Bobby Petrino - Petrino has a stellar record at Louisville. He made the Cardinals prominent nationally. His record in the ATL is not stellar, but the Falcons did have the Michael Vick cloud looming over their collective heads. Besides, Atlanta rarely performs as a contender season to season. They always seem to be up and down. Petrino's record at Atlanta does not matter on this blog in the least. The Atlanta organization is in sad shape with or without Petrino at the helm.

It is exciting to welcome in a coach with a clean slate. The hire makes a lot of sense. Arkansas needs a guy who will jump into the meat grinder, face down criticism and try to make things work. I did not get that impression from Jim Grobe or Tommy Bowden. They acted like they wanted a nice easy time coaching football in a friendly, comfortable environment. There is nothing wrong with that.

Petrino, on the other hand, coached in the NFL, which is a buzz saw. Fans and media from larger markets are always harder on coaches and athletes. They are brutal. Despite working in such a brutal environment, Petrino had job security, no small feat on the pro level.

This guy seems tough enough to handle the strains of the Arkansas job as well as media types like Wally Hall and Tommy Smith. It is not that those guys are bad. They are great at what they do, and they seem nice. However, they will speak their mind. They will criticize Arkansas' football program. Petrino looks like he is up to that challenge as well as others. It is good to have a new coach at the UofA.