Latest news with #MichaelPenixJr
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
DJ Chark turning heads at Falcons camp
The paint isn't even dry on his new contract, but DJ Chark is already making noise in Atlanta. The Falcons shared a quick clip on social media showing the veteran wide receiver hauling in a clean over-the-shoulder grab during practice, adding a fire emoji and tagging the receiver like a proud hype man. A simple post sharing on (formerly Twitter) showing the support on the new signee of the team bringing excitement to fans of what he could be next to the already star studded receiving corps. With questions surrounding Atlanta's wide receiver room outside of Drake London, Chark's performance in camp could be one of the under-the-radar storylines worth watching. He's been a starter in this league. He's gone for 1,000 yards. And when healthy, he's still one of the fastest, most vertical threats in the league. The connection with rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. could be a key subplot heading into preseason. Whether he ends up as WR2 or a deep-threat specialist, Chark's ability to stretch the field adds another layer to a retooled Falcons offense. It's just one catch. One rep. One tweet. But for a team looking to bounce back and turn potential into production, moments like these are exactly how you start to build trust. Chark's heating up. The Falcons took notice. So should the rest of the league.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
LOOK: Matt Ryan makes appearance at Falcons training camp
The Atlanta Falcons had a special visitor in attendance as they went through their third training camp practice on Sunday morning. Former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan brought his sons down to the Flowery Branch facility to get a closer look at this year's team. Ryan, who started for Atlanta from 2008 to 2021, has made the transition to television analyst following his retirement. The former league MVP met with second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. over the offseason to pass along some wisdom. Penix, who is entering his first full season as the Falcons' starting QB, said he received advice on how to plan for the offseason from Ryan. Since the team has not made the playoffs since Ryan was still playing for Atlanta, it can't hurt. During his 14-year run with the Falcons, Ryan passed for 59,735 yards, 367 touchdowns and 171 interceptions. The former third overall pick made four Pro Bowls, one All-Pro team, and was the 2008 Offensive Rookie of the Year. Penix started the final three games of the 2024 season in relief of Kirk Cousins, passing for 775 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He also rushed for a score on the ground during his impressive 312-yard, three-touchdown performance in the season finale. The future looks bright with Penix under center as the team attempts to finally snap its seven-year playoff drought in 2025. This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan makes appearance at training camp
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Bijan Robinson is preparing for another busy season as falcons' do-it-all running back
Michael Penix Jr. enters his first full season as Atlanta's starting quarterback with the good fortune of knowing Bijan Robinson has been both productive and durable as the focus of the Falcons offense at running back. Robinson was a do-it-all back for Atlanta in 2024, his second pro season. He ranked third in the league with 1456 yards rushing and third among all running backs with 61 catches. He tied for fifth with 14 rushing touchdowns and was fourth with 304 carries. While Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley was voted the NFL's top running back by The Associated Press entering the season, Robinson was included in the top five. Now after Penix made only three starts as a rookie to close last season, the Falcons can be expected to take advantage again of their strong running game with Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. 'You have to get him the rock,' Penix said at the start of training camp. 'It's simple as that. It doesn't matter how we do it. Somehow, some way, he's got to have the rock.' Robinson said he learned more about preparing for another busy season by working out with San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey in California this offseason. 'It was great,' Robinson said. 'Me and him just giving each other so many tips and feeding off knowledge from each other on the field. … We worked together the whole month. I got to see how he worked. He got to see how I worked. It was really cool, two guys coming together trying to make each other better. He taught me some nuance moves on the field and I did the same for him.' The challenge for coach Raheem Morris is to make the most of Robinson's production while not overextending his workload. 'You definitely want to protect that kind of unique athlete,' Morris said, adding that Robinson doesn't need a governor as an artificial cap on his number of carries. 'He's certainly one of those guys that can carry the load,' Morris said. 'Certainly one of the guys that has carried the load for us. And you could definitely do that. But we just happen to have some really good backs, you know? ... We have a luxury of having a guy like Tyler on our team.' Allgeier rushed for 1035 yards as a rookie in 2022 and averaged 4.7 yards per carry while rushing for 644 yards on a career-low 137 carries last season. There is an emphasis on creating opportunities to use Allgeier more this season. 'We've got to find ways to get Tyler on the field to find ways to feature him on the field,' Morris said. It wouldn't be a surprise to see more two-running back sets, perhaps with defenses having to monitor Robinson put in motion as a receiver while Allgeier remains lined up behind Penix. General manager Terry Fontenot said Sunday that Kirk Cousins has been the ultimate professional after losing his starting job to Penix last season and returning as a backup despite speculation the veteran could be traded. 'Outside, it's a lot more of a big deal than it is in the building,' Fontenot said of the questions about Cousins' status. 'He shows up. He does his job just like anybody. ... He's been a great professional. He's handled himself well.' Fontenot said backup quarterback Easton Stick, who worked out with wide receiver D.J. Chark in the offseason after the two were Los Angeles Chargers teammates last season, passed along a recommendation that the Falcons look at signing the veteran. Chark worked out at the Falcons facility on Friday and signed in time to have his first practice on Saturday. The timing was convenient as starter Darnell Mooney is expected to miss several weeks with a shoulder injury.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bijan Robinson is preparing for another busy season as Falcons' do-it-all running back
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga (AP) — Michael Penix Jr. enters his first full season as Atlanta's starting quarterback with the good fortune of knowing Bijan Robinson has been both productive and durable as the focus of the Falcons' offense at running back. Robinson was a do-it-all back for Atlanta in 2024, his second pro season. He ranked third in the league with 1,456 yards rushing and third among all running backs with 61 catches. He tied for fifth with 14 rushing touchdowns and was fourth with 304 carries. While Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley was voted the NFL's top running back by The Associated Press entering the season, Robinson was included in the top five. Now, after Penix made only three starts as a rookie to close last season, the Falcons can be expected to take advantage again of their strong running game with Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. 'You have to get him the rock,' Penix said at the start of training camp. "It's simple as that. It doesn't matter how we do it. Somehow, some way he's got to have the rock.' Robinson said he learned more about preparing for another busy season by working out with San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey in California this offseason. 'It was great,' Robinson said. 'Me and him just giving each other so many tips and feeding off knowledge from each other on the field. … We worked together the whole month. I got to see how he worked. He got to see how I worked. It was really cool two guys coming together trying to make each other better. He taught me some nuance moves on the field and I did the same for him.' The challenge for coach Raheem Morris is to make the most of Robinson's production while not overextending his workload. 'You definitely want to protect that kind of unique athlete,' Morris said, adding that Robinson 'doesn't need a governor' as an artificial cap on his number of carries. 'He's certainly one of those guys that can carry the load,' Morris said. 'Certainly one of the guys that has carried the load for us. And you could definitely do that. But we just happen to have some really good backs, you know? ... We have a luxury of having a guy like Tyler on our team.' Allgeier rushed for 1,035 yards as a rookie in 2022 and averaged 4.7 yards per carry while rushing for 644 yards on a career-low 137 carries last season. There is an emphasis on creating opportunities to use Allgeier more this season. 'We've got to find ways to get Tyler on the field, to find ways to feature him on the field,' Morris said. It wouldn't be a surprise to see more two-running back sets, perhaps with defenses having to monitor Robinson put in motion as a receiver while Allgeier remains lined up behind Penix. Kudos for Cousins General manager Terry Fontenot said Sunday that Kirk Cousins has been 'the ultimate professional' after losing his starting job to Penix last season and returning as a backup, despite speculation the veteran could be traded. 'Outside, it's a lot more of a big deal than it is in the building,' Fontenot said of the questions about Cousins' status. 'He shows up. He does his job just like anybody. ... He's been a great professional. He's handled himself well." Tip from Stick Fontenot said backup quarterback Easton Stick, who worked out with wide receiver D.J. Chark in the offseason after the two were Los Angeles Chargers teammates last season, passed along a recommendation that the Falcons look at signing the veteran. Chark worked out at the Falcons' facility on Friday and signed in time to have his first practice on Saturday. The timing was convenient, as starter Darnell Mooney is expected to miss several weeks with a shoulder injury. ___ AP NFL:
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Bijan Robinson is preparing for another busy season as Falcons' do-it-all running back
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga (AP) — Michael Penix Jr. enters his first full season as Atlanta's starting quarterback with the good fortune of knowing Bijan Robinson has been both productive and durable as the focus of the Falcons' offense at running back. Robinson was a do-it-all back for Atlanta in 2024, his second pro season. He ranked third in the league with 1,456 yards rushing and third among all running backs with 61 catches. He tied for fifth with 14 rushing touchdowns and was fourth with 304 carries. While Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley was voted the NFL's top running back by The Associated Press entering the season, Robinson was included in the top five. Now, after Penix made only three starts as a rookie to close last season, the Falcons can be expected to take advantage again of their strong running game with Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. 'You have to get him the rock,' Penix said at the start of training camp. 'It's simple as that. It doesn't matter how we do it. Somehow, some way he's got to have the rock.' Robinson said he learned more about preparing for another busy season by working out with San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey in California this offseason. 'It was great,' Robinson said. 'Me and him just giving each other so many tips and feeding off knowledge from each other on the field. … We worked together the whole month. I got to see how he worked. He got to see how I worked. It was really cool two guys coming together trying to make each other better. He taught me some nuance moves on the field and I did the same for him.' The challenge for coach Raheem Morris is to make the most of Robinson's production while not overextending his workload. 'You definitely want to protect that kind of unique athlete,' Morris said, adding that Robinson 'doesn't need a governor' as an artificial cap on his number of carries. 'He's certainly one of those guys that can carry the load,' Morris said. 'Certainly one of the guys that has carried the load for us. And you could definitely do that. But we just happen to have some really good backs, you know? ... We have a luxury of having a guy like Tyler on our team.' Allgeier rushed for 1,035 yards as a rookie in 2022 and averaged 4.7 yards per carry while rushing for 644 yards on a career-low 137 carries last season. There is an emphasis on creating opportunities to use Allgeier more this season. 'We've got to find ways to get Tyler on the field, to find ways to feature him on the field,' Morris said. It wouldn't be a surprise to see more two-running back sets, perhaps with defenses having to monitor Robinson put in motion as a receiver while Allgeier remains lined up behind Penix. Kudos for Cousins General manager Terry Fontenot said Sunday that Kirk Cousins has been 'the ultimate professional' after losing his starting job to Penix last season and returning as a backup, despite speculation the veteran could be traded. 'Outside, it's a lot more of a big deal than it is in the building,' Fontenot said of the questions about Cousins' status. 'He shows up. He does his job just like anybody. ... He's been a great professional. He's handled himself well.' Tip from Stick Fontenot said backup quarterback Easton Stick, who worked out with wide receiver D.J. Chark in the offseason after the two were Los Angeles Chargers teammates last season, passed along a recommendation that the Falcons look at signing the veteran. Chark worked out at the Falcons' facility on Friday and signed in time to have his first practice on Saturday. The timing was convenient, as starter Darnell Mooney is expected to miss several weeks with a shoulder injury. ___ AP NFL:
