Richie Petitbon wasn’t a safety, regardless of what this card tells you, or whatever Wikipedia says about his career as a player or as a coach. Richie Petitbon was…a dancer.
Look at this pose from 1963. This is in NO way how a safety defends Mike Ditka or Tommy McDonald, or a chop-blocking Tom Matte. This is the pose of a man demanding to express the fire of his soul. He is sassy—he is demanding—he is the essence of life itself brought out by the sensual miracle of movement. When he’s not trying to break up a slant pass to Paul Warfield.
This is the pose of a man interpreting the resilience of a mountain stream as seen by the Tao Te Ching. Richie knew Lao Tzu was just as wily as Max McGee, and tougher to defend man-to-man.
In the movie The Birdcage, Robin Williams’ character explains it as well as George Halas (another frustrated dancer, no doubt) could have…
You do an eclectic celebration of the dance! You do Fosse, Fosse, Fosse! You do Martha Graham, Martha Graham, Martha Graham! Or Twyla, Twyla, Twyla! Or Michael Kidde, Michael Kidde, Michael Kidde, Michael Kidde! Or Madonna, Madonna, Madonna!… but you keep it all inside.
Keep it all inside…THAT is the Richie Petitbon we see on this card, dancing the dance of the NFL safety. At least until he tanked as a head coach, but not even the soul of a dancer could save that pile of aged rat turds he was given.
Here’s a video showcasing the coaching talents of Mr. Petitbon:
