Petrino reaches out to Michael Vick

By Darrell Laurant  |   Friday, January 12, 2007  |  Comments( 12 )

Atlanta Falcons
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Bobby Petrino knows quarterbacks, and that's why he's the new coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

In fact, Petrino used to be a quarterback, earning all-NAIA honors at Carroll College. He coached Jake Plummer at Arizona State, presided over a 485-yard-per-game season at Utah State, called plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars and then turned the University of Louisville into "Quarterback U," most recently developing Brian Brohm into a first-round prospect.

So naturally, one of Petrino's first phone calls after being hired by the Falcons was to Michael "The Coach Killer" Vick. And in his initial interviews with the media, he made it very clear that refining Vick as a quarterback was the challenge that most intrigued him.

"I'd like to see what part of the offense fits best for him," Petrino said. "Part of your job (as a coach) is calling plays in a game that give your quarterback confidence. We'll find out what Michael can do best, and incorporate that.

"In a sense, the playbook becomes the quarterback."

Interestingly, the Falcons retained quarterback coach Bill Musgrave, despite a general purge of Jim Mora assistants and the fact that Atlanta finished last in the NFL in aerial offense (the team was also first in rushing).

"I'd like to see us have more of a balance," Petrino said, "like a 50/50 run-pass ratio on first down."

The Falcons' "O," while exciting at times, had a number of glaring weaknesses in 2006. One was Vick's inconsistency. Another was a generally poor performance by Vick's wide receivers. The offensive line was porous at times, and the team lacked a big back to use as a blunt instrument in the red zone.

Petrino has kick-started the offense, scored points and won games everywhere he's been (most recently, 41-9 at Louisville).

According to Falcons beat writer Steve Wyche of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he was "brought here to get the most out of Michael Vick and to establish some type of identity with this football team."

Based on the last two years, the current identity is of a team that has folded in the second half of the season. That, plus some unfortunate off-the-cuff remarks, cost Mora his job.

Atlanta owner Arthur Blank said Petrino was his No. 1 choice, adding that he had the propriety not to approach his man during the college season. Petrino, infamous for his job-hopping, had signed a contract extension with Louisville last summer.

The Falcons haven't hired a new offensive coordinator yet, but Petrino will be calling the plays himself during games.

Regarding Vick, Petrino said: "Michael Vick is our starting quarterback today, and I'm really looking forward to working with him."

He even sounded like he meant it.

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