SEC Media Days: Petrino’s performance
Bobby Petrino took the podium, made his opening comments, and during almost every question, raised his chin
and hardly blinked. That's the Petrino we've come to know here in Arkansas and the national media got a taste of it today. He's stern, certain and hardly ever stumbles with his words with an "um," or "uh."
As expected, he addressed the Atlanta departure and if he found it difficult having to implement a Spread offense on a team that had run the ball mostly the last 10 years.
He skipped about on the subjects and again reiterated that if he could have left Atlanta another way, he would have. In fact, one reporter asked if there were details about his departure from the Falcons that were not known. We posted June 5 that Derek Braunecker, a sports agent with connections to the UA program, said Petrino was given the blessing to pursue a job in college the Friday before his Tuesday introduction as the Hogs' head coach. Blank, Braunecker says, backed out of the promise after the sentencing of Michael Vick to 23 months in prison because of the possibility of more media backlash if Petrino left the franchise.
"Well, no, I don't think we need to get into that," Petrino said when asked for his side of the story. "Like I said, it was a difficult situation. It's something that I've put behind me. ... But it's really time for us to focus on this season, University of Arkansas football. You know, the players that we have."
Arkansas, as previously posted, was pegged to finish last in the SEC West by the media this morning. Petrino credited the low expectations of the media to the loss of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones and the way the Razorbacks finished the season in 2007.
"It wasn't unexpected," Petrino said. "It certainly will help to motivate us but it's not going to help us win or help us lose any games. Each week, the greatest thing about this conference, you have to line up and play. And everybody's capable of beating anybody."
Petrino, who said his first Louisville team in 2003 was picked to finish at the bottom of Conference USA, surprised prognosticators with a 9-4 season and third-place finish in the conference. The next season, the Cardinals went 11-1, won the conference and won the Liberty Bowl.
I'll have more in a bit from Petrino, including some player interviews from Elston Forte and Jonathan Luigs later. I asked Forte about the lighter side of Petrino and he says Petrino isn't as serious all the time as some think. The coach even told a joke or two on the flight here this morning, but the defenseman wouldn't elaborate on the joke.
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