AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > February > 06 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USPetrino’s loyalty a shifting formation
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Even now, after nearly a month of swearing his allegiance to the Falcons as their new head coach, there are so many questions for Bobby Petrino about his past, present and future.
For instance: Which is it?
Does Petrino consider himself to be a pro coach or a college coach for the long run, and given his self-inflicted controversy over it all, what does this mean for his longevity (or lack thereof) in Atlanta?
Here’s why I ask: During Petrino’s four seasons of leading the University of Louisville to football prominence, he often spoke of cherishing the collegiate lifestyle to that of the pros. He regularly told Cardinals athletics director Tom Jurich that working in the college ranks was more suitable for raising his family. He even signed that 10-year contract last summer to coach Louisville just shy of forever.
“For me and my family, Louisville is my home,” Petrino said back then at his news conference. “I also wanted to make sure that everyone understood — and I know I’ve said it — that this is where my family wants to be and where I want to be.”
Now Petrino says boldly that he always knew in recent years that he would leave the college game.
Huh?
“Everything I’ve done from the time I left the [Jacksonville] Jaguars was within mind that, ‘when I come back to the NFL,’?” said Petrino, causing some head scratching during his impromptu interview with reporters in Miami during Super Bowl week. He was with the Jaguars from 1999 through 2001 as quarterbacks coach for two seasons before becoming Auburn offensive coordinator.
In contrast, Petrino’s other 18 years in coaching were on campuses, ranging from his native Helena, Mont., to Ogden, Utah to Reno, Nev. His college résumé included his ugly flirtation in the shadows with trying to secure the Auburn head coach job that his former boss Tommy Tuberville already had. Plus, despite receiving a hefty raise from Louisville, he interviewed at LSU after Nick Saban left for the Miami Dolphins.
It sounds like Petrino always viewed himself as a college coach.
Still, Petrino told those gathered last week in a conference room of the Miami Beach Convention Center that it was just a matter of “when” he would go back to the NFL as opposed to “if.”
Is that right? “Yeah, in my mind, it was never a question of ‘if,’?” said Petrino, 45, mentioning how he even “flipped” his offensive linemen for his college teams to resemble the pros — with a strong side and a weak side, “simply because you can hide a couple of players on your front, and you don’t have to learn as much. I was very intrigued and had a great experience when I worked in the NFL.”
So much so that Petrino said he regularly preached the work ethic of pro athletes to his college athletes.
“Like I told all the players who played for me at Louisville, there’s a bunch of guys with the talent to play in the NFL that are walking the streets,” Petrino said. “It’s the professionals, that’s why they’re called that, the guys that get up at 5:30 in the morning, go lift weights, because that’s what they feel they need to do. The guys that stay there when the horn’s blowing — and you can leave — but get together to watch video with the quarterback and receivers.
“You know, there’s a reason they are professionals, and it’s their commitment and their heart and their passion for the game. That’s always intrigued me from the start.”
Well, that and competition.
To hear Petrino tell it, the ultimate competition is in the NFL.
“It’s fun to coach the best players out there, and it’s fun to compete against the best coaches out there, and I think that will be the biggest challenge,” Petrino said. “Your college schedule, you’ve got two or three, maybe four games sometimes, where if you don’t just foul it up, you should step on the field and win that game. But we know that in the NFL, week in and week out, it’s going to have to be the best preparation, and you’re going to have to play at the highest level.”
It sounds like Petrino always viewed himself as a pro coach.
Mostly, it sounds confusing.
Permalink | Comments (25) | Categories: Falcons / NFL, Terence Moore
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By John
February 6, 2007 08:19 PM | Link to this
I wonder if Mr. Moore will still hate Petrino if he wins as Falcons’ coach. Geez, give the guy a chance! If Moore was white and Petrino black, I bet everyone would be screaming “racist”…
By Tommy Maddox
February 6, 2007 08:33 PM | Link to this
Gee Terrence:
Give the guy a chance. If he blows it, he blows it.
If he wins and sticks around, we all win.
Everyone has a past. The important thing is your today then your tomorrow.
By Andy
February 6, 2007 08:33 PM | Link to this
And is this any different than Mora Jr. saying his dream job was with his college school in Washington when he constantly preached the NFL is where it is at during his seasons here???
Come on…if your job at the ajc is to get people to write on the blogs with anger as they spew how much they hate you…this latest column will continue that tradition for sure…
By midnite
February 6, 2007 08:38 PM | Link to this
So what if the coach is a little shady? Might be just what we need. Blank and Co. brought him in to win, so lets get behind him and support the Birds. Petrino is pretty much already in a “must win” situation. It stinks to have to start over again after 3 years. Hopefully Vick will mature and finally realize his potential, if not its going to be ugly. I don’t see how Mike can withstand the pressure if he has a bad year.
By michael
February 6, 2007 08:39 PM | Link to this
if this was notre dame, tarrance moore would`nt have a problem. maybe you should write for a college paper.
By #1 falcon fan
February 6, 2007 08:43 PM | Link to this
terrence moore do even like the falcons you always have something neg to say about the team you create contreversy and your always tryin to run players out of time i hate reading anything you have say about my team your an atlanta journalist so right stuff good about your home team we fans don’t come to this site to read neg news or things you think of, but good things like who are we going to draft who’ll start next year and what we’ll be receiving for schaub! so if yo black a* don’t have anything positive to say about my team then don’t be posting bull s** thanx!
oh and i am black!
By Mike
February 6, 2007 08:51 PM | Link to this
If Petrino always knew that he would leave the college game, then why did he sign a 10 year deal with Louisville. Let’s face it. Blank blew it. How can you expect integrity from your players when you don’t require it from your head coach.
By Ripme
February 6, 2007 08:57 PM | Link to this
Stop playing games Terence. You have more important things to write about.
By mark o
February 6, 2007 09:07 PM | Link to this
Terrence you’ve driven me to drink. It’s the only thing I like about you. By the way what are you drinking when you write this garbage?
By dan
February 6, 2007 09:09 PM | Link to this
Mr. Moore,
You never ceases to amaze me. You always find something negative to write about, always.
By Stuck in Kentucky
February 6, 2007 09:24 PM | Link to this
Mr. Moore, Why are you waiting to tell us this now? This is not new. He has a well documented history of flirting with other organizations and you sound like your breaking new ground in reporting. You could have practically written this same article 4 weeks ago except for the comments made at the Super Bowl. Is there nothing better to write about? I live in Louisville and its really funny to hear EVERYONE throw coach Petrino under the bus. They (talk shows and newspapers)were telling about any bad moment he had, that we all sometimes have and hope no one remembers, while just a week before he was the 2nd coming Bear freakin Bryant. Petrino does not have much of a personality. He is just a football coach, nothing flashy, not nice sometimes, he is kind of like Bilachek (is that right?). Oh and he wins games like him too. I will take that as a Falcons fan. He is in a place that can fulfill all of his dreams and feed his ego. Where else can he go Terence? He was coaching at LOUISVILLE! Not USC, FSU, UGA or even GT for goodness sake. It was LOUISVILLE! I have lived here for 7 yrs and I am trying to get out daily so I have empathy for him. Of course he is going to listen to other job offers because he is driven and wants to be at the highest level possible. I do not see anything wrong with that. What if he said at the end of every season “Good year now I am going to listen to offers from other”. Granted he made some mistakes and he is not real good at PR, but he is at coaching. Why don’t you see how well he does before dredging up something that is well known anyway.
Terence I think you can do better than this.
By okoou
February 6, 2007 09:25 PM | Link to this
If terrence could get another writing job for $10 million a year, would he pass it up so he could keep writing this pi$$poor pieces of sh*t for the AJC?
I wonder
By TRACY WYNN
February 6, 2007 09:34 PM | Link to this
MR MOORE YOU SUCK STOP DOWNING THE BIRDS.
By A-Town Vet
February 6, 2007 09:39 PM | Link to this
Mr. Moore you simply amaze me with your perspective. Sometimes I think the AJC pays you to be the oof beat writer that stirs conserversy. The media always hops on players/coaches for past comments but what would you expect a person to say when being interviewed about their current job. If someone asked you on the record if you preferred your job now versus being a sports anchor, reguardless if being a sports achor was your dream job, you would speak as if your current job meant everything to you. And please tell me that if your employer offered you a ten year 24 million contract , you would inssit they shorten it and reduce the pay because you have higher goals in mind. Think about what you write before wasting energy.
By singletary
February 6, 2007 09:46 PM | Link to this
Realizing that Petrino (perhaps with foresight) put the NFL escape clause into his Louisveill contract, I guess we can’t say he was totally committed to his 10-year college agreement.
I’m GLAD he isn’t playing head games with MV7. He’s giving him audibles and the offense to run. Then, let it fall where it may, Vick for the rest of his tenure in the NFL or Shaub/DJ? other. While I question the line decisions so far, he’s at least giving MV7 the keys to his own destiny to call his own plays.
At this moment, I have to believe he is totally commited to making his mark in the NFL. That means he’ll work hard to keep what is supposed to be a wonderful practice facility and good owner situation in his pocket.
Now “just win, baby.”
By TW
February 6, 2007 09:49 PM | Link to this
Alas, Manning has a ring. Every similarity to Vick is now gone, Terrence. It is time to do with Vick what Philly should have done with Iverson three years ago. The Atlanta Falcons owe this fan base an honest effort at winning a Super Bowl. Let’s get something for our ‘combine quarterback’ while we still can.
By Titothebear
February 6, 2007 10:03 PM | Link to this
Terence,
It is confusing! Petrino seems to be a man who embraces opportunism and who is not above telling people whatever it is he perceives they wish to hear. That may work for a while but Mr. Blank wants wins and an ingratiating personality and inane patter will only carry Mr. Petrino so far. A pile of losses will carry him on to the next stop. I don’t see good things ahead for him. The Foulcons are steeped in failure and that culture pervades every aspect of that franchise. This is a franchise, that after forty-one years, has lost 116 more games than it has won. The losing season, just completed, is not an anomaly. It’s tradition! That tradition will carry on. Two years from now, people will be screaming for Petrino’s head and pining for the good old days of Mora and Knapp. If Petrino is intelligent he will keep his resume up to date and in the hands of prospective employers. This job is not going to last!
By JSMooooooove
February 6, 2007 10:20 PM | Link to this
Enuff Already!!!!!!!!!!!!
Was the 1st thing i heard when Fox Sports interviewed this guy who was talking about a radio show in ATL that had 2 brothers hosting..I thought it was the STEWS..Nope!!! Then the guy said they are ATL born and raised,they have plenty to say,BUT!!!!
They let the callers talk!!!
They let them express their point,and treat them with respect..
So at 6:15 pm on this tuesday night,I dialed up WTJH-AM 1260 on the radio dial,and it was refreshing!!!
2 Black Guys who knew how to talk,do interviews,and brought on 2 inner-city student athletes who were A-Students,and great baseball players,1 with Tri-Cities and the other with Westlake..These guys were articulate,bright,and one of them who says he is 14 and in the 10th grade is also soon to be licensed pilot!!!????
I am so proud,and im white.. I get so tired of seeing and hearing about young black guys who get into trouble..My aunt is an educator in the Atlanta Public School System..And she tells me all the time about great students who go to college,are intelligent and from,”The Hood”..
1260am and your sports show is a marvel..And im thankful for it..
Dan Dresden Henry County-Stockbridge,Ga.
By Gene
February 6, 2007 10:33 PM | Link to this
Terrence Moore was angry when the Braves signed Greg Maddux instead of Barry Bonds.
By Najeh Davenpoop
February 6, 2007 11:02 PM | Link to this
Terence, if you are worried about Petrino’s loyalty, or lack thereof, why not go ask people who knew him at Louisville? Or at Jacksonville? Or at any of the places he was at earlier? Find out from them… was he just talking out his a*? Or was he really being honest at the time when he said he wanted to stay at Louisville? This article is just a bunch of speculation and serves no purpose, and only restates what has been said many times already. If you really want to know, go find out the facts and report them, Terence. I think we’d much rather hear inside information from the folks at Louisville than more regurgitated speculation from you.
Although I’m still not sold on Petrino, I think we have to give him credit for what he’s done so far. I was down on Mora from the minute he was hired when he stated his intention to run a West Coast offense and an undersized defensive scheme. Petrino, on the other hand, has asserted the commitment to a power running game and giving Vick the freedom he needs as a quarterback, two things that were missing from last year’s team. Nobody knows whether he’ll do well or not, but so far he’s definitely impressed.
By RON S.
February 6, 2007 11:06 PM | Link to this
TO MR. MOORE:PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STOP DRINKING HATERADE.YOU SHOULD REALLY FIND ANOTHER JOB.
By Scooter
February 6, 2007 11:17 PM | Link to this
A huge increase in salary can change anyones mind, I know I would have done the same. Though it appears that Rich McKay has a strong influence on Petrino. Also, Arthur Blank’s ability to develop strong personal relationships with his coaching staff and also provide them with everything they may need to become an elite football team in the NFL is another reason I feel comfortable Petrino will stay in Atlanta. As Petrino said before, “The Atlanta Falcons organization is one of the best in the NFL”.
By jerry
February 6, 2007 11:33 PM | Link to this
Very negative article. Surely there are more important sports angles to consume your time.
By IraqDawg
February 6, 2007 11:41 PM | Link to this
T Moore hasn’t been happy about any decision ever! Someone get this guy a hooker. Even if the hawks, thrashers, braves, falcons and dawgs all won championships at the same time, while atlanta was awarded another olympic games, our crime rate dropped to zero, and traffic went away, he’d still be complaining.
By Situations
February 6, 2007 11:50 PM | Link to this
Situations change and if an opportunity arise to better yourself or even challenge yourself you should be allowed to. Sports is not a loyal business anyhow, not the owners, the coaches, the players, the media nor a lot of the fans. He is a football coach, not a politician. He says what he feels at the moment like many of us do, but things in life change and thus the choices we make do to. I look forward to watching Petrino and Vick this fall, I think it will be great football!