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Ed Orgeron Lands a Job

Posted: Jan 28th 2008 11:15 AM ET by Mark Hasty (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Saints, Mississippi Football, SEC, NCAA FB Coaching, NFL Coaching, New Orleans

0 COMMENTS

Stop crying, Colonel Reb. A day after we all discovered former Alabama and Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione thinks he might be out of options, there's good news for a coach who got the gate after the last college football season. Ed Orgeron, the famously incomprehensible former coach at Ole Miss, has been hired to coach the New Orleans Saints' defensive line.

Orgeron may have washed out in Oxford, but don't forget, he built Southern Cal's tremendous d-lines in the early part of this decade. A coach might fail as a head coach but still prove to be a tremendously useful assistant. It's a good move for the Saints, since Coach O is a son of Louisiana and probably was courted by more prestigious teams.

The only down side is that, as a d-line coach for the Saints, Orgeron won't be giving many press conferences, meaning that someday we'll have to explain the Coach O song to people who have never heard the man speak. Oh, cruel fate, why dost thou mock us so?

Pete Carroll Talking With Falcons

Posted: Jan 10th 2008 2:11 AM ET by Sportz Assassin (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Falcons, NFC South, USC Football, Pac 10, NFL Coaching, Atlanta

8 COMMENTS

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.

Falcons May Go After Pete Carroll

Posted: Jan 9th 2008 12:34 AM ET by Sportz Assassin (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Falcons, NFC South, USC Football, Pac 10, NFL Coaching, Atlanta

80 COMMENTS

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

Giants' Kevin Gilbride a Possible June Jones Successor at Hawaii

Posted: Jan 8th 2008 7:46 AM ET by Dan Benton (RSS feed)
Filed Under: NY Giants, NCAA FB Coaching, NFL Coaching, New York

5 COMMENTS

Only two days after leaving paradise, former Hawaii head coach June Jones wrote a letter to his friends listing several potential replacements.

However, in a letter to friends, Jones has mentioned several possible successors with local ties. They include New York Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow, San Jose State coach Dick Tomey, Texas assistant coach Duane Akina and Hawaii linebackers coach Cal Lee.

If you're a fan of the New York football Giants, you're probably doing some sort of ritualistic prayer dance, hoping beyond hope that Gilbride gets his name called.

While the Giants offense was good enough to get them to the playoffs, the playcalling was consistently inconsistent and a major Achilles heel of the team all year. And although there were a few glimmers of hope, it's become blatantly obvious that Gilbride is not the right man for the job.

Could he be a good college head coach? I wouldn't bank on it, but I doubt any Giants fans would feel remorse for Hawaii if they took him off their hands.

And with that said, here's the Gilbride landing a coaching job in the Aloha State.

I Don't Blame Bobby Petrino

Posted: Dec 13th 2007 11:06 AM ET by Ryan Ferguson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Falcons, NFC South, SEC, NCAA FB Fans, Arkansas Football, NCAA FB Coaching, NFL Coaching

13 COMMENTS

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.

Lawyer Milloy Edits Letter Left to Falcon Players By Bobby Petrino

Posted: Dec 13th 2007 12:39 AM ET by Sportz Assassin (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Falcons, NFC South, SEC, Arkansas Football, NFL Coaching, Atlanta

6 COMMENTS

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.

Marvin Lewis to Michigan?

Posted: Dec 8th 2007 2:10 PM ET by Sportz Assassin (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Bengals, AFC North, Michigan Football, Big 10, NFL Coaching, Cincinnati

14 COMMENTS

With Rutgers coach Greg Schiano out of the mix, Michigan treks on looking for a head coach. Someone that could be in their sights: Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis.

This is still in the rumor stage, though some have heard about this on radio and it is mentioned in the New York Times.

Of course, this would assume that Cincinnati and Lewis divorce. Lewis' current deal runs through to 2010 season ... so despite the Bengals down season, it is unlikely he'd be fired. Owner Mike Brown has never been known to eat any contract. He is to make over $3M a year now, so heading off to Michigan would mean a big pay cut.

Lewis' last college job was linebackers coach for the Pitt Panthers in the early 1990s. He spent 1981-1991 in the college ranks as a LBs coach at Pitt, Idaho State, Long Beach State and New Mexico before getting the same gig in the NFL with the Steelers.

The only way I'd see that is if Lewis really thinks he need to get the heck out of the Queen City that bad. The Bengals are having their worst season in his coaching tenure and people are calling for his job. Plus, there are signs that he has lost this team. Again, Lewis would have to be the one to leave because ownership isn't firing him. Look for Lewis to decline or flat out take his name from the running.

This isn't the only NFL coach that Michigan is looking at. The Saints' Sean Payton says he's not interested despite rumors Michigan has expressed interest. Oakland's Lane Kiffin is also on the Wolverines radar.