Petrino leaving ATL for Arkansas

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bfross

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Apr 10, 2006
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Re: Wow... check out this article about Petrino

Sounds about right. Peter King of SI chimed in by saying he would have doubts about letting his kid shake Petrino's hand. Pretty strong words when you let it sink in.
 

wesley_w

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Oct 23, 2006
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Re: Wow... check out this article about Petrino

Sounds about right. Peter King of SI chimed in by saying he would have doubts about letting his kid shake Petrino's hand. Pretty strong words when you let it sink in.

Those will be articles that rival coaches have in hand when recruiting against Petrino.
 

throwittoblythe

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Aug 7, 2006
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Re: Wow... check out this article about Petrino

I don't agree with that Petrino did at all. I think it's wrong and unethical. However, did anyone else catch DeAngelo Hall's interview on ESPN last night? Again, I'm siding with the Falcons here, but Hall basically said that Petrino used the Falcons job to get a better college job....so, he used a failure in the NFL to get a better job in the NCAA? I don't see how sucking with the Falcons helped his career:confused:
 

cycloneworld

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Re: Wow... check out this article about Petrino

The facts speak for themselves in that article. I have no respect for these kind of coaches, the ones that lie and say how happy they are somewhere and that they aren't leaving and the next day they leave.

Schiano, Ferentz, Miles...you don't see these guys doing that. These guys are class act coaches, not weasels.

Also, the guy phoned in his resignation??? With 3 games to go?? How professional.
 

cyclonenum1

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Nov 30, 2006
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Re: Wow... check out this article about Petrino

I certainly don't know Petrino (or his character) but what he is doing does not appear to me to be much different than what most other coaches out there are doing.

The guy has had phenomenal success as a HC in college. Frankly, I can't blame him for trying to improve his situation. Most of the people I know desire to make more money, have a better job, work for a more prestigious company, etc. How is what Petrino doing any different from that? The only difference I see is that Petrino is a public figure.

The reality is that neither the teams (college or pro) or the coaches really have much "loyalty" today. In fact, the discussion on the ESPN MNF broadcast this past Monday did not make it seem definitive that Blank wanted to retain Petrino. Look at Miami...there is talk that Cam Cameron will be shown the door after the season ends (his first year as their HC). Most major college programs also have their coaches on pretty short leashes...it's win or get out.

I think many of you are a little "Pollyanna" about the loyalty coaches and teams have towards each other. The reality is that a typical coach is going to stay with a program somewhere between 4 and 8 years...that's it. The Bowdens, Paternos, etc. are the rare exception.
 

cyclonenum1

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Nov 30, 2006
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Re: Wow... check out this article about Petrino

The facts speak for themselves in that article. I have no respect for these kind of coaches, the ones that lie and say how happy they are somewhere and that they aren't leaving and the next day they leave.

Schiano, Ferentz, Miles...you don't see these guys doing that. These guys are class act coaches, not weasels.

Also, the guy phoned in his resignation??? With 3 games to go?? How professional.


Schiano and Ferentz didn't leave...they just used their popularity to leverage sweeter deals for themselves at their current schools...not much different in my book.

Miles...well, he did say he was happy at Okie State right before he bolted for LSU.
 

jdoggivjc

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Sep 27, 2006
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As the resident Falcons fan on this site I was never really a fan of the Petrino hire. I was never convinced that his spread offense was ever going to work in Atlanta, at least with the players he had there, and to rebuild the offense with the personnel that would make this thing work was going to take more time than Petrino would ever want to spend. And the biggest problem with personnel was Vick - even before the dogfighting thing people were questioning how this was going to work when Vick isn't the style of QB that is suitable for Petrino's offense. While I'm a little stunned that Petrino just up and left, I'm kind of happy because I never felt like he belonged in Atlanta in the first place. Actually, I'm still convinced they never should have fired Dan Reeves. The guy had unprecedented success in Atlanta, as he led them to their best ever season in 1998 (14-2) and their only Super Bowl appearance that year.

In my opinion, the keys to fixing the Falcons:

1. Bring in the RIGHT head coach this time. Mora and Petrino have been less-than-quality hires. I'm not sure where to start, but bring in someone who's going to be committed to building it right in Atlanta, and give him time to build it because things down there right now are a mess.

2. Decide before the draft whether D.J. Shockley is the QB that everyone is convinced he's going to be. Everyone likes to criticize the Falcons for trading away Schaub. Shockley, not Vick, was the reason why they decided to do that. To remind everyone, Shockley was a Georgia Bulldog and is extremely popular in the area, and supposedly has been showing he has the talent to make it in the NFL. Until Shockley blew his knee out in the preseason, the Falcons were supposed to be "ok" at QB.

3. Dump the entire WR corps. It is ridiculous that time and time again they have perfectly thrown balls land in their hands only to see them immediately drop it. I've said for years that Vick's poor pass completion percentages had less to do with his passing abilities and more to do with the receivers on the team, and I've been criticized by anti-Vick people (before the dogfighting conviction) that saw fewer Falcons games that I had that strictly looked at the numbers (and never the highlights) and decided it was Vick, not the receivers, that were the problem. Guess what? Name the QB this year - Harrington, Leftwich, Redman - when they've had the chance to throw, when the ball was put in an area that the receiver was reasonably expected to catch the ball they've dropped it instead. It's absolutely sickening. I want Atlanta's receivers gone, all of them, and I want a fresh start with players that can actually hold onto the ball.

Shore up the defense, especially up front. The Falcons statistically have an average passing defense, but what's really killing them in the secondary is the fact that the front seven can't get pressure on the QB (and this shows in the running defense as statistically it's one of the worst in the league). The loss of Patrick Kerney in the offseason really hurt the defensive line here. Bring in more front seven guys.
 

isufbcurt

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Apr 21, 2006
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Re: Wow... check out this article about Petrino

The facts speak for themselves in that article. I have no respect for these kind of coaches, the ones that lie and say how happy they are somewhere and that they aren't leaving and the next day they leave.

Schiano, Ferentz, Miles...you don't see these guys doing that. These guys are class act coaches, not weasels.

Also, the guy phoned in his resignation??? With 3 games to go?? How professional.

I disagree with your assesment on Miles andI will give you the name of a former OSU player under Miles that I met in Okie a couple weeks back and you can ask him if he thinks Miles is a scum bag.
 

jdoggivjc

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Sep 27, 2006
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Re: Wow... check out this article about Petrino

he used a failure in the NFL to get a better job in the NCAA? I don't see how sucking with the Falcons helped his career:confused:

1. It worked for Nick Saban - using a crappy Miami Dolphins team to land in Alabama (I think most college football people would consider Alabama to be a better football job than LSU in the long run).

2. As Petrino inherited a complete mess in Atlanta, and then had the Vick saga to boot, he's going to get a pass from everyone in love with him for this season with the Falcons.

3. I think it's probably easier to get out of a contract in Louisville going to the NFL (viewed as an "upward" move) instead of going from Louisville straight to another college job (viewed more as a "lateral" move).
 

ianoconnor

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See, if Petrino was really that greedy... why would he give up his Falcons job that was paying him like $4.8 million/year for the job at Arkansas that pays like $2.8 million?
 

jdoggivjc

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One other thing the Falcons can do to improve is to get rid of those ridiculous uniforms and go back to something more traditional. I have no problems with the new logo vs. the old - I actually love the new logo. While making the red jerseys the primary jerseys in year two over the black jerseys (which were primary in the first year of the new era uniforms), they still have the overall appearance of looking like a clown. I would not be disappointed at all if they were to happen to go back to the style of uniform that they wore in the Super Bowl.
 

ISUFan22

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Apr 11, 2006
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Money aside, how many of Atlanta's free agents are going to want to resign with them? How about free agents from other teams that Atlanta is trying to pick up?

I'd give up a little cash to go elsewhere.

And...Atlanta is currenltly 30th in available cap room...30th! They're so screwed...


SI.com - Writers - Monday Morning QB (cont.) - Monday December 10, 2007 11:29AM

Team Signed Players 2008 cap room
1. Tennessee 39 $40.85 million
2. San Diego 44 $33.03 million
3. Jacksonville 43 $32.69 million
4. Buffalo 49 $32.05 million
5. New Orleans 39 $31.69 million
6. Cincinnati 48 $31.45 million
7. San Francisco 48 $30.91 million
8. Cleveland 42 $30.31 million
9. Arizona 34 $30.27 million
10.N.Y. Jets 45 $27.72 million
11.Oakland 40 $25.98 million
12.Tampa Bay 48 $25.90 million
13.Miami 48 $25.56 million
14.N.Y. Giants 49 $24.47 million
15.Detroit 42 $23.50 million
16.Houston 43 $22.91 million
17.Dallas 40 $20.61 million
18.Kansas City 44 $20.27 million
19.Chicago 52 $19.80 million
20.Pittsburgh 43 $18.61 million
21.Green Bay 48 $18.37 million
22.Philadelphia 49 $17.17 million
23.Denver 49 $16.77 million
24.Minnesota 49 $14.88 million
25.New England 41 $10.93 million
26.St. Louis 45 $9.61 million
27.Seattle 44 $9.55 million
28.Indianapolis 48 $8.49 million
29.Carolina 35 $6.05 million
30.Atlanta 52 $5.79 million*
31.Baltimore 42 $5.00 million
32.Washington 45 -$20.72 million

* Not including unspecified potential rebate from contested return of Michael Vick's pro-rated signing bonus.
 

CYVADER

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Nov 16, 2006
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it showed his last 18 months on sportscenter last nigh-in june of 06 he signed a 10 year contract extension to louisville for around 25 million. then in january he quit the louisville job and signed a 5 year 24 million dollar contract with the falcons. now this.
 

usnclone

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Feb 9, 2007
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Wow, the national media is really ripping Petrino. They pretty much called out to recruits not to trust him on ESPN. That can not be good.
 

Wesley

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See, if Petrino was really that greedy... why would he give up his Falcons job that was paying him like $4.8 million/year for the job at Arkansas that pays like $2.8 million?

Good point. Atlanta was a 5 year cleanup job in the pros and was not an Arkansas collegefive year deal. He now has to yell suey at every press conference. He can wear Red just like Louisville as he plays out being a hired gun. If he fails to win, Arkabnsas can fire his tail in three and not feel sorry. Personally, I think he was avoiding his ex qb Chris Redmon and then drafting the current Louisville qb. He chose to move to the PigPen job - how appropriate.
 
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jumbopackage

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Sep 18, 2007
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Did anyone catch what the falcons' players were saying about Petrino on Sports Center? Every person they interviewed said something about him that probably would have started a fight had they said it face-to-face. Even Joey Harrington.

I hope his recruiting results reflect the amount of integrity he apparently has.
 

jbhtexas

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Oct 20, 2006
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I heard on the local ESPN radio affiliate this afternoon and then again on a local TV sportscast tonight that Jerry Jones was intimately involved in getting Petrino to Arkansas. Apparently Jones called Falcons ownership and told them that Arkansas wanted to talk to Petrino. The Falcons would not give permission to do so. Petrino then phoned in his resignation the next day.
 
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ISUFan22

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Apr 11, 2006
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Holy crap man...look at some of this...I don't think I've seen anything like this regarding a coach leaving...

ESPN - Blank composed, but upset by Petrino's departure - NFL

"I do feel a sense of betrayal, a sense of trust lost that just was not right given the circumstances," Blank told a news conference at the team's headquarters.

"This league is not for everybody," safety Lawyer Milloy said. "This league is for real men. I think he realized he didn't belong here."

"It just shows his true color, like a coward with a yellow stripe down his back," said Jackson, who now plays with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"The slap in the face was ultimately when he showed up at a 11 o'clock, or whatever time it was in Arkansas, doing the 'pig sooey' hog call," Milloy said. "It seemed like was right in rhythm with the beat. He had been practicing."

All Petrino left on his way out the door was that letter.
Milloy had a copy of it taped above his locker, with a red "X"
through Petrino's words and the player's own assessment written in: "Coward." Center Todd McClure didn't even bother keeping his copy.
"I think it's already in the trash," he said bitterly.

Defensive end Jamaal Anderson, the Falcons' first-round pick from Arkansas, was asked what he would tell his alma mater about its new coach.
"One word: Disloyal," Anderson replied.
 

06_CY

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Apr 11, 2006
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Those are some harsh comments; some real dislike for their former coach.