Penix leads Falcons as scuffle with Titans erupts at joint practice

A joint practice between the Atlanta Falcons and the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday ended with a scuffle that centered around Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. after he connected with RayRay McCloud on a deep pass. The play drew cheers from spectators, but the Titans took offense at the celebration, and tempers quickly flared. Penix ended up in the middle of the scrum, and afterward he acknowledged that he exchanged words with the Titans’ defense, describing the moment as something he “went a little too far” and saying he was not fully sure of how the melee unfolded.

Penix’s comments provided a window into a practice that had otherwise been focused on evaluating plays and assembling depth ahead of the preseason. He said that Tennessee defenders had been chirping throughout the session, and once the scoring play landed, he replied in a manner that surprised even him. “I threw a touchdown. Now what y’all talking about? And then I guess not everybody takes that the right way. And I think that’s all it was,” he explained, adding that he preferred letting his performance on the field speak for itself. He admitted not remembering every detail of the fight, noting that there were a...