Falcons Fallout: Bobby Petrino Starts with "Blank" Slate

Bobby Petrino is about six weeks into his new job at the University of Arkansas now.

Some of the vitriol that accompanied the new Hogs head man to his new locale has subsided. Apparently not all, judging by the comments left on this article by jilted Atlanta Falcon fans.

In my debut article on this site, the whole point was ESPN's double standard concerning Petrino's departure from Atlanta contrasted with Rich(er) Rodriguez' messy exit from West Virginia.

This writer was called an "idoit" among other  things. I assume he or she meant I-D-I-O-T. There were a number of other asinine comments. In other words, it was a successful debut.

The "idoit" comment was one of the kinder comments left by the "anonymous" clan. Which raises a few questions: Is that a Turkish name? Did the whole family join in the fun? Are there any branches on that family tree? Do these people really think that by leaving such comments under the cowardly cloak of anonymity, that it will stop me from expressing an opinion?

Many of the commentators missed the point entirely. The point was Bobby Petrino may not have been a good NFL coach, not that 13 games in truly enough to tell. 13 games with no quarterback and a meddling owner, at that. Jimmy Johnson was 1-15 in his debut campaign, Bill Walsh not much better.

The point was Petrino may be a jerk, he may be a liar. He may be a "disingenuous drifter". Whether Petrino is any or all of those things, Razorback fans will judge for themselves. He arrives with an opportunity and a blank slate. If the man chooses to go elsewhere in 3-4 years, it will mean that he won big.

If he goes 7-5, who would want him? Where in the NFL would he go after the firestorm ignited by his departure?

Therefore, Petrino is in Fayetteville for a minimum of 3-4 years, most likely. The Nostradamas' of football never thought Lou Holtz would stay seven years on the Hill, who knows?

Just so all those "experts" in Atlanta don't think I'm alone in my assessment of the Falcons, here is a link they might find interesting.

Some of the opinions in the original article were due to a Kevin Scarbinsky interview with Petrino's agent. 

The Falcons' problems did not start with Bobby Petrino This is the team that traded Brett Favre, after all.

Of course, that was long before King Arthur's reign of error began. But as Shannon Sharpe's recent comments indicate, there is a growing suspicion around the NFL that there are serious problems with that franchise, problems that begin and end with Arthur Blank.