Bobby Petrino Former Atlanta Falcons Coach Takes Job In Arkansas

Bobby Petrino resigned as Atlanta Falcons coach on Tuesday, having lasted only 13 games with the NFL team. A person within the league told The Associated Press that Petrino quit to return to the college ranks at Arkansas.

He had only left Louisville in January, agreeing to become Falcons coach for a US$24-million, five-year contract handed out by a team that felt he could help star quarterback Michael Vick reach his full potential.

A few months later, Vick came under investigation for a grisly dogfighting operation that eventually led him to plead guilty to federal charges. He was sentenced Monday to 23 months in prison without ever taking a snap for Petrino.

A source familiar with Patrino's decision, speaking on condition of anonymity because the school had not made an official announcement, said he was going to Arkansas. The Razorbacks have been looking for a coach for two weeks to replace Houston Nutt, who resigned after a tumultuous season and took the Mississippi job.

The school had no immediate comment on its coaching search, but called a 11:30 ET news conference for a "major announcement."

The Falcons declined further comment beyond a terse, two-paragraph statement released Tuesday night. Owner Arthur Blank and general manager Rich McKay were scheduled to hold a news conference Wednesday.

There was no immediate word who would take over as head coach for the final three games, though defensive co-ordinator Mike Zimmer and offensive co-ordinator Hue Jackson would be the most logical candidates.

Petrino did not answer his cell phone or a call placed to his Atlanta-area home. His brother, Falcons receivers coach Paul Petrino, declined comment when reached on his cell phone.
"I don't think I can say anything about it right now," he said. "I'm sorry."

After losing Vick, Bobby Petrino tried three starting quarterbacks without success. The Falcons are 3-10 and assured of the 32nd season of .500 or worse in their 42-year history.

"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."

The resignation of Petrino was another jarring blow in a surreal year for the Falcons, who had dealt with Vick's legal troubles since the first day of training camp. A plane flew over the team's practice facility pulling a sign that said: "New team name? Dog Killers?"

That was a far cry from Petrino's introductory news conference, when he talked of his reasons for leaving Louisville.

"I was able to see the commitment that has been made here," he said. "I believe this is truly the best football job in the NFL. It was an easy decision for me."

Of course, he had no idea what Vick was doing in his spare time.

Petrino's stint was one of the shortest for a non-interim coach since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. Pete McCulley was fired after starting out 1-8 with San Francisco in 1978, and Sid Gillman lasted only 10 games in his second stint as San Diego coach, going 4-6 in 1971 before quitting.
In an interesting twist, Lou Holtz coached the New York Jets for 13 games in 1976. He went 3-10, then left the team with one game remaining to become Arkansas' coach.

Petrino leaves with the third-worst winning percentage among Atlanta coaches. Only Norb Hecker, who was 4-26-1, and Marion Campbell, who went 17-51 in two stints as head coach, rank below Petrino's .231 mark.

In four years as Louisville's coach, Petrino produced a 41-9 record and some of the highest-scoring teams in the country. But the Falcons were anemic without Vick, ranking 24th in total yards and 30th in scoring.

Atlanta also was plagued by injuries on the offensive line, which forced Petrino to start two players who weren't even drafted out of college.

Just hours after Vick's sentencing in Richmond, Va., Atlanta took its fourth straight double-digit loss, 34-14 to the New Orleans Saints.

"Not a good day," Petrino said afterward.

The resignation had to be a major surprise to Blank, who fired Jim Mora just two seasons after he led the Falcons to the NFC championship game, and lured Petrino with a lucrative contract.
Before Monday's game, Blank said he felt better than ever about his decision to hire Petrino given all the adversity the team faced this season.

"I feel real fortunate we have a terrific guy leading our team, our CEO, in Bobby Petrino," Blank said. "I think he's proven to me he's a better head coach than we thought he was going to be, dealing with a set of cards we didn't see unfold this year, which probably never in the history of the NFL has anything like this happened. Bobby has done a wonderful job dealing with all of these issues. He's kept the players focused."

But there were signs of dissension, especially in the way Petrino dealt with his players.
He ran the team with an aloof style, feeling no reason to share his decisions on personnel with the affected players. He could walk through the locker room without speaking to anyone and was openly criticized by two of the team's stars, Pro Bowlers Hall and Alge Crumpler.
Petrino drew the ire of the veterans with his decision to cut nose tackle Grady Jackson, one of the team's most productive defensive linemen, during the bye week. Quarterback Joey Harrington was noticeably perturbed a few weeks ago when, after leading the Falcons to two straight wins, he heard from the media that Petrino still considered injury prone Byron Leftwich the starter.

Against the Saints, the Falcons made another change at the most crucial offensive position, giving Chris Redman his first start since 2002. While Redman threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns, the Falcons lost again.

They have been outscored by an average of 18.5 points in their last four defeats.
After the latest loss, Petrino sounded as though he was still committed to getting the Falcons turned around.

"We'll come back on Wednesday to take a look at it, and then we'll get back to work," he said. "We have to find something to rally around."

But clearly, Petrino already had decided to abandon the sinking ship.

Tim Tebow Heisman Trophy Winner

Tim Tebow needed only two years of college to graduate to Heisman Trophy winner, putting the sophomore in a class by himself.

Florida’s folk-hero quarterback with the rugged running style and magnetic personality won the Heisman on Saturday night to become the first sophomore or freshman to take college football’s most prestigious award.

Since 1935, when Jay Berwanger of Chicago won the first Heisman, every winner had been a junior or senior — until Tebow.

He beat out Arkansas running back Darren Mcfadden, the first player since 1949 to finish second in consecutive seasons. Tebow received 1,957 points and 462 first-place votes to McFadden’s 1,703 points and 291 first-place votes.

Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan was third, and Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel fourth.
A year after Tebow helped Florida win a national title, and in his first season as the Gators’ starter, the chiseled 235-pound quarterback in a fullback’s body put together a historic campaign. He’s the first major college player to run for 20 touchdowns and throw 20 TD passes in the same season.

In an unpredictable college football season, the Heisman race was as unsettled as the national title chase. Tebow emerged as the front-runner even though Florida (9-3) stumbled early.
Six of the last seven Heisman winners picked up their bronze statues on the way to playing in the national championship game. Tebow won’t get that chance this season, but Heisman voters didn’t hold Florida’s failure to defend its national title against him.

McFadden slumped in October before finishing with a huge November, capping his season with a spectacular performance — 206 yards rushing, three touchdowns and a TD pass — in the Razorbacks’ 50-48 triple-overtime win over No. 1 LSU. It seems doubtful the junior with sprinter’s speed will return to Arkansas next year to make another run at the Heisman. Not with some NFL team likely to make him a top-10 draft pick.

Brennan and Daniel each passed for over 4,000 yards and led their teams to breakout seasons.

Homeschooled by missionary parents who run an orphanage in the Philippines, Tebow took advantage of a Florida state law to play for Nease, about 90 miles from the University of Florida campus.

Tebow has worked and preached at his parents’ orphanage since he was 15. He regularly speaks at schools and delivered his message of faith at a prison in Florida earlier this year.
He arrived in Gainesville with superstar status, and Gators fans could hardly wait to see their quarterback of the future.

In a part-time role as a complement to Chris Leak, Tebow played with a fiery passion. He bowled over defenders and bounced around the field, fists pumping and arms waving.
He ran for 469 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman, throwing only enough to take advantage of defenses stacked to stop him from running.

This season, the Gators became Tebow’s team and at times he was a one-man offense.

He completed 68 percent of his attempts for 3,132 yards and 29 touchdowns and continued to run with reckless abandon, even while playing the second half of the season with a very sore shoulder.

Compensating for the Gators’ lack of a reliable tailback, Tebow led Florida with 838 yards rushing and set a Southeastern Conference record with 22 touchdowns. With speed and a strong arm to go with his power and grit, Tebow is part throwback to the days of single-wing football and part 21st century prototype for the position.

Add winning the Heisman as a sophomore, and Tebow is truly one of a kind.

Wayne Dumond Issue Surrounding Huckabee

We just need to get this out of the way this morning.

The Wayne Dumond case is the big news of the day in the Huckabee camp, followed closely by Huckabee not knowing anything about yesterday's NIE Report. The Dumond thing has the potential to be devastating because it is only a matter of time before Dumond's victim's mother appears in a television commercial attacking Huckabee, using Huckabee's own words against him.

Huckabee wrote a letter to Dumond writing, “My desire is that you be released from prison. I feel that parole is the best way for your reintroduction to society to take place.” That there is more to the story will be inconsequential in the coming 30 second ad (oh, you know one is coming).

So, consider this your homework today. First, Byron York is a must read. He captures, very fairly, the issue.

Second, Governor Huckabee's campaign was kind enough to provide a transcript of Governor Huckabee's own remarks on the matter.

Model In A Bottle, Must Have Item!

This is a must have item! Model in a bottle is the perfect accessory for any makeup artist to have handy because it locks your makeup in place! It might sound wierd, but if you get frustrated when your foundation rubs off, or if your perfect eye blend is gone then this is the thing for you. Its a matte finish setting spray that holds your foundation and eye makeup in place throughout the day and night. Several professional artists as well as celebrities use this and the product has also been featured on several tv shows inculding Oprah and the Tyra Banks show.

Peter Davi Surfer Dies at Age of 45

Peter Davi, a legendary big wave surfer, died on Tuesday after having lost his board surfing in an area notorious for its dangerous conditions. Davi died at the age of 45 doing the thing he loved most - surfing.

On Tuesday Davi had been surfing off the coast of Northern California near Pebble Beach in waters known to local surfers as "Ghost Tree." According to various accounts, Davi lost his board and attempted to swim back to shore through the swells. He was knocked unconscious, and his body was found floating in the water by local surfers mid-day on Tuesday. He was pronounced dead at 1:30pm PST.

Dangerously high surf charged by storms in the Pacific Northwest exhausted both surfers and rescuers, as 20-foot swells crashed off the Monterey Bay coastline on Tuesday. Not only did Davi lose his life, but dozens of other surfers were also forced from the water due to the inherently dangerous conditions.

The dangerous conditions brought out the biggest daredevils and experts to the waves, and even larger crowds to watch, but it also brought in extra State Park lifeguards, the city's marine rescue crew, firefighters, and paramedics. Nine lifeguards and firefighters were on the lookout for surfers in distress, watching from a cliff at the 2pm high tide. The National Weather Service cancelled the high-surf warning earlier this morning, however have extended a high-surf advisory until 4pm this afternoon.

Davi was on 60 to 70-foot waves when he lost his board, and ultimately died.

Anna Rawson, Golfer and Model Enters LPGA

The only athlete that is both a professional golfer and model, Australian Anna Rawson enters the highest platform of professional female golfers, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).


Rawson ended the Final Round of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament this past Sunday, carding three birdies, which made her first on the conditional status list of the LPGA.


"I am very excited to be apart of this elite and diverse group of athletes," said Rawson, "My continuous goal is to raise the profile of women's golf, and this new phase in my career will allow me to make more strides to do so."


Having already made a global impact on golf followers and drawn in many new fans to the sport, Rawson's experienced a flood of attention throughout the year due to her fashionable style on the course, from her signature wide-brim hats to Tom Ford Sunglasses.


The multi-talented 26 year-old had a very fruitful year from placing second at the Swiss Open on the Ladies European Tour to participating in major fashion photoshoots in a myriad of magazines all over the world, such as GQ Spain, Vogue Japan, Cosmopolitan Finland, and GQ UK.


She was also named "The Most Popular Golfer" on the Ladies European Tour by GOLF Weekly readers and earned the "Golf Babe of the Year 2007" award at Eindhovensche Golf in the Netherlands, before playing in the KLM Ladies Open.


As GQ writer Benjie Goodhart said about Rawson, "They say Tiger Woods made golf popular with people who previously felt excluded from the game. This player could make golf popular with people who hate golf."


ABOUT ANNA RAWSON

Anna has been a stellar golf talent since she was 13, as well as a much sought-after model. After winning the National Dolly Magazine Cover Girl Contest, Anna began her modeling career, making her a rarity in sports, with an impactful mix of femininity, raw athletic talent, and intelligence . Anna graduated from USC before turning pro in golf and is noted for her fashion on the golf course. She lives in Los Angeles, CA.

GE Microwave Oven Recall Information

A dangerous microwave recall out today, as General Electric admits the appliance poses a fire hazard in the kitchen.

The company is recalling 92,000 built-in combination wall and microwave ovens.

GE says there have been 35 reports of minor property damage and one incident in which a fire spread to nearby kitchen cabinets. No injuries have been reported.

The brand names affected are sold under the brand names GE, GE Profile, and Kenmore. It's believed the door switch can overheat and ignite.

If you have one of these microwaves, you can call GE (888) 240-2745