Michael Penix Jr, Atlanta Falcons QB

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And say hello to caring for your home the easier way. Download Thumbtack and start a project today. Alright, it is the Infinity Sports Network. That's right, it is the Zach Gelb show. We should be joined momentarily by the eighth overall pick of the NFL Draft and Michael Penix Jr. We know that was the biggest story from the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Falcons season will actually open up with them at home going up against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the former Falcons head coach in Arthur Smith is now the offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers with Russell Wilson most likely going to be quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season. Right now joining us on the Zach Gelb show. Once again, we always love when we get him on as the number eight overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

He of course is Michael Penix Jr. And he's here today on behalf of Sharpie, the iconic pen and permanent marker brand. Michael, first off, congratulations on being the eighth overall pick of the draft about a month ago. Thanks so much for doing this and how you been? I appreciate it. I've been good. You know, I'm just super blessed. You know, just been working, you know, just trying to get better each and every day.

How has that adjustment been personally? We all know what you did at Washington for two seasons. You overcame a lot of adversity that you suffered at Indiana, but the college career is now behind you. Now you start this new journey, this new chapter as a professional quarterback in the NFL with the Falcons. Yeah, man, it's a blessing. You know, everything I've been through, you know, I feel like prepared and, you know, help me get to where I'm at today, and I'm super excited for the opportunity.

I'm super excited for my future, and I can't wait to get it rolling. So now we know back in college, right with what you did the last two years, you were a highly touted quarterback. You got an invite to the Heisman Trophy presentation this past year. We knew you were going to go in the first round. But when I was watching the draft and you went eighth overall to the Falcons, you know, this it surprised a lot of people because they had Kirk Cousins.

Just take me through and relive that phone call from a little bit about a month ago when the Falcons called you. You found out where you're going to start your NFL journey. I mean, I was super excited. You know, I was excited for, you know, going through it throughout the drive process. I know I had I had a meeting with them. You know, it was actually an off-field workout.

I had an on-field workout with them and they were they are impressed. They like the things that I did and you know, they believed in me, you know, and that's that's all that you can ever ask for. You know, somebody to believe in you and I'm blessed to be able to have this opportunity. I'm gonna take full advantage of it, but it was a great night. You know, it's a great moment.

Something that I forever remember and forever cherish. So I'm just super excited and blessed. There's always so much talk about the quarterbacks leading into the draft and some of its fair.

Some of its unfair. I had no clue where you were going to go. I just knew you were going to go somewhere in the first round. Some days it seemed like you were rising up draft boards. Other days, it seemed like you were falling. Did you feel at all? You were at least a little bit disrespected the draft process or when you look back at it, you go, hey, whatever that noise was, was just noise. I ended up being a top 10 pick.

Yeah, you can't really focus on that stuff. You know, as far as the draft rise and fall and I don't know why it would fall. I don't I don't know.

I mean, in my opinion, I don't know. You know, I feel like I did a lot of great things. A lot of the right things, you know, obviously I'm not perfect. I got a lot of things that I can be better at. And that's things I'm working on now, you know, but I definitely, you know, feel like, you know, I was always trying to prove my I was always proving my case, you know, and the person that, you know, I know I am and the person that, you know, that has been through a lot to get to this point. You know, nobody really understand, you know, or could ever get that feeling of what I felt to be here. You know, and the joy and the, you know, excitement for the opportunity.

You know, it's it's it's a whole different feeling whenever you you've been through some of the stuff I've been through, you know. So it's like I just thought that's why I always say I'm blessed, you know, I'm blessed, you know, for I'm blessed with opportunity. And like I said, I'm gonna take full advantage of the opportunity, you know, right now I'm learning under Kirk and, you know, but I know whenever my number is called, I'm be ready. Obviously, as Michael Penick Jr. is here with us, football fans know what you're about, but there are some NFL fans that don't watch college football for fans that have not been able to watch you the last few years because they're just focused on the NFL.

What are the Falcons getting in Michael Penick Jr.? Yeah, I would say you're going to get a winner. You're going to get a guy that's going to, you know, help elevate everybody around them as well. You know, that's that's that's the thing that I love to do. You know, just give my guys a chance. That's what my college coaches always tell me. You know, give your guys a chance, you know, especially things that happen. And obviously, you know, just touching your ability, you know.

So me, I believe in my abilities and I know what I can do on the field. I can't wait to show you and I don't know if we're going to win some. I know you kept on talking about no one's perfect and there's some things that you've been working on. What are the parts of the game? I know you're going to probably tell me everything, but what are some specific parts that you're trying to get better at? I mean, each and every day is a process, you know, obviously, you know, going into the next level, you know, getting a whole new playbook. You know, you got to work on that.

You got to work on getting that connection with the guys. And at the same time, you're trying to build a routine, you know, something that you can stick to, you know, throughout your career so that you're always, you know, putting yourself in a position to be great. So, you know, for me, it's mainly those things, you know, those are the biggest things right now. You know, obviously I didn't have to deal with some of those things in college, you know, but now that I'm here in the league, you know, it's a whole different story. But, I mean, on the field, you know, it's a lot of things, you know, that, you know, I can clean up, you know, that I've been working on as well, too.

But, you know, the whole mental part of it, that's the thing that's going to separate you, you know, I feel like in this league. So, everybody's talented. Everybody's talented. Michael Penick Jr. here with us on behalf of Sharpie. How has the relationship been so far with Kirk Cousins? Yeah, man, it's been great, you know. He's a great guy. He's a great leader, you know. Man, he's smart. He's real smart, you know.

So, I always just sit in the back, you know, sometimes and just watch him, what he do, you know, how he does it, you know, so that I can incorporate that into my game and, you know, so that I can be able to, you know, be able to operate at a high level in this league because obviously he's been doing it for a long time, you know, and it's a lot to be able to take from him. So, he's a guy to talk to and, you know, like I said, he's a leader, you know, everybody always looks at him whenever, you know, it's any questions and, you know, he knows his stuff, so. I saw after you got drafted, he did reach out to you. What was that conversation like? What did he say to you, just wondering?

Oh, after that, the draft, it was just, you know, he was just welcoming me and telling me that he's excited to get to work with me. And you know what's going to happen. Everyone's going to pin you up against Kirk and people are going to try to make this a distraction. How do you guys try to prevent that from becoming a distraction to the team?

Just wondering. I mean, we just, we grown men, you know, we not worried about, you know, the outside noise, you know, we just want to win football games. So, at the end of the day, we all got the same goal. So, there's no reason for, you know, me and Kirk to be bumping heads or anything like that, you know, I don't know why people, you know, think that or expect that, you know, but we all want to win football games and, you know, coach going to do what's best for the team and, you know, that's what, that's how it works. And, you know, like I said, you know, I'm going to learn, I'm going to develop, continue to, you know, get better. And whenever my number is called, you know, I know I'm going to be ready.

So, that's all I can do. So, now you're NFL ready. We just saw Jordan Love have to sit for two years. How do you kind of balance that? Because, you know, the competitor in you is going to want to get on the field, but by design, they're going to try to play Kirk here for a year or two, you would think, right?

You said, but what's the question though about it? So, how do you kind of balance the competitive nature? Because you're going to want to get on the field, but you have Kirk that's going to be on the field by design so far early on. Yeah, I mean, you know, you competing every day, every day you competing, you know, but it's, it's like, you know, for me, it's just, you know, just understanding, you know, that, you know, I feel like my family, they always told me ever since like I got drafted, like, man, you're here for a reason, you know, God put you in this position for a reason.

So, I just truly trust that, you know, and that's how, that's how I go about my day. Like, you know, I'm in this position for a reason, you know, take advantage of it, take full advantage of it, you know, be happy that I'm in it, you know, because a lot of people, you know, even though I'm not starting this year, but a lot of people want to be drafted top 10 and, you know, go to the National Championship, you know, but like, it's hard, it's hard, but, you know, so for me, I just, you know, continue to stay my, stay with, be me, you know, stay within myself and, you know, you know, just doing whatever I can to help this team win football games, so. You know, you know what you're doing clearly, I don't know if you need extra motivation, it doesn't seem that way, but Jordan Love just had to sit for two years. Do you have any relationship with him and now seeing the quarterback he's become, is that inspirational, probably having to travel a journey similarly to what you did? Yeah, I mean, I have, I don't have a relationship with him, I never seen him before, you know, but obviously, like you said, man, he's a great player, you know, and, you know, for him to be on the A-Rod for two years, you know, I feel like it definitely helped, you know, and for him with his developing, you know, the way that he goes about his business each and every day, you know, just watching a vet do it, you know, and obviously Aaron Rodgers doing it at a high level as well, you know, I feel like, you know, that was something that, you know, definitely could have possibly helped him as well.

So, you know, for me, I just take that same approach, like do whatever you can to get better, you know, learn, you know, continue to develop each and every day, you know, and just go about each and every day like it's a game day, you know, like practice, I'm going about practice like it's a game day, taking game time reps, stuff like that, you know, so that whenever I do get put in that position, you know, I've already been there, so. Michael Penick Jr. is here with us. How about the rest of your team? You know, I know we just talked about you and Kirk for about eight minutes or so, but you look at this offense, there's some loaded talent starting with Bijan, you got Drake London, Kyle Pitts, it seems like it's going to be a fun offense to be a part of. Yeah, for sure, man, we got a lot of weapons, you know, Dunnell Mooney, Ritter, McLeod, like they're all good, man, we got a lot of guys, Tyler Algier, like, man, we're loaded, you know, so it's like, you know, I'm super excited, you know, for the future, super excited, you know, for this season, you know, just being able to see those guys do what they do, and I've been seeing it for a couple of weeks now, and, you know, it's special, so I'm super, super excited, blessed to be a part of it, so. Last thing I'll ask you before we talk about Sharpie is a wrap it up of Michael Penick Jr. I love your story, you know, I watched a ton of Washington football, we know Kalen DeBoer very well, who's obviously now at Alabama, but you were counted out after Indiana with all the injuries, and what you did the last two years was truly, truly special, and it was so cool to watch. When you look back at what happened the last two years, how were you able when you were counted out to ignore that noise and not only succeed, but be an elite quarterback in college football? Like I said, I go back to just being you and just knowing who you are as a person, and as a player, you know, for me, you know, I knew who I was, you know, I knew the abilities that I had, and I knew that, you know, it was just a matter of time, you know, I was held back from injuries each year, you know, wasn't able to, you know, come into the season in the spot where I wanted to, and once I was able to do that, you know, had the offseason, you know, it was all a goal, you know, I was super excited, you know, but we won at Indiana as well, you know, so just, you know, I feel like for me, you know, just always doing whatever I can to help the team win football games, that's my biggest objective, you know, because that's the biggest goal, you know, is winning, and I've been blessed to be able to do it for a while, and I look forward to continue to keep winning, you know, but man, like all the adversity, you know, it built me into, you know, coach, my OC coach, girl, he used to always say, man, you're metal, and he sounds like you're built into metal, like, you know, so I just go about each and every day like that, you know, and just go put it all out on the field. All right, tell me about what you're doing today with Sharpie, the platform is yours, my friend.

Yeah, I got a partnership with Sharpie, you know, you know, I've been working with them for a while now, and just mainly talking about the SGL pin, you know, which is a high performance pin, you know, you know, as a lefty, you don't get the smear, no smudge, no bleed, you know, and obviously for my future contracts, I got a future contract coming soon that I haven't signed yet, you know, I'll be using a Sharpie SGL pin, and obviously Sharpie is a big part of sports, you know, obviously from a little kid, you know, just getting people, getting athletes to sign your football, everybody always had a Sharpie, you know, so it's a blessing to be able to work with them, so. Have you signed your rookie contract yet? Not yet. Are we closing in on that? Is that close? Is that right around the corner? It'll be right in time. You got it.

Well, Michael Penick Jr. was named one of Sharpie's inaugural rookies of the year in February as a Sharpie rookie of the year, Michael Xousa used Sharpie products throughout his first year in the NFL, including the signing of that first professional contract. Michael, always great to catch up with you, good luck, thank you. Thank you. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance.

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