Who’s the bigger rat – Bobby Petrino or Lane Kiffin?
Watching Lane Kiffin’s wretched introduction at Southern Cal last night — delayed 45 minutes by traffic, it should have been canceled to spare everyone involved– the thought occurred: “This guy is the biggest rat I’ve ever seen.”
Then, a bit later, another thought: “Wait a minute, son. Didn’t we in Atlanta happen across a rodent of our own not long ago?”
Well, yeah. His name: Bobby Petrino. He fled the Falcons in same harum-scarum manner that Kiffin left K-Town. And that terrible memory got me to thinking: “Kiffin or Petrino — who’s the bigger rat?” Here’s where I attempt to answer myself.
Category: Truthfulness. Petrino reaffirmed to Arthur Blank the day before he headed over the Ozarks, “You’ve got yourself a coach.” According to Tennessee AD Mike Hamilton, Kiffin at least informed him last weekend that he’d be interested in the USC job. Bigger lying rat: Petrino.
Category: Manliness. Petrino left without facing his players. He had a type-written note left in their lockers instead. Kiffin at least addressed his players. Mayhem nearly ensued, but at least he showed his creepy face. Bigger cowardly rat: Petrino.
Category: Timeliness. Petrino was gone by sundown the day after his team lost to New Orleans on Monday night. Kiffin didn’t flee the Smokies until the next day. Bigger lamming rat: Petrino.
Loading ...Category: Shamelessness. Not 24 hours after leaving the Georgia Dome as coach of the Falcons, Petrino was captured on live TV calling the Hogs alongside Razorback cheerleaders. Kiffin somehow resisted the urge to ride into his Southern Cal press briefing atop Traveler, the equine mascot of Troy. Bigger shameless rat: Petrino.
Category: Spousal involvement. Becky Petrino joined her husband to lead cheers. Layla Kiffin did not lead any cheers, at least not on-camera. Bigger familial rat: Petrino.
Category: Obliviousness. According to those Falcons folks who knew Petrino well (and there weren’t many), he was stunned his abrupt departure elicited such venom. Kiffin maintained Tennessee fans were upset he was leaving because he’d done such a great job. Bigger tin-eared rat: Kiffin.
Category: Staying power. Petrino coached the Falcons for 11 months. Kiffin coached the Volunteers for 14 months. Bigger fickle rat: Petrino.
Overall: You’ll note that Petrino is the winner, if that’s the proper word, in six of the seven categories. Which would seem to make him the landslide choice as the rat of all rats, would it not? Uh, no. Forget categories, I say. Look instead at the big picture. (At least Petrino can coach.) Alongside Kiffy, all other rodents must bow. King Rat: Kiffin.
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540 comments Add your comment
Meg
January 14th, 2010
12:15 pm
I think they are both rats!!
Magic Hog
January 14th, 2010
12:15 pm
You are a really bunch of AZZ HOLES
P F
January 14th, 2010
12:17 pm
Petrino. Petrino. Petrino. No one is even CLOSE to this slime. When Mack “I can’t win a championship with an ACC team” Brown deserted UNC the night before their bowl game, I thought he was a rat. Petrino takes the cake by a mile. At LEAST Kiffen finished the season. Even if he is an idiot.
michael
January 14th, 2010
12:17 pm
WAAAAAAAAAAAAA thats all you atlanta falcons do is cry and whine about petrino who cares get over it you got a coach who likes to fight the other teams players
RC Cola and a Moon Pie
January 14th, 2010
12:17 pm
Franchione!!!
RoswellHOG
January 14th, 2010
12:18 pm
Sarah-
He had two of the best running backs of all time, at the same time. Yet he refused to develop a credible passing game. So he got out coached (and beat)because he was too stubborn to adapt.
Nutt was responsible for how he and his staff treated Malzahn. If Gus had been allowed to coach the offense, things would have been different. But wait… that would take the spotlight off HN. And we can’t let that happen.
Dan
January 14th, 2010
12:19 pm
Cmon Tennessee fans lets summarize
Stay Knoxville instead of getting more money to do the same job at a school with a more successful history and it happens to be in So Cal
Please anyone who would choose to stay would be to stupid to be a successful football coach
Latrino
January 14th, 2010
12:19 pm
Bobby Petrino aka Bobby Latrino….because he left the Falcons in a real sh….ty position!Petrino was full of “CRAP”the whole time he was in Atlanta!Kiffin bails on Tennessee,Kelley bails on Cincinnati..who cares they are both ranked right behind the worst of the lot..Latrino…Oh you can put Nick Saban right behind those clowns too…3 weeks before leaving the Dolphins…”I am not thinking about leaving here for Alabama.”………A PACK OF LIARS ALL OF THEM!!!!!!!
Bob
January 14th, 2010
12:20 pm
Was there any bashing of arthur blank when he fired Dan Reeves? Not that I can recall. If you’re still pissed off the Petrino quit on a team that quit on him call him back. The Falcons are in a much better place without Bobby Petrino. Don’t you think it’s time to get over it?
Mark Petrino Kiffin Bradley
January 14th, 2010
12:20 pm
Mark Bradley gets my vote. Cancel your AJC subscriptions until they fire this Georgia hating rat. Mark, maybe you can be the sports information director for USC. If they hired Kiffin, they’d probably hire you too.
Tom
January 14th, 2010
12:21 pm
Petrino didn’t have a good thing with Atlanta. The players didn’t respect him. He forgot he was dealing with grown men who make tons of money instead of college kids on scholarship. I can recall a problem with D’Angelo Hall. But everyone had problems with DHall.
However I will give credit to BT that he wasn’t such a jerk all the time. Kiffin has to be the most arrogant, selfish, stupid, loudmouth, prick I’ve ever seen. He didn’t belong in the South, this is such a blessing in disguise. Trust me, someone will come to Tennessee. Wouldn’t be shocked to see Fulmer back. Muschamp would be a fool.
RoswellHOG
January 14th, 2010
12:22 pm
Latrino……I have to admit, that’s a good one!
Lane Kippen
January 14th, 2010
12:23 pm
I went from toothless hillbillies to babes on the beach!
Steve
January 14th, 2010
12:24 pm
I don’t care who the bigger rat is I’m just glad tha ajc took KIrby’s mug off the darn UGA home page.
Ron Mexico
January 14th, 2010
12:24 pm
I say Mark Bradley!
ynot
January 14th, 2010
12:24 pm
Bobby is the biggest rat. He baled before it was over.
Gatorfan
January 14th, 2010
12:25 pm
Kiffin hands down. What he did to UT and their student athletes is appalling.
dsk
January 14th, 2010
12:25 pm
get over it atlanta.
Jim
January 14th, 2010
12:26 pm
Mark, give it a rest on BP, or at least admit that there are at least two sides to this, and one is that Petrino was mislead about the Falcons job from the word go, lied to by Blank, and chose to get out of that hell-hole while he still could with his pride. He sliced his paycheck in half by doing so. Sorry he didn’t give you a big warm hug and a personalized snuggy to remember him by on his way out. But you’re right about Kiffin. He can’t even coach.
Navigator
January 14th, 2010
12:27 pm
I’ll go with Kiffin, as Petrino became a rat when he vaulted from the Falcons, and Kiffin has always been a rat, even before he got to TN.
NCAA Police
January 14th, 2010
12:28 pm
Funny thing Kiffin leaving Tennessee in the wake of NCAA recriuting violations….Did’nt he leave USC right after the time Reggie Bush got PAID to play at USC??????????????????….Al Davis said Kiffin is a liar…I guess he was right!!
Now In Stereotype
January 14th, 2010
12:28 pm
Don’t forget smog, earthquakes, real riots, plastic celebs, gang wars, traffic conjestion, bankrupt state government, hippies, liberals, etc.
Mark Bradley
January 14th, 2010
12:31 pm
Full disclosure: I was about the only member of the Atlanta media who kind of liked Petrino. (Says something about me, don’t you think?) My dad went to Louisville and I grew up a Cards fan and we talked about basketball and the horse race they have up there in May. Not saying we were buddy-buddy, but we did have conversations.
Technophobia
January 14th, 2010
12:32 pm
Mark, I think you left off one important category: impact on players. With Petrino, all the falcon players were still NFL players with lucrative contracts. With Kiffin, the players (especially recruits) to some extent bet their futures on Kiffin being there.
Bill Heath
January 14th, 2010
12:32 pm
GO PETRINO! A GREAT COACH – WILL TAKE ARKANSAS TO THE NATIONAL TITILE IN 2010.
N85EAGLE
January 14th, 2010
12:32 pm
Brian Van Gorder. Wrecked GSU THEN JUMPED SHIP after one season. Committed to the Gamecocks and jumped ship again.
Herschel Talker
January 14th, 2010
12:34 pm
The conclusion drawn is absurd. Petrino is far worse. He left in the middle of the season, a day after telling his boss he wouldn’t. Period. End of story.
RoswellHOG
January 14th, 2010
12:35 pm
Bill Heath-
Easy there buddy….but I like the way you’re thinkin’. Anything better than the Cotton Bowl will be a new watermark IMO.
Petrino Slime
January 14th, 2010
12:37 pm
Petrino is like that slimy slug that leaves a trail up your walkway to your front door.You can squash em but you still have to wash their slimy trail away.Petrino didn’t have the stones to talk to the players face to face..I don’t know if Kiffin did or not?Therefore Petrino tops the list!
Real American
January 14th, 2010
12:38 pm
Did everyone hear that – Mark actually liked Petrino at one time, so that gives his obsessive bashing of Petrino all these years later credibility. Petrino should have held a press conference when he left Atlanta, outside of that the Falcons were pathetic and criminal. Boo freaking Hoo.
Vick=Dog killing Thug
January 14th, 2010
12:38 pm
my first thought is that Petrino is the worst stinking rat as he jumped ship during the season. But then I would guess that Kiffin would of left mid stream as well.
Neither of them have any honor. I always root against Arkansas and now I’ll do the same against USC
So happy to have CMR at UGA. I’ll never doubt the man again.
what about it
January 14th, 2010
12:38 pm
Is this like saying I am the fastest boy in fat camp? Let’s wait and see what the NCAA does to UT for Kiffy’s transgressions
CRACKER JACKET
January 14th, 2010
12:39 pm
Lane Kiffin is worst but it’s pretty close with a rattler and a copperhead! the kids that Kiffin let down makes him more evil!
Mark Bradley
January 14th, 2010
12:39 pm
I’d agree that Petrino left with three games still to play. But Kiffin left three weeks before Signing Day and is already trying to bringing Tennessee recruits with him.
And I say again: As lousy a guy as Petrino can be, he’s still a good coach. Kiffin is 12-21.
Sarah H
January 14th, 2010
12:39 pm
RoswellHOG Yes, you are so right about the running backs and I certainly don’t think Nutt was even close to perfect, however, he may be in charge of his staff, but you can’t always control them.
Monica
January 14th, 2010
12:39 pm
Petrino. At least Kiffin verbally told his players he was leaving.
Mark Bradley
January 14th, 2010
12:40 pm
I don’t believe I’ve been at all obsessive in my bashing of Petrino. In fact, I haven’t done much bashing at all. (Today excepted.)
Shug
January 14th, 2010
12:42 pm
Who’s the rat who jilted Bowling Green, then Utah, and has now put Florida in some sort of limbo?
Kiffin #1
January 14th, 2010
12:43 pm
Kiffin is a snake in the grass I will tell you why…..He is contacting all Tenn Recruits and asking them to join him in Cal…..No Class at all.He sticks the knife in and then twists it gutting his victims…He is not a good coach….why else would his father be helping him get these jobs???
gatorman
January 14th, 2010
12:43 pm
Here is an interesting blog, http://southeasterncollegesports-sportsnut.blogspot.com/2010/…
front office
January 14th, 2010
12:43 pm
As someone who is familiar with the Petrino ordeal, I’ll go with Kiffin being the bigger rat. Personally, I never really cared for Petrino, but the way the media has portrayed his departure is inaccurate to say the least. I don’t know if “reporters” such as yourself Mr. Bradley didn’t bother researching the whole story or if you just chose not to print it because it casts Mr. Blank in a bad light. Since Petrino left our program, I have grown to respect him for remaining quiet on the whole ordeal, choosing the high road while he has repeatedly attacked by those who have no clue as to how the whole situation really went down, and yes Mr. Bradley, that includes you. For starters, Bobby Petrino gained permission from Mr. Blank to speak with Arkansas, it was going to a mutual departure, Petrino wanted back in college (specifically the SEC) and Mr. Blank wasn’t happy with the direction of the team. Then comes the Michael Vick sentence and fearing a PR nightmare (losing both the head coach and star QB within 24 hours), Mr. Blank recanted and informed Coach Petrino that he was longer permitted to speak with the Arkansas officials. It was too late, and the rest is history.
RoswellHOG
January 14th, 2010
12:45 pm
Sarah-
I disagree. It is the head coaches job to decide how the staff treats/accepts one another. When Damien Williams and the number one QB prospect don’t fit your organization, then it’s time to re-evaluate your organization. Not gonna happen with HN. Watched him for 10 years, and it was obvious that we would see nothing new. He just would not adapt. I think we’re seeing this at Ole Miss. Heck of a running game….passing attack? Not so much.
Susan Matheson
January 14th, 2010
12:47 pm
Reminds me of Charlie Pell leaving Clemson in 1978.
Mark Bradley
January 14th, 2010
12:47 pm
You know, before he became an elder statesman, Larry Brown had some ratlike tendencies himself.
off to better places
January 14th, 2010
12:47 pm
Bradley your getting almost as pathetic a Barnhart! Hard to believe this is the best thing you can write about…. Who cares!!!! If the chance to move on to bigger/better things, or the situations a better fit. Your telling me you wouldn’t jump at it, who wouldn’t? Tell me, do you think the Falcons would be better today if Petrino stayed? Or would you and your georgia snuggle buddies like it if Kiffin stayed and beat your arses the next few years?
hmm right decision by BOTH, well we’ll see about Kiffin a little premature to say yet.
dap01
January 14th, 2010
12:48 pm
The most appropriatate comparison:
Paris Hilton is more deserving of a job than Kiffin. At least Patrino has done something.
Hey, Mark Bradley and Jeff Shultz, is there anyway to slant this article against Coach Mark Richt and UGA?
BravesFanSince1961
January 14th, 2010
12:49 pm
Both are rats and rats is rats. You just gotta kill the one that is going to gnaw your face off versus the one that just slinks around leaving pellets in your cereal. Petrino is the one that will gnaw off your face. But honestly? I’d not trust either man with ANYTHING I care about.
Not Disappointed
January 14th, 2010
12:49 pm
Both give you the feeling of needing a SHower! Great article.
Ramblin Wreck!
Real American
January 14th, 2010
12:50 pm
We shall see how many articles will be written in the future by you or some other Atlanta journalist, paralleling another coach’s departure to that of Petrino’s. That’s my definition of obsessive. Is Arthur Blank handing out Home Depot gift cards to you guys or what?
Is Petrino perfect, no, but he’s no Judas Iscariot either.
Dorsey Hill
January 14th, 2010
12:50 pm
In addition to the “I’m not going to be the Alabama coach.” Plaxico Burress says Saban told the Michigan State team he wasn’t leaving Michigan State for LSU. “Then the next day, the very next day, Saban said, ‘Guys, I’m going to LSU. So that let me know where he was coming from as a person and how loyal he was. … I didn’t trust anything he said at that point. Nothing.”