I wish they'd take this opportunity to get rid of McKay as well.

12/12/2007 2:52:52 PM

Why? He is one of the better GMs in the league.

12/12/2007 2:59:01 PM

Dexter I would certainly be pissed off if I owned a franchise that had as many tragedies happen to it as the Falcons have

but fuck Arthur Blank...I laugh my ass off everytime that rat nosed fuck gets pissed...screw that billionaire bastard

12/12/2007 3:06:35 PM

I have a hard time hating any billionaire because I'm so fucking jealous of them

I research everyone who owns a professional team to see how they got so rich

and if you guys don't know about Roman Abramovich, get familiar.

12/12/2007 3:26:54 PM

I don't hate or like someone just because they're a billionaire

Mainly just because they are affiliated with the Atlanta Falcons

12/12/2007 3:39:43 PM

he's also kindof a really bad owner.

12/12/2007 3:42:02 PM

^^^Yeah he is filthy rich. But as far as sports owners go, nobody cares about him, atleast in this country, because sadly, he owns a soccer team. And we all know the overwhelming majority of Americans, myself included, could give two shits about soccer.

haha, are you really calling Arthur Blank a bad owner? The guy has been great for the Falcons.

[Edited on December 12, 2007 at 3:46 PM. Reason : .]

12/12/2007 3:45:17 PM

he kindof looks over his coach's shoulder and forces him to use a quarterback who is bad.

and i'm all for soccer, but you can't expect americans to know about an english soccer league.

12/12/2007 3:48:49 PM

Quote :

"You know, someone should arrange it so that Louisville and Texas A&M could be members of the SEC West, and ship Mississippi State to the SEC East to create a 14-team superleague with two seven-team divisions. The seven-team Western Division would read like this: LSU: Dumped by Saban; courted by Petrino; confused by Miles. The best program in the division, but--ironically--the biggest victim in the division as well. LSU has acted much more honorably than any of its counterparts in the SEC West, although Les Miles' lack of real commitment shouldn't be rewarded with a truckload of fresh cash. Why not give Michigan the chance to hire the game-management flunkie so he can lose to Jim Tressel on an annual basis in a Big Ten rivalry game? Alabama: Dumped by Fran; courter of Mike Price, who subsequently courted a stripper in Pensacola, Fla.; courter of Mike Shula on the rebound; dumper of Shula (thanks for saving our program, Mike); wooer of Saban... for a big price and just a 6-6 record, including a loss to Louisiana-Monroe. Auburn: Mistreater of Tuberville; former employer of Petrino; former "friend with benefits" of Petrino in that naughty one-night stand four years ago; newly loyal and seemingly chastened advocate of Tuberville; new division rival for Petrino; continuing rival of Saban and Miles. Texas A&M: Hired Fran from Bama; embarrassed by Fran; courted Tuberville; rebuffed by Tuberville; seemingly on the prowl for coaches from Alabama state schools. (Might as well be in the division inhabited by Bama and Auburn then, right?) Louisville: Hired Petrino; almost lost Petrino to Auburn; almost lost Petrino to LSU; coughed up a king's ransom for Petrino (as Alabama did for Saban); still lost Petrino anyway; has a fan base that wanted the new coach (forget how honorable he was as a human person) out after one bad season (gee, sounds like the SEC to me--come on down!). Ole Miss: Former employer of Tuberville, back in the 20th century... kinda like the Paleozoic Era; killed David Cutcliffe (cause of death: backstabbing) in 2004; hired Ed Orgeron; killed Orgeron a few weeks ago (cause of death: backstabbing); hired Houston Nutt hours after Nutt stepped down at Arkansas to escape the madness and dysfunctionality so rampant in Fayetteville (hah!). Arkansas: Couldn't stand being mediocre under Danny Ford; hired Nutt; watched Nutt go 75-48 in 10 seasons; didn't want Nutt around anymore (not enough, anyway); snubbed by Tuberville and a whole boatload of other coaches, as was the case with the basketball job when it opened up last spring; found by Bobby Petrino in much the same way that Franchione found A&M the moment his Bama job became inconvenient. Ladies and gentlemen, the seven members of the SEC West, aka, the Infidelity Division!"

12/12/2007 3:57:45 PM

They just ripped him on NFL live.

12/12/2007 4:10:51 PM

Quote :

"He has every right to be pissed the fuck off."

No he does not. Vick didn't turn into the disgusting human being he is as soon as he got to the Falcons, had he done any type of background check, he would have realized what kind of felon he was getting in Vick, the Falcons drafted Vick, not the other way around. Also, Petrino is a money grubbing coach, no question about it. But the way he bailed on Louisville should have raised an eyebrow for Blank, however, all he could think about was his own organization, and he got jobbed. But seriously, his team was a joke the day Vick got suspended, this is just the icing on the cake that he baked, no one else. Petrino moved on for recruiting purposes, he needs as much time in Arkansas as he can get. Seriously, if you were Blank, would you want a guy coaching your team for the last 3 games if you knew he was bolting, I would want him out the second I knew he was going elsewhere. What was Petrino going to do, revive them to the playoffs, um no. Losing their last three games will only get them a better draft pick and it also gives Blank a 3 week head start to land a coach than the other teams that will be coach poaching this off season in 3 weeks. This works out for Petrino and Blank if Blank understood how sports work, clearly home depot and the NFL aren't the same.

[Edited on December 12, 2007 at 6:01 PM. Reason : .]

12/12/2007 5:59:59 PM

^ When Bobby Petrino left Louisville, he did not sign a contract to be Michael Vick's coach. He signed a contract to be the coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

Sean Salisbury just called him a coward. And then said every college coach recruiting against Arkansas should ask a player and his parents "do you want your son playing for a quitter and a coward?"

[Edited on December 12, 2007 at 6:10 PM. Reason : /]

12/12/2007 6:07:52 PM

dag son,

they are calling him out

he was on a sinking ship, cmon...i dont blame the guy

[Edited on December 12, 2007 at 6:10 PM. Reason : g]

12/12/2007 6:09:53 PM

^ So? Take a loss like a man.

12/12/2007 6:11:00 PM

coaching is a business, its a livelihood

this isnt war or government or a failed research project

12/12/2007 6:16:34 PM

Quote :

"^ When Bobby Petrino left Louisville, he did not sign a contract to be Michael Vick's coach. He signed a contract to be the coach of the Atlanta Falcons."

"Left Louisville???" After he signed that ten year contract?? You're telling me the thing he did to Louisville and the Falcons, aren't the SAME thing?? Wow...Blank should have known what he was getting.

Quote :

""do you want your son playing for a quitter and a coward?" "

Come on, this is the SEC, much worse things go on in the recruiting trail. What about Saban, he actually lied ON NATIONAL TELVISION and I doubt his recruiting is affected. Using a coaches potential instability is like saying "water is wet, the sky is blue" its a common fact. You don't think O'brein is out telling our recruits considering Clemson that Tommy Bowden is gone the next time he gets an offer from a big school (note Arkansas is not a big school)??? Don't be naive. Now that I think about it, it's great for NCSU because if Petrino bolts after year two or three, guess who they go after????

I'm also in the camp that mails it in once you're mathematically out of the playoffs. What's the point? To play with pride and not be called a quitter. Well if that's your stance good, I'll mail it in and get a better draft pick and try and put it together in the future so that I can actually make the playoffs. Get a better draft pick. I mean, what's the difference between Peyton Manning and Ryan leaf .

12/12/2007 6:26:25 PM

What does football not being a war have to deal with a man leaving his job because he was tired of losing when he still had a job left to do? This wasn't like Saban leaving at the end of the season or college coaches constantly denying they're going to another school before they hop on a plane to a press conference. The man was coach for this season and he had 3 games left. Salisbury is right. I would hold that above his head to recruits if I were a competing coach til the end of time.

This was a guy who was tired of losing to people at his skill level and instead wanted to go to a job where a third of his games are against teams like Florida Atlantic where he can coach poorly and still win. It's the equivalent of Philip Rivers quitting mid-season and stating that the NFL is too tough and he was going to play for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League and they're paying him well to do it.

Quote :

"I'm also in the camp that mails it in once you're mathematically out of the playoffs. What's the point?"

Sure. Just as long as season-ticket holders get full refunds for the remaining games and the players and coaches agree to play and coach for free.

[Edited on December 12, 2007 at 6:30 PM. Reason : /]

12/12/2007 6:26:42 PM

Quote :

" had he done any type of background check, he would have realized what kind of felon he was getting in Vick"

Please tell me what a background check, on a college Jr with no criminal record would have shown? There were no signs that Vick had a questionable background at the time he was drafted. Are teams supposed to hire PIs and tail possible draft picks for a year or so before a draft?

That statement is just fucking stupid.

12/12/2007 6:33:05 PM

Quote :

"Sure. Just as long as season-ticket holders get full refunds for the remaining games and the players and coaches agree to play and coach for free."

Teams mail it in all the time, they just don't tell you. I'm not saying you should make a public statement, no no, I'm just saying If I were the coach or Blank, no way Deangelo Hall or Warrick Dunn gets their normal amount of snaps. I guess the Miami Dolphins haven't mailed it in either. Please, to go 0-13 with professional football players, to lose to the Jets and Bills in landslide fashion, please... They mailed it a long time ago, and I can tell you they ain't giving any refunds, I can't believe anyone would think that a professional franchise cares that much. In fact, if I were Jason Taylor, and I'm on the wrong end of 30, nothing would make me happier then for CC to come tell me to lay out of practice and you're only going to get half the reps the remaining games, it's a business to them before it's entertainment for us. Also, what about in week 17 when teams who have clinched their seed in the playoffs (cannot go up or down) and rest their starters, they're essentially mailing it in for that game, agree? For instance, Indy will be the 2 seed, likely won't be 1 or 3, so in week 17, I doubt Manning plays a lot, we'll see if they give refunds.

Quote :

"Please tell me what a background check, on a college Jr with no criminal record would have shown? There were no signs that Vick had a questionable background at the time he was drafted. Are teams supposed to hire PIs and tail possible draft picks for a year or so before a draft?"

My mistake, Vick's drug use and affinity for killing dogs started the day he got drafted, and not a second earlier, same with Marcus Vick, they were angels until they got into the spotlight.


[Edited on December 12, 2007 at 6:48 PM. Reason : ..]

12/12/2007 6:39:45 PM

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/falcons/stories/2007/12/12/deal_1213.html

Here's how it went down. Jerry Jones played a big role.

[Edited on December 13, 2007 at 9:05 AM. Reason : .]

12/13/2007 9:04:39 AM

I hope UArk never wins a game under Petrino.

12/13/2007 11:37:40 AM

Quote :

"great article from Pat Forde on this - he has very strong feelings about the subject to say the least http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3151061&sportCat=ncf"

Agreed, great article.

12/13/2007 11:55:47 AM

Hahahaha, gg Lawyer Milloy

12/13/2007 1:11:51 PM