Adamm, first off, it really sucked to hear about your re-injured ACL. What does Dr X have to say about the prospects for rehab? Whatever you decide, I certainly hope all works out well for you down the road. At least you'll have that NATS BC degree.....sure beats the hell outta some Consumer Ec or other jock nonsense from one of the degree mills! ;-)
As far as building fan attendance, obviously the axiom of "winning cures all ills" is the easiest one to name but not necessarily attain. Unfortunately, college football fanbases....even ours....have become more reflective of society as a whole. Patience is a lost virtue (I blame microwave ovens and drive-thru windows ;-) and not only does everyone want to win (obviously) but they want it now, and they don't care to hear the reasons why it might take time.
You were part of a program that went thru a lot of turmoil during your time here, yet still managed to never have a losing season (I was a student at Tech for Pepper's last season and Curry's first few.....believe me, I know what a really shi##y season looks like ;-). You guys had some great wins over strong teams, but there are always going to be fans that overlook those when there are also losses that are hard to swallow....not just to teams that most believe we should beat, but to the in-state rival.....even when the losses are close and the rival is in the midst of one of their strongest stretches in their history (the idiots conveniently ignore that factor). Hey, I hate losing to the 'humpers as much as anyone but it's not like it we've been losing to Ray Goff's teams from the early 90's (which we did plenty of). Still, we have "fans" who clearly are clueless about what really happens on the inside of a program and who take it upon themselves to trash the coaches, the players (including namecalling and profanilty) and other fans at every opportunity....and who turn their backs on the team to the point of refusing to buy tickets and encouraging others to do likewise.
Hey....you might even know someone like that yourself.
As far as scheduling is concerned, there are multiple gripes that some folks have with the upcoming season....and there is some legitimacy to their gripes....but some of the schedule issues are simply trying to make the best of what we have to work with.
The decision to move the Jax State opener to a Thursday night has some people riled, but I can follow the logic behind it. First off, we have Gary S and the Atlanta Sports Council bringing in a marquis game at the Dome on Saturday night, which creates a conflict for potential walk-up tickets. Also, while our game isn't slated for TV (ESPN360 at this point?), ESPN will have Gameday starting their weekend coverage from Centennial Olympic Park on Thursday which will lend some exposure. Lastly, PJ is actually (by all accounts) glad to have the extra days b4 the BC trip.....and if he's happy, i'm happy. :>)
And while folks hate having two games like Jax and Gardner-Webb in the same season, it gives us one more home game that we were going to have before Army bought out the return game to West Point. People also have to realize that the 12-game season is going to mean a MINIMUM of one FCS (1-AA) game every season, with another game more than likely vs a lower-tier 1-A opponent. With 8-game conference schedules and, for many, one other top-tier OOC game every year (ugag for us), the vast majority of BCS-conference programs (top-to-mid-tier) are going to schedule this way. Two "should-wins" and one mid-to-upper BCS opponent (Miss State this season). It's funny how so much of the static over scheduling comes from the same folks who complain about not winning more games....some people simply don't get it.
Adamm, I think the excitement level will build (as it usually does) as we get closer to August, and I know the folks in Marketing down on BD Way are trying to reach every potential "new" fan they can. I know there are plenty of Ga Southern grads up here who are excited about seeing PJ in town.....I expect some fanbase growth on that factor, alone.
Keep us updated on your status going forward, Adamm! On the field or off, it's always great to follow those who wore the White and Gold!
Good luck!!
