Crazy Bobby Petrino rumors, activate! Form of...a college coach!
I blame Nick Saban for this. After that Home Depot of coaches talked a good game about staying with the Dolphins and then bolted back to college so fast he left a money trail. Now anything Pet Rhino says is going to be taken with a grain of salt.
As astute commenter Hamburger notes, the track record for coaches saying one thing and doing another isn't too great. After an abjectly terrible first season in the A-T-L, the temptation to head back to a cushier job in the college ranks. It's also hard not to think that maybe Petrino isn't going to cut it here, given his refusal to put his best options forth (see Norwood, Jerious).
Still, I would assume Petrino would've known that this team wouldn't be a contender right away. Steve Wyche also mentions a major reason why he might want to stick around:
Arthur Blank and Rich McKay continue to smooch the ground their coaches walk on as Petrino is getting a team built to his specifications. Yes, that always happens to some extent. Yes, Bobby Petrino's system should be pretty easy to fit (big linemen, big backs, strong armed QB, good defense). Yes, the Falcons will almost certainly be a little bit better next year.
Still, I think it boils down to a simple choice for Petrino and the team: success next year, or success for years to come? If they want it next year, Petrino might as well go back to the college ranks so the Falcons can find someone who will work better with the players they have now. If they want success over the long haul, it might not be so bad if Petrino sticks around and puts that simple system together.
Then again, who knows? In the end, it's going to be up to Petrino himself.