Good hire by the Falcons. As a UK fan, GREAT hire by the Falcons (heh). Wonder if UofL AD Tom Jurich has a name on his speed dial like he did when John L. Smith bolted for Michigan St.?
All kinds of interesting things to be covered locally out of this story. Looks like the Ricktator gets a little more time to keep his flagging basketball program from rising to the top of the local news heap now that college football season was over (locally). Oh well, I can wait (Certain segments are *this* close to actually calling for his head). Again, as a UK fan this is just all kinds of GREAT!
It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them. P. G. Wodehouse (1881 - 1975), The Man Upstairs (1914)
Also, if this hasn't been covered somewhere on this board yet, Arthur Blank was telling the media prior to the hiring that whoever gets hired will have full control over what happens with Vick with respect to his future with the Falcons. The logic is that if Blank is going to bring in a coach to run his team, he should let the coach run the team how he sees fit. If he doesn't think Vick can fit into whatever offensive scheme he implements, he should have the right to trade him away to the highest bidder.
As a lifelong Falcons fan and a huge Vick supporter, I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I guess I'll go for whatever is best for the team. Again, I say, whew!
Originally posted by StingArmyAs a lifelong Falcons fan and a huge Vick supporter, I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I guess I'll go for whatever is best for the team. Again, I say, whew!
- StingArmy
If I were you, I'd be thrilled. Petrino isn't going to try to stuff Vick into a certain type of system _ he's going to build the system around Vick. We've seen flashes of Vick being very, very good when he's allowed to just go do what makes him Michael Vick. Petrino is very good at building an offense around the strengths of his players.
Originally posted by StaggerLeeDidnt he just sign like a 8 year extension?
10-year, $25 million, which was *supposed* to guarantee he was going to be at UofL for the forseeable future. At least he waited until after the season was over to pull this crap, unlike a couple of years ago when he flirted with the LSU job.
Originally posted by StaggerLeeDidnt he just sign like a 8 year extension?
10-year, $25 million, which was *supposed* to guarantee he was going to be at UofL for the forseeable future. At least he waited until after the season was over to pull this crap, unlike a couple of years ago when he flirted with the LSU job.
Didn't he send out feelers to Auburn as well, or was that vice versa?
Originally posted by StaggerLeeDidnt he just sign like a 8 year extension?
10-year, $25 million, which was *supposed* to guarantee he was going to be at UofL for the forseeable future. At least he waited until after the season was over to pull this crap, unlike a couple of years ago when he flirted with the LSU job.
Didn't he send out feelers to Auburn as well, or was that vice versa?
He sent out the feelers.
Originally posted by Louisville Courier-JournalPetrino's tenure was also marked by continual, and sometimes messy, flirtations with other jobs.
After his first season (2003), he secretly met with Auburn boosters to talk about replacing Tommy Tuberville, his former boss, when Tuberville was still employed by the school. After the 2004 season, he signed a contract extension with Louisville and interviewed for the LSU job just a week later. And after last season, Petrino turned down a chance to coach the NFL's Oakland Raiders.
Last summer, Petrino signed a 10-year contract worth at least $25.5 million. He said at the time he hoped it would stop speculation about other openings. He even insisted that Jurich include a $1 million buyout clause if Petrino left.
"For me and my family, Louisville is my home," Petrino said after signing the new contract. "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."
Petrino's name was mentioned when vacancies arose at Miami and Alabama. That prompted him to release a statement in late November in which he said, "I am not a candidate for any job openings."
I like Petrino, so hopefully he can actually get something done in Atlanta and not become another victim of The Overrated Mike Vick. Peter King had a great stat in his column today about how the universally scorned Jon Kitna had about 4200 yards passing this season, while Vick had about 3500 yards combined in passing, receiving and rushing. Vick just isn't it, folks. He's Aaron Brooks with slightly better legs.
I don't know what is more disquieting -- the fact that the rest of the statue is missing, or that it has four toes.
Pick on Vick all you want, but there was an even bigger cancer infected the Falcons: much of the coaching staff.
Vick still has issues reading defenses and doesn't know a touch pass from a touch-tone phone, but the cost of being the #1 rushing offense is having the worst passing offenses in football:
- small offensive linemen, especially the interior linemen, who were "programmed" to cut block for Dunn/Norwood but are as stable as a house of cards against a pressuring defense. Matt Lehr sucked up the line, got suspended for steriods, then continued his suckage when he returned. Forney, the best interior lineman the Falcons have, got injured and missed the rest of the season but is just okay with pass blocking.
- WR corps who won't be confused with the Colts or even the Texans. Three first-rounders displaying mind-boggling mediocrity (e.g. hands of butter, Roddy White dropping a crucial first down in the second first down in the second Saints game, Lelie forgetting how to play a good WR, Crumpler dropping a crucial TD in the first Saints game, lots of other moments I've blocked out).
Yesh, Crumpler's included too; he deserves the overrated label as much as Vick does as he is just as inconsistent as the rest of the offense. Some fans are yearning for the halycon days of Brian Finneran because he's one of the few receivers Vick seems to have confidence with on passing plays. Thanks WR coach Who Is a Lineman!
- Greg Knapp shoehorning Vick as a West Coast Offense QB yet not giving him audibles on passing plays. Don't forget the utter lack of screen plays and swing routes. Dan Reeves' offensive gameplan with Vick was like Sean Payton's in comparison (not a good thing). Knapp's one of the lamest offensive coordinators I've seen in my time following the Falcons.
- Lack of a firey leader. Jim Mora passed down the Rah-Rah-we're-having-FUN!!!11! attitude to the offense and that didn't help matters. Vick and Warrick Dunn are soft-spoken but they became almost complacent in the latter parts of the season.
Mora, Knapp, along with Ed "I can't stop 4th-and-26 AND the dreadful single-wing offense" Donatell deserves to go. For the next Falcons next head coach, I actually prefer Whisenhunt, who has Super Bowl credentials and is an Atlanta native, but I'll take a wait-and-see approach with Petrino.
I say it's a good signing for now, but no idea how long he'll last. The contract is for 5 years, right? It's hard to tell what will happen from here until then. It's been said that if Vick can't get it done this season with his stats, then he'll get the boot. Being the Virginia Tech Hokies football fan that I am, I am also a fan of Michael Vick. I can only hope all goes well this upcoming season for them.
Not a ripoff of ESPN.com's Page 2 sports writer, Bill Simmons. Lol.
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