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Falcons goofy quarterback drill sparks hilarious reactions from fans on social media

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Cite

Harris, M. (2026, September 17). Falcons goofy quarterback drill sparks hilarious reactions from fans on social media. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/falcons-goofy-quarterback-drill-sparks-hilarious-reactions-fans-social-media

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Fox News · collected 2026-09-17 · by Mark Harris

Quick Summary

During Atlanta Falcons practice ahead of their home opener against the Carolina Panthers, quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr., Cooper Rush, and Jack Strand participated in a humorous exercise where they hopped backwards like bunnies after taking snaps. The unusual drill drew ridicule from social media users, with fans mocking the unconventional training method. Despite the criticism, Penix’s knee appeared to be improving as he fully took part in the hop-backward drill, which contrasted with Rush's less enthusiastic participation.
Written by AI on 2026-09-17, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The Atlanta Falcons recently posted a video of their quarterbacks participating in an unusual warm-up exercise that has sparked humorous reactions on social media. During practice, quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr., Cooper Rush, and Jack Strand performed exaggerated backward hops rather than typical dropbacks. While Penix and Strand enthusiastically embraced the drill, Rush appeared more reserved. The video quickly went viral, with fans poking fun at the unorthodox exercise designed to presumably improve agility or coordination. This incident highlights how even professional football teams occasionally incorporate unconventional methods to engage players and entertain fans.

Written for “Falcons Quarterback Drill Humor” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Falcons Quarterback Drill Humor
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 8% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Falcons QB situation worsens as Cooper Rush struggles and gets benched in blowout loss to Panthers Different event
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 33 claims Outlet record 64/100
“Article A describes a practice drill that sparked humorous reactions, while Article B covers a game where Cooper Rush was benched and there were issues with quarterback play during an actual match.”
Michael Penix Jr. returning from ACL tear in Week 3 after Falcons’ embarrassment vs. Panthers Different event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different events - one is about a goofy quarterback drill during practice, and the other is about Michael Penix Jr. returning as starting quarterback after an injury.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
13
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
8%
1 of 13 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
69/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-17 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 6262 article(s) · 11 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 11 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Mark Harris
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 43 articles by Mark Harris →

Topics

Falcons Steelers the Atlanta Falcons the Carolina Panthers the Pittsburgh Steelers

Subjects

Falcons ORG · 4× Penix PERSON · 3× Rush PERSON · 3× Steelers ORG · 2× Cooper Rush PERSON · 1× Jack Strand PERSON · 1× Michael Penix Jr. PERSON · 1× Strand PERSON · 1× the Atlanta Falcons ORG · 1× the Carolina Panthers ORG · 1×

Narrative

Just when you thought you'd seen it all when it comes to practice drills on a football field, the Atlanta Falcons decide to put their quarterbacks through a warm-up exercise that one would assume is reserved for ballerinas or cartoon characters.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-17
🔮 Just when you thought you'd seen it all when it comes to practice drills on a football field, the Atlanta Falcons decide to put their quarterbacks through a warm-up exercise that one would assume is reserved for ballerinas or cartoon characters.
2026-09-17 · Fox News
Falcons goofy quarterback drill sparks hilarious reactions from fans on social media · assertive framing

Claims (13 extracted, 1 hedged)

Just when you thought you'd seen it all when it comes to practice drills on a football field, the Atlanta Falcons decide to put their quarterbacks through a warm-up exercise that one would assume is reserved for ballerinas or cartoon characters. asserted
one → think → ballerinas
The Falcons welcome the Carolina Panthers to town on Sunday for their home opener, and during practice on Wednesday, the squad's trio of quarterbacks showed off the spring in their steps. asserted
trio → welcome → steps
In the video shared across social media, Michael Penix Jr., Cooper Rush, and Jack Strand each take a snap and proceed to take a dropback. asserted
Jr. → share → dropback
The dropbacks, however, aren't exactly typical; instead, the signal callers hop backwards with elongated strides. asserted
callers → hop → strides
Penix and Strand appeared to have bought into the drill a bit more than Rush, as they are seen hopping around like rabbits. asserted
they → appear → rabbits
Rush, who was QB1 for the Falcons' in their season-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, was going through the motions, and you can't really blame him for doing so. asserted
you → open → him
In typical fashion, NFL fans had a field day in poking fun at the clip showing the quarterbacks going through the unique drill. asserted
fans → have → drill
Tua Tagovailoa wasn't a participant during Wednesday's practice in Atlanta as the quarterback continues to deal with an oblique injury. asserted
quarterback → continue → injury
After seeing what the coaching staff put his fellow quarterbacks through on Wednesday, he may be thankful for not being out there. uncertain
he → see → Wednesday
The Falcons were able to be competitive against the Steelers in Week 1 thanks to Bijan Robinson accounting for 173 yards of total offense, but the quarterback situation leaves much to be desired. asserted
situation → account → much
Rush finished the contest in Pittsburgh going 12-for-22 in the air for 143 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. asserted
Rush → finish → yards
Penix, who played in nine games for the Falcons a season ago, did not take a snap against the Steelers and has been limited at practice after undergoing surgery last fall to repair a partially torn ACL. asserted
who → play → ACL
If there is one bright spot from the humiliating warm-up drill, it's that Penix's knee looked to be in great shape. asserted
knee → be → shape
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