Michael Penix Jr.'s rise to the starting lineup last season came out of desperation for the Falcons, but it was a moment the rookie was prepared to meet.
In a recent sit-down interview with former Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick, Penix explained he'd prepared for the opportunity for the bulk of his first year by remaining an active participant from the sideline.
"It was a lot of, like, mental stuff that you take away from it," Penix told Vick in an interview produced by the Falcons. "Obviously, you can't be in the game, but sitting on the sideline, playing the game in my head as best (as) I can, because obviously you can't simulate the pressure and stuff like that. Just things like who I would throw it to in those situations, it just gave me a lot of confidence going in whenever I got in."
Penix appeared ready for the spotlight, completing 61 of 105 passes for 775 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in five games (three starts). The stat line doesn't quite pop off the page, but the tape showed a quarterback with a live arm who provided the Falcons with a higher offensive ceiling than they had with Kirk Cousins, whom Penix replaced following a very difficult stretch for the veteran.
The three games -- from which Atlanta recorded just one win -- gave the Falcons enough evidence to confidently enter 2025 with Penix as their chosen starter. At minimum, their choice silences questions that would have lingered into training camp, but it doesn't guarantee success.
That responsibility falls on the shoulders of Penix, who told Vick he's working toward winning by first understanding his teammates.
"Definition is just influence," Penix said when asked to describe his leadership style. "I'm not always that big, vocal guy. But I'm going to understand my players. I want to get to know my teammates because once you get to know them, now you know how to lead those guys."
Cousins' struggles with ball security essentially forced the Falcons to make the change -- albeit too late to inspire a late-season turnaround they needed to stay in the playoff hunt -- and scored a minor victory for a front office that weathered plenty of criticism once it spent a first-round pick on Penix less than two months after handing Cousins a four-year, $180 million deal.
The matter hasn't exactly faded into the background, either. Cousins' candid, emotional revelations regarding his benching have commanded attention following the release of the second season of the Quarterback docuseries on Netflix.
But Penix's own admissions have spun the matter in a positive light. If Falcons fans are searching for reasons to feel optimistic entering 2025, they can find them in the southpaw wearing No. 9, who boiled down his goals to the basics.
"It's still just football. That's the biggest thing," Penix said. "Once you get on the field, it's still football. Throw it to your team. Don't throw it to the other team."
While it likely wasn't intended as a veiled shot at Cousins, Penix's response will remind fans of what led to Cousins' sharp downfall in 2024 when he led the league with 16 interceptions in only 14 games. Ball security remains paramount, and if Penix can help himself in any area in year two, it's by protecting possession.
From there, he can use his strong arm and athletic gifts to propel the Falcons toward a goal they seemed to be on track to achieve before the wheels fell off in 2024.
"Postseason. Gotta get to the postseason," Penix said. "(Falcons fans) get rocking when we're winning, so definitely want to get back to that. Winning football games, so we can have the city turnt."
Such an outcome might not follow the blueprint Atlanta laid out for itself a year ago, but in the NFL, things change quickly. Winners adjust to the pressure and react without hesitation. Penix will aim to do just that in 2025 -- which just might help folks forget about the disappointment of 2024.
