Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was in the middle of a fight during Wednesday's practice with the Titans. The fight started when Penix and Titans defenders engaged in some trash talk after Penix completed a long pass to teammate Ray-Ray McCloud.
The trash talk led to things getting physical and Penix apparently getting thrown to the ground. Players from both teams ran off the sidelines once the fighting started, with several Falcons players -- including McCloud and fellow receiver Drake London -- coming to the aid of Penix, who was not injured during the scuffle.
"I'm glad they did, because obviously that's not something that we want to be doing in practice," Penix said after practice, according to ESPN. "We want to get all reps in, get that good work in. But it went how it went. But to see the team have my back and they were there, make sure they protect me. A lot of guys asked me if I was good, and it was good to know that those guys had my back."
Tensions continued to flare for the remainder of practice. Shortly after the first scuffle, Falcons offensive linemen Kaleb McGary and Chris Lindstrom got into it with several members of Tennessee's defense. There was another scrum on the adjacent field between the Titans' offense and the Falcons' defense.
Titans linebacker Arden Key said that Penix was the one who initiated the first fight. He said that he doesn't blame Penix's teammates for getting involved after that in an effort to protect their quarterback.
Wednesday's practice was an obvious display of Penix's fiery nature. And while they certainly don't want to see Penix in harms way, Falcons quarterback coach DJ Williams took something positive out of the situation.
"You saw the guys take up for him, and I think that speaks to his leadership and who he is in that locker room," Williams said. "Obviously as coaches we're upstairs, they're downstairs. We don't really see a lot, but obviously he has a relationship and the trust of the guys because everybody ran to his defense. So, I think that's a good thing for the Falcons."