting like the guaranteed money through 2025 wasn’t a huge deal for Cousins.
How are the Saints (sans Brees), how are the Broncos (sans Manning) and the Patriots (sans Brady) doing now? No succession plan in place and they suck? How are the Cheifs (sans Alex Smith), how are the Packers (sans Rogers) doing? Oh they're doing pretty good. Why in the world did the Falcons draft Penix? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm I can't figure it out.
How can Rich Eisen still be hung up on this. Cousins is old, he is coming off a major injury. They will more than likely need a new qb in one to two years if they are lucky. This might end up being the best pick in the draft. There was not a single player that would have been the difference to making them seen as a true contender with Cousins under center who, while is a fine qb, has a history of disappearing when the lights get a little bright. They have a chance to win short term, and they are prepared long term. Far better than his jets could say. Honestly the question should be why didn't the Jets get one of these qbs?
Then don't guarantee him $100m... Because the Jets understand what a competitive window is?
The issue is you guaranteed Kirk $100 million. You don't have a major defensive draft playmaker, you don't have salary cap space to get any big time defensive playmakers. So what are we doing for the next two seasons with Cousins? Just having a good time? Because we all know he'll be cut after 2 seasons no matter how good he is here in Atlanta. Might as well skip straight to Penix since he's already 24 years old.
@@TheMattTrakkerwhy not guarantee him 100 million? You get his last few good years, make the playoffs, build a winning culture after so many losing seasons in a row and have him mentor the guy that’s going to take his place. Penix will already know the offense and hit the ground running with players he’s familiar with. Sounds like a perfect way to spend 100 million to me. 🤷🏾♂️
Why is he so hung up on this? Because like many of us he's trying to understand why they did what they did instead of just assuming Terry Fontenot is a stooge.
@@TheMattTrakker🤡
Time to get over it Rich
Right, the fact he keeps harping on this just seems odd at this point like for some odd reason Cousins feelings shouldn't be considered when drafting a player.
😅😂
The Falcons did it because they didn't want to be this season's Jets. Everyone hammered the Jets for having all their eggs in one basket with an older QB and no back up plan. Now everyone is hammering the Falcons for having an older QB coming off a major injury, and giving themselves a plan B.
What I will say as a die Falcon…I didn’t like it at the draft. I love it after. Kirk(who I didn’t want) will make sure we don’t miss the playoffs, and penix will learn under him. I would much rather have penix, than have taken a position WR like Rome when we have Pitts, London and Bijan, remember there’s only one football. Plus it’s easier to find a receiver or Edge rusher than a worthy franchise QB and a lot cheaper to add those pieces. I love it now and I feel better as fan knowing I won’t have to go through 3 more seasons of terrible QB play costing us games for the next 8 seasons. Ask any of these teams that don’t have one QB how they feel about Levi’s, and Pickett, minshew, etc. and see if they would be happy to not have to worry about going through that again.
So tired of hiring Rich response on this topic. Rich is one of the guys who thought Jets were going to the super bow after giving Rogers a big contract only to see they had no Plan B when he got hurt.
I'm confused as to why this is still so confusing. It makes perfect sense. Multiple teams have already done this before.
0 teams have done this. Drafting a developmental qb at the back half of the first is very different than drafting a 24 year old at 8, after you just guaranteed $100m to a FA QB. If you don't understand the difference, that's a YOU problem.
I'm confused at the astroturfing by Falcons fans and the Falcons org. Giving Cousins that contract then drafting Penix is something somebody with a potato brain would do.
@@TheMattTrakker🤡
@@TheMattTrakker Aren't you tired of getting owned?
No, no one has inked a brand new $100 million contract over just two years and then turned around and drafted a QB in the 1st round following that. It makes this a waste of money since the Falcons have no salary cap space to get a whole bunch of pieces to upgrade their defense.
I'm not a Falcons fan at all but Rich and this campaign about the Penix pick is becoming excessive at this point. Cousins coming off of a Achilles injury, being old and only having 1 playoff win is enough for me to justify the pick!!!
Why would they tell Cousins ahead of time? What if Penix is gone by 8 and now you have pissed off your starting QB for no reason
If they had understood the draft, which clearly they have shown no ability to do over the last few years, they'd know there was little to no chance he would be gone at 8. Why do it? So you don't end up in the situation they're currently in? What a stupid question.
You don't tell Cousins in advance so his team doesn't leak your intentions and either tank any possible draft/trade options or allow another team who loved him to jump ahead of you.
Ever heard of Aaron rodgers? lol
@@TheMattTrakker That isn't true, too many teams needed a QB within the top 15. There was talk ALL OFF-SEASON about teams jumping up to get a QB. The real issue, where people are going to eat crow, is UNDERRATING PENNIX JR. ITs the QB pick PLUS the prospect. WHen he tears the league up his first year starting all that chirping is going to die down.
We’re still talking about this??
Just because somethings been done a certain way for a long time doesn't mean it's the only way.
It was a good pick. Get over it!
Rich - as much as you have said “it makes no sense” in the past 3 weeks it actually makes perfect sense if you assume the #1 priority of the Falcons is to never be without a franchise caliber QB. It is more important for them to never be without a franchise QB over the immediate chance to make a playoff run in the next 2 years. Basically, they don’t think Cousins will take them to the Super Bowl but perhaps Penix will in 3 to 5 years.
Why are we still talking about this?! They planned ahead. stop it.
just thinking this. why are they still complaining about the pick.
They want to see Penix perform and 2 it’s us. They don’t want us to succeed
Seriously. I think it was brilliant. If they have to manage Kirk's feelings fine. They have a succession plan in place. End of story.
@@JasonMcClainEvolved Cope will do that to you.
@@TheMattTrakker🤡
Rich let it go already , would yall imagine if it was his dear boy J.J he would be Livid 😂
Why should a QBs feelings get in the way of an organizations long term plan? 😅
As a Saints fan I will constantly cringe at the fact we were 1 pick away from Patrick Mahomes smdh
Yeah as a falcons fan I still cringe we were one pick away from Adrian Peterson. We ended up drafting Jamal Anderson the defensive end out of Arkansas lol
I actually love that y’all still talking about us over one pick
It makes a TON of sense. cousins is not the answer. He’s better than a bridge and $50 mill is going rate for average
This is what we all are saying. But the haters need something to talk about .. 4:00
I think the problem is that Cousins has a 4 year deal, with $150m guaranteed and a no trade clause. So when do you start eating dead cap space? Year three? So you would effectively have paid him $75m/ year for two years? Thats kind of crazy for a bridge qb
@@RedMage117 It's $50m/yr, 2 years guaranteed. It's still stupid to everyone except dumb Falcons fans.
@@TheMattTrakker🤡
Penix isn’t a mechanically flawed prospect that needs to sit for multiple years. They could have just started Penix and the money they paid Kirk could have been invested in other areas that the team needs. Taking advantage of the rookie deal. Falcons front office wasn’t thinking.
Bruh lmaooo he won’t shut up about this. My lord I guess it’s wrong for a team to plan ahead. He acting like Kirk Cousins is Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers. They know Kirk ain’t bout to be there longer than 2 years and he may end up having them to high in the draft to get a top QB in the next 2 years.
Yeah, it's dumb for a team to waste the 8th pick...unless you're a falcons fan that's gone too hard on the cope. Then it's a brilliant plan.
@@TheMattTrakker🤡
Look... Penix is generational talent. Guys like him don't come around often. Don't be surprised five years from now when he's the most successful from this class. Cousins keeps his job as long as he wins. If he can't take them to the playoffs this year, I expect Penix will start in 2025. The brass with the Falcons know all this. It's the plan. They don't care about Cousins' salary. Of course, If Cousins does great and they win, he'll keep his job. But he's on the clock.
Wouldn't Russell Wilson have been the smarter choice at only a few million?
LOL The Falcons told Cousins that they were going to draft a QB. They just left out the part about it being in the first round.
What he leaving out about that 3rd year is that if they cut kirk that it will only be 10m..why do they always leave out the stuff that will kill the narrative they trying to push
Because they don’t want their draft day reactions to this trade to look dumb. Eisen has spent the last 2 weeks being absolutely dumbfounded by the decision even though it makes complete sense to plan for the future. We’re gonna look back on this pick with amazement that Atlanta was so forward thinking. All the “analysts” are gonna be shown to have no clue what’s going on
@@nickh2935 also the team that he was with before was about to do the same exact thing the falcons did which should tell everybody what teams think of kirk cousins..he is a good qb for now but once you get hit by his playoff demons a couple of times you have no choice but to draft his replacement..btw penix will be the starting qb in 2025 you can book it..falcons will eat that cap hit for kirk
The Falcon’s should offer Cousins a buy out and admit they shouldn’t have signed him. 40 to 50 million and he gets cut, all the cap hit this year and he is free to sign somewhere that wants him. No offset language so he can double dip this year. At least talking about who might sign him could be fun for the show.
A great point to mention about 8:00 is people will say well that’s how Green Bay did it and it worked out fine for them, well, the also drafted perennial all pro players that could make up for not having a rookie contract qb by being SO GOOD that they elevate the entire team. That’s not a formula that’s easy to replicate. From what I saw from Love last year he looked really bad or mediocre (I missed a few games and all the sudden people are saying he’s elite?).
As a FAlcons fan, I so glad Aints missed out on Mahomes. Talk about dodging a bullet. They lost on Mahomes and missed on Lamar Jackson in BACK TO BACK drafts, Payton left, and you have some doubters out there wondering why ATL took Pennix JR? SMH
I haaaaaattted this pick, when it happened (bc I'm a fan, so I'm impulsive and reactionary). It's really grown on me, over the last two weeks. I'd rather "swing for the fences" and potentially have our next franchise qb, even if it means we whiff and more-or-less burn our first round selection. If you're going to swing big, do it on a really good quarterback. Besides, I'm not naive enough to think that the Falcons are one good pass-rusher away from winning a Super Bowl.
Does Rich think Falcons were winning a SB if they didn't draft a QB 😅
Rich Eisen is a sneaky fellow. I see you not dumb 😂😂😂
They speak as if the Falcons Brass didn’t take all that into consideration.
No, Kirk left because he’s all about that almighty dollar.
It's been 2 weeks and Rich is still tripping. At this point, I'm guessing he was secretly hoping the Jets would choose Penix instead of trying to convince everyone the Jets needed to pick Brock Bowers.
Things "went haywire two years ago" because the owner got out of his lane...
I like the pick. And the reality is they cant and wont explain it. IMO they possibly got the best QB in the draft. And they have a pro bowl caliber QB. In a QB poor market, where teams are going all in for a QB year after year, boom or bust. Dont be surprised if Cousins or Penix are traded for a slew of picks and players. Lets say Dak goes down week two, boom. You fleece the cowboys. I feel bad for both QBs, and the Falcons team that likely could use a 1st round caliber player. But its business. And this was one of those business moves that may be low risk high reward. From Rich's point of view(NFL as a whole) having Penix go to a team that needed a QB was more fun and better business for the shield.
Who gives a fuk about how Kiek felt. He's getting paid so he can shut up and play. He's done nothing for this task to warrant being told
Which franchise took a QB in the first round when they had an ageing QB (twice!) and have had the position set for over 30 years? The Green Bay Packers. It makes sense to do this. Please for the love of all that is holy shut up Rich. You are embarrassing yourself on this one.
The packers took love at 26, not 8.
@@TheMattTrakker🤡
@@TheMattTrakker So the Falcons would need to wait and draft a quarterback late in the draft in order for it to be okay to take one? And who exactly should they have taken around 26 instead of a QB they actually liked in Penix who would have been gone by 13?
@@TheMattTrakker They took him in the first round, let him sit and learn for years and now he is thriving. They did the same with Rodgers. The Chiefs took Mahomes in the first round. let him sit for a year and learn. It is a sensible strategy (especially considering your new QB sat out most of last year and is in his later 30s) and the media, and especially Rich, is acting like it's an insane move. It also might not work. Most rookie QBs don't. But it's a hell of a lot better than the alternative. The fact that their pick was at 8 and not 26 doesn't matter.
A rich. Move on.. our coach , GM, and AGM have told their reasoning .. to most Kirk is not a great QB and he is paid to stabilize our QB situation . We hope Mike takeover next year and Kirk can be traded cuz we only owe him 27 million. So we are good. Thanks for your concerns but we don’t need it 🙋🏾♂️
The only way this looks good on Atlanta is if cousins can stay healthy or doesn’t do well.
i don't see much risk of penix being the next mahomes
Kirk left because they wouldn’t guarantee the money not because they drafted a qb. If they paid him for the money or the guaranteed years he would’ve stayed no matter who they picked.
Rich is acting as if Kirk is Tom Brady or somebody. But the truth is. If the Cowboys did this or anything other mainstream team did it. Rich would be acting like this was the best move ever but, since its the falcons he's going out his way to down it.
There are no cap ramifications after one year. They will still owe an additional 50 million, but it will not count against the cap. So Penix will sit one or two years. If Cousins wins superbowls, they could trade Penix or continue to wait. They are not stuck with three years.
One big caveat 99% of experts seem to forget is...Falcons don't have a crystal ball, they weren't 100 Penix, Jr would be there at 8. IF they had a crystal ball, they wouldn't have signed Cousins. Doesn't seem that hard to understand, at least to me, a football guy 😉
Then get Russel Wilson a former SB winning QB for a few million.
@philaccorso Falcons want to win though, Wilson is washed-up, just watch, Fields will be #1 sooner than later
@@richardbridges7962 maybe you're right but idk if you're 2 years 100 million percent right lol. We'll see
Rich is getting the most out of off-season content, lol. Let's not act like Kirk wasn't going to sign with the highest bidder. The Falcons also gave him a no trade clause, so he has a say in where he goes if he's traded.
Kirk always been a cut throat businessman. He got cut back.
It makes all the sense in the world. And they are hearing the bs from you and the other media outlets. Get over it.
You guys should do some research before you speak. Oregon played Utah and they kicked the everliving crap out of them
Cousin is getting 100 million guaranteed over 2 years and already got 50 million to sign. How is he a victim here Rich? Worry about the Jets not having an quality offensive line to protect Aaron Rodgers. Or not having a quality one since Mark Sanchez rookie season.
LOL It blows my mind how some people can't wrap their head around wanting to draft a future QB, after signing a 36 year old who is coming off of a serious injury. Historically, a significant majority of quarterbacks start falling off significantly at around 37 or 38 , if not earlier in some instances. Matt Ryan was out of the league before he turned 38. Peyton Manning was out of the league before he turned 40. Cousins could fall off significantly at any time. Guys like Tom Brady are an anomaly.
Slow news day huh.....
Rich stfu and let Albert talk. Rich somehow just got his head around two-week old news. Typical.
They choose mariota, drafted ridder. They make it seem they went a decade without a qb
Because a #8 pick should be an immediate impact starter, not the insurance policy.
Unless you believe he’s a franchise QB
@@keithcato9388 in which case you probably shouldn’t have spent $100 million guaranteed for an injured veteran right before that. In which case your franchise qb would be on the field, making your team better.
😅 you mad huh
The owe Kirk 0!!!!!! That is what the money is for!!
Rich just needs to focus on his team You know the one that drafts busted QBs You know the one that just traded their second overall pick for a bag of pubic hair
Do any job tell you they are hiring you’re replacement?????
Its not about the Penix Pick... its about what the Penix Pick Represents..... As a Vikings fan I am absolutely loving seeing this dude get EXACTLY what he deserves.
worse than ricky williams saints debacle
‘Why sign Cousins?’, is the only legitimate question here. Every other move makes sense, and Fontenot has explained it. I predicted they would draft Penix at 8, so all you had to do is listen to Fontenot the month before the draft - closely - and you’d know it was going to happen. Apparently, no one, including Eisen or Cousins was, or did. So, the major question is, ‘Why draft Cousins and pay him so much to begin with, especially when most NFL players with Achilles injuries never perform up to their previous standard?’ (An almost never talked about stat in this whole scenario). Because Blank is old and he wants to win now. Because Fontenot and Morris both believe the Falcons were a QB away from being a play-off team. Because they did not know for sure that Penix was the guy at FA time - or that they would be able to get him at 8 (his stock was rising draft day and someone could have traded up to get him, just like what happened to NO with Mahomes). So, why draft Penix when you have Cousins? Because of Terry’s Truisms (of which there are many): ‘QB is the most important position in the NFL.’ ‘If you have a chance to take a franchise QB you don’t pass it up.’ He said both of these in the weeks before the draft. I can’t believe all the whining on this ‘take’ by the Falcons. I guarantee that few of these pundits will be around two years from now to admit how wrong they were if the Falcons sort all this out and come out on top of the NFL.
I think a lot of these tenured media guys are in their feelings about the Falcons not hiring Belechick and are now questioning every move that the FO is making because to still be harping on this is weird weeks after the draft.
the moral of the video isnt that signing Kirk and then drafting his future replacement in Penix 8th is not the issue It is the poor mismanagement of their cap and hinders them significantly in putting on a team that will put them over the line if that is their goal which is to win a SB because of the Kirk contract Now they have this issue of having near $50M on the QB position after they drafted one in the First round
Kirk has a 25m cap hit next year. Not even top 10 for QBs. The cap is more than fine.
Yes, they're trying to have their cake and eat it too. It's going to end up with them continuing to be a 7-9 win team for the next 2 years and then hoping Penix doesn't suck, but likely drafting a new qb after the 3rd year of that deal. They weren't a good enough roster to do what they're trying to do.
@@TheMattTrakker🤡
@@TheMattTrakker So there is no benefit to Kirk Cousins over Mariota or DESMOND FREAKING RIDDER? Because that’s what record we got with those bums.
We’re built to win now. We would have been a playoff team with average qbing last year
Hedging your bets in the NFL doesn’t win super bowls. To finish 1 out of 32 at any time period you have to have a win now or win later vision, can’t do both unless you have a bonafide top 5 qb. And when you finally start penix, your rookie contract window is minimally 2 years shorter
Absurd. The Packers extended their championship window by about 20 years by hedging against their current QB and taking one in the first round instead of going “all in” on “one last piece” and taking say a wide receiver.
Why's he still crying? 😂
Wait till Rich finds out how old Super Bowl winning QB Kurt Warner was when he became a starter. He was 28, please stop with the Penix will be 26 bs, no one cares
Completely preposterous
because they suck
Falcons could have paid Russell Wilson a few million to be their stop-gap quarterback. He could have taught Penix how to win a super bowl. Instead they paid $100 million to cousins. Terry Fontenot is in Arthur Blanks head and checkbook. This GM has to go.
Worst decision ever particularly because Penix sucks
How the F can Breer sit there with a a straight face and back the Falcons process in the choice of taking Penix . Atlanta signed Kirk Cousins coming off his achilles injury to a massive $100M G for two years. At his intro presser Cousins says "It's nice to be at a place where Ownership and Coaches and QB are all on the same page. I mean c'mon.... The Fn excuses Rap made for the Falcons is utter silliness. And here's Breer literally starting off on the excuses train, until Rich notes the utter idiocy of this move, and then Brreer moves to straddling the fence on the move. Good for Rich on sticking to his guns about the stupidity by Atlanta.
How is it stupid. If he goes down again we literally won’t have a QB and Raheem would be out the door year 1. Are yall looking at shock value before common sense? Who cares about the money. Every team has spent over billions of dollars the day they became a franchise and we worried about a rookie and his contract. If we only get a 2 year rookie contract window with Penix then so be it. He would be developed even more then because at least he has someone to help him understand the process of being a QB in the NFL.
@@movelikeslugg You don't waste 8th overall on a backup. Only morons fail to grasp this.
@@TheMattTrakker🤡
@@TheMattTrakker Penix is not a back up forever. Why do yall keep thinking this? From the press conference from TF? Did you even watch/listen to what he said? The only way Penix never see’s the field is if Kirk wins us SBs for the next 5 years STRAIGHT. If Kirk gets hurt THIS YEAR, we will have a starter ready to go anyway. Thats what you cannot grasp. You’re only thinking of the money and a variable that could or could not happen. But logically they have a predecessor once Kirk retires,leaves or gets traded.