Atlanta, GA
Michael Penix Jr. Pleased with Atlanta Falcons Debut: ‘I Did OK’
With Kirk Cousins scheduled to be the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons in 2024, it was an excellent, and somewhat rare, opportunity for a first-round quarterback like Michael Penix Jr. to get extensive action in the preseason.
Penix had a solid debut on Friday night against the Miami Dolphins, going 9 for 16 passing for 104 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. He showed off the arm that made him a top-10 pick in April’s NFL Draft.
Every @themikepenix completion in his NFL debut 💪https://t.co/4yVnQQsWkZ pic.twitter.com/3TThF3Lhda
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) August 10, 2024
After the game, Penix was asked to self scout and give his thoughts on his performance.
“I feel like I did OK,” Penix said after the game. “You know, some things that you know definitely want to get better. I feel like I executed the offense the best that I could. I had one mistake. One mistake, the fans, they wouldn’t have noticed it, but in our offense, I know it.
“Other than that, you know, just trying to get points on the board. Whenever I was out there was able to get some points. We want to score every drive, we ended in field goal. I’m not sure how many times but you know I want to score. But it’s always room for improvement.”
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Penix was pressed on the one mistake he made.
“I looked the wrong way on the play, but I found a check down,” Penix said with a grin.
Players are almost always asked about their first experience, when it felt real to them being on the field in an NFL uniform, but Penix took it all in stride.
“It was fun to be able to be out there compete, you know, with my brothers,” Penix said. “I’ve been having fun out there, just going out there, playing playing a game. I’ve been playing since I was 5 years old,” said Penix. “So no nerves, no jitters. Just ready to go.”
Penix was happy to see a different uniform out there. He thinks the familiarity of facing one’s own defense actually makes practices harder than having the element of surprise against an opponent.
“I always say the game is easier than practice.” Penix said. “I don’t know why; I think it’s because our defense sees our looks so many times, it’s harder to get completion against them. But in the game I feel like the routes be wide open and you know it be slower; it’s slower than practice.
“So I was good.”
Michael Penix Jr. was good in his debut for the Atlanta Falcons. He’s a tantalizing piece the Falcons plan to have in reserve the next-two seasons as long as Cousins performs to the level he’s accustomed to… and stays healthy.
ATLANTA – A major crash involving eight vehicles shut down all southbound lanes of the Downtown Connector early Friday morning, causing significant traffic delays near University Avenue.
What we know:
The crash was reported on Interstate 75/Interstate 85 just before University Avenue, with injuries confirmed at the scene. Traffic was being diverted off the connector at Interstate 20, Exit 247, while the entrance ramp from I-20 to the connector southbound was also closed. Drivers were advised to use Exit 56A to McDaniel Street or alternate routes including Metropolitan Parkway or Interstate 285. The scene was cleared and lanes began reopening around 6:30 a.m. FOX 5 Atlanta is waiting for a final report on what happened.
A separate serious injury crash was also reported in DeKalb County on Lawrenceville Highway westbound between Montreal Road and Interstate 285. All lanes were blocked, and authorities said the incident involved a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. Both investigations were ongoing. The scene was cleared and lanes reopened around 6:45 a.m., according to Georgia Department of Transportation.
The Atlanta Falcons are in the process of hiring a new head coach and general manager, but that doesn’t mean the team is completely cleaning house. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has done an incredible job with the Falcons defense since replacing Jimmy Lake in the offseason.
The Falcons would prefer to keep Ulbrich, as team owner Arthur Blank stated, but the new head coach will have the final say. According to a report from ESPN’s Todd Archer, Atlanta blocked the Dallas Cowboys’ request to interview Ulbrich on Thursday.
“The Cowboys were denied by Atlanta to talk with Jeff Ulbrich for DC job, according to sources,” wrote Archer. “He remains under contract [with] the Falcons despite their search for a head coach. A potential interview can be revisited later if they hire a [head coach], who has a different coordinator in mind.”
Blank discussed Ulbrich’s impact during his Thursday press conference and said he was impressed with the work he did with the team’s rookie draft class. James Pearce Jr. led all rookies in sacks with 10.5 this season, while third-round pick Xavier Watts racked up a rookie-high five interceptions as the team’s starting safety.
“You can’t dictate to the new head coach who their coordinators would be, but I’d certainly recommend to the new head coach to consider Ulbrich,” Blank said of the Falcons’ current defensive coordinator.
It sounds like the Falcons aren’t going to let Ulbrich out of their sights, and it’s hard to blame them. The Falcons defensive coordinator helped the team record a franchise-record 57 sacks this season, just one year after finishing 31st in the NFL with just 31 sacks.
Follow along with each request and interview with our Falcons head coach tracker.
The tower at 1105 W. Peachtree St., which bears Google’s logo, recently secured a new loan at a time many landlords are struggling to do so.
1105 West Peachtree (Google Tower in Midtown) is shown Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Atlanta. The Google Tower is one of the developments done by Selig Enterprises. (Jason Getz/AJC)
It hasn’t been easy the past few years to be an office landlord.
Many tenants shrunk their workspaces coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning buildings that lost rental revenue also lost value. Interest rates surged. Many banks got gun shy over having too much money lent to office tower owners, and a whole lot of loans have been coming due.
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The tower at 1105 W Peachtree St. in Midtown Atlanta is one of the city’s newest office buildings.
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Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He’s been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people’s lives.
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