Michael Penix Jr. on preparation and expectations for 2026 Atlanta Falcons season

I'm you know, I guess just how how are you feeling now? I guess we're we're 2 weeks into camp. >> Yeah, I'm feeling good. Getting better every day. Um, it's just like I expected and just, you know, doing everything I can to to get back to where I want to be. >> You mentioned on that podcast last night about like a hurdle you have to clear in your mind. >> Yeah. >> What exactly is the hurdle? >> Yeah, I mean, that's just like mentally Uh, I don't know how to put it. Like unless you've been in that that sit position, it's like if something bad happened to you, right? And you remember every step that took up to that place something bad happened to you. The next time you want to do it, you going to think about it again. You know, like it even if you feel like the results will be better. It still like you going to think about it. So that's just all it is. It's like it's in your mind. Like I've been through it two times already. So it's like I know what I'm going to be going through. I know the mental aspect of it to where it's like, okay, yes, I am um I am healthy, but it's like, okay, do I trust that? And you know, a lot of it all of it is, you know, me always speak on my faith. And like for me, I have to put put my trust in God and and trust that, you know, like like I said in that podcast, like the doctors did what they needed to do. So I I I have a an amazing ACL. I went and saw the doctor, you know, before camp started. He's like, this this is an amazing ACL. He's like, you should never have any more knee problems for the rest of your career. Like that's word for word what he told me. So it's like, okay, I hear that. But it's like, all right, now I got to And now I'm like, all right, do I trust that? You know, so I it's just more more so it's like just having that confidence in it, you know, and not worrying about it cuz like injuries happen in football, but like at the same time you don't want it to happen again. So it's like, all right, I got to get out of my mind what if it happened again and just go out there and just play, you know? >> Has it taken you longer to to clear that hurdle in the last handful of weeks than the last couple years you've had to clear the hurdle, if that makes sense? Like is it has it been a longer process in trying to clear it now, Do you think from your staff? >> Uh no, I don't think so and I don't think it's a timeline on when that's cleared. Like that's just comes with, you know, sometimes it's like you take that first hit and now it's like, "Oh, you're good." So, it's like it's not really a timeline cuz like I know um after my first ACL, that's what it took. It took after that first play I got hit, I got rolled up and I'm like, "Oh, I'm good. Let's go." And now and now I was ready ready to go. So, you you never know when that time is, you know, obviously you don't want it to be on that first tackle, but you know, whenever that time like whenever that time do come like you you know, but like for me, like I said, I just got to trust in my faith, you know, trust that God got me and you know, I I just got to be worry-free and just go out there and have fun. >> How will you approach the game on Friday? Will you take mental notes or just kind of go in the meetings of what What will be your approach to uh you know, surveying the offense and what's going on on the field? >> Yeah, that's that's that's all I can do, you know, just taking all the mental notes I mental notes I can, you know, just thinking about, you know, if I was in in that position, what would I do each and every play cuz I'm going to get the play call in my in my headset, you know, while I'm sitting on the sideline. So, I will be going through it, thinking thinking everything over so that, you know, whenever I do get out there in 11 on 11 live football, I I know what to do. >> I know you're relying on your faith when it comes to like dealing with the mental side, but is there anyone that you can talk to, whether it's a former player that's gone through kind of what you've gone through to kind of really just help you mentally push through and get through it? Like anyone >> [snorts] >> in the league, outside? I know you've talked about your fiancee, your wife before, >> Yeah, um I think that was kind of the question that got me tripped up last time where people thought I was I didn't have help or anything, but um I mean, yeah, I mean, for me like I I mean, it's it's crazy cuz there's a lot of people that come to talk to me. Like there's a lot of people that check in on me just cuz they know the injury history that, you know, I have. So, I will get like teammates or like, you know, even my dad will call me just say how you doing like and my dad I'll be I'll tell my dad like I'm doing good. He's like no like really how you doing talk to me. So like I do have people that always check up on me. Teammates always ask me how am I feeling how did they how did the day go and my feeling better, you know, every day. So I do have those people to talk to. >> Is there something that you're working on like every week specifically like like a checkup or like this week I'm working on this like to make sure that you're ready by the start of the season? Like is there something you're working on progressing towards that? >> I mean we we have a you know, the the treatment the people I do treatment with you know, all the trainers and stuff like that. We have a you know, we have a schedule a timeline on you know, just different things that I want to achieve, you know, so it's it's it's nothing in specific but like the biggest thing for me right now is just strength, you know, getting getting my full strength back into my knee and you know, it just so so that I can go out there and you know, play how I want to play. So. >> You talked to AVP yesterday. He was talking about how much work they've been doing with their footwork and the under center stuff. Is there more athleticism that's required from you to to be under center to to get to the different points for handoffs and things and just generally how have you felt like you've progressed there? >> More athleticism? >> need to be like pushing off harder in certain ways to be able to like get on a wide zone to like be able to get to the mark where you're >> Nah, like not not more than what I would feel like I I would need to do whenever I'm 100% healthy, you know, it's I feel good. Right now I feel good. I feel like you know, I can do I can do just about anything except for take a hit, you know, and that's that's what we're trying to stay away from right now. So. >> Going off the under center stuff, obviously it's not foreign to you. You've done it before. You did a lot of it in college, but AVP was talking about he was proud of the work that you've done specifically here in trying to get it better. Describe the work that you guys have been doing with you running under center and how you feel like you progressed in that area. >> Yeah, I mean just consistent um just reps every day, you know, just all the reps. You know, we start off the day, you know, just working under center, get getting away from the center, you know, just um you know, just working on those mechanics because like like they talk like like you know, like it's under center, that's going to open up a lot of things, you know, in the play-action game and you know, whatnot. So, it's it's been just a lot of reps that's been scripted. You know, there's some plays where we can go in the gun, but they'll be like, "Let's go under center on this play today." You know, so it's just just to have those reps. So, I would just say uh just all the reps they they just uh build up and you know, it it kind of callous callous you in in in in that area, so. >> I know you talk about running your own race and obviously there's a quarterback competition happening, but how do you and Tua make each other better? >> Um I'd say just push pushing each other each and every day like um you know, all our reps, you know, he he talks to me, you know, after every rep we like after a 7-on-7 period what he saw, you know, and I I speak to speak to him as well, you know, as far as like 11-on-11, different things, protection, anything like that. So, you know, we I mean we it's it's always a competition. We always compete and you know, obviously I can't do everything, you know, that he's doing, but you know, we we still are are here for each other and we we both want to see this team win football games. So, in that way we do push each other so that, you know, we can be the best for this team. >> You're human, you want to compete, you play football for a reason. How do you separate not trying to accelerate the timeline that you have in your head to being full-go, getting hit, all that stuff? >> Um I'd say past experience. Uh I think I hinted on it before, just 2021 season. Like I just always think about that season. I'm like, I didn't feel mentally there and um you know, I want to make sure that I'm get I get back to that point. So, I that's the biggest thing I'm thinking about now is like I want to be mentally and physically there to the point where like I'm not thinking about it like kind of what we talked about. Like it's it's no hesitation, you know, and I'm just out there just having fun. So, um that's that's my main thought process right now. >> Yeah, I thought it was when you were talking with Cam he talked about how he felt like maybe he shouldn't have played the one season cuz he wasn't fully ready yet. So, is it fair to say like when we see you take the field that's like you will feel 100%? Like >> Yeah, yeah. When you see me on the field I'm I'm that's that's me. For sure. >> What's been like the biggest difference from your offense last year to this year? As I know you've been normally running sevens but what's been like the biggest adjustment you've had to make? >> Um learning a new system. Um I'll say that. Uh That's the biggest thing I feel like just hitting on that. Just learning a new system, you know, that's always that's always something different, you know, it's it's tough when you get multiple play callers. Um now I know a lot couple guys that have multiple play callers in like five years I think some of the guys here like in the last five years they had like three different play callers. So, it's like um that's that's the biggest thing, you know, cuz you sometimes you would hear play calls in this offense that it was named the same thing in the offense last year but it's a whole different concept. So, it's like kind of separating, you know, throwing everything from before away and and just locking in to what what this this staff has brought in. So, I would say just definitely the play the plays. >> Anything specific that you like that's different? >> Yeah, um I like it all, man. I I like where we at. I like where this offense is. I like what the coaches are doing helping us, you know, get ready for, you know, right now preseason but also for the for the season. So, I feel like we're in a good spot. >> I can't remember if I've asked you about Zachariah Branch before or not but what do you see from him on the field that you enjoy? >> Um just explosiveness and man his he he has he's he has like dog to him. Like he has that mindset to where it's like if if thing if it something go the way he want it he's like I want to make it better. Like he wants to get better each and every day and you can see that in the way that he he goes about practice, the way that he goes about his lifts. Like, seeing him in the hallway, like, he he's just a he's very sharp. You know, he he's a pro, and he he's been showing it since he got here. So, it's awesome to see. >> What do you like, Mike, about having, you know, two lefties in the room, and y'all are the two guys in in the room. Lefties kind of leading that. >> Um the coach the coaches don't have to worry about thinking about flipping the play in their mind. Cuz it's like all right, cuz like with Kirk, it's like, all right, you teach it this way, and then with me, it's teach it this way. But with me and too, it's like, all right, we're teaching it this way. You know, and obviously, we got uh Cooper and Jack in the room as well, you know, but um that's the biggest thing. It's like, all right, who they got to just flip it in the in have it snapped in their mind. So, like, everything that we're hearing, everything that we're seeing on the board, whenever they're talking to us, you kind of see coach like automatically dropping a left-handed drop without even thinking about it just cuz cuz of that. So, >> That's got to be the first time in your career that you've really experienced that, right? >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Actually, I I asked uh Mike Vick about this. He said like every every stop along the way, coach has had to adjust to him. >> Yeah. That's the thing. That's what I'm saying. >> And we were asking too yesterday about this. He was like, now they got to adjust to us. >> Yeah. >> Really, too. That's got to be >> Right. Right. That's That's Yeah. Exactly. That's what I'm hearing, too. So, like, it's definitely it's definitely good. It's definitely good. >> How much like when you're learning the new plays and things like that, is it for you obviously you're in the the quarterback room learning and seeing it, but you're not able to fully go through it in the field. So, how challenging is that been for you maybe to grasp it, or has it been? >> No, it's not challenging. I'm taking all those reps. Even if we do so much walk-throughs, so I I get those reps. You know, it's not full speed, but I still get those walk-through reps. I get the mental reps. Uh I get the reps in the class in the classroom. So, it's like I feel like I got enough reps to where if I were out there full speed 11 on 11, I'm I'm perfect. I'm perfectly fine. >> What do you like about having AVP around? Obviously, 20 years of NFL experience, but what does he bring to that room? >> Over 20 years of NFL experience. >> It's the same thing. >> Yeah, um man, he brings energy, you know, um he he brings light to the room. You know, he push us, you know, he he wants the best out of wants the best out of us. He always, you know, making sure we we're striving for uh for perfection and you know, it's awesome to be able to have somebody like that and have somebody that played played in the league for as long as he did and coached as long as he did that that has that understanding and knowledge and you know, being able to, you know, um relate and, you know, relay all the messages to us and it's not like a "Oh, this guy was wide open. Why didn't you throw it?" It's like, "No, he played quarterback as well, too." So, he knows what we feel. So, it's awesome to be able to have somebody like that. >> What's your reaction been to the rookie performances that have been going on? How have they been? >> Oh, they've been good, man. They they've been really good. They've been sharp. Those guys have have definitely uh they've definitely been really good cuz like I I look at them and I'm like, "Is some of the play calls I'm like, "Uh let's see if they got it." And they they they're all on it, you know, RP does a great job with the receivers. Uh Jonesy and, you know, uh coach Callahan, our offensive line, like those guys look really good, really really good. So. >> I think y'all was asking about the talent like the singing like the like the talent like the talent shows. Did y'all get to see that too or was it just the rookies? >> Oh, no, we see that, too. Um Yeah, uh Zachariah, he had a he had a good he had a good one. >> us what he was going to do yesterday. So, what did he end up doing? >> Um he sung uh Bob Marley uh what's the song called? Three Little Birds. Like, yeah. >> That's a good song. It's really good. Has anybody >> Huh? >> No, he was like really hyping it up. >> [laughter] >> That's what I was saying. >> It was good. It was good. He had to do he had to he did what he had to do. So, we'll give it to him. >> Has anybody completely bombed and been terrible? >> No, not yet. Not yet. Not yet. >> So, you're expecting someone to bomb? >> I tried to do a Rod Wave song. I I I bombed. >> [laughter]