FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Through a thicket of cracked office door and secretary you glimpse the rare Petrino.
There he is, present tense, in the same place, actually, for 17 months now. That's a lifetime in Bobby years. Feet rooted firmly to the Arkansas sod. Snap a picture. Who knows when you'll ever see him in this setting again?
"I kind of get raked over on that [job] history," said the man, not the beast he was painted to be 1½ years ago. "I've only had two other head jobs. Check our athletic director's history and see how many jobs he's had compared to me."
Actually, Jeff Long has had as many head AD jobs as Petrino has had head coaching jobs, three. But Petrino's boss never played clandestine footsie with Auburn out on a tarmac. Long never walked out a 10-year contract, $26 million contract for the pros, then did the Lou Holtz Shuffle, splitting from the NFL less than a year later.
|
|
| Bobby Petrino was 5-7 overall and 2-6 in the SEC during his first season at Arkansas. (US Presswire) |
"I feel like I need to stay here and this be my last job," he said.
There it is, on the record if not altogether convincing. Should Hogs care? No. You're Arkansas, the winner of exactly no SEC titles. You're willing to take the risk. A star coach making a comeback is better than the alternative, becoming mid-level sandwich in the league that is second only to the NFL.
Jeff Long hired Petrino in December 2007 in spite of the job hopping, as much as he did because of it. Had Petrino not walked out on the Atlanta Falcons with three games left in the season, he wouldn't have been available to a wounded Razorbacks program. The Petrino buyout before Jan. 1 was $8.75 million, equal for both sides, and decreases each season. There have been worse pre-nups.
In the wake of the Houston Nutt era, Arkansas wasn't in a position to haggle about details. Say what you will about Nutt, but the man could coach. Now Hogs everywhere have to wonder if Nutt is as good as it gets in the SEC's westernmost outpost. At home in the old, disbanded Southwest Conference, more comfortable, it would seem, in the Big 12, Arkansas grabbed the best available coach on the board.
Hooking up with Petrino could always be a potential May-December romance. It's also worth it if Arkansas wins that first SEC title. So if you're Jeff Long, you not only take the chance, you're a conquering hero. For now.
"I will very honestly tell you he's not the guy that that he has been painted in the national media," Long said. "People have portrayed him as difficult to work with. I believe we have all the things we need here to compete for a national championship. We're not going to do that [in] a year, but we're going to compete for a national championship."
Never mind how it went down, Long has his man, and Petrino -- for the first time in a long time -- has his quarterback.
You might have forgotten about him, or not know him yet. Ryan Mallett was a hotshot high school recruit from Texarkana, Ark., who transferred back to his home state from Michigan. He's tall (6-feet-7), gangly and not quite sure of himself but he's here because of Petrino.
The Pied Piper still has his flute.
"I don't think there are any words to describe how ready I am for football season to be here," Mallett said. "I wish I had a time machine. Summer's fun but I can't wait for two-a-days."
Bobby Petrino is not whole unless he has his muse to express himself. It was Mark Brunell in Jacksonville, where Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin called his assistant "the best play caller I've ever seen."
Brunell threw for almost 7,000 in two seasons working with Petrino. In 1999, the Jags advanced to the AFC Championship Game. At Louisville as offensive coordinator and head coach, Petrino's quarterbacks -- Chris Redman, Stefan LeFors and Brian Brohm -- all made it to the NFL.
His crowning achievement waited at Atlanta. Michael Vick's downfall is basically the reason Petrino is at Arkansas -- at least so quickly. Think what the accomplished quarterback maker could have done with the wonderfully gifted but underachieving specimen.
Then consider Vick could have just as easily dragged Petrino down with him had he stayed on the field. In the middle of those two scenarios lies Arkansas.
"I could have been exciting, I think," the coach said. "Michael was really into it. In the offseason he came to every workout, came to extra meetings. He was all excited about it, and all the sudden it was gone."
Be seated, then, in a meeting room at the north end of Razorback Stadium. This is where it is beginning again. Four Arkansas quarterbacks sit around a table, being quizzed by quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee.
"You recording this? You going to give it to Ole Miss?" McGee says to a reporter.
Well, no. While there is a lot being said, there's not a lot of understand. Mostly plays and quizzes and film and encouragement.
|
|
| Ryan Mallett is the No. 1 quarterback on Arkansas' post-spring depth chart. (AP) |
While it looks like a classroom, the room is more like a cutting floor. This is where Petrino's next starting quarterback begins his career arc. It's clear, at least based on his quick answers on this day, that Mallett is the leader of the four, if only by a little bit.
On Friday, a bit more confirmation arrived. Mallett was on top of the post-spring depth chart ahead of freshmen Tyler Wilson and Jim Youngblood. So is it time to welcome Mallett to The House of Brohm, Brunell and LeFors? There is a long way to go for all parties.
McGee met Petrino at Arizona State in the mid-1990s. McGee was the quarterback. Petrino was his position coach. McGee eventually transferred to Oklahoma but a bond was formed. When Petrino got to Arkansas, he knew who he wanted as his quarterbacks coach.
McGee took a step up in conference but a step down in title, leaving as Northwestern's offensive coordinator. Petrino's is not a bad wagon to be hitched to, though. At 36, McGee is the youngest coach on the staff. That's the same age as Petrino was when he was coordinating Utah State's offense in 1997. The student, to this point, is ahead of the teacher.
Did someone say something about feet being planted firmly? That's really the problem here. For all of Mallett's attributes, there is this one thing that McGee and Petrino keep bringing up. The kid is a statue. They didn't exactly say it in those words, but consider the biggest knock on Mallett at this point is his immobility.
"There's times he's so tall and he's straight up and down and he's flat-footed and you can't be accurate," McGee said. "He has a tendency to get lazy with his feet, and stands flat-footed and then his accuracy goes way down."
"Ryan has a chance to be real good," Petrino said. "He's got to learn how to come back when he makes a mistake. Sometimes he lets that bother him. It lingers for a play or two or three. He expects to be perfect all the time."
Mallett spent the spring being punished for a public intoxication bust. The supposed next leader of the Hogs did sunrise punishment running. He had a curfew early enough to make sure if he stumbled out of another Dickson Street bar, Jay Leno would still be on.
This could be a good omen. The last time an Arkansas player was involved in a similar off-field dust up, Darren McFadden almost severed his toe outside a Little Rock bar in 2006. The result was an SEC West title, McFadden winning the Doak Walker Award and finishing second in Heisman voting.
"I've told him that you're 6-7," Petrino said of his quarterback. "When you walk out of the room everybody is going to know where you're at."
It used to be if you were 6-7, everybody knew you were running down the wing for Nolan in the NCAA tournament. But things change. We're talking a low bar at Arkansas. Mallett doesn't necessary need to be the quarterback, a breakout star, just a quarterback. The entire front seven returns on defense. Tailback Michael Smith was No. 2 in SEC rushing.
Some observers already say Mallett has the strongest arm of any quarterback in the SEC. That's a good start.
No Arkansas quarterback has ever passed for 3,000 yards in a season.
Casey Dick completed an average career in 2008 with 13 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Mitch Mustain might have been great had he not been sucked into the biggest controversy in the program's history. Mustain took his 8-0 record as a freshman starter in 2006 and transferred to USC.
Ron Calcagni (1975-78) eventually played in Canada. Clint Stoerner (1997-99) might be best known for his epic fumble against Tennessee in 1998.
Matt Jones (2001-04) was taken in the first round by Jacksonville -- as a receiver.
The best of the bunch might have been, Joe Ferguson whose career ended 37 years ago.
So, no, flat feet aren't a deal breaker at this point. And you're beginning to see why Long fell in love with Petrino. It's OK for Arkansas to produce and NFL stud. That's what a quarterback maker does.
Sure, Mallett hasn't taken a snap in live action since an up-and-down freshman season in 2007 at Michigan. Sure, he started three games and completed less than 44 percent of his passes that year. Sure, his best work is ahead of him.
Isn't it? It has to work out. Mallett grew up 30 minutes from here in Lincoln, Ark. As a youth he helped park cars at Razorback Stadium in exchange for free admission. One end of the stadium that is closed in now used to be a playground for Mallett and his friends to catch field goals and extra points.
"I told my mom, 'I'm going to play football, basketball and baseball for the Hogs, just watch,'" he said.
His options narrowed, Mallett's best days were Sundays last season. While the rest of the team was lifting weights the day after the game, Mallett was among those practicing with scout teamers, walk-ons and bottom-of-the-depth chart denizens. It was actual competition. It was fun. For once Mallett could call his own plays, looking like something more than an emergency punter.
"He can make it hang forever," special teams coach John L. Smith said.
Between last spring, the fall and those Sundays, Mallett got 455 reps. That's a good start, but let's say it all comes together. Keeping your feet planted firmly here has two meanings depending on the subject.
The rare Petrino or the unused Mallett.
