The Atlanta Falcons grabbed most of the headlines in last week’s NFL Draft for all the wrong reasons, and one analyst dismissed their efforts to compare themselves to the Green Bay Packers.
The Falcons selected Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit last week.
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This raised eyebrows across the NFL world, as Atlanta had recently signed Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal worth $180 million.
As long as Cousins remains injury-free, Penix likely won’t see action as a starter for years to come.
The Falcons tried to explain the move by comparing it to what the Green Bay Packers did in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Packers selected Jordan Love in the first round of the draft to be Aaron Rodgers’ backup.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah didn’t believe it when he appeared on the Pat McAfee Show.
They came and used the Green Bay model as an explanation,” Jeremiah said.
“I felt the same way before and now I feel the same way, which is apples and oranges.
“Kirk Cousins didn’t play there.
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“He has no assets with his teammates, he has no assets with the organization, he has no assets with the city.
“The first bad game Kirk Cousins had – he still didn’t do anything for them. Now you’re creating this whole dynamic of, ‘Okay, where’s the next guy, we’ve got a No. 8 pick here waiting to come in.’
“So that dynamic is interesting to me and could be more fuel than what was going on there with Green Bay.”
McAfee, as is his trademark, certainly didn’t hold back in his opinions.
The presenter classified the change as “stupid”, citing a series of areas, including chemistry, fiscal and teammate strategy.
Falcons coach Raheem Morris has defended the move in recent days.
“We made a decision, this is what we plan to do,” Morris said.
“And Kirk doesn’t have to look over his shoulder every time he makes a bad pass.
“So I know I’m going to have to tell you guys a time or two that that’s not the case.
“Like, we’re here to win and we’re here to win everything. We’re here to win as much as we can.”
Morris replaced the fired Arthur Smith in January.
The Falcons finished 7-10 in the 2023 NFL season for third place in the NFC South.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
