Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

7/23/2010 at 12:31pm

HOOVER, Ala. — Coaching skills are one thing. Speaking to the media is another thing entirely. At SEC Media Days coaches have the challenge of representing their institution while handling the badgering of more than 800 media members writing for rabid SEC fan bases.

For new coaches it’s a chance to create a lasting reputation (Robbie Caldwell) among media members, whether good or bad and for returning coaches it’s a chance to hype up an underrated squad (Bobby Petrino) or publicly announce frustrations with college football (Nick Saban). Some coaches shoot for humor (Joker Phillips), while others are so no-nonsense that their presentations in fact, make no sense (Gene Chizik).

Below is a breakdown of the 12 coaches’ presentations to the media based on several factors, including controversy, likeability, humor and how informative they were.

Your Top 12 SEC Coaches at SEC Media Days:

1. Robbie Caldwell (Vanderbilt) - Nobody knew Caldwell going into SEC Media Days, but he will be remembered for a long time, regardless of how his Vanderbilt coaching career develops. His thick Southern drawl and good ol' boy attitude had all media members roaring with laughter throughout his memorable appearance as he touched on various topics, such as women's lipstick or working years ago as a turkey inseminator. As merely the Commodores' "interim" coach, he may not stay at Vandy, but it will be tough for future coaches to top his Media Days debut.

2. Derek Dooley (Tennessee) - Dooley was another mystery coming in. Unlike his UT predecessor, Lane Kiffin, he has stayed relatively quiet leading up the event but was surprisingly enjoyable during his debut in Hoover. He definitely sounded like a man ready to move forward from the year of “the former Tennessee coach” and really seemed to be buying into the whole Tennessee tradition. With a bit of a Georgia twang (after all, he is the legendary Bulldog coach Vince Dooley's son), Dooley was at ease and provided comic relief throughout cracking jokes about his mom and media members. Maybe we ranked him so high because he followed Gene Chizik’s appearance, but positioned next to a dull rock, it’s hard not to look like a diamond.

3. Nick Saban (Alabama) - Gave the media exactly what it wanted: juice. Anytime the defending national champion coach describes agents as “pimps” the media will react. Saban was a little dry (as always), but the way he blasted agents and downplayed the title talk were rather impressive. The buzz surrounding Saban was also fascinating, as fans flocked to him like he was giving out free money. (He didn’t.)

4. Bobby Petrino (Arkansas) - Started off robotic but opened up and seemed more human when the Q&A sessions started with the media. Petrino is a no-nonsense guy for the most part, but he still had insightful things to say when asked about agents. His publicly stated expectations were rare for SEC teams who thrive on downplaying their talent and hopes. Petrino also had a funny one when asked about Arkansas’ media guide, saying all he wanted was to not be on it, since “Ryan [Mallett] is much better looking.”

5. Dan Mullen (Mississippi State) - Enthusiastic through all of his statements and interviews. Provided humor and spoke firmly. Nearly made us believe MSU was in contention for top in the West. His opening statement made light of the Starkville cowbells, knowing everybody outside of Mississippi hates the cowbells. He had a few good analogies too, comparing Ryan Mallett to Tiger Woods at one point. Big leap for the second-year coach over his debut Hoover performance.

6. Urban Meyer (Florida) - A no-nonsense presentation from the man who “retired” only seven months ago. Yet, he’s back and gave firm yet cool statements throughout. Kept the Day One buzz alive by continuing the agent dialogue and called them “predators." Wonder if he missed having Tim Tebow in Hoover with him.

7. Mark Richt (Georgia) - Despite the perception by some here that he's on the “hot seat,” Richt looked rather calm fielding questions while leaning on the podium, even providing a little humor while hyping his team for the upcoming season. Richt confidently talked about the excitement around his program this season and gave some good insight into the Georgia football program. Richt is simply a likable guy. How can you fire someone like that? Oh right, it’s the SEC, where turnover is more than a high statistic in a Courtney Fortson boxscore line.

8. Joker Phillips (Kentucky) - Had a few stumbles early when he tried to be funny, but nobody really bought in. He also asked several rhetorical questions nobody seemed to know the answer to. Phillips seems like a Kentucky guy through and through, and while its great for Kentucky fans, nobody in the SEC seems too concerned about Big Blue. Maybe they would if he tried coaching basketball.

9. Steve Spurrier (South Carolina) - The Head Ball Coach has the media game down, as he calmly took notes throughout the Q&A session like it was a presidential debate. He lacked the humor that he’s been known for in years past, so that was a little disappointing and he didn't seem nearly as quotable as we remember. In typical Spurrier fashion he bashed his starting senior quarterback (Stephen Garcia) to near-death, and yet in a cynical way we enjoyed it. In the end the good ole’ boy in him was bearable but nothing to write home about.

10. Houston Nutt (Ole Miss) - Nutt bragged about this being his 13th appearance at the media event and for the 13th year he did his best to tell media why they shouldn't expect much from his team. He seemed to talk more about the players he lost to the NFL than the players he has returning. Nutt did give a good answer about how to handle expectations, but after hearing him you could tell this will be what they call a “rebuilding” year for Ole Miss.

11. Les Miles (LSU) - Miles was the last speaker at SEC Media Days and he ended it with a ... dud. Miles used more paralanguage than a teenage girl in his opening statement and spoke so softly that he was barely audible. He gradually spoke louder as the questions came and gave some decent insight to his team, but overall it was less than impressive. We lost count of how many times he said “It’s interesting” before answering a question.

No Les, it’s not interesting. You weren't interesting.

12. Gene Chizik (Auburn) - You know when they call a coach no-nonsense? That is Chizik, who offered no humor (and no attempts at humor). His lengthy explanation about developing a long-term plan in a short-term league had us yawning. He had the longest opening statement of the week and lost us shortly after “Good morning.”

Tagged: Robbie Caldwell, Bobby Petrino, Arkansas Razorbacks, football, Les Miles, Dan Mullen, Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, Houston Nutt, Mark Richt, Joker Phillips, Gene Chizik, Steve Spurrier, Derek Dooley, SEC Media Days