Sports Daily: Prepare vs. protect

Hey there. It’s Tuesday.

And I have a question for you.

Quick links: Braves pitching updates | College football coaches poll | Top high school receivers

GRAB A CLIPBOARD, MIKE

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez/AJC

Michael Penix Jr. will not play in the Falcons’ preseason game on Friday.

Nor will Kirk Cousins.

Say hello to starting quarterback Easton Stick.

“That’s probably the most definitive thing that I’ve got to tell you right now,” coach Raheem Morris told reporters Monday. “There’ll be a lot of guys playing, and there’ll be a couple that won’t.”

Which is fine!

I think.

Maybe?

Actually, help me out here: Do we care about top quarterbacks playing in the preseason?

The opposing arguments, of course, boil down to rust vs. risk of injury. An example of each going bad, locally, off the top of my head …

🤔 Would the Falcons have won in Week 1 against the Steelers last season, had then-starter Kirk Cousins played more than zero preseason snaps? Maybe, maybe not. But it wasn’t particularly pretty (not that 18-10 losses ever are).

🤔 Flashback to 2003. Michael Vick breaks his leg in a preseason game, leading to a lot of Doug Johnson under center, leading to a whole lot of losses. Which, ultimately, led to coach Dan Reeves’ unpleasant departure.

That do anything for ya? The latter’s obviously far more catastrophic (for everyone).

And Morris and the Falcons aren’t alone in their stance.

🤔 The Chargers’ Justin Herbert doesn’t play in exhibitions. The Ravens’ Lamar Jackson hasn’t in years. The Eagles’ Jalen Hurts sat out last preseason — then won the Super Bowl (after losing to Atlanta in Week 2, of course).

🤔 Then again: Patrick Mahomes, another proficient Lombardi lifter, always plays a fair amount. A poorly worded Google search suggests Denver’s Bo Nix and Carolina’s Bryce Young will get some action in over the next few weeks, among others.

Are you leaning either way? I think I am.

Let ‘em play.

Especially Penix. Live action is good action — and he improved every time he went out there at the end of last season.

It’d be a bummer if he got hurt. But isn’t that why you brought Cousins to Atlanta to begin with … just backward?

It’s all luck. Fate. Destiny.

Or mutually assured destruction.

Might as well let it ride.

Shoot me an email with your thoughts. And don’t forget to sign up for our shiny new Falcons newsletter, the Dirty Birds Dispatch. It’ll hit inboxes every Thursday morning. Starting Thursday.

ELBOW GREASE

Credit: Tony Gutierrez/AP

Credit: Tony Gutierrez/AP

Jurickson Profar hit a leadoff home run last night … and that was pretty much all of the Braves offense. They lost 3-1 to the Brewers.

The more interesting news involved injured starting pitchers.

Per the AJC’s Olivia Sayer:

⚾ On deck: Currently uninjured fill-in Joey Wentz gets the start in tonight’s Game 2 against the Brewers (7:15 p.m. on FanDuel Sports).

PRESEASON NITPICKING

College football’s preseason coaches poll is out. Predictably, I have a few thoughts.

Georgia Tech and its retooled defensive front got 27 total votes, which would place it 37th (assuming I counted correctly).

I predict a top 25 finish for the Jackets, who will handle Colorado in the opener, beat either Clemson or the team from Athens … and lose a couple coulda-shoulda type games.

A ‘JOKE’ WITH JAIL TIME

Not to belabor the whole thing, but ESPN has more details on the gentleman accused of throwing a sex toy on the court during a Dream home game last week.

Twenty-three-year-old Delbert Carver faces charges including disorderly conduct, criminal trespass and public indecency/indecent exposure. (As a former crime reporter, the latter feels like a bit of a stretch, but nevertheless.)

Carver reportedly told College Park police the whole thing — which may or may not have inspired a similar act at a WNBA game in Chicago — was “supposed to be a joke” that would “go viral.”

Which, as we know, is always a good reason to do something.

ALSO INTERESTING

🤠 The AJC’s high school football rodeo continues today with a look at the state’s top 10 receivers and the Class 5A all-state team. Lots more here, too.

👍 NCAA March Madness will not expand beyond 68 teams in 2026. Which is good! Adding more teams is still on the table for 2027, though.

🍌 What can Major League Baseball learn from the Savannah Bananas? The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli suggests the … appeal is about more than marketing.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Credit: Bryon Houlgrave/AP

Credit: Bryon Houlgrave/AP

In one of the more interesting post-victory situations I’ve encountered, NASCAR driver William Byron enjoyed some corn on the cob after winning a race in Iowa.

What would be the most appropriate (or funniest) food for folks to eat after winning at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway?

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Thanks for reading to the very bottom of Sports Daily. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.

Until next time.