Michael Penix Jr.: I'm going to be myself every day
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. took the field in a Falcons uniform for the first time on Friday when the team held the first practice of their rookie minicamp.
Penix joined the Falcons as the eighth overall pick in the draft and the selection has been the most scrutinized one of the first round. It came just over a month after the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins as a free agent and the Falcons have talked about Penix sitting for up to four or five years, which has led to a lot of head scratching about why the Falcons would use such a premium pick on a player who might not get off the bench.
That scenario isn't a great one for Penix to show what he can do on the field, but he said the situation isn't going to lead him to change anything about himself or his approach to the game.
"I feel like at this level — in the NFL — everybody is in the spotlight," Penix said, via the team's website. "You got to prove yourself each and every day. That's the beauty of it. That's the beauty of this game. And that's why it's so rare for guys to make it. Like it's the 1 percent. So, you want in the spotlight. For me, I'm just going to be myself each and every day. Not try to be anybody else. Just go out there and put in the work I've always done. The results will show."
It's not clear when the full spotlight will fall on Penix, but it's a safe bet that the question will be asked any time Cousins struggles this season.
