Sketchy Rumors Say Carroll to Atlanta. Meh.

By Spencer Hall
Evaluate the veracity of this on your own and see if you come to the same crystalline judgment we come to: Pete Carroll, one of college football’s top five best-compensated football coaches and winner of two national championships, has allegedly “expressed interest” in the Falcons job vacated by current Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino.
We present the pieces and counterpieces in order:
Piece one: ESPN reports that sources at the AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) meeting in San Diego are telling him that Carroll’s interested in hearing what the Falcons have to say. From the article.
USC coach Pete Carroll is interested in the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach opening and is expected to speak with Atlanta owner Arthur Blank via phone Wednesday, sources at the American Football Coaches Convention in Anaheim told ESPN’s Joe Schad.
Len Pasquarelli also had a piece about the Falcons’ interest in Carroll on Tuesday. This, however, is the first mention of Carroll reciprocating the interest.
Piece two: ProFootballTalk floats the idea that the Carroll rumor was deliberately leaked by Rich McKay in an effort to sabotage a possible Carroll hire, since Carroll would likely boot McKay out at the General Manager spot.
Thus far, that’s what you’ve got: “sources,” one post from one blog, and that’s it. One valid point from ProFootballTalk does bear repeating, and that’s if Carroll’s truly not interested in the job, he needs to say so right now--it’s the heart of recruiting season, and Carroll’s as savvy as anyone about the timing of things in the handshake wars.
Initially, and this is strictly a gut call, this reminds me exactly of the Carroll to the Dolphins rumor last year which came to exactly jack-squat-nothing. And like last year, Carroll’s vacationing (not in Costa Rica this time, but in Hawaii) and is incommunicado to this point.
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Carroll: center of another vacation-time rumor.↵