Falcons' Michael Penix Jr. Reacts to Teammate's Trash-Talking Label

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. received laughs from reporters for his response to edge rusher Leonard Floyd calling him the best trash-talker on the team.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Contrary to what his teammates say, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. isn't a trash-talker. He made that much clear in front of the media this week.

"[Leonard Floyd] lied," Penix told reporters at his press conference Tuesday, which received laughs in response. "I don't really talk, man.

Well, he's sort of not a trash-talker. As Penix continued, he made it more clear that he is willing to trash-talk if pushed into a situation where he finds it necessary.

"I don't start it. I don't really have any stories. I don't think I even did anything," Penix said in response to Floyd calling him the team's best trash-talker. "One day I did. One day the defense got me to that point, but I don't really get to that point.”

Penix added that he trash-talked the team's defense after he threw an interception during a training camp practice.

"I'm like, ‘No, I'm coming right back at you.’”

Quarterbacks don't typically engage in a lot of trash-talk. But it's also not unheard of for a signal-caller to do so.

Philip Rivers was a famous trash-talker, and he had a very successful career as a starting quarterback. Like Penix, Rivers was a top 10 selection in the NFL Draft.

Tom Brady often engaged in trash-talking too.

Trash-talking won't mean a whole lot if Penix doesn't produce. There's no substitute for quality quarterback play.

But if Penix proves to be a franchise quarterback, and he's a great trash-talker, he's likely to endear himself to the fans even more.

If he's a quiet trash-talker who only engages in it when he feels like he has to, then that's even better.

That's like the best of both worlds. That means Penix possesses both the swagger to talk and yet the humility not to do it all the time.