Quarterback Cooper Rush (above) will be holding down the backup position for a while. Photo by Tarohn Finley/The Atlanta Voice There are only three active left-handed quarterbacks who have started an NFL game, and the Atlanta Falcons have two of them in Michael Penix Jr. and free-agent addition Tua Tagovailoa. But during the opening days of training camp, things have taken an unexpected turn. Although Penix participated in the 7-on-7 portion of Wednesday’s first training camp practice, he remains limited while recovering from the partially torn ACL he suffered in Week 11 last season. Penix told reporters he could be about four weeks away from advancing to the next stage of his recovery, though it could happen sooner. Tagovailoa, meanwhile, was held out of Wednesday’s practice because of a back flare-up. He returned to participate in individual drills on Thursday. With Penix and Tagovailoa limited, the bulk of the quarterback reps have gone to right-handed quarterbacks Jack Strand and Cooper Rush. Strand, an undrafted rookie from Minnesota State Moorhead, has handled most of the reps, while Rush is still getting acclimated to the Falcons’ offense after signing with the team on Wednesday. Despite the increased workload, Strand said his approach has remained the same. “The mindset doesn’t change whether it’s 20 or two reps in practice,” Strand said. “I just got to take advantage of those reps and treat those reps like they’re game reps because that’s the way I get better and the team gets better.”  Strand said both Penix and Tagovailoa have welcomed him into the quarterback room and that he has enjoyed learning from them. He also said it’s been a unique experience sharing a quarterback room with two left-handed passers. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. was on the field during day two of training camp, but he won’t be in the field during the regular season games any time soon. Photo by Tarohn Finley/The Atlanta Voice “My younger brother is left-handed, so whenever we played catch you get used to the lefty spin,” Strand said. “It’s been cool. It’s obviously different because there are probably no QB rooms really anywhere with multiple left-handed quarterbacks in it. It’s a little bit different watching them do their drops and stuff. They’re taking different hops and steps than I am, and obviously their throwing motion is different than mine. It’s a lot of stuff that I can learn from them.” Despite the differences Strand pointed out between right-handed and left-handed quarterbacks, Falcons wide receiver Drake London said it makes little difference to him. “I’m a lefty myself. I’ve been seeing the spin my whole life, so it doesn’t really throw me off,” London said. “Maybe the first ball that’s thrown to me is kind of different. That’s natural. But yeah, it doesn’t bother me. As long as it’s thrown in my vicinity, I should get it.” London told reporters that his job is simply to catch the football, joking that he’d be expected to make the catch even if one of the reporters were throwing him the ball. The 25-year-old receiver is coming off another productive season, recording 68 catches for 919 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing five games with a sprained PCL late in the year. The Falcons rewarded him with a four-year, $141 million contract extension in June. London also praised Strand’s performance early in camp, saying the rookie has done a great job and that the additional reps could end up being a blessing in disguise for his development. The post Atlanta Falcons Training Camp Report: Falcons’ quarterback room goes right after injuries send it left appeared first on The Atlanta Voice. ...read more read less