FALCONS FUMING OVER PETRINO’S HIGHTAILING TO HOGS: As Arkansas is overjoyed with finally finding a new head coach, members of the Atlanta Falcons are pretty p.o.’ed about Bobby Petrino’s departure.
The ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION runs down reactions from the team. Owner Arthur Blank began his Wednesday press conference by saying, “I think the best way to describe the way that we feel is betrayed and let down.”And the players themselves had some choice words for their now ex-coach:
Safety Lawyer Milloy: “I didn’t really realize we had a cancer on our team. And it was in the form of the head coach.”QB Joey Harrington: “He lied to us. After that Monday night game, he said we all need to go home and take a look in the mirror and see what we can do to make this organization better….And then he left.”
RB Warrick Dunn: “He put this organization last in his life….He’s selfish….He’s definitely a liar.”
Cornerback DeAngelo Hall: “If I saw him in the street I wouldn’t have anything to say to him. I don’t have any respect for him. He turned his back on the organization.”Petrino didn’t even say goodbye in person. On Tuesday, players were notified of Bobby’s bailout via a short, four-sentence letter.
Even ex-Falcons are perturbed with Petrino. Grady Jackson, a lineman who was suddenly cut by the coach earlier this season, said, “For him to quit like that, it just shows his true color, like a coward with a yellow stripe down his back.”
So, who can fill the Falcons’ coaching void? While Emmitt Thomas temporarily takes over, Mark Bradley of the AJC offers a chin-up for the downtrodden franchise: former Steelers boss Bill Cowher.
