Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick will be making his debut on the sideline this fall as the head coach at Norfolk State, but before the former Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles star begins his quest to eventually make the jump from the FCS to the FBS, he found some time to return to his old stomping grounds earlier this week.
Vick’s presence at Falcons OTAs was noteworthy not only because of the time he was spending with second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr., but also because of what Vick had to say about Penix and the rest of this young Falcons offense after observing a day’s worth of work.
“I think this is gonna be an amazing season for him. Just watching practices, it looks like everything has slowed down.” Vick said on the Atlanta Falcons Podcast Network, per Will McFadden of AtlantaFalcons.com. “He threw a couple touchdown passes today. Good reads, moved well in the pocket. Good pocket presence and good feel for the game. And so, with some complementary players around him like Bijan and Drake and Kyle, these guys are gonna really do some special things this year.”
Despite the fact it came in a loss, Atlanta’s regular season finale was a sign of special things to come for the Falcons’ young core. In a 44-38 loss to the Carolina Panthers, the trio of Michael Penix Jr., Bijan Robinson and Drake London put together an offensive performance that would give Falcons fans good reason to believe the 2025 season could mark a return to the Playoffs, ending a seven season drought.
In that Week 18 game, Penix (312 yards passing), Robinson (170 yards rushing) and London (187 yards receiving) become the first team with players under the age of 25 to reach those impressive statistical markers. It was just their third game together with Penix in the starting lineup, and it was a three-headed performance that likely gave fans déjà vu dating back to when Vick was the young lefty slinging the pigskin in a Falcons uniform.
At the very least, it was enough to prompt Vick to make the comparison between this group and the group he led.
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“When you look at it, and it almost looked like what we had,” Vick said. “You know, you got the big receivers. You know, I had Finn. You know, I had Alge. Michael got Pitts — he got Kyle. He got Drake, big receivers. And then he got a dynamic (running back). I had Warrick, a dynamic running back, behind me. And then another dynamic running back in T.J. Duckett.”
It’s possible that the NFC South will be among the weakest divisions in the NFL, and if the Falcons defense – which ranked in the bottom ten last season in both points and yards allowed – makes a moderate improvement, it’s reasonable to believe that Atlanta’s path back to the postseason is manageable.
