Though we’re not but a few days past the Ides of August, it’s past time for actual football to begin. You know, battles on the field, instead of in the blogosphere.

Sports Illustrated, which, in its college football issue, took a pretty even-handed look at Bobby Petrino’s peccadilloes and impending return to the sideline at Papa J’s, is now conjecturizing that all is not well at the Schnell Center.

The head coach, admittedly not the most savvy guy at human interaction, is said to be “feuding” with defensive coordinator, Todd Grantham, late of the Georgia Bulldogs.

So limited has been my exposure to Cardinal preseason prep — by design, since I find practice b*o*r*i*n*g — that I have no personal knowledge of how the two coaches get along. In my interaction with fellow media types, scribes with much more interaction with the program than myself, I’ve heard nothing. If there are locals who might know something, they’ve kept their cards close to the proverbial vest, and mouths shut.

I will say, from observing Petrino and Grantham, both football-obsessed, Type A, my-way-or-the-highway kind of guys, that some tension, between the offensive-minded head coach and the defensive good ol’ boy D coordinator, wouldn’t surprise me.

Petrino’s obviously the guy in charge.

But you give a fellow, Grantham, who already has an ego, a five year contract, worth a million simoleons a year, and it wouldn’t be surprising that he’d feel more than a little empowered. Even though second in command.

But, like I said, I haven’t a clue.

If it happens to be true, it’s not necessarily fatal, if not desirable.

The 1986 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears are considered one of the great pro teams ever. It is generally accepted that head coach Mike Ditka, no shrinking violet despite his self-effacing post-coaching career as a pitchman, and D Coordinator Buddy Ryan absolutely loathed each other.

As long as the Cardinal players don’t get caught up in any feud — If there is any feud? — let those boys be boys in the coaching meetings. If games are won, all will be well. If not, Cardinal fatcats will be asked to dig deep to buy out one of both of them.

At the very least, it gives us something to talk about until next Thursday, when the season starts, and the following Monday, when Petrino Era II starts at Papa J’s.

— Seedy K