This is a topic that isn't going away. Is there an echo in here? No, seriously: the Atlanta Falcons' current quarterback situation is a topic that, truly, is not going away.
It doesn't matter what anybody says, so long as Kirk Cousins continues to play subpar football and the Falcons are losing games. Unless Cousins claws his way out of this funk and turns things around, the cries for rookie Michael Penix Jr. are only going to grow louder from a portion of this fan base.
Four losses in a row, zero touchdown passes and eight interceptions are all facts of the matter for Cousins and the Falcons right now.
All the while, Atlanta is attempting not to let this season completely fall out of reach. They've already given up first place in the NFC South during this losing streak, and the postseason -- while still in play -- just doesn't feel like a plausible goal right now.
With Cousins struggling and some folks clamoring for Penix to replace him, head coach Raheem Morris has gotten used to answering questions about his quarterback room as of late. During his media availability this week, Morris had to answer these questions once again.
"I told you right from the beginning, he's our future," the head coach responded.
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Well, chalk this down as a case of a head coach following through on exactly what he said from the start. Things change in a hurry, especially in this league, but Morris continues to stick to his guns. Cousins is the starting quarterback, period.
“And to be able to have the respect, to be able to have the confidence, to be able to have the wherewithal to support Kirk and all this stuff, too, it’s a great learning lesson for him as well," Morris added.
Raheem Morris doesn't want to make a fatal mistake becoming all too common
Morris went on to talk about this being a league that's given up on young quarterbacks far too early nowadays. Over the last couple of years, we have seen some major examples of quarterbacks thriving under the right coach and in the right system; quarterbacks whom were given up on by previous franchises.
Those examples include players like Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, but this season has also seen the likes of Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson benched in some polarizing decisions. Now, the latter two have seemingly bounced back.
But, Morris doesn't want this to get messy by any means. That means, he's not going to make any rash decisions with Penix. And by that same token, he's going to continue coaching in a manner which will inspire unity and confidence within his locker room, despite a rough stretch.
“For me, it’s the ultimate encouragement and backing for my building and for my state of the union to go out there and support [Cousins],” he said.
Morris noted he's going to allow Penix his opportunity "when it's time," but it does not sound like that's going to come during the rookie's first season.