Falcons Press Conference On Bobby Petrino's Departure - NFL Network Today

I'm watching the Atlanta Falcons Press Conference right now on The NFL Network. It features two speakers, Falcons GM Rich McKay and Falcons Owner Arthur Blank, and the mood is at best somber.

What's stood out is that the Falcons were misled not just by Bobby Petrino but by Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long. It's also very obvious from the discussion that Petrino could not communicate well with the players, and -- I'll say this -- may have had a hard time adjusting to the modern pro Black athlete.

Whereas in college a coach has a lot of power and is dealing with kids, in the NFL a coach is called by his first name, and can't throw a man off the team for misbehavior. But what's most obvious is that many in the Falcons organization were lied to and thrown into a huge organizational tailspin.

The people most negative impacted are the assistant coaches, one of which who's already left. They are in the position of having to worry about their futures anew.

Nice job Bobby.

More On Petrino's Sudden Departure From The Atlanta Falcons

Well, for some reason, I'm not surprised at this.

Petrino quits Falcons to take Arkansas job

By STEVE WYCHE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/11/07
Falcons coach Bobby Petrino, in a move that was said to have blindsided team officials, resigned Tuesday evening to take the head-coaching job at the University of Arkansas, the team confirmed.

Team owner Arthur Blank and the Falcons brass were caught so off guard that they are still trying to figure out who will coach the 3-10 team over the final three games.

Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer are likely candidates to coach the Falcons on an interim basis.

Each could be under consideration for the permanent job.

Before the Falcons' 34-14 loss to New Orleans Monday, Blank said that he had heard rumors that Arkansas had targeted Petrino to replace Houston Nutt as head coach. So he said he asked Petrino if he was considering that job.

Petrino, who was signed from the University of Louisville to a five-year, $24.5 million contract Jan. 8, told him Monday afternoon that he definitely would be back to coach the Falcons in 2008.

It was the second time Blank had asked Petrino about his commitment to the team and the second time Petrino told him he would be back next season.

Blank was not available for comment Tuesday evening.

The Falcons were off Tuesday and Petrino did not hold his typical day-after, post game news conference. It is not known if he spent the day talking to officials from Arkansas.

Petrino's abrupt departure puts the Falcons in position of trying to find a second head coach in less than a year. Blank fired Jim Mora Jan. 1, 2007 after three seasons.

Atlanta is in a tenuous situation because a new head coach with a radically different philosophy could require a rapid change in direction from plans already put in place to augment the roster for Petrino's scheme.

Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall, one of several players with a frosty relationship with Petrino, said he was surprised by the news, which he heard about from a team officials around 5:30 Tuesday.

"We felt like Petrino was going to be around for the long haul, like he had as much invested in this as we did," Hall said. "For him to jump ship is disheartening. Arthur Blank and the city of Atlanta, they deserve to win and we thought Petrino was going to be the guy to help us get there. He was a winner and wasn't used to losing.

"Maybe he didn't feel he could win at this level. I disagree with that. If he doesn't want to be a part of it, fine. We'll move on and get better and we will games without him."

It was thought that Petrino could take the Falcons offense, led by Michael Vick, and create an exciting, winning brand of football.

But Petrino's troubles in Atlanta began soon afterward, starting when Vick was questioned by security at Miami International Airport on Jan. 17 about a water bottle with a hidden compartment. Test results indicated that were no illegal substances in the bottle, and Vick was cleared of wrongdoing.

Vick's troubles continued in April when police found evidence of a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in rural southeastern Virginia.

Vick was indicted on felony charges in July of operating an illegal dogfighting operation, known as Bad Newz Kennels.

Vick was indefintely suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in August.

The Falcons are 3-10 following Monday's 34-14 loss to New Orleans. They are tied for the second-worst record in the league.

In the wake of Vick's suspension, the team has used three different starting quarterbacks, and its offense has struggled. They are 30th in the league in scoring (14.2 points per game) and 24th in yards per game (301.1 ypg).

Fan reaction was much like that at Falcons headquarters: surprised.

Brian Daniels, president of Louisville's Atlanta Alumni Club said, "I'm just absolutely floored.

"I really believe he came here to coach the best athlete in football. I think he was just at a point where he'd had enough. You can't blame a man for wanting to drive a Porsche and being handed a Cadillac."

Petrino has a history of short stays as a coach.

During his four seasons at Louisville, Auburn, LSU and the NFL's Oakland Raiders talked to him.

In an attempt to keep him, the school signed him to a $25-million extension in July, 2006.

He signed a deal with the Falcons six months later.

Petrino's coaching career started in 1983 as a graduate assistant at Carroll College in Wisconsin. He became offensive coordinator there in 1985. It was the start of a long-time career in the college ranks that saw him work as an assistant at eight colleges before being named head coach at the University of Louisville in 2003. He compiled a 41-9 record at Louisville.

Petrino previously worked in the pro ranks as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 1999-2002.

Petrino also has a previous stint in the SEC, as offensive coordinator for Auburn University in 2002.

Steve Sarkisian Or Bobby Petrino - Raiders Latest Coaching Snub Reveals Problems - Part One

It doens't matter who's take you read, this is the result of a larger problem. Read this work by ESPN's By Len Pasquarelli, first. Then, I'll present others. My overall take is that this is the result of a dysfunctional organization that prides itself on playing head games with people and all in an effort to pove that it's important and powerful, from coaches like Art Shell, to heirs of the ownership, and to young, promissing coaches. It's no accident that this has happned for the second straight year.

First Louisville's Bobby Petrino, now USC's Steve Sarkisian. What's vexing is they -- the Oakland Raiders -- bent over backwards for an unproven assistant college coach and pissed off the more NFL-capable Chargers Coach James Lofton in the process.

Here's Len:

Raiders coaching candidate Sarkisian rejects offer
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

In a strange twist that left the Oakland Raiders jilted by their first choice to succeed Art Shell, Southern California quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian on Friday evening rejected the team's offer to become its next head coach.

League sources who confirmed the move by Sarkisian gave no reason for his decision. The Raiders had offered a contract longer than the two-year deal Shell signed but further details were not available.

In a statement late Friday, the Raiders denied Sarkisian had been offered the job, and said he removed his name from consideration. The statement, in part, read: "The Oakland Raiders were not ready to offer the position and wanted to wait until after the weekend as the organization is still doing its due diligence."

In a separate statement, released by the university, Sarkisian said he wanted to stay at USC.

"I thank them for their interest in me," Sarkisian said. "While the job was never offered to me, at this time in my career, I've told them I want to stay at USC. I strongly believe that the Raiders' job is a great opportunity for whomever their next head coach is going to be."

The presumptive front-runner for the Oakland vacancy for much of this week, Sarkisian interviewed on Wednesday with team officials for the second time in two weeks. He then flew back to Los Angeles, but returned to the Bay Area on Thursday for another round of interviews.

In fact, the Raiders even interviewed Southern California offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, who was Sarkisian's choice to be his No. 1 offensive assistant, on Thursday. That prompted speculation that the club was close to finalizing a deal with Sarkisian.

In their statement, the Raiders said that Kiffin had made "no commitment" to join the staff if Sarkisian landed the job.

Sarkisian, 32, served as the Oakland quarterbacks coach in 2004 and, while he has not been a coordinator or head coach, he fit the mold of the kind of coach owner Al Davis has traditionally sought. Davis typically looks for candidates whose expertise is on the offensive side of the ball, and who are young and innovative.

A former Brigham Young quarterback who played three seasons in the CFL (1997-99), Sarkisian has a limited coaching resume. Beyond his two stints at Southern California (2001-2003 and 2005), Sarkisian was on the staff at El Camino (Calf.) Junior College in 2000.

In a related matter, San Diego Chargers wide receivers coach and Hall of Fame member James Lofton, who met earlier this week with Oakland officials, withdrew his name from consideration for the job.

Beyond Sarkisian and Loton, the Raiders have interviewed current Oakland defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and former New York Giants coach Jim Fassel. ESPN.com reported Tuesday that former Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green rebuffed overtures from Oakland officials to arrange an interview.

It is not known if Oakland will expand its search now or simply work from the pool of current candidates.

Senior writer Len Pasquarelli covers the NFL for ESPN.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.