txhawg said:
I doubt my post will be well received, but here goes...
First I have to say I have always thought highly of the crimson tide long before Arkansas joined the SEC. Now that we play you guys every year it has certainly added to my respect.
A couple of observations:
First, it wouldn't matter if Bill Belichick was the new coach at Arkansas, Darren McFadden would be going to the NFL. To suggest he's going for sure now that Petrino is coaching is dumb.
Second, my observation is that you guys are getting carried away with the "Oh what Petrino did makes CNS look like Saint Nick." Come on guys. No doubt you have taken a beating over the last year, but one coach continually lying about leaving before leaving and the other packing up and leaving puts these two in the same neighborhood.
I don't like how Petrino did it. I do like how our AD aggressively went after him before recruiting went into dead period. I don't care if Petrino only stays a few years. Great. I think he'll leave it better than he found it.
Lastly, even with all the tradition your great program has, don't think we can't compete with you. I look forward to more great matchups in the near future beginning next year. We aren't going to be as depleted of talent as some have said.
Thanks for signing up txhawg. Welcome to the site.
Regarding Petrino, I don't blame him for leaving the Atlanta situation, I think he was doomed there. I think that there were a lot of aspects that of the move that he mishandled, but at the end of the day, all that's really going to matter is him building a consistently competitive team in Fayetteville. Of course, we'll all be watching him very closely and like most SEC coaches, his every decision will be second guessed.
Good luck with him, I hope he earns a new reputation as a coach that can dedicate himself to a program and keep its fanbase satisfied.