Bobby Petrino

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Petrino arrived in Atlanta to transform Michael Vick into a complete pocket passer, but fate intervened before training camp. Vick's involvement in an illegal dog-fighting operation near Newport News, Virginia, barred him from leaving the state until his November 26 trial, effectively ending any chance of him playing in 2007. Compounding the misfortune, the Falcons had traded backup Matt Schaub to the Houston Texans that offseason. Petrino was left with Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich, and Chris Redman as his only options. The team struggled immediately, sliding to a 3–10 record by December 10. That day, following a home loss to division rival New Orleans Saints, Petrino resigned despite having personally promised owner Arthur Blank he would remain. He informed the players of his departure via a four-sentence laminated note left at each locker, a move harshly criticized across the NFL. His aloof manner had already rankled the team; he was known for walking through the locker room without speaking to players and refusing to share personnel decisions, leaving starter Joey Harrington to learn from the media that Leftwich was preferred.

In Their Own Story

The path to Arkansas began with a breach of trust in Atlanta. According to a 2022 article in The Athletic, Petrino had signaled interest in the Arkansas job to Jeff Long before the NFL season ended. When Jerry Jones tried to negotiate permission from Blank and was refused, Petrino's agent suggested Long could talk if Petrino resigned during the season. Long met Petrino at an Atlanta law office, where Petrino stepped away long enough to formally resign as Falcons head coach. This resignation came after just thirteen games, tying him with Lou Holtz (1976) and Urban Meyer (2021) for the third shortest non-interim coaching tenure in NFL history. The move was made under scrutiny, as Blank had been promised Petrino would stay. Before resigning, tensions were high; Harrington had engineered two straight wins in Leftwich's absence, yet Petrino designated Leftwich as the starter without telling him directly. The 2007 season stands as a stark chapter where bad timing, personnel mismanagement, and a controversial exit defined an otherwise promising offensive coordinator.

Reader's Guide

Fans looking for Petrino's impact on the Falcons should note his record: a 3–10 finish in his thirteen-game tenure. His contract was a five-year, $24 million deal intended to run through the decade. He left without coaching Michael Vick in a regular-season game. The roster he inherited included Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich, and Chris Redman as quarterbacks. Key turning points include the trade of Matt Schaub, which stripped the team of depth, and the resignation on December 10, 2007. There are no signature plays to credit him with during this specific season due to the abbreviated nature of his time. His legacy at Atlanta is defined not by wins, but by the speed of his exit and the method he used to leave, which many consider among the worst head coaching tenures in league history.

Did You Know?

• Petrino signed a 10-year, $25.6 million contract with Louisville just six months before leaving for Atlanta.
• He left the Falcons by placing a four-sentence laminated note in every player's locker.
• His thirteen-game tenure is tied for the third shortest non-interim coaching stint in NFL history.
• Petrino was hired to develop Michael Vick, but Vick missed the entire 2007 season due to legal issues.
• The Falcons had traded Matt Schaub to Houston before Petrino's first training camp.