FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — One of the first moves by new Falcons quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt was to hang a sign in the QB room reading “Trust your feet.” New head coach Kevin Stefanski and his staff have homed in on footwork as a central teaching point for Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr., Trevor Siemian and rookie Jack Strand.
Van Pelt has shown film of quarterbacks he has worked with previously, including Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Andy Dalton, noting the commonality among them is elite footwork. “If your feet are right, then you’re going to make good decisions,” Van Pelt said. He added that when a QB “doesn’t trust your feet, you hang too long and you’re off and then [you throw] bad balls or interceptions,” and called footwork “a huge part of us.”
The new Falcons scheme draws from a West Coast offense philosophy and the Gary Kubiak coaching tree, Van Pelt said. Different routes carry different dropbacks; the offense includes four distinct shotgun dropbacks that the staff is teaching as a standard. “It’s ingrained in our room and that’s how we teach,” Van Pelt said.
Penix described the emphasis as reinforcement of fundamentals rather than an overhaul of his mechanics. “It’s just a lot of time put into it,” he said, adding coaches frequently point out timing and the need to “pick up your feet or take your time a little bit on this drop.” Penix remains not fully cleared from left ACL surgery and has not participated in 11-on-11 team sessions; he expects to be cleared for full practice when training camp opens and is targeting being completely healthy by Week 1.
No Week 1 starter has been declared, though Tagovailoa holds a clear advantage at the moment. Siemian has been sidelined with an injury, and Strand has been taking second-team reps in 11-on-11. Stefanski said accuracy is the trait he values most and that much of it “comes from the ground up.” Tagovailoa said the staff emphasizes “playing within the rhythm, the timing of your footwork,” and Stefanski noted he and his staff are “disciples of Bill Walsh,” with Kubiak urging quarterbacks to treat their feet as the clock behind center.
