NCAA Football Atlanta Falcons

Yesterday, I told you about the Falcons interest in USC coach Pete Carroll. So much so that they were working hard to secure an interview.

Today comes news that Carroll has talked to the Falcons and is interested in what they have to offer.

Southern California coach Pete Carroll is interested in the Falcons' head coach opening and spoke with Atlanta owner Arthur Blank via phone Wednesday, sources at the American Football Coaches Convention in Anaheim told ESPN's Joe Schad.

Blank, who has also been searching for a general mangager, was expected to offer full control of personnel decisions to Carroll, and the sources said that is what intrigues Carroll most. The coach is currently on vacation in Hawaii.

I know that the Falcons are reeling from their last coaching hire ... bringing in Louisville's Bobby Petrino who quickly bolted for Arkansas ... but this would be huge for the Falcons. This is a franchise that has lost their identity after all this Michael Vick mess. Bringing in not just a college coach ... but a name college coach ... would peak the interest of fans and bring some much needed positive buzz to the franchise.

According to ESPN.com, the Falcons are trying to secure an interview with Southern Cal head coach Pete Carroll for their own head coaching vacancy:

Multiple sources told ESPN.com late Tuesday night that the Falcons are pursuing Pete Carroll for an interview. If Carroll agrees, and the logistics can be arranged, the Southern California coach could huddle with Atlanta owner Arthur Blank by the weekend.

But sources said the Falcons might be willing to grant Carroll far-reaching responsibilities and that the USC coach, who could assemble a very strong staff, could be intrigued by the challenge of resurrecting a franchise that has been through a turbulent year and has become all but irrelevant on the Atlanta sports scene.

This is very interesting, because Atlanta is coming off a bad experience with Bobby Petrino, the former Louisville coach who bolted the Dirty Birds for Arkansas a month ago. You'd think that Blank would be a bit gun shy about hiring another college coach ... even one with Carroll's pedigree. It's also interesting to speculate why Carroll would leave a gravy job at USC for a massive rebuilding project in Atlanta. Sorry, No Photos

The rest of my esteemed FanHouse colleagues hate Petrino's move from the pros back to the college ranks... I don't.

Yes, Petrino is a mercenary. I think. His "history" of job skipping isn't quite as severe as some have made it out to be. Yes, he flirted with other jobs while at Louisville. He made the statement that he wasn't going anywhere, and wanted people to "really believe it". Shortly thereafter, he's the coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Now he's headed back to Arkansas.

As a head coach, he's only had two jobs before calling Woo Pig Sooie. One of them was in the No Fun League, which clearly didn't agree with Petrino's personality. And as for Louisville, a program with almost nothing going for it when he arrived? All he did was take them to heights they'd never before imagined in his four years there. It's not like the guy came in, wrecked something good, and left. For Chrissakes, the Cards went 12-1 in his final year.

And who can blame Petrino for wanting out of the nightmare which is the Atlanta Falcons? From Vick to injuries to 3-10... yeah, not sticking around for the whole season doesn't help matters, but when you know you're not a good fit for the League, why prolong the agony?

It's the way he left -- both times, admittedly -- which made his critics want to vilify him. I guess saying one thing and then doing the other is a kind of behavior which annoys people. Well, guess what? That's how the coaching profession works. And besides, we are talking professional football. The sport is comprised of a whole crew of people who exchange teams year in and year out. They're all mercenaries.

Pretty much everyone who doesn't scream WOO PIG SOOIE for Arkansas football doesn't think too highly of Bobby Petrino (just click his name for all the recap).

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, all Petrino left behind was a letter taped up at the Falcons' Flowery Branch facility. Wanna see a pic of it? Go ahead.

"Atlanta Falcons players;

Out of my respect for you, I am letting you know, with a heavy heart, I resigned today as the Head Coach of the Atlanta Falcons. This decision was not easy but was made in the best interest of me and my family. While my desire would have been to finish out what has been a difficult season for us all, circumstances did not allow me to do so. I appreciate your hard work and wish the best.

Sincerely,

Bobby Petrino"

Now look at the photo of the letter after DB Lawyer Milloy edited it. He crossed out Petrino's name and wrote the word "coward" instead. Excellent. You'd have the be a coward to not be able to face the guys that you demanded to fight for you.