Thursday, December 13, 2007
News / Sports Reaction roundup: Bobby Petrino is a fat hog
Posted by Scott Freeman on Thu, Dec 13, 2007 at 2:35 PM
The reaction to Bobby Petrino's quick decision to quit his job as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in order to go hog-calling in Arkansas has drawn heated reaction on the Net. Some of the adjectives invoked include "weasel," "jackass" and "rancid."
Some samples:
"I was looking for a commitment from Bobby and having some exposure on behalf of the franchise Monday night," Blank said of the face-to-face meeting. "[I] wanted to know, 'Are you with us or not?' I did press the question with him ... Bobby extended his hand and said, 'You can tell them you have a head coach.'"
— Arthur Blank, AJC.com
And so Blank, it seems, wasn't the only one who misread Petrino. Unfortunately for Blank, whose good intentions and desire to win keep blowing up in his face, he's the only one who hired him. Turns out that maybe Blank is better at finding people to manage the drywall department or to order hammers than he is at finding someone to manage his football team and bark orders at his players.
— Len Pasquarelli, ESPN.com
He ran the team with an aloof style, feeling no reason to share his decisions on personnel with the affected players. He could walk through the locker room without speaking to anyone and was openly criticized by two of the team's stars, Pro Bowlers [DeAngelo] Hall and Alge Crumpler.
Quarterback Joey Harrington was noticeably perturbed a few weeks ago when, after leading the Falcons to two straight wins, he heard from the media that Petrino still considered injury prone Byron Leftwich the starter.
— Peter King, Sports Illustrated online
"This is the worst year I've ever had in football," one veteran player said. "It's just miserable. I think (Petrino) had a clue about offense, but he couldn't communicate with anybody. You'd talk to him and it was almost as if he would stare at you and not get what you were talking about. He's a strange guy."
That player went even further, claiming that Atlanta owner Arthur Blank had told some of the veteran leaders on the team, including Crumpler and running back Warrick Dunn, that the team had made a mistake in hiring Petrino.
— Jason Cole, Yahoo Sports
Petrino was not only wildly unpopular in his own locker room, he wasn't even liked by those who worked in the Falcons team office, and who got to see him in supposedly a more relaxed setting. I visited Atlanta's training camp in early August, and sources within the building in Flowery Branch told me Petrino's lack of a personal touch left even the office secretaries cold, and that his disinterest in anything outside of football inspired some to describe him as having the personality of a doorknob.
Something tells me that there was no gnashing of teeth within the Atlanta organization when the doorknob made for the doorway on Tuesday.
— Don Banks, Sports Illustrated online
Petrino called a Falcons staff meeting late Tuesday afternoon, a meeting which last about 10 seconds ... "He just said to us, 'Guys I've resigned, I'm going to Arkansas. I'm sorry. I'll be talking with you guys in the future.' And with that he turned and walked out the door. We haven't been told anything else," one assistant coach [said].
Petrino did not address the Falcons following his resignation. Players are livid with the way Petrino left the team and several called his handling of the situation "classless."
— Jay Glazer, Fox Sports
I honestly can't believe that Petrino called in his resignation. To put this in some context, I quit at least four retail jobs in my high school to early college days. I went in to work every time and told my bosses face to face. Not once did I call in.
That's right, Bobby: you've been trumped in the decency department by a guy who once sold bikes at Toys 'R Us. Your move, jackass.
— Dave The Falconer, the Falconholic blog
Bobby Petrino couldn’t even wait until this miserable season is over before abandoning the sinking ship Atlanta Falcons. But if his timing is less than ideal, it’s probably fitting. Atlanta began the season by losing its star quarterback, Michael Vick, has lurched into week 14 with a 3-10 record, is playing to thousands of empty seats and is headed nowhere. Oh, I almost forgot: the city is running out of water, too.
Look, it’s rancid what Petrino did. Coaches are always talking about character and how real men never give up. Play every game hard to the final whistle, even if you’re losing by 40 points and you’re eliminated from the playoffs three games into the season. Isn’t that what they preach?
— Mike Celizic, MSNBC.com
Bobby Petrino quit because being an NFL coach isn’t just about Xs and Os. It’s about all of those things Petrino didn’t want to handle and clearly wasn’t equipped to handle. Salary cap issues. Players [sic] egos. The most basic form of communication.
Bobby Petrino quit because he couldn’t handle almost anything.
Michael Vick lied to Arthur Blank. Bobby Petrino lied to Arthur Blank. The second guy didn’t break any laws, but the two are closer than we could have imagined in the character department.
— Jeff Schultz, AJC.com
The disingenuous drifter doesn't love you or any other fan base. He doesn't love any school or any NFL franchise. He loves himself, his playbook and his bank account.
Bobby Petrino will return your embrace, Hog fans. But while he's hugging you he'll be looking over your shoulder, scanning the terrain for his next hook-up.
Even in a profession rife with dishonest posturing, Petrino is singularly mercenary. Loyalty, allegiance, commitment and honesty are foreign concepts to him. It must be a sad existence.
— Pat Forde, ESPN.com
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