Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. Lefty Spin 'Definitely Different,' But Is It an Issue?

Is Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr.'s left-handed nature problematic? Here's what teammates and his position coach said.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is one of the NFL's few left-handed passers. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

At 11:50 a.m. on May 10, Michael Penix Jr. looked to his right and fired a pass to quarterbacks coach T.J. Yates.

It's a day full of firsts - the Atlanta Falcons' first rookie minicamp practice, Penix's first time taking the field in his helmet and No. 9 jersey, and Yates's first opportunity to catch passes from a left-handed quarterback in a timeframe so long he doesn't remember when it was.

Yates, who spent seven years as an NFL quarterback but was Atlanta's receivers coach for the past two seasons, stuck his hands out to catch Penix's pass - but watched as the ball slid right through his hands.

The play has been recounted several times in Atlanta's quarterbacks room, with Yates subjected to several jokes from his colleagues. He playfully said there was wind and his hands were slick, sarcastically dodging blame for the dropped pass.

But the reality of the situation is this: Penix's left-handed spin caught Yates by surprise.

"It is weird," Yates said last week. "It's different - it spins different, trails different, how it kind of falls off in certain directions and stuff. And he's got a good arm, so it's coming with some zip on it."

The Falcons selected Penix at No. 8 overall in April's draft, citing conviction in his long-term future under center as enough reason to override any short-term concern about his role with $180-million passer Kirk Cousins manning the starting role for the foreseeable future.

When Penix arrived at Falcons headquarters in Flowery Branch the day before rookie minicamp, he quickly proved why this belief exists, arranging a walkthrough with a large crop of the 40 participants.

Sixth-round receiver Casey Washington was among those in the group, and he and Penix quickly formed a strong bond during minicamp and OTAs. Still, Washington took note of Penix's lefty spin - though to him, little changes within his approach.

"It's definitely different," Washington said. "But as a receiver, it's, 'See ball, get ball,' so (when) that ball is in the air, I just got to attack it."

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Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts, who's set to enter his fourth professional campaign this fall, said catching passes from Penix is the first time he's seen lefty spin - and he's far from alone in that category.

Last season, only one left-handed quarterback - the Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa - started an NFL regular season contest. Penix and Tagovailoa are the only active lefties currently on NFL rosters and represent two of 11 left-handers to enter the sport's highest level since 2000.

But as was the case with Washington, Pitts doesn't view Penix's left-handedness as a problem.

"It just spins the other way," Pitts said. "The ball is still going to hit you in the face if you don't catch it."

An early consensus about Penix has formed from players and coaches in Flowery Branch: The 24-year-old has a powerful left arm capable of generating lots of zip.

Drake London, Atlanta's leading receiver in each of his two seasons since entering the league in 2022, previously dubbed Penix as a "freaking baller" while touting his arm strength. Pitts agrees.

"He can spin it," Pitts said. "I like him. I watched him coming out of college - he's a great player and I'm excited to see what he does."

In essence, those on the receiving end of Penix's passes faced an adjustment phase with his lefty spin, but there's no real problem with it. The same is true for Yates and Atlanta's coaching staff.

Nearly three weeks into their practice time together, Yates and Penix are still getting to know each other. Penix is the first-lefty quarterback Yates has coached, which has created a learning curve for Yates in his first season back working with signal callers.

A right-handed quarterback in his own who's been surrounded by those of the same hand his entire coaching journey, Yates has been in for something of a culture shock while trying to re-program his brain when talking and illustrating concepts to Penix.

"That is tough," Yates said, chuckling. "That is very tough, because you've got to flip your brain. Whether you're talking about footwork - for a right-handed quarterback, it's a seven-step, an eight-step. All these different things, you've got to flip it in your head."

Yates has had his fair share of slip-ups thus far, but fortunately for the Falcons, Penix can understand and flip the message - after all, it's nothing he's not used to.

"When I accidentally say something from a right-handed perspective, he's like, 'Yeah, I gotcha. I've been dealing with this my whole life,'" Yates said. "So, he's been pretty good about it."

Yates has been aided in the process of working with Penix by speaking with Dolphins senior offensive assistant Chandler Henley, who was the Falcons' assistant offensive line coach in 2021 while Yates served as Atlanta's passing game specialist.

Henley left the Falcons for the Dolphins in 2022, becoming the assistant quarterbacks coach and working alongside Tagovailoa for the following two years. After drafting Penix, Yates and Henley discussed methods of coaching lefty passers.

Henley told Yates to start thinking inversely, essentially re-programming his mind when coaching and speaking to Penix. While a steep adjustment, Yates said Penix's lefty status is a good thing and doesn't really make a big difference.

And so, when considering the testimonies of Yates and both Washington and Pitts, a consensus is forming around Penix and any positives and negatives to his powerful left arm.

"It definitely is (different)," Yates said. "Just the way it falls off a different direction. It takes a little bit of judgement. If you've got two different JUGS machines, where one spins right, one spins left, (receivers are) going to go catch from both sides. So, it takes a little bit of getting used to.

"It's a little bit different for sure, because there's not a lot of lefty quarterbacks in football."

Penix is just the third lefty quarterback in Falcons history, joining Tony Graziani and Michael Vick. The day after he was drafted, Penix said Vick was his favorite quarterback and he grew up donning Vick's cleats.

And so, while Penix isn't necessarily unique in Falcons lore with his left-handedness, he remains a new phenomenon for many around him - but no matter if it's a player or coach, the adjustment phase is far from problematic.

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