When the Atlanta Falcons hired Zac Robinson to be their offensive coordinator, it was the first time he'd had such a position in the NFL. Some of the worry about his greenness was alleviated by the fact that he'd be working with a veteran quarterback like Kirk Cousins. As Cousins faltered down the stretch last season, rookie Michael Penix Jr. took over and was inserted as the starter for the rest of the season and 2025. Penix was aggressive in his three-start cameo last season, but he took a step backward in 2025 before suffering a season-ending injury two weeks ago against the Panthers. He was relegated to the pistol formation, which was being called boring and predictable by fans and national pundits alike. The Falcons were 27th in the NFL in scoring at the time of Penix's injury. What happens next for the Atlanta Falcons? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Falcons news delivered to your inbox daily!When Cousins stepped in for Penix last week against the Saints, the Falcons were under center, sparking a week-long debate on why there were two systems for the two quarterbacks. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson once again found himself defending the use of the pistol formation for Penix. Robinson admitted it was his call on which formation to use (as it should be, he's the OC after all) and tries to tailor the offense to the strengths of the personnel... admirable, even if he's failed to do so.“100%. Yeah, that's very fair to say. I mean, I know it's a popular kind of narrative to say those things," Robinson answered when asked if the formations were quarterback driven. "But, Mike is – I think he's like third or fourth in the league in yards per attempt, and almost all of his are in the pistol in terms of play pass. So, we've had better play pass this year. We've had better protection. That's helped out. We've had better route distribution, scheming, all those things that factor into it."Penix isn't third or fourth in the league in yards per attempt; he's 15th. However, he is fifth in the NFL in yards per completion, but his 60.1% completion rate drags down his per-attempt numbers.Let's give Robinson the benefit of the doubt and say he meant yards per attempt on play-action pass. According to PFF, a former employer of Robinson, Penix is averaging 8.7 yards on play-action pass. That's still 11th among quarterbacks who have at least 10 attempts. Among the quarterbacks he's behind... Kirk Cousins at 11.8 yards per attempt.If Robinson is convinced Penix is so effective with play action, why doesn't he use it more? In nine games, Penix has only attempted 54 passes from play action; that's 25th in the NFL. Add in six per game for the two games he's missed, and he'd only move up to 22nd on the list. "I thought the last couple weeks with Mike playing with Indy and Carolina, we actually created more space out of the pistol with some of the second-level defenders," Robinson continued. "Mike has a unique ability to be able to spin both ways out of the pistol that can obviously get backers going lateral both ways. So, that was where we kind of built that, obviously, around Mike. "But, Mike's play pass this year, basically all out of the pistol. Again, I think he's averaging like nine yards per attempt, which is one of the tops in the league. So, we get the same things accomplished."Coaches don't want to make excuses. Ray-Ray McCloud disappearing, and injuries to Darnell Mooney and Kaleb McGary play a part in the Falcons' struggles.But Robinson isn't helping himself at his press conferences. Despite repeated assurances about the effectiveness of his pistol offense for Penix, the Falcons were in a five-game losing streak and near the bottom of the league in scoring. Immediately putting Cousins under center did one of two things and neither are good. Either Michael Penix isn't capable of going under center, or Zac Robinson isn't capable of coaching him under center.