The Atlanta Falcons are making headlines on Wednesday for a practice scrum with the Tennessee Titans. It escalated to the point Drake London lost his helmet, and it took substantial time for cooler heads to break things up. Most notably, Michael Penix Jr. was right in the middle of the scrum in what was far from your typical camp pushing and shoving.
Penix noted that this was the only time in his football career he could remember things reaching such a level. Falcons fans are going to have mixed emotions on hearing that their franchise quarterback was right in the middle of a camp fight. This is supposed to be the time of year you're protecting yourself and not allowing your signal callers to take hits. It is the entire reason that Penix is being held out of the first two preseason games.
With this in mind, it is fair to have a healthy level of concern that the quarterback put himself in harm's way. However, fans understand that as a leader and player looking to establish himself, Penix needed to live in the moment and be willing to fight for his guys. Walking away from the scrum is a bad look, even if it is the wiser decision.
Reporter: "You're usually calm, cool and collected..."
— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) August 13, 2025
Penix: "Yeah I am! That's me. ... I don't know what that was." https://t.co/PI1gz2RoF8
When reporters pressed Penix on what caused the scuffle or had the quarterback had been unusually heated, the starter appeared as confused as anyone. When pointing out that Penix is usually calm and collected, the quarterback responded, "I gave them my words, and probably went a little too far. ... I was somebody else, I don't even remember."
Penix's words are telling of the heat of the moment and how quickly things boiled over between the two sides. For Atlanta, there is a small piece of this that could be taken as a positive sign. There shouldn't be any question that the quarterback is engaged and willing to fight for his guys. Whether it is Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes, all the greatest quarterbacks have a bit of an edge.
Whether it is Mahomes' cheeky comments in the press or Brady's sideline tantrums, greatness requires a certain level of intensity. While this isn't to compare Penix to the greatest to ever play, the point is simply that the league's best tone setters have always had an extra gear. One that Penix flashed in Wednesday's practice. Still, the Falcons will unquestionably have a talk with the quarterback about protecting himself in