Moments after the Atlanta Falcons made Tua Tagovailoa their starting quarterback, reports emerged that made it clear Michael Penix Jr. wasn't ready to play. Atlanta wanted to make it clear that it wasPenix himself letting head coachKevin Stefanski know he wasn't yet ready to step back onto the field. This doesn't come as a huge surprise when you factor in Penix was only cleared days ago and wasn't able to make it on the field for any preseason action. However, the flip side of this is looking at the reporting and understanding what this means for Atlanta in Week 1.
It appears that this was less a quarterback competition and more so a team holding out hope that Penix would be able to return to health. Naming Tagovailoa the starter isn't a move of excitement, but one that rings of defeat. There is reason to question why the franchise is paying Kirk Cousins to play for the Las Vegas Raiders while rostering a veteran they clearly have zero interest in taking the field.
The longer the quarterback has been in Atlanta, the more clarity there has been that it wasn't a reclamation project as much as a fallback plan. Tagovailoa didn't help his case by showing very little in preseason action, but a tendency to turn the ball over and miss the obvious.
With this in mind, Atlanta's spirits cannot help but be dampened when it comes to a roster that will start a quarterback who appears to offer very little hope of pushing the Falcons into notable contention.
Falcons Fans Cannot Hide Frustrations After Atlanta is Forced to Name Tua Tagovailoa as Starting Quarterback
Falcons fans have previously attempted to talk themselves into Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, and Kirk Cousins as the next answer. Whether it was Cousins being the version of himself he was in Minnesota or Mariota as a reclamation project, the fanbase has endured both sides of bringing in an experienced starter and expecting results. Tagovailoa is being paid by Miami to go away, just as the Falcons are doing to Cousins, who is set to start for the Raiders in Week 1.
The talent at the skill positions really will not matter if your quarterback is incapable of holding onto the football and delivering it with any level of consistency. These are the simple issues that pushed the current Atlanta starter out of Miami and left the franchise in their current predicament.
No question, the Falcons are in a bad situation of their own creation, and it has left the season feeling like a lost cause long before the kick-off. It continues to grow increasingly difficult to pull for a franchise that appears unable to get out of its own way.
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