I remember when Bobby Petrino ditched Louisville to join the Atlanta Falcons in 2007. The writers for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution briefly mentioned Petrino’s penchant for leaving teams in the dust for bigger and brighter opportunities, then they moved right into breaking down his offense and how he could transform Michael Vick into an elite quarterback.

Not too long after Petrino left Atlanta in the middle of the night to go “Call Hogs” in Arkansas, those same writers ripped him for being a coward. He kind of has that way about him.

When he’s on your side (no matter how briefly), you want to overlook his many weaknesses. But as soon as he shows you his true colors, you hope he never wins another game.

Mike Zimmer, who was the Falcons’ defensive coordinator in Atlanta when Petrino performed his disappearing act, had some not-so-nice things to say about his former boss in a recent interview.

“I never even was there,” said Zimmer. “When a coach quits in the middle of the year and ruins a bunch of people’s families and doesn’t have enough guts to at least finish out the year … I am not a part of that.

“You can put that in the Arkansas News-Gazette. I don’t really give a (hooey). I am serious. He is a coward. Put that in quotes.”

“Most people in football have enough courage about them and enough fight to stick through something and not quit halfway through the year. It is cowardly,” said Zimmer. “He came in and said he resigned, he would talk to us all at a later date, walked out of the office and no one has ever talked to him since. Not that anybody wanted to.

“He’s a gutless (expletive). Quote that. I don’t give a (hooey).”

If you’re abreast of the situation, then you know that Zimmer spoke the truth. But apparently at least one writer in Arkansas is still blinded by Petrino’s lore and took exception to Zimmer’s comments.

These are excerpts from an article by Jim Harris of ArkansasSports360.com in reference to Zimmer’s comments:

Zimmer said earlier this week that Petrino ruined lives when he abruptly left Atlanta for Arkansas with three games left in the 2007 season. Please.

Zimmer’s had a very difficult four years of his life, both on the field and off it. Some of it tragic. His parting with Petrino was not among the tragic occurrences, as Zimmer had a contract and also was able to find work with Cincinnati.

Lives were ruined by Hurricane Katrina. Lives are ruined daily in Haiti, in the aftermath of an earthquake and now a cholera epidemic in a country with no money.

Harris’ mention of how Zimmer has “had a very difficult four years of his life” is in reference to the defensive coordinator finding his wife Vikki dead in their home in the middle of the football season. And while Harris has a good point about Hurricane Katrina and Haiti, let’s not mince words here.

I’m willing to bet that Harris doesn’t know Zimmer personally, so how would he know if the situation ruined Zimmer’s life or not? Besides, isn’t Harris being a little too literal here? I’m sure Zimmer would say that Hurricane Katrina was a bigger deal than Petrino leaving Atlanta, but the situation still affected his life in a profound way. It essentially cost him his job with the Falcons and while he still wound up on his feet in Cincinnati a year later, that doesn’t mean that Harris has the right to downplay the situation and go with the standard “life is bigger than sports” anecdote that some writers use these days.

Petrino’s departing of Atlanta didn’t ruin anyone’s lives. It’s amazing how bitter Arthur Blank could be at the time, and yet his franchise has probably been better off with different direction. Who couldn’t see, either from Petrino’s side or the owner’s, that the college-oriented discipline Petrino brought to the Falcons would never cut it with professionals?

Hindsight is always 20/20. At the time, Petrino left the Falcons in the lurch and while an argument could be made that Blank should have never hired Petrino, that’s not the point. The point is that Petrino broke his contract because he couldn’t hack it in the NFL and he left Blank to clean up the mess. And just because things have worked out for the better in Atlanta, doesn’t mean that Blank or Zimmer don’t have the right to call out Petrino for the snake he is. “Please.”

I’m trying to find any old quotes from 1976 on whether Lou Holtz was accused of ruining lives when he told the New York Jets owner that he was going back into college coaching after 11 uncomfortable weeks dealing with the likes of Joe Namath. I don’t think there are any. Holtz was told he didn’t have to stick around for the Jets’ last three games of a 14-game season that year.

But, for some reason, an owner who had fired another coach before Petrino was crushed that Bobby P. didn’t want to hang around for three more miserable weeks in Atlanta, promises broken. It saved Blank millions, and yet all he did was lead a crucifixion of Petrino through his friends and PR contacts via his previous ownership in Home Depot.

It also put Blank’s franchise in a state of major duress, but I guess because everything worked out, Petrino should now be excused. Harris should also do his homework – Holtz didn’t have three games left with the Jets – he only had one. Either way, we’re comparing apples to oranges. The Jets knew Holtz couldn’t hack it and it was a relief that he wanted out. The Falcons still showed/had faith in Petrino and he couldn’t make it through one full season before running away.

Petrino, to his credit, was asked about Zimmer’s comments and didn’t go there. He never does, though he has admitted that he could have handled things differently when departing Atlanta. Petrino absorbed a brutal assault from any ESPN and NFL columnist or TV personality willing to write or talk about him in late 2007 and early 2008. About the nicest thing said about him was that he was “disingenuous” in his dealings with the University of Louisville or the Falcons. Most diatribes read like bitter screeds. Some, such as a few zingers from Sean Salisbury, were unprofessional.

Yeah, let’s laud Petrino for taking the high road here. What is he going to say? That Zimmer is wrong? That he isn’t a gutless wonder? The only thing Petrino could have said was, “I agree.”

Even before Zimmer’s shots across the bow of the SS Petrino, Sports Illustrated Peter King was tweeting some 140-character anti-Petrino blather, while not acknowledging that the guy had donated $1 million to charity.

This is another standard ploy that writers sometimes use. So because the guy donated to charity, he doesn’t deserve the criticism for all of his past transgressions?

Hey, he’s not an easy guy for some of the daily media folks in Fayetteville to cover, and he’s apparently not an easy guy to play for or work for. We get that Petrino, like Nick Saban, turned his back to the NFL before the NFL kicked him out on the street, and returned to college football. Apparently, NFL hides are thin and sensitive. And Mike Zimmer has had a tough go of his life, even if he hasn’t wanted for a job, and had a lot of frustrations pent up that suddenly came roaring out. With the money flowing over these days, the NFL surely can provide him with some help there, no?

You just never know when some of these columnists or outbursts such as Zimmer’s aren’t fueled by rival coaches with connections who would love to continue to poison the recruiting well for Petrino in those talent-rich areas the Hogs staff are mining these days.

College fans are adorable. They’re blinded by their loyalty to their program and win, lose or draw, nobody can say anything bad about their team, their coach, or their players. In some respects I think this is admirable, but Harris is off-base here. Zimmer was asked a question about his days in Atlanta and decided to go off on Petrino. Not totally unreasonable seeing as how Petrino’s situation was the catalyst for Zimmer losing his job.

Personally, I would have loved it if Zimmer said more. He could have talked about how Petrino’s in-game management was a total joke and his mismanagement with the players led to issues that GM Thomas Dimitroff and Mike Smith (the Falcons’ current head coach) had to clean up a year later. Zimmer also could have talked about how Petrino’s offense was so bad that Zimmer’s defense was left on the field for lengths at a time, or how Petrino was so overmatched that players like DeAngelo Hall told other coaches (Sean Payton) that he wanted to play for them – during the middle of a game, no less.

Was Petrino handed a bad card in Atlanta? Yes, especially considering he took the job to work with Vick, who was hauled off to prison before he had the chance to. But you don’t leave people hanging the way he did and it’s not enough to say that things worked out for the Falcons or, “well, Petrino could have handled things better.” He deserves the criticism.

When Petrino ditches Arkansas in a couple of years for a bigger and better job (because it will happen), I wonder how Harris will feel about Zimmer’s comments then.

Here’s a quick and dirty look at how I see things playing out in the SEC this season:

#1 Alabama
Led by head coach Nick Saban and Heisman winner Mark Ingram, this is by far the best team in the country. While they don’t come weakness-free, the Tide have the best combination of talent and coaching in all of college football. They play in the nation’s toughest conference so there’s always a chance that they could lose a game during the season, but this is your clear national title favorite. Their defense might be even better than it was a year ago.

#2 Florida
The Gators lost Tim Tebow, Riley Cooper, Aaron Hernandez, Maurkice Pouncey, Carlos Dunlap, Jermaine Cunningham, Brandon Spikes, Ryan Stamper, Joe Haden and Major Wright from their squad last season. In one word: Ouch. Outside of running back Jeff Demps, they lost their top player at nearly every position, which would usually destroy a program’s chances of competing the next year. But this is Florida – they reload every year. This year’s crop of starters has seen time in either part-time action or spot starts over the last couple of years, so the Gators will compete. Are they a top 5 team? We’ll find out soon.

#3 Arkansas
All right, so I might be drinking too much of the Ryan Mallett Kool-Aid by ranking the Razorbacks ahead of Georgia and LSU. But even though Bobby Petrino is a turd, the man knows how to run an offense (a college football offense, that is) and Arkansas will be explosive on that side of the ball again this year. The question is whether or not their defense will step up so that this team can reach its full potential. As it stands now, it’s probably safe to say that Arkansas is going to have issues slowing teams down this year, but I just can’t stop starring at that offense. It’s like a tractor beam of hotness.

#4 Georgia
Of any team in the conference, the Dawgs may have the best chance to surprise in the SEC. They’re coming off a disappointing 2009 season, but with players like A.J. Green, Washuan Easley, Brandon Boykin and Blair Walsh coming back, they have plenty of talent to challenge Florida in the East. They also have a favorable schedule, as they don’t have to play Alabama and get home games against Arkansas and Tennessee this year. As long as they don’t overlook South Carolina and can get past Florida and Auburn (no small feat), Georgia has a better shot to contend for a SEC title than people think.

#5 Auburn
Even though they faded after a 5-0 start, Gene Chizik did a wonderful job in his first year at Auburn. He also landed the fourth overall recruiting class in the nation, headlined by running back Michael Dyer. Is this team ready to compete with Alabama and Florida? Not yet, but under Chizik, they’re moving in the right direction and I see an improved team from a year ago.

#6 LSU
I’m probably down on LSU more than others, but I just don’t like this team’s talent compared to that of the teams I have listed above. Plus, Les Miles does something stupid every year to make you question how he has been as successful as he has over the years. Still, this isn’t a program that lost a lot of top talent and they’re always hard to beat at home, so don’t rule out the Tigers’ chances for competing with the top dogs in the SEC this year.

#7 South Carolina
Yikes. As if road games against Auburn, Alabama, Florida and Clemson weren’t enough, the Gamecocks also had to suspended both Quintin Richardson and Weslye Saunders indefinitely for two separate violations. Steve Spurrier has put together some solid recruiting classes over the past couple of years and this team has enough talent to challenge in the East, but with a daunting schedule and off-field issues mounting things look bleak in Columbia.

#8 Tennessee
Don’t expect much from the Vols this season, as Derek Dooley and company lost their starting quarterback, their two leading rushers and both starting offensive tackles. They also have to figure out a way to replace Eric Berry, Rico McCoy and Dennis Rogan on the defensive side of the ball, as well as find replacements for injured defensive linemen Ben Martin and Marlon Walls. But despite this being an obvious rebuilding year, Tennessee usually finds a way to be competitive, which is why I have them ranked as high as I do.

#9 Ole’ Miss
Obviously the big news in Oxford this year is the addition of former Oregon Duck Jeremiah Masoli. But while everyone assumes Masoli will eventually be the starter this season for the Rebs, Houston Nutt recently proclaimed that Nathan Stanley would be his quarterback if the season were to start today. Either way, the quarterback position killed Ole’ Miss with turnovers last season, so whoever takes the snaps this year, cutting down on interceptions will be a must. This is a talented team, but I see their schedule giving them problems (i.e. road games at Alabama and LSU) and a quarterback controversy brewing (which is never a good thing).

#10 Kentucky
The offense has plenty of playmakers, but the key is the quarterback position. Can Mike Hartline (who beat out Morgan Newton and Ryan Mossakowski for the starting job) produce? With the uncertainty at quarterback and the offensive line having to replace four new starters, I don’t see the Wildcats turning heads this season. The only saving grace is that they play Ole Miss, Auburn and Mississippi State in the West this year, which is certainly less daunting than South Carolina’s trio of West opponents in Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas.

#11 Mississippi State
It’s hard not to love the Bulldogs’ crop of receivers and offensive linemen, but it’s hard not to worry about their quarterback and running back situation. Their defense has the ability to keep them in most games, but not without a consistent pass-rush. Mississippi State’s roster offers plenty of talent, but this team has to go on the road to play LSU, Houston, Florida and Alabama. Talk about daunting.

#12 Vanderbilt
The defense is definitely something to keep an eye on (especially the secondary) and with running backs Warren Norman and Zac Stacy leading the way, Vandy should be a better offensive unit. But led by quarterback Larry Smith, the passing game is a huge concern and I envision this defense being on the field a lot.

Check out other 2010 College Football Conference Previews: SEC | Big Ten | Big 12

Perhaps more than any other sport, a bad head coaching hire in the NFL can ruin a franchise for the better part of a decade. When you consider the free agent and draft acquisitions that are made to fit a coach’s style and philosophy, it’s no wonder that it usually takes years for a team to rebound after a bad coaching hire. As part of our ongoing Decade Debate series, here are the 10 worst head coaching hires of the past decade. To be clear, this ranking is based on the result of the hire, and not necessarily the hire itself. (Although the ranking could be a combination of the two.)

10. Eric Mangini, Cleveland Browns, 2009

One might argue that since Mangini hasn’t even gotten through his first year in Cleveland yet that he doesn’t deserve to be on this list. But others will argue that since he was absolutely despised in New York that the Browns should have never hired him in the first place. After all, was the one winning season he had with the Jets worth the Browns giving him a shot? Some of the moves that Mangini has made since arriving in Cleveland haven’t been bad at all: Trading Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow, trading down multiple times to acquire more picks in the draft, acquiring safety Abram Elam, etc. But considering he hasn’t won many players over with his crass attitude, has made two quarterback changes and only has one win under his belt, things couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start in Cleveland. It’ll be interesting to see if the Browns fire him after only one season.

9 Romeo Crennel, Cleveland Browns, 2005

Due to his previous sucess as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator, not many people criticized the Browns for hiring Crennel at the time. But as it turns out, maybe Bill Belichick had more to do with New England’s defensive success than Crennel did. The Browns posted a 24-40 record under Crennel, who was fired after four years in Cleveland. During that span, the Browns never finished higher than 16th in total defense, which was supposed to be Crennel’s specialty.

8. Denny Green, Arizona Cardinals, 2004

Given the success Green had in Minnesota, he seemed like a good bet to turn around a struggling Cardinals franchise in 2004. But he was fired after just three seasons in the desert while posting a 16-32 record. He also was at the helm of a brutal regular season in collapse in which the Cardinals lost a 20-point lead to the Bears in less than 20 minutes. But hey at least following the game, Denny gave us one of the best post-game rants of the decade:

“The Bears are what we thought they were. They’re what we thought they were. We played them in preaseason — who the hell takes a third game of the preseason like it’s bull****? Bull***! We played them in the third game — everybody played three quarters — the Bears are who we thought they were! That’s why we took the damn field. Now if you want to crown them, then crown their ass! But they are who we thought they were! And we let ‘em off the hook!”

7. Rod Marinelli, Detroit Lions, 2006

Let’s see, he led a franchise to a 0-16 record for the first team in NFL history. Well, that ought to about sum things up. Marinelli wasn’t actually a bad coach – he just didn’t have the players or the ownership to succeed. But given that he coached a team to a winless record, it’s kind of hard not to include him on a list of worst coaching hires of the past decade. The other problem is that Marinelli didn’t have much coaching experience before Detroit hired him. He had served as the Buccaneers defensive line and assistant coach the season before he became the Lions head coach, but that was it, making Detroit’s choice to hire him all the more questionable.

6A. Art Shell, Oakland Raiders, 2006

Shell was a Hall of Fame player and was named AFC Coach of the Year in 1990 while compiling a 54-38 record for the Los Angeles Raiders in his first stint as the team’s head coach. But things fell apart in his second campaign with the Raiders after Al Davis hired him in February of 2006. Oakland’s defense was statistically one of the best units in the league, but its offense was absolutely atrocious. After compiling a 2-14 record and enduring a season-long feud with receiver Jerry Porter, Shell was fired as the Raiders head coach after just one year.

6B. Cam Cameron, Miami Dolphins, 2007

Cameron was another coach that went one-and-done for his team after leading the Dolphins to a 1-15 record in 2007 and then was fired in the 2008 offseason once Bill Parcells took over in Miami. Under Cameron, the Dolphins flirted with imperfection for 13 weeks before finally beating the Baltimore Ravens in overtime in Week 15.

5A. Steve Spurrier, Washington Redskins, 2002

Considering everyone wanted to see how his offense would translate into the NFL, the hiring of Spurrier wasn’t a bad decision by Daniel Snyder and the Redskins. But he turned out to be a horrible NFL coach for several reasons, none bigger than the fact that he didn’t know how to adjust to the pro game. He thought he could win with quarterbacks like Patrick Ramsey, Danny Wuerffel and Shane Matthews, yet he never gave them enough protection because he would constantly use three, four and five wide receiver sets. In Spurrier’s first game as a head coach, the Redskins racked up 31 points in a Week 1 win over the Cardinals. But his offense was completely shut down the following week as the Eagles routed Washington, 37-7. Defensive coordinators quickly figured out how to at least contain the Redskins’ offense and after leading Washington to a respectable 7-9 record in his first year, Spurrier’s squad stumbled to a 5-11 record in 2003. He resigned as the Skins’ head coach shortly after the season and returned to the college level where he, and so many other coaches belong.

7. 5B. Nick Saban, Miami Dolphins, 2006

Much like other head coaches on this list, the hiring of Saban wasn’t the problem. The problem was that he flat out lied to the Dolphins and to the media about his desire to return to the college ranks after only two seasons in Miami. He actually uttered the statement, “I’m not going to be the Alabama coach” just one month before becoming the Alabama head coach. The interesting part is that the Dolphins actually had some success under Saban, who led them to a 9-7 record and a second place finish in the AFC East in his first year. But the team sputtered to a 6-10 finish in his second season before he left them high and dry to coach at ‘Bama.

4. Jim Zorn, Washington Redskins, 2008

After Joe Gibbs retired in January of 2008, owner Daniel Snyder hired Zorn to be the Redskins’ offensive coordinator. That move would have been fine given that Zorn had some experience as an offensive assistant with the Seahawks and Lions, and therefore the next logical step would be for him to become a coordinator. But a few weeks later, Snyder decided to make Zorn Washington’s new head coach, which was a stunning decision to say the least given that the former NFL QB had zero experience as a head coach. The hire looked good at first, as Zorn led the Redskins to a 6-2 record in his first year. But the team collapsed down the stretch to finish 8-8 and as of this writing they’re 3-9 in 2009. Considering the Redskins play in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL and that Snyder doesn’t help him out with his careless approach to free agency, it’s hard to blame Zorn for not having much success. That said, this was a hire that never should have happened in the first place. He should still be cutting his teeth as a coordinator instead of preparing to lose his job at the end of the year.

3. Scott Linehan, St. Louis Rams, 2006

Linehan had a fair amount of success as an offensive coordinator with the Vikings and Dolphins before being hired as the Rams’ head coach in 2006. But he was a disaster in St. Louis, getting into frequent disputes on and off the field with star players Steven Jackson, Torry Holt and Marc Bulger. He only made it through 36 games as a head coach, posting an 11-25 record over that time.

2. Marty Mornhinweg, Detroit Lions, 2001-2002

Poor Marty Mornhinweg; the guy can run an offensive, but he was a disaster as a head coach. Before his two-year stint in Detroit, Mornhinweg was an offensive assistant with the Packers and was the 49ers’ offensive coordinator from 1997 to 2000. The man had experience in the NFL, so it wasn’t necessarily a bad decision at the start. But Mornhinweg went on to compile a brutal 5-27 record with the Lions and will always be known as the coach that won the coin flip in overtime and took the wind instead of the ball. In case you forget what happened, Detroit never got the opportunity to test the wind because the Bears (their opponents that day) went drove right down the field and kicked the game winning field goal. After flubbing his only head coaching opportunity, he went to the Eagles and has had a great deal of success as Philly’s offensive coordinator. Some guys just aren’t cut out to be head coaches and Marty is one of them.

1. Bobby Petrino, Atlanta Falcons, 2007

Given that Petrino was one of the hottest head coaches at the time, this wasn’t a bad hire at the start – it just turned into a horrifying decision not long after. Not only was Petrino completely outmatched for the pro game, but he also couldn’t even finish one season in Atlanta before bolting to go call the hogs in Arkansas. Considering his penchant for job-hopping, Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank should have known better. Blank wanted the flashy hire – the hotshot college coach with the offensive scheme that would give defensive coordinators nightmares for years. But the only nightmare was Petrino himself, who couldn’t communicate with his players because he didn’t understand that instilling fear in athletes doesn’t work on the professional level like it does in college. He wasn’t handed the best situation in the wake of the Michael Vick dog-fighting scandal, but instead of being a man and toughing things out in his first year, he left in the shadow of the night, along with whatever respect and dignity he had left. Here’s hoping the weasel never gets another opportunity to coach in the NFL.

Honorable Mention: Lane Kiffin (Oakland Raiders, 2007); Raheem Morris (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2009); Tom Cable (Oakland Raiders, 2008); Dick Jauron (Buffalo Bills, 2006), Steve Mariucci (2003, Detroit Lions); Mike Nolan (San Francisco 49ers, 2005); Dom Capers (Houston Texas, 2005).

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One would have thought that Tim Tebow and Florida learned from their loss to Ole Miss last year to never take an opponent for granted. Maybe that wasn’t the case on Saturday, but it sure seemed like it.

The Gators are extremely lucky to still be undefeated and when the BCS releases its standings for the first time on October 20, Florida will be extremely lucky if they’re still ranked No. 1.

The word “lucky” might not sit well with some Gator fans, but most teams that play as bad as Florida did in its 23-20 win over Arkansas on Saturday usually don’t win. The Gators turned the ball over four times, benefited from two Razorback missed field goals and had no answer for backup running back Dennis Johnson, who broke so many tackles the stats people will need a calculator to add them all up.

Tebow was good – damn good. He threw for 255 yards on 17 of 26 passing with one touchdown and also added 60 rushing yards on 24 carries. But the key in this game wasn’t Tebow – it was that Arkansas didn’t capitalize on Florida’s mistakes. For all intents and purposes, it was a game they probably should have won.

But “should have” and “did” are two different things. Bobby Petrino’s squad didn’t win and that’s the bottom line. They could have shocked the college football world by beating the No. 1 team in the nation but in the end they choked. That said, this is one of the most dangerous unranked teams in the nation, which they’ve proved over the past two weeks by routing Auburn and hanging with Florida.

Back the Gators. If Alabama comes out and absolutely crushes South Carolina, does the Crimson Tide deserve to be No. 1? Alabama hasn’t suffered one setback this year – not one. I realize Florida still won today, but the Gamecocks are ranked and would therefore prove to be a more worthy opponent than Arkansas.

If ‘Bama produces a rout tonight, Nick Saban’s squad has an argument that it deserves to be No. 1. Tonight should be interesting.

One of the greatest unsolved crimes in sports history now has a resolution. We can now put our children to bed at night without this shroud of mystery hanging over our heads and breathe a sigh of relief knowing that a major villain has been outed for his crime against humanity.

That’s right, folks: We now know the one person who didn’t vote for Florida’s Tim Tebow as All-SEC quarterback. And it wasn’t that punk Lane Kiffin, nor was it that weasel Bobby Petrino either. Hell, it wasn’t even Nick Saban, who can’t step one foot inside Baton Rouge or Miami without somebody wanting to shove a first down marker where the sun don’t shine.

Nope, it was Steve Spurrier…well, kind of. Apparently it wasn’t actually him, but the director of football operations he had vote for him. Whoops.

Spurrier explained that his director of football operations had filled out the ballot and brought it in to him. Spurrier said he glanced at it, signed off on it, and then realized his mistake much later.

The ballot submitted to the SEC from South Carolina had Mississippi’s Jevan Snead as the first-team quarterback, and not Tebow.

“I take full responsibility,” he said, emphasizing that he believed Tebow to be one of the best quarterbacks in Florida history. “I’m embarrassed about it, I feel badly about it … I apologize to Tim Tebow.”

SEC associate commissioner Charles Bloom confirmed to ESPN.com that Spurrier called within the past 24 hours and asked that his ballot be changed to include Tebow as the first-team quarterback. Spurrier told Bloom that his initial ballot, with Snead as the first-team quarterback, was a mistake.

If you couldn’t tell by the sarcasm I used at start of this article, I don’t think this is a big deal. It’s just a preseason honor and I highly doubt Tebow is losing sleep over this. It’s nice that Spurrier tried to correct the mistake and owns up to it, but again, this is hardly worth getting upset about.

But perhaps an underlying issue (and Pat Forde touched on it in the ESPN article) here, is that these coaches continue to let other people in their programs vote for things like all-conference nominations and even the USA Today Coaches Poll. So you have a director of operations having a stake in which teams could potentially play for a national title, and not the coaches themselves.

This is just reason No. 1,900,340,000 why the BCS system is an absolutely joke. We need a playoff.

By the way, how does Jevan Snead feel right about now? If I’m him I’m like, “A mistake? Gee, thanks Spurrier – tell me how you really feel you son of a bit…”

The SEC recently released its preseason coaches All-SEC team and unsurprisingly, Florida’s Tim Tebow was everyone’s choice as first team quarterback.

Well, not everyone’s choice apparently.

Only three players were unanimous choices on the first team: LSU offensive lineman Ciron Black, Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry and Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones. Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner who led the Gators to a national championship in 2008, was not a unanimous choice.

Coaches weren’t allowed to vote for their own players, so a unanimous pick got 11 of 12 votes. Tebow got 10 of 12 votes, which means one of the SEC coaches doesn’t think that he’ll be the best quarterback in the conference this season. But which coach that was is uncertain.

Of all the quarterbacks in the SEC, the only one who might draw a vote away from Tebow is Ole Miss’ signal caller Jevan Snead. But if the Rebels’ Houston Nutt couldn’t vote for him, then who did?

If we could hold a blame storming session for a second, I’d like to blame either Lane Kiffin or Bobby Petrino – Kiffin because he’s proven to be a pimple on every SEC coaches’ ass since becoming head coach at Tennessee, and Petrino because he’s essentially the Hans Gruber of the college football world.

Not that this is a huge deal because after all, it’s just a preseason All-SEC team. But any time we get the opportunity to throw Petrino under the bus for something, it must be fully taken advantage of.

Atlanta’s Smith edged Miami’s Sparano by one vote Sunday for The Associated Press 2008 NFL Coach of the Year award.

Both coaches oversaw sensational turnarounds, leading their teams from last-place finishes in 2007 to playoff berths this year. Their achievements were reflected by the closeness of the balloting, with Smith getting 23½ votes and Sparano 22½ from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL.

After improving from 4-12 to 11-5 and making the NFC playoffs as a wild card, the Falcons fell 30-24 at Arizona on Saturday night. That should not detract from a memorable season that bodes well for the football future in Atlanta.

“I think we have tried to establish that we’d be very systematic in how we did things, that we were going to have a plan,” said Smith, who helped guide quarterback Matt Ryan to the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Considering the Dolphins were 1-15 last year, Sparano was just as deserving. But what put Smith over the top was the job he did with a rookie quarterback and the fact that Atlanta’s problems last year were more nationally covered, from Michael Vick’s arrest for dog fighting, to Bobby Petrino’s escape to Arkansas.

Some football purists are going to be steamed with Smith edging Sparano, but he was truly just as deserving. Both of these coaches were miracle workers this season and equally deserving of the award.