By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Atlanta Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino has stepped down. He lasted just 13 games as an NFL head coach.
According to the Associated Press, Petrino will return to the college ranks. An official announcement will be forthcoming on his next decision.
Petrino accepted the Falcons job earlier this year. He had agreed to a five-year, $24 million deal after leaving the Louisville Cardinals.
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An interim head coach has not been announced yet by the Falcons. Whoever takes over as the interim head coach will finish out the season with three games: a road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a road game against the Arizona Cardinals, and a home game against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Falcons felt that Petrino could help quarterback Michael Vick to reach his potential. Petrino is an offensive mind that has excelled at the college game.
Since being named head coach, Vick is facing allegations due to an investigation where he was allegedly a part of a dogfighting group that saw the star quarterback face federal charges. Vick was recently sentenced to 23 months in prison without even playing a snap for the head coach.
Petrino departs just one day after the Falcons were defeated by the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football on December 10th. The Saints won 34-14 over the Falcons.
The Falcons have dropped their last four games. Their last win came on November 11th in a 20-13 win over the Carolina Panthers.
The Falcons have used three quarterbacks this season. Those quarterbacks were Joey Harrington, Chris Redman, and Byron Leftwich. Redman started in the loss to the Saints.
The Falcons are currently 3-10.
“Anytime you’re without of the best athletes in the National Football League, it’s going to be tough,” Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall said earlier in the season. “Take Peyton Manning from the Colts, and they’ll go through a little slump.”
According to multiple reports, Petrino has had one of the shortest stints as an NFL head coach since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. This does not include interim head coaches.
Pete McCulley has the shortest stint after being fired with a 1-8 record by the San Francisco 49ers in 1978. Sid Gillman also quit on the San Diego Chargers during the 1971 season following a 4-6 start to the season.
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Petrino has the third-worst win percentage as the Falcons’ head coach. Norb Hecker was 4-26-1. And Marion Campbell went 17-51 during his two stints with the team.
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