N/S Dirty Birds Could Move On From Cousins Sooner Than Later (2 Viewers)

[St. Widge]

We all hate Atlanta. Doesn’t mean that you can’t be a realist regarding the situation. Had we done it, I’m sure many would spin this into a good thing, and been highly “optimistic” about it.

Some probably would have and they would have been just as wrong about it. And the fact that fans are delusional doesn't change the fact that it was a dumb thing to do when taken in combination with giving Cousins $100 million guaranteed and him leaving the Vikings because they were going to draft a QB in the first round.

 

[MatthewV]

Atlanta clearly didn't play well, budget well, or communicate well.

Cousins is justifiably P'Oed off.

Their franchise sucks and we all wish it ill.

All of that is moot re: this draft pick, however.

If Penix is a star for Atlanta one day, it's a brilliant pick that they will rub in everyone's faces. No one would have cared if we P'Oed off Drew and picked Mahomes while still paying Drew big money and having glaring holes on the rest. Soon as Mahomes played, we would be geniuses. I think the dumbest thing we did is be totally convinced about a franchise QB like Mahomes and not trade up a couple spots to get him -- I'd feel the way about Atlanta if they are highly confident Penix is their future.

If doesn't pan out, it's a total disaster.

All we can do is wait and see.

 

[jboss]

Atlanta clearly didn't play well, budget well, or communicate well.

Cousins is justifiably P'Oed off.

Their franchise sucks and we all wish it ill.

All of that is moot re: this draft pick, however.

If Penix is a star for Atlanta one day, it's a brilliant pick that they will rub in everyone's faces. No one would have cared if we P'Oed off Drew and picked Mahomes while still paying Drew big money and having glaring holes on the rest. Soon as Mahomes played, we would be geniuses. I think the dumbest thing we did is be totally convinced about a franchise QB like Mahomes and not trade up a couple spots to get him -- I'd feel the way about Atlanta if they are highly confident Penix is their future.

If doesn't pan out, it's a total disaster.

All we can do is wait and see.

Let's say Penix comes out of the gate a star, CJ Stroud type season (and let me be clear this is a huge hypothetical lol). Great for them, but there's still the white elephant in the room that the Texans don't have to deal with. It'd be pretty hard to build a team around a young....ish QB when you have a massive portion of your cap space taken up by a guy that was supposed to be the guy and is now riding the pine.

This inexplicable narrative on here keeps seeming to omit one or the other side of this dumb situation the Falcons put themselves in.

 

[MatthewV]

Let's say Penix comes out of the gate a star, CJ Stroud type season (and let me be clear this is a huge hypothetical lol). Great for them, but there's still the white elephant in the room that the Texans don't have to deal with. It'd be pretty hard to build a team around a young....ish QB when you have a massive portion of your cap space taken up by a guy that was supposed to be the guy and is now riding the pine.

This inexplicable narrative on here keeps seeming to omit one or the other side of this dumb situation the Falcons put themselves in.

Again, having a young QB with an old QB eating up cap is less than ideal, obviously. In fact, I said if he doesn't turn out to be very good, it's a disaster.

But the "if he turns out very good" is a huge variable in a league that depends enormously on QB play. A star QB is easily worth all of this drama and cost.

But if Penix is ... I won't even go crazy with this ... Philip Rivers (who I think is similar), then yes, I would easily take 24-year-old Philip Rivers with the 8th pick backing up a 36yo injured QB who is best of the journeymen.

I think the majority of GMs in the league would take that pick easily if they knew that's how he'd turn out.

And that's not even bringing up the Mahomes situation with the Saints -- trading up a couple spots and grabbing him would have been pilloried and caused tons of drama at the time but not a single Saints fan would argue about now.

So that's why all of the other stuff is ultimately moot. If Penix is real, grabbing him at #8 for the future is a great draft pick.

 

[jboss]

Again, having a young QB with an old QB eating up cap is less than ideal, obviously. In fact, I said if he doesn't turn out to be very good, it's a disaster.

But the "if he turns out very good" is a huge variable in a league that depends enormously on QB play. A star QB is easily worth all of this drama and cost.

But if Penix is ... I won't even go crazy with this ... Philip Rivers (who I think is similar), then yes, I would easily take 24-year-old Philip Rivers with the 8th pick backing up a 36yo injured QB who is best of the journeymen.

I think the majority of GMs in the league would take that pick easily if they knew that's how he'd turn out.

So that's why all of the other stuff is ultimately moot. If Penix is real, grabbing him at #8 for the future is a great draft pick.

Ok if Penix is the real deal and they know it, why'd they sign Kirk? What were they shocked when Penix was there at 8? Was Kirk the $180 mil backup plan? I really don't see how people are viewing this as some 4D chess, genius plan they had all along.

If they picked Penix at 8, sure, get your guy. If they signed Kirk as their guy for the next few years, do your thing. But they did both. Which is on the face of it a dumb move. It's something they're gonna have to deal with rather than some "genius" plan. And that's operating under the assumption this actually does work out.

 

[MatthewV]

I don't know where you are getting genius or 4D chess or anything. Said repeatedly they handled this in worst way possible. Obviously Falcons mismanaged their off-season and didn't correlate free agency and draft strategy. It's the Falcons. They screw things up. I have no idea when they decided Penix was a franchise guy, or where they figured he'd be drafted.

The point is simple. Even if you didn't rate Penix that high initially and now do, or didn't think he'd make it to #8, or didn't think you could risk your season on him being there at #8, the draft pick *itself* still is going to be judged solely on if Penix is a star.

IDC about anything else, if you have someone you have convincingly and confidently pegged as a young franchise QB on your draft board and you don't have a long-term solution at QB, taking him is not stupid if you are right.

Do you actually disagree about that? Would you condemn the pick in 5 years if Penix is a star? Of course you wouldn't.

 

[SaintswonSBXLIV]

1. Penix is insurance for an old QB coming off a major injury.

2. Penix is the future.

3. The idea that Penix is 2-4 years away is about as dumb as it gets. He is as NFL ready coming out as any QB. He has more experience and works progressions and has he pocket better than any QB in the draft.

It was a great pick and one that makes me jealous.

The thought is Penix will not play this season or next season barring injury to Cousins. That means he will be 27 when he first starts. Penix also has an extensive injury history himself. The pick is extremely risky and that's why there has been a lot of criticism of the pick. The thought is that Atlanta did not have to take this type of risk with a top 10 pick, but they did. Time will tell.....

 

[jboss]

I don't know where you are getting genius or 4D chess or anything. Said repeatedly they handled this in worst way possible. Obviously Falcons mismanaged their off-season and didn't correlate free agency and draft strategy. It's the Falcons. They screw things up. I have no idea when they decided Penix was a franchise guy, or where they figured he'd be drafted.

The point is simple. Even if you didn't rate Penix that high initially and now do, or didn't think he'd make it to #8, or didn't think you could risk your season on him being there at #8, the draft pick *itself* still is going to be judged solely on if Penix is a star.

IDC about anything else, if you have someone you have convincingly and confidently pegged as a young franchise QB on your draft board and you don't have a long-term solution at QB, taking him is not stupid if you are right.

Do you actually disagree about that? Would you condemn the pick in 5 years if Penix is a star? Of course you wouldn't.

If if's and but's were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas. If Spencer Rattler ends up a top 5 QB we'll look like geniuses. If. We don't know what the future holds and all we can go by is what we know now. And from where I'm sitting I don't understand how anyone can say at this point that the Falcons didn't royally screw the pooch with this QB situation.

 

[St. Widge]

Let's say Penix comes out of the gate a star, CJ Stroud type season (and let me be clear this is a huge hypothetical lol). Great for them, but there's still the white elephant in the room that the Texans don't have to deal with. It'd be pretty hard to build a team around a young....ish QB when you have a massive portion of your cap space taken up by a guy that was supposed to be the guy and is now riding the pine.

This inexplicable narrative on here keeps seeming to omit one or the other side of this dumb situation the Falcons put themselves in.

Yep, it totally takes away one of the big advantages of a young franchise QB which is having him on a cheap deal for 4 or 5 years and being able to use the money to build around him. With the money committed to Cousins they will have at best one or two years where they aren't paying huge money for a QB instead of 4 or 5.

 

[SweetT]

Some probably would have and they would have been just as wrong about it. And the fact that fans are delusional doesn't change the fact that it was a dumb thing to do when taken in combination with giving Cousins $100 million guaranteed and him leaving the Vikings because they were going to draft a QB in the first round.

We signed DC4 to a 4 year $150 million dollar contract. Drafted a QB in the 4th. The following year, we drafted a QB in the 5th. We did the same thing they did, except the QB drafted was 3 rounds higher (Penix vs Haener). We both drafted QBs to groom. We just did it in different rounds and we did it twice. They will only have to do it once on the surface bc Penix went in the 1st rd. Plus, who knows if Kirk’s Achilles will truly be ready to go for training camp or beyond? It’s really not as dumb as yall are making it out to be. The only thing that is dumb about it, is the Falcons failed to have an out if Kirk has another Achilles injury, but that wouldn’t matter too much bc they will have his successor in place. It’s a big picture thing

 

[St. Widge]

We signed DC4 to a 4 year $150 million dollar contract. Drafted a QB in the 4th. The following year, we drafted a QB in the 5th. We did the same thing they did, except the QB drafted was 3 rounds higher (Penix vs Haener). We both drafted QBs to groom. We just did it in different rounds and we did it twice. They will only have to do it once on the surface bc Penix went in the 1st rd. Plus, who knows if Kirk’s Achilles will truly be ready to go for training camp or beyond? It’s really not as dumb as yall are making it out to be. The only thing that is dumb about it, is the Falcons failed to have an out if Kirk has another Achilles injury, but that wouldn’t matter too much bc they will have his successor in place. It’s a big picture thing

There is a huge difference between drafting QBs in the 4th and 5th round and taking a QB #8. You know this. It's not close to the same situation and you know that too.

Stop trying to justify what Atlanta did. If they had kept Ridder and drafted Penix, then it's a fine move. I don't think Penix is that guy, but I could be wrong and I would never fault a team for taking a shot at a franchise QB. But the Saints aren't the only team that's makes bad decisions and this was a dumb decision when taken in the context of the Cousins contract and the fact that he left the Vikings because they were going to draft a QB in the first round.

 

[TenTwo]

I hope Cousins sucks and half ares it with his new toxic leadership team... And Penix goes on to be the QB I expect him to be... Which is not an NFL QB.

 

[texasjefe]

The Falcons have committed about $150M over the next two years for two starting QBs, with an already loaded young offense. The $150M includes their salaries, the $100M guarantee, and Kirk's dead money after 2025. If they move on after 2025, they will save $115M in cap hits and dead cap. I like Penix and I think the Falcons are set at QB for a long long time.

It's a high price, but Arthur Blank is 81 years old and he's taking his shot. These recent decisions seem emotional, not calculated, but the owner is now relentless about trying to no longer have mediocre QBs. The Ridder pick was stupid and they learned their lesson.

 

[SweetT]

There is a huge difference between drafting QBs in the 4th and 5th round and taking a QB #8. You know this. It's not close to the same situation and you know that too.

Stop trying to justify what Atlanta did. If they had kept Ridder and drafted Penix, then it's a fine move. I don't think Penix is that guy, but I could be wrong and I would never fault a team for taking a shot at a franchise QB. But the Saints aren't the only team that's makes bad decisions and this was a dumb decision when taken in the context of the Cousins contract and the fact that he left the Vikings because they were going to draft a QB in the first round.

You don’t get to make these “unspoken” rules for teams to not justify how they go about picking their players. If you are grooming a QB, then you are allowed to select a QB wherever you darn well please. That is what the draft is for. If you are picking in the top 10, then by all means grab a QB that is highly rated in the 1st. If you are picking at 29 (what we did in 2023), then by all means take a QB in the in the 4th bc the highly rated guys are gone. Doesn’t matter where you take a guy. If you are grooming them, then groom them. There is no rule against any way a team elects how to do so.

 

[SweetT]

If if's and but's were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas. If Spencer Rattler ends up a top 5 QB we'll look like geniuses. If. We don't know what the future holds and all we can go by is what we know now. And from where I'm sitting I don't understand how anyone can say at this point that the Falcons didn't royally screw the pooch with this QB situation.

The Falcons have 2 main guys at QB. An apparent starter (Kirk) and a rookie to groom. We have a starter, 2 guys that should not be on an NFL roster, and two young guys, who we are all hoping that at least 1 can become an eventual starter. Which situation looks more promising?