One criticism of Tech fans over the last decade or so has been the apathy and sometimes listlessness of the fan base. Granted the middle years of the 90′s and 00′s left much to be desired but other traditional powers have had sub-par seasons according to their fans expectations and still manage to sell out nearly every game. Their fans also remain just as vehement on the message boards whether the team is floundering or not.

On the other hand, an exciting team can create an exciting fan base. Tech supporters welcomed Coach Paul Johnson with open arms. The man brought an intensity to the field and a passion for the game that in my lifetime was only seen in rare O’Leary tirades on the sideline. This man has created a swagger around the locker room and the practice field. Critiques of season ending bowl losses two years in a row aside, the man has beaten every rival, conference and the Mutts, broken decades old losing streaks and also that ACC Championship thing.

The fire has ignited in the locker room. Any Tech fan who follows the team on a level deeper than tuning in every saturday  (rare but hey, that’s why the JGF is here) is aware of ESPN ACC Blogger Heather Dinich’s lack of confidence year after year in the Jacket’s abilities. She has yet to pick Tech to win their division, so picking them to win the conference has been out of the question. She recently posted a Best case/Worse case scenario video in which she predicted that the defending ACC champions in their BEST SEASON SCENARIO would still fail to even make the ACC title game.

Someone noticed. Someone stepped up and said “not so fast my friend.” No, it was not Lee ‘Sunshine Scooter’ Corso. It was Anthony ‘Predator’ Allen. Allen, the heir apparent to Jonathan Dwyer at B-Back, found Heather’s lack of faith disturbing. (Anyone? No? Ok.) He posted his response calling out Dinich to his twitter account where he laid out several reasons why the Jackets should be taken seriously this season. Dinich to her credit posted the video on her blog (Seen Here) along with a short response.

This is something for Tech fans to stand up and cheer. In an era where so many student-athletes are getting arrested or earning sanctions for their program by acting like morons or being irresponsible with new online media, this is a shining example of class. Anthony Allen has produced a pride welling, chest pounding video that shows confidence in his teammates, a confidence in himself and also for the coaching staff. He accomplished this without slamming anyone with derision or having to resort to expletive-laced smack talk. It is refreshing to see Yellow Jacket players believing in themselves. A Georgia Tech team with true confidence has long been a dream of mine. It seems Paul Johnson has made bee-lievers out of more than just fans, but his starting running back and quarterback seem to have the same passion and enthusiasm. A Tech team with the confidence that they are more than a one hit wonder and have every right to be mentioned in the BCS conversation for a second year in a row is a Tech team that is very, very, dangerous.

III,