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Michael Penix Jr. named his personal favorite quarterbacks of all time. Two years later, the internet still cannot slander it.
On Friday night, B/R Gridiron resurfaced a 2024 clip of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. listing his top five favorite QBs. Detroit account Lil Woadie (@iHateYeahTeriq) quote-tweeted it with a four-word concession that immediately took off: “LMFAO my bad bro you slander proof.”
Michael Penix Jr. Names His Top Quarterbacks
The question in the original video was specific: personal favorite five quarterbacks of all time. Penix did not hesitate.
His list: Michael Vick, Teddy Bridgewater, Patrick Mahomes, Warren Moon, and Lamar Jackson.
That is not a Mount Rushmore of the position. It is something more interesting.
Why the list hits different
Penix grew up in Tampa watching Vick rewrite what a quarterback could look like in Atlanta. Vick was the first elite dual-threat star of the modern era, a left-handed cultural icon who made defenders miss in space the way few pocket passers ever have. For a young lefty who later ended up in the same city, the connection is obvious.
Mahomes and Lamar Jackson need little explanation. One is the best player of this generation. The other is the best dual-threat quarterback alive. Both belong on almost any “players I loved watching” list from someone Penix’s age.
Warren Moon is the history pick. Moon was a pioneer — a Black quarterback who dominated in the CFL before proving himself in the NFL, Hall of Famer, cannon arm, and one of the players who expanded what was possible at the position.
Then there is Teddy Bridgewater.
That is the name that makes people pause, laugh, and then decide they cannot actually roast it.
Bridgewater was a first-round pick out of Louisville, a high-school legend in Florida (Penix’s home state), and a player whose career was defined as much by resilience as production. He survived a gruesome 2016 knee injury, bounced around as a high-floor starter and backup, and became known as “Teddy Two Gloves.” He was never a superstar. He was a guy a lot of people rooted for. Putting him next to Vick, Mahomes, Moon, and Lamar is the kind of personal, regional, slightly unhinged choice that feels more honest than another recycled Brady-Montana-Manning ranking.
Replies to the viral post immediately zeroed in on it. “Teddy Two Gloves mentioned.” “You ight Penix.” The joke writes itself, and then it stops being a joke.
“Slander proof” is the point
Sports Twitter loves roasting bad lists. This one is hard to roast because Penix never claimed these were the five greatest quarterbacks who ever lived. He said they were his favorites. That distinction matters.
A greatest-of-all-time list invites arguments about rings, passer rating, era adjustments, and whether you value peak or longevity. A personal list invites questions about who you actually watched, who you wanted to play like, and who felt like they belonged to you. Penix’s answers track with a left-handed kid from Florida who grew up on Vick, admired another Florida product in Bridgewater, and then watched Mahomes and Lamar take over the league.
The 2024 comments section already had the usual complaints: no Brady, too many Black quarterbacks, Teddy does not belong. The 2026 reaction is different. People saw the same clip and mostly shrugged, then laughed, then admitted the list has a kind of integrity. You can disagree with it. You cannot really dunk on it without looking like you missed the assignment.
That is what “slander proof” means here. The take is so specific to the person that attacking it just reveals you wanted a different conversation.
The timing is not accidental
The clip first dropped in May 2024, right after the Falcons drafted Penix eighth overall. B/R Gridiron recirculated it in late September 2026, during a season in which Penix is still fighting for the job in Atlanta after injuries and a competition with Tua Tagovailoa. He had just played in a win over Green Bay. The old interview suddenly felt like a reminder of who he is when he is not being evaluated snap-to-snap.17
Penix has never been a conventional prospect. Left-handed. Injury history. Drafted over the objections of people who wanted the team to stay with Kirk Cousins. His favorite-QB list fits the same pattern: not optimized for approval, just his.
Most quarterbacks give safe answers in these interviews. Penix gave Vick, Teddy Two Gloves, Mahomes, Moon, and Lamar, in that order, with no hedging. Two years later the internet is still watching the clip and deciding it cannot be slandered.
Sometimes the most interesting list is the one that was never trying to win the argument.
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The Atlanta Falcons have named Michael Penix Jr. their starting quarterback for Thursday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers, marking his 2026 season debut after a long recovery from a torn ACL.
The announcement came Monday, September 21, after Atlanta dropped to 0-2 with a 34-3 home loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Falcons are the only team in the NFL that has not reached the red zone through two weeks, a symptom of turnovers and inconsistent passing play. And the 2026 schedule is about to get tougher.
Cooper Rush started both games and struggled badly against Carolina (10-of-17 for 86 yards, two interceptions, and a lost fumble) before being replaced by undrafted rookie Jack Strand.
Michael Penix Jr. to Return for Thursday Night Football
Penix, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 draft, last started in Week 11 of 2025 before tearing his left ACL against the same Panthers team. He missed the final seven games after surgery and has been cautious in his return—this is his third major knee injury. He was cleared for 11-on-11 work late in training camp and has been a full participant in recent practices. Last week he said he was “close” and wanted to hit a few remaining technical goals before playing. Head coach Kevin Stefanski and the medical staff have now determined he is ready.
Tua Tagovailoa, signed in the offseason to compete for the job, has been dealing with an oblique injury and has not practiced since before Week 1. He is expected to be available as Penix’s backup. Rush could be inactive.
Penix’s career numbers through 12 starts: 2,757 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and six interceptions. In 2025 he started nine games (3-6 record) and completed 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards, nine TDs, and three INTs before the injury. His low interception rate that year ranked among the league’s best. He will now operate new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees’ scheme with first-round weapons Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts all healthy for the first time this season.
The game is Thursday, September 24, at 8:15 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field and will air on Amazon Prime Video. Green Bay is a 7-point favorite. For a Falcons offense that has scored just 16 points in two games, Penix’s arm talent and mobility represent the clearest chance to generate explosive plays and finally reach the red zone. Whether the short week and limited live reps after a long layoff allow him to produce immediately remains the central question.
