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Media Bashing of Petrino
Media Handling of Petrino Getting Old
Every morning I go to work and start checking out the internet and morning papers for things that interest me on sports. I usually check out all the top news sports media outlets on the web and then check the local paper. Usually there is plenty of new and interesting things on each outlet. Journalist and opinion writers throughout the country putting out new and original ideas for the sports readers of America. I don't know about you, but I love new and original. Unfortunately, today I ran across old and unoriginal Don Banks. Don became the 1,000th sports media member to bash Petrino since December and it's getting old.
Mr. Banks starts off by saying that maybe the Atlanta Falcons are better off with the "slimy" Bobby Petrino as its head coach. Are they? History shows that the Falcons are one of the worst franchises in NFL History. This is a franchise that has an alltime record of 245-357-6. In the 33 year history the franchise has only 10 winning seasons and one Super Bowl appearance. Only six playoff wins exist in this joke of a franchise that Arthur Blank purchased.
If you look at the facts it appears that Bobby Petrino did what every other Falcon coach has done in the past, lose. Sure, a 3-10 record isn't impressive, but let's not forget that Petrino took the job with the expectation that Vick would be his QB. Vince Lombardi himself couldn't win with the team Petrino had last year and this is the fault of Blank, not Petrino.
This is the same franchise where "Swamp Foxes" and grown men who left tickets for Elivs once coached. One man, Dan Reeves, actually did take Blank's Falcons to the Super Bowl. Reeves was the NFL Coach of the Year and turned a franchise that went 3-13 the year prior to his arrival into a Super Bowl team. How did Arthur Blank show his appreciation for the hall of fame coach? Well, Blank fired Reeves. Not only did Blank fire Reeves, but it was done with 3 games left in the season. The same man that bashes Petrino for leaving early, did the same thing to a classy man just 5 years earlier. I guess Blank needs to take some lessons on Karma from Earl Hickey.
I have no problem with Petrino leaving the Falcons early. The man took a job with the idea that he would have the talented Vick leading the most important position on the team. How was he to know Vick had a sick fascination with the torture and murder of dogs? Petrino knew that it would be a complete rebuilding effort to turn around the Falcons. Given Blank's past of firing coaches, Petrino couldn't take a risk of sticking around. How was Petrino supposed to know when he took the job that he would have several key players on his team wearing "Free Vick" shirts on the sidelines during a Monday Night Football broadcast? I don't know about you, but I myself would have issues being around men that support men in Federal Prison. Not a fun work enviroment is it?
Some question as to why he didn't finish the season. Well, if anyone follows college football they know there is a dead period where coaches can't contact recruits. This dead period started the week following Petrino's press conference. If Petrino was to take the job of Head Hog he couldn't wait any longer. Former Arkansas Head Man Houston Nutt had taken over at SEC West Rival Ole Miss. Nutt was contacting all the big Natural State recruits and even had members of his new staff at Ole Miss still in Fayetteville preparing for the Hog's Cotton Bowl game against Missouri. By taking the Arkansas job when he did Petrino was able to get a start on recruiting before the time of official visits took place. Right away Bobby visited a highly touted group of recruits and ended up signing ten of the top 10 prospects in Arkansas.
Something else to take into consideration is how the Vick situation and being in Atlanta was hurting Petrino's Family. The wife and Children of Coach Petrino had to put up with the media's love of the Vick Story everyday and as you can imagine it wasn't a fun situation. The family hated living in the large city of Atlanta, a far cry from the small Montana town Petrion grew up in. Atlanta, with one of the nation's highest crime rates, wasn't the place for the family. Instead Petrino moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas a city that was just named as the 7th best place to live in by Kiplinger Personal Finance. If you are a true man, you know that you will do whatever you can to do what's best for your family. Petrino did just that, Mr. Banks of SI and other media members seem lost on this concept.
The media's handling of this ordeal is sad in many ways. A man like Don Banks can bash Petrino for leaving a job early. What Don Banks doesn't tell you is that from 1996-2000 he quit 3 different jobs. In 96 he left the St. Petersburg Times, 99 he left the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and then in 2000 he left the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Mr. Banks, I'm certain your employer's expected you to stay a bit longer than this. When you took the job for the Tribune in 99 did you tell them in the interview you would leave in only a years time? Fact is Banks did exactly what was best for his professional and personal life, just as Petrino did.
Sean Salisbury, a fired employee of ESPN, once stated on air that recruits should never attend The University of Arkansas. How is this type of comment allowed? Where is the ethics in a comment like this? It's ok I guess for Salisbury to say things like this and show his "junk" to co-workers, but for Petrino to quit a NFL job it's unethical.
So what happens to Bobby Petrino now? Jay Phillips of 107.5 the Game in the SEC Market of Columbia, SC has joked numerous times that Petrino is only waiting for the Texas job to open up. Then he's out of Fayetteville and then in Texas. Phillips obviously doesn't have a clue about the Horns-Hog rivalry and the fact that Texas would never look at hiring away an Arkansas head man. For those that say Petrino will leave and take another job, I ask where? It's obvious the NFL isn't going to take a chance on the guy again, so you can rule that out. Arkansas is paying the man near $3 million a year, there is only a handful of schools in the NCAA that could come close to outbidding Tyson, Jerry Jones, and Wal Mart money. Those that can offer more money or a better job aren't going to put up with the media bashing it would take by hiring Petrino?
Petrino will have a good coaching career in Fayetteville. It won't happen right away due to a lack of great players left from the previous staff, but when it comes the media will take notice. It might even have a few guys like Don Banks standing up and yelling Woo Pig Sooie.
Matt Barber
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