Inside The Huskies

Penix Inactive for 3rd Consecutive Practice, But DeBoer Says No Big Deal

The Husky quarterback apparently is giving his arm a rest.
Dan Raley|
Penix Inactive for 3rd Consecutive Practice, But DeBoer Says No Big Deal
Penix Inactive for 3rd Consecutive Practice, But DeBoer Says No Big Deal

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Washington Huskies

For the third consecutive University of Washington football practice, Michael Penix Jr., for the most part, was a spectator. 

He wore a Husky uniform, but for nearly three hours on Tuesday the Heisman Trophy candidate fidgeted and watched as junior Dylan Morris and freshman Austin Mack ran the team in his absence.

Once the fifth fall practice was over, UW coach Kalen DeBoer ran over to the assembled media on a day he wasn't supposed to address questions and insisted that Penix was OK. 

"I know what you're thinking," the coach began, again explaining how the senior was only being rested after throwing a lot. "If there was something wrong, he wouldn't be in uniform."

DeBoer was kidded that maybe Penix had a name, likeness and image agreement in which he practiced one week on and one week off, with the coach putting up with the wise-guy comment.

Penix threw for only part of Saturday's practice and and then completely shut down for Sunday and Tuesday's workouts.

That said, as the Husky quarterbacks went through various drills to open this week, Penix lobbed the ball downfield while the others threw it with full velocity. He tossed passes softly to the flat, but not the 20-yarders or more that his fellow signal-callers served up.

No one on the coaching staff suggested this, but it was if Penix is dealing with a dead arm, to borrow from baseball vernacular, a condition healed only by rest. 

Otherwise, he tried to stay busy. Two hours into the workout, he ran sprints by himself over the width of the field. He stood and clutched a pair of footballs for the longest time. With his helmet cocked on his head, he chatted with DeBoer while they watched a 7-on-7 drill.

Afterward, Penix peeled off his gold-colored jersey that signified he was a player off limits to contact, as are all other quarterbacks, stopped by a mobile snacks and drinks bar brought out onto the field and chatted up a few people before heading up the tunnel.

It's 25 days until the UW's season opener against Boise State at Husky Stadium, seemingly plenty of time to build up some arm strength. 

 

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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