ADVERTISEMENT

A couple of Thursday night thoughts

AustinLewis

Hall of Famer
Staff
Sep 16, 2006
6,814
1,886
113
So the wife is away and I’m thinking about MT FB. Here’s what’s on my mind

1) I get the frustration surrounding the overall state of the football program. I’m on record (multiple times) saying some changes need to be made for MT maximize opportunities for success

2) Facilities need improve. #BuildBlueNow will do that. Need to get Phase 2 and 3 funded

3) Recruits & current players care about fans in the stands more than fans realize. Nothing is more disheartening to a player than to run out to an empty stadium. They want fan support. And in the days of NIL and transfer portal, transferring for a program that supports players isn’t off the table

4) Friday night games aside, attendance needs to improve. I understand many MT fans have decided to speak with their wallets. It’s your money. You do as you please. But MT has to pay the bills somehow
 
100%

To me, this is why NIL is so extremely important to a school in our situation.

None of us want to punish the players. We all want to punish the admin.

NIL allows us to reward the players and still not support the admin. While I agree BuildBlue is important, and I have donated, NIL is still a way to keep the admin out of it and not hurt the players.

Go buy from the new store. Find a local business and support them if they support the players. Etc etc.
 
Sorry, thought this post might have been concerning the Thursday night game, but on a side note for MT or Titans fans, nothing makes you feel better about your own team or teams, than watching 2 crap teams play. Thanks Broncos & Colts!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hop45
Season 3 Nbc GIF by The Office
 
The problem is every dollar that goes into this program rewards incompetence. And that's a giving the benefit of the doubt to the stooges that they're trying their best, they're just not good at it.

From the product we've seen for years, it's not hard to make a case that it's not incompetence, but a willful decision to not attempt to compete to the utmost. Say what you will about the pact between the ticket buyers and those promoting the athletic competition - but safe to say that they sell you a ticket on the promise that you'll get a product that at least strives to win. Can you say that they're actually trying with full effort to win? If not, then they're literally stealing your money under false pretenses.

Everything you've said makes sense if you believe that the reason that MT hasn't achieved success is a lack of resources, or recruiting, or that we just haven't given the stooges enough. But I don't believe it matters what you give them - if you plugged them into the offices in Knoxville and gave them a 120-mil budget, you'd get the same .500 football.
 
I think it has become apparent that not going to games is not working and will not work. Every person can make that decision on their own, but I would go to the games if I still lived in the area. I understand both sides, but for me I would go to support the players. They deserved a bigger crowd than what was there for the UTSA game.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MidTennMtneer
i own season tickets and still go to the games, but there is no enthusiasm or anticipation about going to most games and I find myself leaving well before the end of the game if I determine they are not 'competing' or worse. It's clear to me that butts in seats doesn't matter to this crew in charge, that individual fans don't matter. Not sure what changed between back when andymac was running the program into the ground and the AD Boots was being criticized for attendance issues and now when things are far worse and not a peep about it is heard from the decision makers now in charge. I would love to see crowds (20K+, like in the early 2000's) and tailgating in every available green space on campus, but I realize I won't see that until we have new decision makers across the board in most every position.
 
I think it has become apparent that not going to games is not working and will not work. Every person can make that decision on their own, but I would go to the games if I still lived in the area. I understand both sides, but for me I would go to support the players. They deserved a bigger crowd than what was there for the UTSA game.
I think it was Austin who posted in another thread that “the contract” is absurd but we have to live with it.
I disagree and my only recourse and voice is to vote with my feet and my wallet. I drank the “be a loyal, giving alumni kool-aid” for 9 years until the 1st edition of “the contract” was awarded and the semi-retired staff hires that came immediately afterwards.

To each his own.
 
I think it was Austin who posted in another thread that “the contract” is absurd but we have to live with it.
I disagree and my only recourse and voice is to vote with my feet and my wallet. I drank the “be a loyal, giving alumni kool-aid” for 9 years until the 1st edition of “the contract” was awarded and the semi-retired staff hires that came immediately afterwards.

To each his own.

Not wanting to argue as I 10000% get your stance. Absolutely.

But my question is, what choice do we have but to live with it? He won't be bought out simply because we don't have the money. Even if there are changes on the board and CM leaves and a new AD installed, that might drum up some dollars of excitement but not enough to buy him out. He is here till he doesn't want to be.

And giving or supporting through tickets etc is a double edged sword for sure.

If you don't give, there will never be enough for a buyout. But if you do give to help get to the buyout, it means supporting a mediocre product which can lead to support in the eyes of the admin and another extension etc.

Danged if you do, danged if you don't.
I'm of the mindset he's here, I bleed Blue, might as well support and scream. Yeah I'll have bad days and mad days , but I can't pull myself away. Just can't.
 
  • Sad
Reactions: SpaceRaider
Not wanting to argue as I 10000% get your stance. Absolutely.

But my question is, what choice do we have but to live with it? He won't be bought out simply because we don't have the money. Even if there are changes on the board and CM leaves and a new AD installed, that might drum up some dollars of excitement but not enough to buy him out. He is here till he doesn't want to be.

And giving or supporting through tickets etc is a double edged sword for sure.

If you don't give, there will never be enough for a buyout. But if you do give to help get to the buyout, it means supporting a mediocre product which can lead to support in the eyes of the admin and another extension etc.

Danged if you do, danged if you don't.
I'm of the mindset he's here, I bleed Blue, might as well support and scream. Yeah I'll have bad days and mad days , but I can't pull myself away. Just can't.

There's plenty we can do. Start ratioing everything posted regarding MT football (Dislike all twitter, youtube, social media posts), don't discuss football on this board anymore or anywhere else (I will no longer be), pretend the program is DEAD because it IS dead.

Put a tombstone on it, and move on. Stop trying to force it and pretending everything is okay and next season will be different, because guess what, it won't be. Stockstill is a known commodity, and he's damaged goods at best. He ****ing sucks as a head coach and that's just that. Everyone knows it is a futile exercise with him as our head coach, SO WHY BOTHER?
 
Last edited:
  • Sad
Reactions: MidTennMtneer
There's no good answers here. It's so bizarre because from what I can see, there's never been a parallel in sports that I can recall.

The closest situation is the movie Major League. Obviously, MT isn't packing up and moving to Miami, but there's a deliberate decision to not compete to the best of their ability. You could look at pro teams tanking in baseball/hockey/bball, but at least there's an unspoken *wink wink nod nod* that we're doing this to bring you better days ahead.

I can't fault anyone who wants to continue to contribute out of a sense of loyalty - i felt it too when i was in town 2 weeks ago. But I can't fault anyone who no longer wants to support what appears to me to be a product being sold almost bordering on fraud.

The Athletic had a throw-away article re-grading the 2017 coaching hires in college football. When it got to Georgia Southern, it had this to say:

Summers took over as interim head coach during the 2017 season and got the full-time job after a 2-3 stint. He went 25-14 over the next three years, including a 10-3 season and three bowl appearances, but he was fired after a 1-3 start to the 2021 season. The Eagles’ Sun Belt record had decreased in each successive year and the program felt it should be near the top of the conference. His 28-21 overall record and 17-14 record in Sun Belt play certainly wasn’t a disaster, though he didn’t finish out the 2021 season. Lunsford is now an assistant under Taggart at FAU.

That hurts to think about the way they run their program, and the way we do.
 
In all my 45+ years, I’ve never seen anything like what is going on.

I think we would be fine if we saw a level of trying. Sure, there would be the occasional grumble but from my perspective, it looks intentional to rob the program. I just don’t know how supporting this is good for anyones sanity.
 
Last edited:
There's plenty we can do. Start ratioing everything posted regarding MT football (Dislike all twitter, youtube, social media posts), don't discuss football on this board anymore or anywhere else (I will no longer be), pretend the program is DEAD because it IS dead.

Put a tombstone on it, and move on. Stop trying to force it and pretending everything is okay and next season will be different, because guess what, it won't be. Stockstill is a known commodity, and he's damaged goods at best. He ****ing sucks as a head coach and that's just that. Everyone knows it is a futile exercise with him as our head coach, SO WHY BOTHER?
 
I too have moved on. No more sad or angry statements from me for which there is no control. MT football coaching staff & administration have become congruent to the term "moot point". A subject for discussion or debate for which there is no satisfactory answer. Originally joined the forum for a shared camaraderie of all things MT sports. For football 80 percent of discussion has become a shared disdain. I promised myself not to fall into that trap, but I did. My apologies to any if my anger toward the dept or even cusa may have resulted in words of poor taste. I have moved on to my true enjoyment, the men's & women's basketball teams & for hopes of a great year. I will still submit great remarks for any P5 wins or championships the football team has, but personally I'm much happier in moving on. Still all the best to those with the fortitude to fight the good fight in these topics.
 
I'm glad I stopped renewing Season Tickets a few seasons ago. Wish I had done it sooner actually, too many years I renewed and bought tickets out of obligation. It just was not fun anymore. Little by little the regulars in my section disappeared and the atmosphere was just not the same. Now I can go or not go when I please. Plus the financial incentive to get Season Tickets is small to nothing (unless they have improved this recently). You are far better off just buying seats game by game, and you actually get more perks like free Shirts and things. That is one thing they really need to address if they have not already. But not having Season Tickets is a big unburdening. And if I wake up one Saturday Morning and want to go to a game, i'm there.
 
There's plenty we can do. Start ratioing everything posted regarding MT football (Dislike all twitter, youtube, social media posts), don't discuss football on this board anymore or anywhere else (I will no longer be), pretend the program is DEAD because it IS dead.

Put a tombstone on it, and move on. Stop trying to force it and pretending everything is okay and next season will be different, because guess what, it won't be. Stockstill is a known commodity, and he's damaged goods at best. He ****ing sucks as a head coach and that's just that. Everyone knows it is a futile exercise with him as our head coach, SO WHY BOTHER?
lmao I get the frustration here, but disliking post hurts athletic comms more than it does stock & friends. 😂
 
There's plenty we can do. Start ratioing everything posted regarding MT football (Dislike all twitter, youtube, social media posts), don't discuss football on this board anymore or anywhere else (I will no longer be), pretend the program is DEAD because it IS dead.

Put a tombstone on it, and move on. Stop trying to force it and pretending everything is okay and next season will be different, because guess what, it won't be. Stockstill is a known commodity, and he's damaged goods at best. He ****ing sucks as a head coach and that's just that. Everyone knows it is a futile exercise with him as our head coach, SO WHY BOTHER?
#EmbraceTheHump
 
The posts on the Blue Raider Football Facebook page during last weeks game and postgame are hilarious. Who edits that page? Sam Doughton? Mark Owen? I wonder if the feedback is shared with Stock?
 
The posts on the Blue Raider Football Facebook page during last weeks game and postgame are hilarious. Who edits that page? Sam Doughton? Mark Owen? I wonder if the feedback is shared with Stock?
Twitter is the same. It's officially not just us diehards on this board. The dept see it all, no doubt. Lot of good it does though.
 
My Thursday thought is I'm not sure there is anything more depressing than this aside from major life events like losing a job, death of loved ones, losing children, etc. I mean that's what MT football has done to this fan base. This stuff is supposed to be something we escape from those real life troubles and just enjoy some comradery and a little football. And fans know you can't win every game. But this program has taken the joy out of the experience and made it unbearable and intolerable. I mean every single person here knows exactly what's going to happen before the season begins. I had finally gotten away from it all. But even though I knew exactly how Stock's program was going to respond to a 3-1 start and the win over Miami, I still allowed myself to get sucked back in. I'm a fool for it. We all are. Is there a single person on this board that is surprised we are .500 at the halfway point in the season?

People try to talk about "well I'm gonna support the players." I feel sorry for the players. There are many along the way who have been Stockholmed (how fitting) by this coach because he cares about them as people. That's noble. I don't knock him for that him but his job isn't just to care. It is also to lead them, build them up, turn them into champions, and also care about them. Somehow just caring has been enough for most of his players. So this is the most important thing I will say. 1) Players still want to win not just compete. 2) The transfer portal has changed the dichotomy. And this is not the coach or the staff that is going to win that battle. The staff of the team we play tomorrow knows how to use the portal to its advantage. We are going to continue to experience exactly what happened this past off season where we lose our best players. Not because of NIL necessarily. But because players want to win. They want to earn a ring. They don't want to lose just as many as they win. More and more the individuals on this team will see that and look for places where they can achieve outcomes for which they compete in the first place. To be the best in class. And the C-USA class ain't that hard even though the head coach will go on and on about how hard it is to win games. Coach, it's that way because you haven't recruited and built the program as you should have. You made sure of that when you hired your buddies instead of coaching talent hungry to prove themselves. So, with that all said 6-7 or 7-6 is going to start looking like 4-8 and 3-9 from here on out. Because our best will leave. And they will leave every year to place they can win.
 
What’s most disappointing to me is I predicted this mess 7 years ago, got kicked out of the BRZ for saying it, and even met personally with the AD 3 years ago at McAlister’s on Memorial to again express my concerns about Blue Raider Football and Basketball. We talked about a longtime MT Football staff member who was busted on social media “in season” by our radio color guy for actively promoting Stock to former FSU players for the job eventually given to Mike Norvell.

He assured me that changes would be forthcoming after the Football season but right then, his job was to support them to be bowl eligible.
He even drove to my Franklin office in 2014 to defend the West hire and his “due diligence”.

Can’t make this stuff up which begs the question……who is really calling the shots in Murphy Center???

Seriously.😢
 
Last edited:
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT