Roddy White Dishes On Falcons: Penix vs. Cousins, Wide Receivers
Image Credit: Imagn
We sat down with former NFL Wide Receiver Roddy White and asked him about all things Atlanta Falcons and NFL. Here is the interview:
The Atlanta Falcons have an exciting group on offense and all eyes will be on Michael Penix Jr. Did the second-year quarterback show you enough to be encouraged in his rookie year and what do you make of his game as a whole?
"I saw a lot of good things from him, a lot of good traits and a lot of good characteristics. He can lead and he showed this when he led a really good Washington team when he was in college.
"I was able to watch and go inside the building and I could see by how he moves and how he is in meetings that Kirk Cousins is helping him out a real lot.
"Penix Jr. has been able to see how Cousins goes through the meetings, and you can see this by the way he started to come in once he got the starting job and started to take control of meetings. He'll have definitely learned this from Cousins.
"A lot of times when rookies come in, they're not highly attentive and they might not pay attention because they don't think they're going to play, but Penix Jr. was always ready. He took a lot of notes throughout the meetings, and he had the right temperament throughout his rookie season.
"This meant that when it came to actually starting at quarterback, you could see he was fully prepared to go out there and execute the offense.
"He showed so many good signs. Especially against the Carolina Panthers, when he went out and threw a couple of touchdowns while passing for over 300 yards.
"He is on the brink of becoming a very successful quarterback this year. He's only started three games so far, so he's still learning, but I think he'll solidify himself as a top 15, maybe even top 10 quarterback this year."
Based on what you have seen of Penix Jr. so far, what areas do you think he should look to improve on heading into his second year in the NFL?
"Just getting in and out of the huddle, getting down to the line of scrimmage, being able to identify things a little bit quicker and getting everybody set, which is always a struggle for first year players.
"In the three starts that he did have, a lot of the times, the Falcons would get to the line a little bit later.
"You do see this commonly with rookie quarterbacks, though. Sometimes, they take longer getting a play call in, giving to the rest of the offense and then getting to the line of scrimmage, which leaves less time to try to identify what the defense is doing. So, they're sometimes just playing on the run.
"A couple of times last season, I noticed Penix Jr. was a bit late when it came to getting out of the huddle and to the line of scrimmage.
"That pace has got to be picked up so he can identify coverages and be more successful."
While Kirk Cousins has been valuable to Penix Jr's development, do you think his time in Atlanta is up?
"Right now, the Falcons seem to have no choice but to keep him because of the salary cap situation.
"It's tough because during an NFL season, you never know what can happen and which team's starting quarterbacks are going to get hurt.
"I think the Falcons should look at it as an opportunity to get some draft picks as compensation. But if they don't receive the right offer, they should keep him around as he's a veteran with over a decade of experience who can help Penix Jr. develop even more in his second year.
“It'll be helpful for Penix Jr. to bounce any questions off Cousins and learn just like he did last year.
"So that's why it will be great if they can keep Cousins but if they get the correct trade package for him, then that could be great too."
You were part of an elite receiver duo alongside the recently retired Julio Jones. The Falcons currently have an exciting young duo in Drake London and Darnell Mooney. What do you make of these two as a duo and how good could they be?
"To be honest, I really think they're one of the top five duos in the league, especially from a production standpoint too when you look at last year.
"They did a lot of great things. Drake went over 1,000 yards and Mooney was close to this as well. Drake was in the top five for receiving yards while being one touchdown away from double digits. He caught 100 passes too, which is really good and probably should've made his first Pro Bowl which would've been really exciting for him.
"Drake is a big body receiver who can literally take over the middle of the field and he catches the ball really well. He's been excellent since he got to Atlanta, and he's just been learning and developing each year.
"Then to add a guy like Mooney, who can come in and excel at the things Drake can't do, it shows that these guys just complement each other really well. Mooney is the deep threat who can run really good routes, and it's just exciting for Falcons' fans.
"Penix Jr. is going to have a really good year with these two guys."
Could this be the year that tight end Kyle Pitts breaks out too?
"I love Kyle Pitts. One thing that's been hampering him throughout his career in Atlanta is not being able to have a really good offseason with things like surgeries or rehabbing injuries.
"He's been unlucky in that sense. He needs to have an offseason where he comes in healthy, gets through OTAs, minicamps and spends a full camp getting reps with Penix Jr.
"He's a really big target. He has excellent hands and can run really well. He does a lot of things naturally.
"To accelerate his progression, the Falcons need to find ways to let him do what he did in college.
"He's shown how good he can be though. He had a really good rookie season with Matt Ryan throwing him the ball where he was used similar to how he was used at the University of Florida.
"They have to find ways to get him up the seam and get one-on-one matchups with linebackers and safeties because he'll make a lot of plays on them.
"I think he's going to have a great year this season. He'll be well prepared, and I just want him to stay fully healthy throughout the 17-game season."
Falcons Head Coach Raheem Morris was recently placed in the bottom tier of a CBS coach ranking. What do you think about this?
"Raheem's one of the brighter minds in the game and he's still very young for a coach.
"This is his second opportunity to be a Head Coach. When he first became a Head Coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he was the same age as some of the players that were on the team, and he was even younger than some too.
"After that situation, Raheem went on to take coordinator roles, assistant roles and assistant head coaching roles. These experiences over time will have been great for him and he'll have learned a lot from these roles.
"He's bringing that experience to Atlanta now and however long his tenure lasts, I think he'll be great as Head Coach of the Falcons. He's focused, and he has the right people around him to be successful. He's got such a great team, and he's got the right quarterback in Penix Jr.
"He has a really strong mindset and a clear vision of how he wants his team and staff to look. It's all about roles and everybody doing what they're supposed to do, which usually leads to the best results.
"I think he will climb up very quickly in these polls going forward."
You’ve previously been critical of Kyle Shanahan from his time at the Falcons. In San Francisco, Shanahan has gone close to winning the Super Bowl twice. Do you think he has learned from his previous mistakes, and could he still be the man to guide the 49ers to a Lombardi trophy?
"With the talent they had and with Brock Purdy on a rookie contract, they had a really open window but just couldn't get over the finish line and right now they're in a little bit of a transition.
"Kyle Shanahan is still one of the best play callers in the league, though. The way he sets things up and can orchestrate offences is really good. The 49ers just had bad timing, in my opinion.
"They're going to have to do what the Los Angeles Rams just did. The Rams were contenders and won, then they went through a little bit of a transition, now they're really good again with a bunch of young talent. This is the blueprint for San Francisco.
"Right now, they've got to get a few contracts off their books in terms of the salary cap and start going back to the draft and making sure they nail that.
"I don't know if they'll make the playoffs this year because the NFC is going to be tough again.
“The Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys will be good this year. The Chicago Bears will be improved too and then you've got the Philadelphia Eagles, who are the defending Super Bowl champions.
“So, it will be tough for San Francisco to be in that mix this year, especially because I think only one team from the NFC West will make the playoffs this season.
"But Shanahan is still really good. He's a great offensive mind.
“Head coaching is such a hard thing to do. People think it's easy but it's not, especially when you're the play caller which Shanahan is.
“He's always going to be going over a lot of stuff on the offensive end, showing people pictures, working with the tablets and talking to the players because he's so dedicated to the offensive side of the ball.
“Then as the Head Coach, he's got to see everything else as well, so it's a tough job, but he's handled it well so far.
“They might not have won a Super Bowl, but the success they've had with him as Head Coach has been remarkable.
“He'll continue to be a really good coach so some 49ers fans who doubt him might have to be careful what they wish for, because I don't know if they'll be able to find someone better who'll give them better results than what they've already had in recent years."
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFC South last season. What have you made of Baker Mayfield’s play for the Bucs, and would you say they are the favorites for the division again?
"They have won the division four straight years, so they've pretty much been running the NFC South. Baker has come in and done a lot of great things for that team and he has settled them down.
"Tampa's roster is very talented. They've got a bunch of really good players and a lot of Pro Bowl talent. They're solidified with talent across almost every position. So, they're going to be tough to beat.
"With the NFC South being the way it is, whoever wins it will probably be the only team in the division to make the postseason. It's such a good division though because it's always close and the Falcons can be right there in the mix too, like they were last season.
"The Falcons just have to find a way to finish strong.
"Tampa Bay will be a really tough team to beat. Baker has settled down now and he's turned into a great quarterback. I didn't expect him to be as good as he has been for them, but he's been really special for them."
How much scarier has that Tampa Bay offense gotten with the addition of first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka?
"They are absolutely loaded at the wide receiver position.
"They added Egbuka to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. However, they also have Jalen McMillan from Washington who they picked in the third round last year. He did a great job in his rookie season when Godwin got hurt.
"With that depth at receiver, they'll have an opportunity to have no drop off when it comes to rotating those guys in and out of the huddle. This will keep them fresh during games too.
"They definitely have a guy in Baker who can get these guys the ball, so their offense is going to be really, really good."
Despite winning Super Bowl MVP, there’s been debate about Jalen Hurts and his quality. Some argue that Hurts is elite while others say he is lucky to be in a great team. What is your take on this?
"Jalen Hurts is definitely a top five quarterback in the NFL. It's like a Tom Brady effect when you do what you need to do for your team to win and Hurts does that really well.
"Hurts is very good at reading a football game. If he has to go out there and throw for 350 yards, he's very capable of that. However, if they have to run the ball and Saquon Barkley goes off for 200 yards and Hurts only throws for 150, he's ok with that.
"It's all about whatever it takes to win the game and Hurts doesn't get enough credit for this and for how good he is at reading football games.
"He doesn't get a lot of the credit that Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson get because those guys usually have to go out there week in and week out and win football games almost single-handedly for their teams.
"So, it's a bit of a different dynamic for Hurts because if the defense is getting stops and everything is going well, He won't put himself in situations where he'll turn the ball over and give the game to the other team.
"He does a wonderful job of managing games well, doing what is needed to win and when it's crunch time, he goes out there and delivers every time. When you're doing that, you are most definitely elite.
"There are times when I'm watching games with quarterbacks such as Lamar Jackson and I see them press too hard to try to get over the hump, which leads to mistakes and costs them playoff games.
“You don't really see Hurts do that and that's what makes him such an elite quarterback. At crunch time, he will always put his team in the best situation to win, and he always outperforms the moment.
"This game is about winning and that's all he does."
The New York Jets inked their star receiver, Garrett Wilson, to a big extension before training camp. As a former receiver, what do you like about Wilson’s game and how dominant can he be?
"He's my breakout player for this upcoming season. He's a guy that could go out and get 1,500/1,600 yards this year.
"He has elite quickness, great route running ability, and he's a 4.3 guy in the 40-yard dash so he can get down the field in a flash. There are not many things he can't do, and he has natural pass catching ability.
"The fact he's reuniting with his college quarterback in Justin Fields is big too. He's used to Fields throwing him the ball from their days at Ohio State and now they get to recreate that chemistry at the NFL level. These two are going to be awesome together this year.
"Fields had some success in Chicago with D. J. Moore and Wilson will be a similar type of weapon.
“So, I think Wilson will be special this year for the Jets.
"Ohio State does a great job of constantly producing great NFL wide receivers. They get all the good ones. My guy Brian Hartline is the Offensive Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach, and he recruits well."
The New England Patriots added receiver Stefon Diggs who is coming off a torn ACL. If he can get back to full health, how much help can he be for young quarterback Drake Maye?
"It's going to be really good for Diggs to come in and be ready to go. From what I've seen online of his movements and him running around, he looks good and ready to go.
"Every quarterback, especially young ones, needs a veteran receiver to be a blanket for them. A guy who can bail him out, a guy who can get separation and someone who just consistently makes plays. Stefon Diggs is that guy. He's shown us that throughout his whole career.
"When I saw that the Patriots signed him, I knew it was a great pick up for them because he shows up each and every week. He plays hard, and he does everything he needs to do for the team to win.
"He accelerates a young quarterback's progression too, and he's done this with every quarterback he has played with. Look at the Buffalo Bills when he first teamed up with Josh Allen, they took off immediately.
"He's going to be the guy who can settle Maye down and the Patriots are going to be a lot better this year than a lot of people expect."
While the Patriots had a tough year, what did you like about Drake Maye's rookie season?
"I liked his rookie season a lot. He did a lot of really good things.
"He could control and manage games. They didn't always win, but he had a couple of nice moments in fourth quarter comebacks too, which is special to see from a young guy who is operating the two-minute offense.
"I like how he kept the team in games. He didn't just throw the ball to the other team.
"A lot of times when watching him, it felt like he was right on the brink of carrying the Patriots over the line.
“I remember the game at Buffalo where the Bills just squeaked out a win, but Maye competed at such a high level. He made a lot of plays, executed the offense well, got the ball to his guys and just fell short against a great team. So, he's shown a lot of promise for a young guy.
"He has all the attributes. He's 6'4", 220 pounds and he can make every NFL throw.
"The Patriots need to continue to get more weapons around him. I think they need one or two more guys who are bigger targets that can create separation and go up and get the ball."
The league seems to be littered with elite wide receivers right now. Which team do you think has the best wide receiver duo right now and why? And which one wide receiver in the league would you say is the best and why?
"As a duo, I'd go with the Cincinnati Bengals.
"They have the best wideout in the game right now in Ja'Marr Chase and then Tee Higgins is also up there as one of the best in the game.
"They have a really good quarterback as well in Joe Burrow. Those guys do things exceptionally well. They make a lot of plays and it's special the way they operate together each and every week and what they bring to the table.
"Chase is just unguardable. He's strong, fast and he can break tackles as he's hard to get on the ground. He runs good routes as well, so he's the total package as a wide receiver. He's the one I like for best receiver in the league.
"I got A. J. Brown right up there too because I love his game. I love how he competes and goes out there and dominates. He's another guy who is hard to get on the ground. I love his late hands when he's catching the ball. His attitude within the game and how much pressure he puts on defenses is great.
"So, A. J. is a close second behind Chase, but there are so many elite guys right now at the position.
"CeeDee Lamb is awesome and once the ball touches his hands, he's the best in the league after the catch.
"Justin Jefferson is the smoothest guy I've seen play football at the receiver position since Jerry Rice."
Which current cornerback would you relish the challenge of facing one on one?
"Patrick Surtain II from the Denver Broncos. He's the guy.
"I've watched him a lot. He does everything well, and he travels with the other team's best guy. He reminds me of Darrelle Revis but just a little taller.
"He competes. He likes the challenge of going against the best receivers in the league and he'd be the guy I'd look forward to facing if I was still in the league. In a position where it's so hard to be consistent, he is as consistent as it gets.”
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