Your daily reminder we could have had Bobby Petrino

[Southshore26]

If we had hired Petrino and he had bolted for the 'Ville after one season, that would have opened up a position for Calvin McGee (a coach familiar with Tampa that would love to run the USF program). McGee has only run Rich Rod's offenses for how many seasons? Word has it that he was shocked when we hired Skip. Imagine McGee and a good DC at USF. We could score like WVU and actually have a defense that played old USF football. Our defense was nice to watch most of the season. We would have not lost to Michigan State if McGee were running the program - the guy knows how to get the most out of a player's talent (not saying Taggart doesn't - but we totally were committed to a coach's system - not a player's abilities).

 

If Calvin McGee is such a great HC prospect then why isn't getting any attention anywhere else?

[Bull Martin]

I was all for Petrino after Skip was fired.

 

However, he took the same program and same athletes that Taggart built up into back to back 7-5 seasons and went 8-5.  So the two coaches playing with the nearly exact same pieces had nearly the exact same results.  If Petrino had come to USF would we possibly be a couple of games better?  Possibly.  Although knowing Petrino's modus operandi, he would have likely taken a look over USF's depth chart and watched some tape of the final games and not come here anyway.  He walked into a cushy situation at WKU.  Their talent compared to their conference was above average built on a strong footing.

[FazaUSF]

Hmmmm.... maybe this is the start of a new trend. Perhaps if CWT moves on in a few years (after either not doing well or doing well and getting hired away), perhaps USF could be hiring a "changed man" in Jim Leavitt... he didn't really do something horrible to begin with. Doubt he'd want to come back, and I imagine we'd have to have a different AD... but perhaps the Louisville hire sets a precedent for consideration of the possibility?

[charsibb]

 

Since apparently assistant coaches' opinions of him are relevant, let's see what one of his former assistants has to say about this stand-up guy:

 

 

 

A lot of Atlanta fans, understandably, have forgotten all about the short tenure of coach Bobby Petrino.

But one guy who hasn’t forgotten is Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who was on Petrino’s staff in Atlanta in 2007. Speaking to the Cincinnati media Wednesday, Zimmer ripped Petrino, who left the Falcons to coach at the University of Arkansas.

“When a coach quits in the middle of the year and ruins a bunch of people’s families and doesn’t have enough guts to finish out the year, I’m not a part of it,†Zimmer said. “And you can put that in the Arkansas News Gazette. I don’t really give a (bleep). He’s a coward, he ruined a bunch of people’s lives, a bunch of families, kids, because he didn’t have enough (guts) to stay there and finish the job. And that’s the truth. Most people in football have enough courage about him and enough fight to stick it out and not quit halfway through the year. It’s cowardly.â€

Pretty strong stuff and I’m sure it will appear in newspapers in Arkansas and plenty of other places. Zimmer returns to Atlanta on Sunday as the Bengals face the Falcons.

 

 

 

How does a coach quitting ruin a bunch of families? Seems a bit of a stretch there...

[Bull Martin]

I mean it's in the realm of possibilities, Faza.  Woolard would obviously have to be gone.  There would have to be an AD come in with a vested interest in hiring Leavitt, though.  Jurich, the UL AD, hired Petrino to begin with I believe.  He worked with him prior and enjoyed the results.

 

I'm not sure who could come in and champion hiring Leavitt.  Would Judy go for it?  Would Leavitt?

[Bull Martin]

 

 

Since apparently assistant coaches' opinions of him are relevant, let's see what one of his former assistants has to say about this stand-up guy:

 

 

 

A lot of Atlanta fans, understandably, have forgotten all about the short tenure of coach Bobby Petrino.

But one guy who hasn’t forgotten is Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who was on Petrino’s staff in Atlanta in 2007. Speaking to the Cincinnati media Wednesday, Zimmer ripped Petrino, who left the Falcons to coach at the University of Arkansas.

“When a coach quits in the middle of the year and ruins a bunch of people’s families and doesn’t have enough guts to finish out the year, I’m not a part of it,†Zimmer said. “And you can put that in the Arkansas News Gazette. I don’t really give a (bleep). He’s a coward, he ruined a bunch of people’s lives, a bunch of families, kids, because he didn’t have enough (guts) to stay there and finish the job. And that’s the truth. Most people in football have enough courage about him and enough fight to stick it out and not quit halfway through the year. It’s cowardly.â€

Pretty strong stuff and I’m sure it will appear in newspapers in Arkansas and plenty of other places. Zimmer returns to Atlanta on Sunday as the Bengals face the Falcons.

 

 

 

How does a coach quitting ruin a bunch of families? Seems a bit of a stretch there...

 

 

 

Arkansas was a much better gig for him.  Ruined families  ...

 

Colleges for the most part don't wait on their guy.  If he finishes out the season, he loses a month of recruiting time or in reality, he loses the possibility to coach at Arkansas altogether.  Did he make the classy move?  Obviously not, but it was likely the right move.

Edited January 10, 2014 by Bull Martin

[FazaUSF]

I mean it's in the realm of possibilities, Faza.  Woolard would obviously have to be gone.  There would have to be an AD come in with a vested interest in hiring Leavitt, though.  Jurich, the UL AD, hired Petrino to begin with I believe.  He worked with him prior and enjoyed the results.

 

I'm not sure who could come in and champion hiring Leavitt.  Would Judy go for it?  Would Leavitt?

 

Judy didn't want to fire Leavitt, of that I am sure. She was forced to. The circumstances of the situation and their reflection on the bigger stakeholders forced her hand. She loved Leavitt. I think she would consider it, even if she wouldn't ultimately do it, depending on what advisors, BOT members, and stakeholders would say. Whether Leavitt would come back, I don't know. But I can hope, if CWT doesn't happen to stay long term.

[gobulls83]

 

 

Since apparently assistant coaches' opinions of him are relevant, let's see what one of his former assistants has to say about this stand-up guy:

 

 

 

A lot of Atlanta fans, understandably, have forgotten all about the short tenure of coach Bobby Petrino.

But one guy who hasn’t forgotten is Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who was on Petrino’s staff in Atlanta in 2007. Speaking to the Cincinnati media Wednesday, Zimmer ripped Petrino, who left the Falcons to coach at the University of Arkansas.

“When a coach quits in the middle of the year and ruins a bunch of people’s families and doesn’t have enough guts to finish out the year, I’m not a part of it,†Zimmer said. “And you can put that in the Arkansas News Gazette. I don’t really give a (bleep). He’s a coward, he ruined a bunch of people’s lives, a bunch of families, kids, because he didn’t have enough (guts) to stay there and finish the job. And that’s the truth. Most people in football have enough courage about him and enough fight to stick it out and not quit halfway through the year. It’s cowardly.â€

Pretty strong stuff and I’m sure it will appear in newspapers in Arkansas and plenty of other places. Zimmer returns to Atlanta on Sunday as the Bengals face the Falcons.

 

 

 

How does a coach quitting ruin a bunch of families? Seems a bit of a stretch there...

 

 

I would imagine Petrino leaving put all the assistant coaches' jobs in jeopardy. Total guess, but I think anyone who wasn't a major coach - I mean like training staff, whatever other "lower" positions are there - who was hired at Petrinio's recommendation probably didn't have much of a chance of keeping their jobs once he pulled his dickhead move. At least assistants like the guy in the story still had the resume to find a new job. Is less than a year a reasonable timeline for an NFL coach when you hire him, before bolting? Of course not. You can't blame some of the employees if they thought they had a little more job security than they actually did. Even if they could find a new job easily, who wants to move to another part of the country mere months after doing it once for a job with the Falcons?

 

In any case, I think the coach who said that probably knows more about the situation than we do.

 

Obviously he didn't sign a lifetime contract and, legally at least, he's free to leave whenever he wants. But to not even talk to your players and staff about it in person? To have them find out by seeing a note you snuck into the locker room in the middle of the night to leave them? It's amazing that people just keep saying over and over, "coaches leave all the time," as if that means all situations are automatically equal. People leave their non-football jobs all the time, that doesn't mean there isn't a right way and a wrong way to do it; Petrino has repeatedly chosen that wrong way. Hell, the fact that Petrino did it the way he did in Atlanta shows that he KNOWS it was a scumbag move. Why else would he be afraid to face the team? What a loser.

Edited January 10, 2014 by gobulls83

[Triple B]

Since apparently assistant coaches' opinions of him are relevant, let's see what one of his former assistants has to say about this stand-up guy:

 

 

 

A lot of Atlanta fans, understandably, have forgotten all about the short tenure of coach Bobby Petrino.

But one guy who hasn’t forgotten is Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who was on Petrino’s staff in Atlanta in 2007. Speaking to the Cincinnati media Wednesday, Zimmer ripped Petrino, who left the Falcons to coach at the University of Arkansas.

“When a coach quits in the middle of the year and ruins a bunch of people’s families and doesn’t have enough guts to finish out the year, I’m not a part of it,†Zimmer said. “And you can put that in the Arkansas News Gazette. I don’t really give a (bleep). He’s a coward, he ruined a bunch of people’s lives, a bunch of families, kids, because he didn’t have enough (guts) to stay there and finish the job. And that’s the truth. Most people in football have enough courage about him and enough fight to stick it out and not quit halfway through the year. It’s cowardly.â€

Pretty strong stuff and I’m sure it will appear in newspapers in Arkansas and plenty of other places. Zimmer returns to Atlanta on Sunday as the Bengals face the Falcons.

 

 

How does a coach quitting ruin a bunch of families? Seems a bit of a stretch there...

 

 

Arkansas was a much better gig for him.  Ruined families  ...

 

Colleges for the most part don't wait on their guy.  If he finishes out the season, he loses a month of recruiting time or in reality, he loses the possibility to coach at Arkansas altogether.  Did he make the classy move?  Obviously not, but it was likely the right move.

It was a **** move by Petrino AND Arkansas.... Even the Devil himself didn't pull that on the Dolphins when he went to Bama ...

[raptorcj]

 

I mean it's in the realm of possibilities, Faza.  Woolard would obviously have to be gone.  There would have to be an AD come in with a vested interest in hiring Leavitt, though.  Jurich, the UL AD, hired Petrino to begin with I believe.  He worked with him prior and enjoyed the results.

 

I'm not sure who could come in and champion hiring Leavitt.  Would Judy go for it?  Would Leavitt?

Judy didn't want to fire Leavitt, of that I am sure. She was forced to. The circumstances of the situation and their reflection on the bigger stakeholders forced her hand. She loved Leavitt. I think she would consider it, even if she wouldn't ultimately do it, depending on what advisors, BOT members, and stakeholders would say. Whether Leavitt would come back, I don't know. But I can hope, if CWT doesn't happen to stay long term.

 

I thought we just talked in another thread about the settlement with CJL including a "do not hire" clause, for eternity.