Bobby Petrino was hired by the Falcons on Jan. 7, 2007, and he is the man that Owner Arthur Blank and General Manager Rich McKay believe can utilize QB Michael Vick’s talents. King Arthur and McKay made a mistake and brought in that clown Jim Mora and a hybrid west coast offense that was garbage. Petrino’s “power spread” is the offense which would suit Vick best as it emphasizes the deep ball. Something foreign the past three season to Falcon fans.
Petrino comes to Atlanta after spending the last four seasons at Louisville where he built the Cardinals into an offensive guru and respectable program, while posting a mark of 41-9 overall at the helm and a BCS victory in 2007. Although many college coaches do not make a successful transition from college to pros (Steve Spurrier, Pete Carroll, Butch Davis), Petrino has experience as an offensive coordinator in the NFL (2001 Jacksonville) and as a quarterbacks coach (1999-2000 Jacksonville) that should make his transition a bit smoother. He has also assembled a nice coaching staff to work along him. (Please see coaching breakdowns).
The “power spread” is a creative offense which utilizes both elements of its name. The power of the offense is evident as Petrino wants every lineman over 300 pounds to wear down opposing defensive lines. These big bruisers are also athletic and will be able to get to the second level and beat up on linebackers as well. Power is also evident by the signing of free agent fullback Ovie Mughelli (6-1, 255 lbs.) of the Baltimore Ravens to lead the way for running backs Jerious Noorwood and Warrick Dunn. The backs in Petrino’s offense are usually bigger, but these two will make due for the season as both are effective receivers out of the backfield.
Spread comes from using four and five-wide sets. To keep the offense creative, Petrino will spread out the field and let the receivers get into one-on-one matchups and attack open space on the field. Something that the former regime failed to do. The spacing of the field should benefit Vick greatly as he will have more passing options and will also have the option to go down field. Being able to audible won’t hurt either.
It will be interesting to see how Vick does with coaching this season and in an offense that focuses on vertical passing (Vick’s best season statistically came in 2002, under Dan Reeves) and allows him to think on the fly.
As mentioned before, Petrino has built a strong staff around him and it will be exciting to see how this group molds and handles the Falcons’ personnel.