Could Strand be the Falcons’ Week 1 starter?

Mike Florio and Chris Simms discuss the starting quarterback options for the Atlanta Falcons and break down Jack Strand's potential avenues to play in 2026.

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Let's have some fun.

Yeah.

Predict the Falcons starter week one at Pittsburgh.

I, I, I feel like we're at this point, I, I You know, it's all about, it sounds like Michael Penix's health.

I, I, I feel, I, I feel like they're gonna go with Michael Penix.

I do.

I, I feel like that's where we're gonna go in this one.

You know, Pittsburgh is the place where Tua played his last game with the Dolphins.

And threw a bunch of rainbow balls that stood in the air for 75 minutes, and you're right, that was the end.

That's what I'd be worried about.

I'd be worried about a little windy day, as we know can get at that stadium.

And you go there, even though it's, yeah, it's a warm and it's summer, but it's a little windy, and now Tua's gotta make throws in that wind.

That's not gonna be great for him.

As we know, outdoors elements has always been a negative.

So yeah, I get a feel that we- they're gonna try If Penix is ready, and they feel like he can physically just play, I, I feel like they're gonna go with him.

You know.

Yeah, what are you thinking?

I love a good story.

Yeah.

And we've got this nontraditional arrangement in Atlanta, where Matt Ryan- Yeah who was working for CBS last year, experienced, accomplished player, was the NFL MVP in 2016.

He's running the show on the football side.

And great juxtaposition to the Raiders not having the kahunas, as you would say- Yeah.

To put Fernando Mendoza out there.

Wouldn't it be something if they shock everyone and go with Jack Strand?

I would be- And just say, "I see something in this kid."

Yeah.

Right?

We asked the question in the past, how did he not end up at a bigger program in the age of NIL?

How is he at Minnesota State Moorhead for all four years?

He didn't want to go.

He didn't wanna go, yeah.

So I think it would take some major, major, major kahunas from Matt Ryan to initiate that, but if they go back and look, who, who's the only guy that we talked about out of the preseason?

Yes, Strand was the most impressive guy.

Now, I know he's playing against backups.

Yeah.

But he still looked pretty good.

He looked the part.

Yeah.

No, and, and you know, sometimes we give a guy a benefit against the backups, and then the other guys we go, "Well, we're not gonna give you the benefit of the against the backups."

We're, you know.

Like I just said with Tua, "Oh, he looked pretty good in that game.

We're gonna give him the benefit of the doubt.

He looked good."

All right, it was second and third stringers.

He was playing with the starting team of the Atlanta Falcons.

And then we get to, like, a second or third stringer, and he's playing against a second, and we go, "Well, it was against the second and third stringers."

And I wanna go, "Well, he was playing with second and third stringers himself."

But Jack Strand, yes, you know I thought he was really impressive.

I don't think they'll do that.

I don't.

But I And Jack Strand's got a future, and I wouldn't be shocked if, if things went weird this year, and if Michael Penix does get hurt, that we see Jack Strand out there at some point.

I just have a feeling Matt Ryan's thinking about it.

Yeah.

I have a feeling he's thinking about it.

Okay, your pasta and meatballs have been right before.

One of the things, one of the things that I think you factor into that, and you have to have the mindset of the quarterback.

Now, it's not like he was brash, right?

But he got the job done.

He knew how to make the big decisions in the big spot.

Totally.

What would you regret more?

Would you regret more not moving forward with a guy that you think may have it, and then finding out later that you probably should have?

Or would you regret rolling the dice on a guy and finding out he's not the guy?

I mean, look, Ryan's gonna be there for a while.

It's not like he's on the hot seat.

Yeah.

Yeah.

He's the guy.

He's the guy that Arthur Blank has basically said, "Come fix this for me.

Hey, you want me to fix it?

Here's my, here's my imprint.

I'm gonna believe in this guy.

And not just because I see something in him that tells me he could be great, but none of these other guys are any good."

Yeah.

Yeah.

Now, all due respect to Cooper Rush, he's had a good career as a backup, and every time he's a free agent, I'm like, "Why don't more teams want him?"

Didn't go well last year in Baltimore.

Yeah.

But I just Look, we don't know what's really going on, but we do know this, they haven't named a starter.

And the guy that they hope can be ready to go isn't ready to go.

If he's not ready to go, I won't be surprised.

I won't I mean, I'll be like, "Oh, I can't believe they did it."

Yeah.

I will be surprised, but I won't be like, "Where did that come from?"

I'll understand exactly where it came from, 'cause they decided to do that.

I, to your scenario, I mean, one, I think he's got a, he's got a spot there regardless.

I mean, even to the future.

He's on the team.

He's on it.

That's the thing.

And yeah.

Four guys.

I mean, I think he could be the backup next year.

But yeah, if the year goes crazy here, and I think a lot is about the expectations of Atlanta.

Where are the expectations of the owner, and what do they think?

And I think the, one of the reasons that Raheem Morris was fired is 'cause they felt like, "Hey, our team was better than that.

We should've been in the playoffs.

We messed some things up."

And of course, then you can certainly question some of the old regime and some of the moves they made.

Well, and the whole Cousins, Penix.

With Kirk Cousins, Penix, yeah.

I think that hovered over everyone.

And totally, right.

Exactly.

So all of that was an issue.

Now, if the team's in a spot to go, "Hey, yeah, we wanna be competitive, but we're not expecting anything," then I, you know If Michael Penix plays five, six weeks, doesn't play well, maybe has a setback with his knee, something like that, and they come to the realization that, "Hey, this is, we're a good team, but we're not going to the playoffs.

It's really about next year and the year after," then that's where I think, like, Jack Strand might be able to come into play there.

Because they might go, "Hey, we've lost.

We're, we know what we are.

What's the point of putting Tua out there?"

And to your point, I'd like to know what we have in this kid, because he was so impressive looking in the preseason, and maybe that's where he gets his chance.

Two final points very quickly.

Number one, we have no idea what the players are thinking.

There's been no chatter about that.

None.

So they may love this guy, and they've managed to keep it quiet.

And the other point is this: even though Atlanta is a major city, there isn't a very robust press corps- Yeah that is digging- Like a backlash and- and probing and trying- Yeah to find out- Mm-hmm who's, oh, oh, hey, these guys really like Jack Strand.

There isn't the same level of coverage that you would expect in a city that size.

So that may be why we're not hearing about it, if that's the case.

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