00:00The Falcons fans do have some questions.
00:03I think Falcons staff are wrestling with some of the same questions.
00:06Who's going to be QB1 on Sunday?
00:07Kevin Stefanski did not rule anyone out yesterday when he sat down
00:10to speak with the media at noon yesterday.
00:14And then Michael Pennix sat down after him.
00:16So it was kind of like, well, Michael Pennix just sat down.
00:19Is this going to be the quarterback?
00:22But then Cooper Rush sat down.
00:24So it was exciting and then confusing.
00:27But I want to get into something Michael Pennix said
00:31about how he will be, when his knee feels good, he's going to be out there.
00:36I didn't say this week wasn't realistic.
00:39You know, I don't know.
00:40Like I'm saying, yeah, I'm working.
00:42I'm working each and every day.
00:43And right now I've got to be where my feet are.
00:46So, like, today I felt good in practice.
00:48You know, I want to keep making strides, keep feeling better each and every day.
00:52And that's what it's about.
00:53And once my knee feel where I need it to be, you know,
00:56I'm going to be ready to play.
00:57Like I said, there's no number on it, no, you know, week three, week four, week.
01:02No, like, whenever my knee feels good, I'm going to be out there.
01:05It's nothing else other than that.
01:07You guys think that Kevin Savansky, because Kevin Savansky's been very open
01:11and honest of like, hey, we're all on the same page.
01:13We've had conversations.
01:14Do you think he's been given something, like, tangible?
01:17Like, hey, when I can do this, that's when I'm going to play?
01:20Or do you think it's just genuinely like a daily check-in or a period-by-period check-in
01:27at practice of, like, how'd that feel?
01:28It does sound like there are true mile markers for Michael Penix at this point
01:33because he said there are some physical goals he has left.
01:35So I do believe he would communicate that with Kevin Savansky.
01:39And Kevin Savansky's always been like, I'm not going to get into anyone's business.
01:43You can ask Mike.
01:44Like, so I think he does know.
01:46Your statement of saying what he said right there tells me why I don't think he starts Sunday.
01:51He has goals, multiple physical goals to overcome.
01:56I'm at a loss on what he's looking for.
01:58I'm at a loss on what he wants to do.
01:58Does he want to go through a full practice and wake up the next day and not feel sore?
02:03I don't know.
02:04I don't know if that's a reality because I think sometimes we have to understand
02:08that when you do things you haven't done in a while, that's when your body is sore.
02:13I had a personal trainer.
02:17It wasn't my personal trainer, but he was a personal trainer at a gym.
02:19I've become friends with him years ago.
02:23He said something of the most, I still think about this all the time.
02:26He was like, hey, just because you're sore, you worked out a body part a day or two ago,
02:30and just because you're sore, that doesn't mean it was a good workout.
02:34It just means maybe you worked out a body part that you hadn't worked out or a muscle
02:38or a part of the muscle that you hadn't concentrated on.
02:42But it doesn't necessarily mean it's great.
02:46And I think about him being sore, it doesn't mean it's good or bad.
02:50That's how the body feels sometimes.
02:52You feel sore.
02:53Everybody in that building right now doesn't feel good.
02:56But they're not healthy because they've all been through an NFL game most
03:01or a practice that got them hurt, Tua.
03:04And so I don't know what he's looking for.
03:09Don't know what goals it is.
03:10But nothing about the way he talked yesterday makes me think, oh, yeah,
03:14we'll get to Friday and then we'll get the, you know,
03:17they send an injury report out Friday, and it's the final injury report.
03:20And any players that weren't ready by Friday are ruled out normally
03:27so they can figure out who they want to elevate
03:29or how they want to handle filling that role.
03:33If I was going to Koushi right now and putting money on this, if you could,
03:37I would say I would put all my money on him not playing Sunday
03:40because that's how everything he said.
03:43Because you notice he said, yeah, week three or week four, I don't know.
03:47Never said anything about this weekend.
03:49So there's nothing promising for this weekend for me with him.
03:53And truth be told, it couldn't have worked out any better for him personally,
03:58I think, than that Cooper Rush looked the way he did last week
04:01because now all we're doing is pining for Michael Penix.
04:04You know, because we just want answers to questions.
04:07And the organization does too.
04:08And I think that Cooper Rush looking the way he did in that offense
04:11and Tua not being able to play, and you mentioned this earlier,
04:13it's like if Tua had played and looked okay,
04:15we wouldn't be just hanging on every word that Michael Penix says.
04:20And I've said this from the beginning.
04:22Like, it's okay if he doesn't want to play.
04:24It really is.
04:25Like, as a matter of fact, if anything is taught,
04:27we just listened and talked about Zedaria Smith.
04:30We don't have all the answers, and we don't know everything.
04:33And we have to be comfortable with that, in my opinion, from my perspective.
04:35But you also have to be comfortable with the other side of it,
04:38that if somebody does come in and play quarterback for this team
04:40and they play well and the team starts to move on from you,
04:43or maybe the opposite, maybe they don't play well
04:45and the team starts to move on from the whole room,
04:47then you have to be comfortable with that too.
04:49And I think that's the frustrating part for a lot of people.
04:51I do want to know, though, when it becomes a disservice
04:53to whoever is starting on Sunday that they're not getting all the reps.
04:58Cooper Rush did speak to the media yesterday as well
05:00and was asked if he took all the first-team reps.
05:06No, I think we divvied it up somewhere.
05:09I don't know exactly the amount, but we're both out there, me and Mike,
05:11and it was good work.
05:13I'm with you. I don't know.
05:15I would say now is probably when it becomes a detriment.
05:19But it goes back to what we've talked about now for six months,
05:23longer than that.
05:24What's the goal of this team this year?
05:26Because when you go and trace it back to the draft
05:28and you go and trace it back to free agency,
05:29the goal of the team is simply to identify who can help you in the future
05:32and is Michael Penix that guy?
05:35And that's why I believe you're going about things the way you are right now.
05:38The margin of error gets slimmer and slimmer for this spot
05:44as long as you don't have the guy that is clearly who you want to be the starter,
05:49which is Penix.
05:50I mean, for all the talk about –
05:54it's weird how this conversation just keeps moving.
05:59Two weeks ago, we had people slamming their fists down on tables
06:06saying that we demand to know who the starting quarterback is.
06:10And then it was named Tua because for one reason, one reason only,
06:15because Mike said he wasn't ready.
06:17And now here we are a week or two later,
06:20and we're literally in the same spot but for different reasons.
06:24It's now based on injuries.
06:27And I don't know, man.
06:29This is probably one of the more frustrating things that I've talked about
06:35since I've covered the team or been around the team
06:37or traveled with the team and everything
06:39is because there's no right or wrong answer.
06:47I don't want to take that back.
06:48The only wrong answer is thinking that they would start Jack Strand.
06:52And you're wrong if you say that.
06:53You're wrong if you think that.
06:56Unless Cooper Rush wakes up Sunday morning and can't play,
07:00he'll be the guy.
07:03Nothing Michael Penix has said or done is given –
07:06it's just said.
07:07Because I've heard he's looked good in practice.
07:10But only – I can tell you, if he doesn't feel good,
07:13he's not going to play.
07:14And if he doesn't play, Cooper Rush is your starting quarterback.
07:18All the questions you have about who's going to start on Sunday
07:21will eventually be answered.
07:22We don't know when, but we will get answers at some point.
07:25Sunday at 1 o'clock.
07:26Sunday at 1 o'clock.
07:27Hopefully you guys know for the pregame show.
07:29Are you going to know at that point?
07:30I can't say anything for certain right now, Allie.
07:34Me either.
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