Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris acknowledged during his Wednesday media availability that he was surprised to find himself in the position of making a quarterback change considering how this year has played out.
“We were playing extremely well,” he said. “So I’d be telling you a story if I didn’t tell you I was surprised right now how the last couple of weeks have gone and how we haven’t been able to turn around and play a little bit better at the position in order to keep things going how we had.”
The Falcons benched starting quarterback Kirk Cousins on Tuesday and announced rookie Michael Penix Jr. as the new starter. The decision came after Atlanta signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract in March and he began this season leading what was a top offense in the NFL.
“You got to adapt. You gotta adjust. You gotta persist,” Morris said of the decision. “You got to deal and keep it moving, and that’s just what we’re doing.”
Later on Wednesday, Cousins said he understood the decision based on his play.
“It’s pro football. There’s a standard that I have for myself, that the team has for me,” he said. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t playing up to that standard consistently enough. It is what it is. You roll with it.”
After learning of his demotion and driving home, Cousins said he called Penix to tell him he had his full support.
“I like to shoot elephants in the room,” he said.
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Falcons bench Kirk Cousins for rookie Michael Penix Jr. amid struggles
Morris said Falcons owner Arthur Blank was “involved” in the move, which came a day after the Falcons snapped a four-game losing streak to improve to 7-7 and remain in the hunt for the NFC South championship. However, Cousins’ form in the victory seemed to match what Falcons coaches saw in the previous four games.
Over the last five games, Cousins threw nine interceptions and one touchdown and ranked 33rd in the league in expected points added per dropback (minus-.14).
Cousins said he is not injured and his confidence never wavered despite the results.
“If anything maybe you need less confidence to not try to force the ball into tight windows,” he said. “You have to make great decisions all the time. If you don’t, you pay for it.
“I didn’t forget how to play quarterback. Certainly, the turnovers were not what you want, but I didn’t forget how to play.”
Morris said the Falcons hoped Cousins would find a way to improve, but the team needed to make a change to continue its push for the postseason.
“I brought Kirk in here with full expectation that we could win a championship with Kirk,” Morris said. “For whatever reason, whatever has happened the last couple weeks, it just hasn’t felt that way.
“I had a lot of confidence that he would get back to his form, and we just didn’t, you know, for whatever reasons.”
Morris said Cousins will be Penix’s backup in the Week 16 matchup against New York and that, so far, he’s handled the demotion professionally.
“I talked with him last night and, you know, obviously, wasn’t always the best time to talk about it. But he definitely expressed to me (he) was gonna be the best No. 2 quarterback in the National Football League.”
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(Photo of Michael Penix Jr.: Ian Maule / Getty Images)
