Jay G. Tate: Making The Case: Bobby Petrino

AUChizad · « **on:** November 28, 2012, 05:06:57 PM »

http://auburn.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1442687

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Jay G. Tate
AuburnSports.com Senior Writer

AUBURN -- Athletic director Jay Jacobs and his own Coalition of the Willing, selected members of the search committee, are now in their third day of work to find coach Gene Chizik's successor.

A new leader could be revealed as soon as Friday, so the time for seriously analyzing the most likely candidates is at hand. We start today with a man who needs no introduction, though the surprising strength of his statistical profile often is obfuscated by his personal travails.

Let's take a deeper look at the former Arkansas coach.

He's been a head coach for eight seasons - four at Louisville, four at Arkansas - and has paved a trail of success from start to finish. His career winning percentage (74.3%) places him ahead of Nick Saban (74%), Les Miles (73.3%) and Steve Spurrier (72.8%), which is some impressive company.

And it's not like Petrino wasn't exactly piggybacking off someone else's success. He took Louisville to its first Bowl Championship Series game in 2006 and guided the Razorbacks during their maiden BCS voyage in 2010.

No other coach has taken two programs to their first BCS bowl.

The talk surrounding Petrino always starts with his offense.

By fusing spread elements, strong quarterback play and pace, Petrino created an offense that simply overwhelms most opponents. During Petrino's four seasons at Louisville, the team ranked no lower than 15th among all NCAA programs in scoring and yards.

The 2004 team led the nation in both categories.

Arkansas wasn't far off those numbers during Petrino's time in Fayetteville. After a sub-par season in 2008, his first with the Razorbacks, Arkansas never again finished below third among Southeastern Conference teams in passing yards, total yards or scoring.

Meanwhile, the program flourished. The Razorbacks set or tied 98 school records during Petrino's final three seasons in Fayetteville, cracked the 10-win plateau in consecutive seasons, finished above .500 in SEC during consecutive seasons for the first time in school history and scored at least 30 points in more than half of their games.

For all that offensive success, though, Petrino's defenses have been surprisingly good. His final defense at Louisville ranked 17th among all NCAA teams in points allowed. Each Arkansas defense improved over its immediate predecessor, cutting points allowed from 31.7 in 2008 to 22.2 last season.

Also telling is what happens to the teams once Petrino leaves. His time at Auburn as offensive coordinator, which yielded a 9-4 season, led to the infamous experiment involving Steve Ensminger and Hugh Nall. Points and yards dropped in 2003 - and the Tigers finished 8-5.

That season prompted an attempt on Auburn's behalf to hire Petrino away from his new job at Louisville.

You know how that ended.

Louisville won 41 games during Petrino's four years there. The program won 22 games during the next four years. Arkansas won 21 games during Petrino's final two seasons in Fayetteville - and finished 4-8 this fall.

Godfather · « **Reply #1 on:** November 28, 2012, 05:11:51 PM »

At this point I'm "ALL IN"

Snaggletiger · « **Reply #2 on:** November 28, 2012, 05:21:24 PM »

Quote from: Godfather on November 28, 2012, 05:11:51 PM

At this point I'm "ALL IN"

Welcome to the jungle

djsimp · « **Reply #3 on:** November 28, 2012, 06:03:16 PM »

I'm starting to think that the PTB already know that BMFP is the Auburn next HC. The media is being used
to warm over some of the naysayers.

AUChizad · « **Reply #4 on:** November 28, 2012, 06:07:22 PM »

Not WarBlogle, by God!

http://www.warblogle.com/2012/11/28/football/every-conversation-ive-had-about-petrino-this-week/

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Every Conversation I've Had About Petrino This Week

Since the middle of the season, when it first looked like Chizik wouldn't make it to next season, the Petrino bandwagon began to grow and grow each week. I tried to ignore it because I wasn't going to talk about coaches unless Chizik was gone.

Now that he is, I've thrown my two cents out on Twitter about my dislike for the idea of hiring him. With the growing minority becoming louder and louder, I've had multiple conversations with "Petrino-lovers", or PLs for short. They have all gone almost the exact same way. I'm beginning to think PLs all have some sort of checklist of points because they all use the exact same ones, almost in the same order, and exact same verbiage.

Many of these conversations have happened between friends and me, and to those guys, I respectfully disagree (except Blake Ells, I really hate that guy). To the ones I don't know that think I should quit the site or die in a fire because I don't want your guy as my school's coach, have a nice day.

So because I'm tired of typing my same points to their same points over and over, I'm just going to put it all here so that we don't continue to waste our time.

Them: "Petrino is the obvious choice. It's not even close."

Me: "He is a bad choice. We can do better."

Them: "Oh get off your high horse. Quit being holier than thou. You got the Auburn Creed tattooed on your chest? Everybody makes mistakes."

Me: "First off, this has nothing to do with the Creed. I am not saying anything about 'Auburn man' or that whole spiel. And yes, everybody does make mistakes, but most learn from their mistakes after the 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd time. He has too much of a history. Too much baggage."

Them: "You know that guy who's name is on the field? Pat Dye? Yeah he wasn't a saint."

Me: "No he wasn't, but two wrongs don't make a right, and that is no the reason to hire a football coach. I understand you are only mentioning Coach Dye to prove that a man most of us loved as a football coach also made mistakes, but that does make the decision to hire or not hire Petrino any different. How about we get a guy who will win that doesn't have a history."

Them: "What about forgiveness? Jesus says we should forgive." (Yes, I've actually had people bring up Jesus in this.)

Me: "First off, he didn't do anything to me, so I don't have to forgive him for anything. Second, I'm pretty sure Jesus didn't say anything about forgiving someone by handing over the keys to your football program. Auburn is worried about getting a man that will successfully run their program, not go out of their way to give a guy a third, fourth, or fifth chance because it's the nice thing to do. That is not their job or their duty."

Them: "So you're going to overlook the best and obvious choice because the guy had a girlfriend?"

Me: "Not specifically. That was just the icing on the cake. He's left every job in a shady or negative way. He undermined Tommy Tuberville with Jetgate. He toyed with Louisville for years, claiming to be committed, but interviewing for multiple jobs every year. After claiming to be committed to the Louisville fans and AD his last year there, he left for the Falcons. With three games left in the NFL season, he left the team high and dry. Did he tell the players? No. He simply left them a paragraph on a piece of paper. Then at Arkansas, he had an affair, where he allocated school funds to pay his mistress. When that affair was exposed with the motorcycle wreck, he tried to cover it up and lied to his AD. That is a career of lying and negativity. Study history or you will relive it. "

Them: "Yeah, but I think he's probably changed. He's probably pretty desperate."

Me: "Auburn should hire someone because you hope he all of a sudden has changed the way he's been for a decade?"

Them: "Oh whatever, I just want a winner. Petrino is a winner and he will win immediately."

Me: "Really? Petrino's SEC record is 17-15 and he is 0-4 against Alabama. He's never won a division title. Never even played for the SEC Championship. He did win the Big East and C-USA at Louisville. Is that what you want?"

Them: "Yeah, but he was at Arkansas with 3-star recruits. Think about what he'll do with our talent pool."

Me: "Well, the 3-star recruits are his problem. He has never been a strong recruiter. He usually gets a good quarterback, a halfway decent running back, and a few good receivers. He doesn't care about or recruit a strong defense. Second, Arkansas is not Vanderbilt. Houston Nutt took Arkansas to the SEC Championship Game. Houston Nutt won ten games once and nine games three times. They have been in the top half of the SEC for over a decade. By the way, he's the only SEC coach to lose to Ohio State in a BCS game. (slight troll there)"

Me: "Oh, and he's also an a-hole, and even though I hate this word, a jerk."

Them: "We need an a-hole. We need somebody tough. Saban is an a-hole and look at what he's done."

Me: "Saban is a different type of a-hole. Saban is a coaching a-hole. Petrino is a belittling a-hole. He's just not the guy we need."

Them: "Oh so you just want a 'good, nice guy' don't you? Did you see what us having a 'good guy' got us?"

Me: "Well, yeah, that 'good guy' National Championship, but if you mean the last two years, I don't think being a good or Godly man is what brought that on. Being softer and less of a disciplinarian brought that on. But that doesn't mean any other nice or good guy would be that way as well. There is no connection. You can have a tough coach who's also a good guy. You don't have to have a belittling, lying a-hole to win football games."

Them: "Whatever. Winning solves everything. Once he wins us ten games next year, you'll shutup."

Me: "Again, winning is not a guarantee in any way, but did winning solve and hide and dumb down everything he was exposed to be doing behind the scenes at Arkansas? No. That's why was he fired. His record was not enough to save what he had done because *gasp* it's really not all about winning."

Them: "Oh, who do you want then?"

Me: "I'd take any number of guys." (I then name a few guys that would be perfectly fine choices.)

Them: "Well I hope you're ready for another decade of losing."

Me: "Right, because no other coach besides Petrino will win a football game. And tell me the last coach that did not win at Auburn. Hint: you'll have to go back a few decades."

Them: <silence>

Me: "Auburn will be better off without Petrino. He brings too much negativity. The media/nation will just have one more reason to poke fun at and bash Auburn for being the first school to hire back the chronic liar. Haven't we had enough of that?"

Them: "I don't care what anybody thinks. We've been through it before and we can do it again."

Me: "Or we could just hire a good coach without a decade's worth of baggage and win with him."

Them: "Petrino is the only option if we want to win, and I JUST WANNA WIN!!!!! You just gonna stop going to games if he's hired?"

Me: "Alright, we're done."

And that's how they've all gone. Maybe not in that order, but those are the talking points. Bottom line, PLs "just wanna win" at all costs. They are ignoring a decade's worth of history, lying, and scandal because they hope a guy has changed his ways. They are jaded because of the number of losses from last season. Auburn is constantly in the negative spotlight to the nation, and the last thing we need to do is to bring in a guy who has nothing but negativity attached to his name.

I want to win just as much as anybody. Probably more than anybody. But I don't want to do it with that man. Winning is not enough. Winning with a guy we can all be proud of is the Auburn I know and want. And you can call that high and mighty all you want, but it's just stupid to ignore history. I don't care what he did in his personal life. I care that he's lied everywhere. Nobody can trust him because of that.

Again, and listen this time, I'm not saying that the Auburn coaching job is not about winning. I'm saying that just winning is not enough. Auburn can do better. Auburn does not need Bobby Petrino.

Leave your hate-filled comments based off my thoughts on a coaching candidate in the comments section below.

AUownsU · « **Reply #5 on:** November 28, 2012, 06:25:33 PM »

Quote from: AUChizad on November 28, 2012, 06:07:22 PM

Not WarBlogle, by God!

Never in my life have I seen someone who thought there opinion was so important. If he really thinks the pro-Petrino crowd is just the vocal MINORITY then he is a bigger fucking idiot than previously thought.

Btw, he says, "So because I'm tired of typing my same points to their same points over and over, I'm just going to put it all here so that we don't continue to waste our time." Does that mean his is going to quit acting like a bitch on twitter now?

AUJarhead · « **Reply #6 on:** November 28, 2012, 06:45:58 PM »

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He undermined Tommy Tuberville with Jetgate.

No. I'd say the people that undermined Tommy Tuberville were the ones on the jet.

Every single swinging dick on this message board, if they were approached by a company talking about a job better than the one that they are currently at, would at least listen. And if that job were offered, every one would take it. Every one of us. It doesn't matter if it was for a company you used to work at, and you left to go to a competitor, but you found out your old boss might be fired, and they want you to take his job. You're not undermining anyone.

wesfau2 · « **Reply #7 on:** November 28, 2012, 08:05:51 PM »

Quote from: AUJarhead on November 28, 2012, 06:45:58 PM

No. I'd say the people that undermined Tommy Tuberville were the ones on the jet.

Every single swinging dick on this message board, if they were approached by a company talking about a job better than the one that they are currently at, would at least listen. And if that job were offered, every one would take it. Every one of us. It doesn't matter if it was for a company you used to work at, and you left to go to a competitor, but you found out your old boss might be fired, and they want you to take his job. You're not undermining anyone.

I wanna undermine this post....with my balls.

Totally agree. For any of Petrino's faults, this is the least of my concerns.

WiregrassTiger · « **Reply #8 on:** November 28, 2012, 08:09:57 PM »

Quote from: AUJarhead on November 28, 2012, 06:45:58 PM

No. I'd say the people that undermined Tommy Tuberville were the ones on the jet.

Every single swinging richard on this message board, if they were approached by a company talking about a job better than the one that they are currently at, would at least listen. And if that job were offered, every one would take it. Every one of us. It doesn't matter if it was for a company you used to work at, and you left to go to a competitor, but you found out your old boss might be fired, and they want you to take his job. You're not undermining anyone.

I cannot say whether I would take it or not but I do know that I would read the creed first, and then decide. But seriously, I don't find fault with BP for talking with them, since they approached him. There is plenty of other stuff I don't like about him but this isn't a part of the equation.

djsimp · « **Reply #9 on:** November 28, 2012, 09:03:05 PM »

Quote from: djsimp on November 28, 2012, 06:03:16 PM

I'm starting to think that the PTB already know that BMFP is the Auburn next HC. The media is being used
to warm over some of the naysayers.

I'm serious damnit

dallaswareagle · « **Reply #10 on:** November 28, 2012, 09:36:06 PM »

Quote from: djsimp on November 28, 2012, 06:03:16 PM

I'm starting to think that the PTB already know that BMFP is the Auburn next HC. The media is being used
to warm over some of the naysayers.

There is no way on Gods green earth they have gotten that smart, Have they?

djsimp · « **Reply #11 on:** November 28, 2012, 09:39:49 PM »

Quote from: dallaswareagle on November 28, 2012, 09:36:06 PM

There is no way on Gods green earth they have gotten that smart, Have they?

Maybe not, but its just that weird little feeling I get before jizzn all over the curtains.

dallaswareagle · « **Reply #12 on:** November 28, 2012, 09:49:21 PM »

Quote from: djsimp on November 28, 2012, 09:39:49 PM

Maybe not, but its just that weird little feeling I get before jizzn all over the curtains.

Damn dude, how about a little bit better aim, or is somebody hiding behind them?

djsimp · « **Reply #13 on:** November 28, 2012, 10:13:10 PM »

Quote from: dallaswareagle on November 28, 2012, 09:49:21 PM

Damn dude, how about a little bit better aim, or is somebody hiding behind them?

Its better than having another baby.

DnATL · « **Reply #14 on:** November 28, 2012, 10:57:15 PM »

Quote from: djsimp on November 28, 2012, 10:13:10 PM

Its better than having another baby.

Unless he was aiming for the meat curtains

1defleppard · « **Reply #15 on:** November 28, 2012, 11:14:10 PM »

I personally like B.P. not only because he can light up the score board because of his offensive mind. But he can turn this thing around faster than any other. His record speaks for itself. Even in a basketball state poweful...he made Louisville a major threat to anybody they faced. Arkansas was on its way too. I dont care about his off the field drama. All I care about is Auburn kicking butt like nobodys business. I been around a long time and its hard to see Auburn endure this crap. Let the bleeding stop!! And bring in a coach not a puppet where J.J. and his good ol boys can call the shots. Lets be serious here.....B.P. knows he will be under a microscope due to his past BUT winning seems to be the antibiotic for anything. And I say again .... He brings Auburn hope. He is our best shot (IMO). Losing is one thing but to lose in the fashion we did this yr is unexceptable. Who was Coach Chez? lol I will tell you....he was a cheap hire that rode the Cam train. Our National Champ squad was Tubby's creation and we all can agree on that.

Just know that whoever comes? The Auburn family will see better days very soon! In fact, it will start this Saturday. Im not saying this to throw darts at any Saban ass kissing troll thats out lurking but ummmm Georgia will hang bama in Atl. Its in the bank! Murray will shred that Turd D far worse than A&M did. A freshman QB goes to T town and drops a fast 20 and you not think Murray wont double that? Go Dawgs!!!!

Bring in Bobby & War DAMN Eagle !
nuff said

AUTiger1 · « **Reply #16 on:** November 28, 2012, 11:45:46 PM »

Quote from: wesfau2 on November 28, 2012, 08:05:51 PM

I wanna undermine this post....with my balls.

Totally agree. For any of Petrino's faults, this is the least of my concerns.

Ditto!

AUTiger1 · « **Reply #17 on:** November 28, 2012, 11:52:29 PM »

Quote from: 1defleppard on November 28, 2012, 11:14:10 PM

I personally like B.P. not only because he can light up the score board because of his offensive mind. But he can turn this thing around faster than any other. His record speaks for itself. Even in a basketball state poweful...he made Louisville a major threat to anybody they faced. Arkansas was on its way too. I dont care about his off the field drama. All I care about is Auburn kicking butt like nobodys business. I been around a long time and its hard to see Auburn endure this crap. Let the bleeding stop!! And bring in a coach not a puppet where J.J. and his good ol boys can call the shots. Lets be serious here.....B.P. knows he will be under a microscope due to his past BUT winning seems to be the antibiotic for anything. And I say again .... He brings Auburn hope. He is our best shot (IMO). Losing is one thing but to lose in the fashion we did this yr is unexceptable. Who was Coach Chez? lol I will tell you....he was a cheap hire that rode the Cam train. Our National Champ squad was Tubby's creation and we all can agree on that.

Just know that whoever comes? The Auburn family will see better days very soon! In fact, it will start this Saturday. Im not saying this to throw darts at any Saban ass kissing troll thats out lurking but ummmm Georgia will hang bama in Atl. Its in the bank! Murray will shred that Turd D far worse than A&M did. A freshman QB goes to T town and drops a fast 20 and you not think Murray wont double that? Go Dawgs!!!!

Bring in Bobby & War DAMN Eagle !
nuff said

This fucking guy! I want to believe every word in that post..........I don't know why, but I agree yo!

CCTAU · « **Reply #18 on:** November 29, 2012, 09:38:26 AM »

Quote from: AUChizad on November 28, 2012, 06:07:22 PM

Not WarBlogle, by God!

http://www.warblogle.com/2012/11/28/football/every-conversation-ive-had-about-petrino-this-week/

And yet, like all BP naysayers, this guy never submits a better choice. I really don't care why you dislike him, I just want ANYONE to show me a better choice. One that will actually TAKE the job!

AUJarhead · « **Reply #19 on:** November 29, 2012, 10:00:31 AM »

Quote from: CCTAU on November 29, 2012, 09:38:26 AM

And yet, like all BP naysayers, this guy never submits a better choice. I really don't care why you dislike him, I just want ANYONE to show me a better choice. One that will actually TAKE the job!

He's been honking the Malzhan bobo for a week now.

Here's my problem with this though. He cites Petrino "stabbing Tubs in the back" as a reason to not hire Petrino. But it's basically the same thing Malzhan would be doing. The only exception is that he didn't speak to Auburn (that we know about) prior to Chizik being fired.