The grass is cut, the fridge is stocked full of RC Colas, and the case of Moon Pie's have arrived.
Yep, spring practice is here. Gone are some faces we were familiar with last year, and lots of new faces will be joining soon, but a couple are already there.
Hopefully the weather stops messing with the schedule, and we can get the pads popping.

Excited to see where we are this fall. I don't expect us to win a whole lot of games, but I do think we will be competitive.

We actually lost less players than i thought we would. I figured some of the guys who played early may look at what else is out there. That doesn't seem to be the case which is good.

I think we will lose some players after spring practice though just because players will see where they are on the depth chart then, but those defections are necessary.

Excited to see how far these players have come and to see if all the redshirts can help. I also don't think we win a lot of games but hope to be more competitive. Next year should be the big jump.

I too think this year will be vastly improved. Experience, the red shirts from last year and the new talent will make a competitive team I believe. I would have to think that the new talent will displace some of the players from last year but that is a sign that the talent is getting better. I am very interested in seeing how Dylan Wieger from South has progressed from his red shirt year. Bucs could not have picked a more beautiful day to begin Spring practice!

Yes, the Bucs will be bigger, stronger, have a grasp of a bigger playbook ( offensive and defense ) and have one year of experience but their schedule will be much much harder.

IMO, wins and losses won't be much different that last year, possibly get one more win.

The only things that I believe could change the Bucs win total is that the Bucs find true game breakers at running back and receiver. The Bucs will be better at all positions but the talent level they face will be way better.

I believe the Bucs are a year away from being a .500 or better team I hope that I am totally wrong and the Bucs go 5-5 or better this year.

God willing I will be at all the home games and most of the away games cheering like crazy.

Go BUCS

Anxious to see if Wieger will win the starting job at QB

(03-17-2016 12:50 PM)Buced_Up Wrote:  Anxious to see if Wieger will win the starting job at QB

I thought Herink improved tremendously during the course of the season. I feel comfortable with him under center. However, I believe Weiger will eventually become the starter by mid-season.

Looking at the 2017 seating diagram, it looks like my $100/seat season ticket will be relegated to the end zone.

Online link to the new stadium seating chart?

(03-17-2016 04:34 PM)ETSUfan1 Wrote:  Online link to the new stadium seating chart?

https://files.armssoftware.com/812243/88f5b416cbd2

You can sort of see them on this. Looking at that it seems like there aren't many bronze seats in the new stadium.

This is why 7k is not enough seats. The students get half of the seats on the visitor side and who knows if they will be filled after game 1. The bronze will sell out and you either have to choose to fork out 150 more dollars or go without.

(03-17-2016 07:49 PM)ETSUfan1 Wrote:  This is why 7k is not enough seats. The students get half of the seats on the visitor side and who knows if they will be filled after game 1. The bronze will sell out and you either have to choose to fork out 150 more dollars or go without.

Yep. Need that end zone seating for most of the students and band. Just need 1 student section on sidelines.

I'm torn with that sentiment. I think the students should get a large portion of good seats due to the fee, but with such a small stadium with not a lot of rows in each section, that is hard to do. You end up screwing the fan base I think. You think fans don't like sitting in the upper section of freedom hall...those will be great seats compared to any non season ticket holder that comes to a football game. They will have to sit in the end zone.

(03-17-2016 08:09 PM)ETSUfan1 Wrote:  I'm torn with that sentiment. I think the students should get a large portion of good seats due to the fee, but with such a small stadium with not a lot of rows in each section, that is hard to do. You end up screwing the fan base I think. You think fans don't like sitting in the upper section of freedom hall...those will be great seats compared to any non season ticket holder that comes to a football game. They will have to sit in the end zone.

That's true. Ideally I would like to see the end zone bank stay and for them to add a big upper deck on the east side opposite the skyboxes, similar to Mercer's five star stadium. That would provide lots of good sideline seats.

there are no endzone seats for 2017.

(03-17-2016 08:55 PM)buc73 Wrote:  there are no endzone seats for 2017.

Right but they are planned for the future. I think it would be nice to build more sideline seats on the east side before they did the end zone seats.

Students deserve to have the approx 1500 seats reserved for them. Hopefully as the stadium is expanded they will get more.

(03-17-2016 09:24 PM)buc73 Wrote:  Students deserve to have the approx 1500 seats reserved for them. Hopefully as the stadium is expanded they will get more.

If there is a consistent need for more than 1500 seats for the students I'll eat my shoe.

(03-17-2016 09:54 PM)brock20 Wrote:  

(03-17-2016 09:24 PM)buc73 Wrote:  Students deserve to have the approx 1500 seats reserved for them. Hopefully as the stadium is expanded they will get more.

If there is a consistent need for more than 1500 seats for the students I'll eat my shoe.

There won't be until the team starts winning, but it's incumbent upon the team and AD to honor their student stakeholder group. Students pay $250 additional for football each year, and there should be a respectable effort from the university not to treat it like an irrevocable subsidy they are entitled to for bringing football back. Students should not be relegated. Without the SGA vote & and subsequent fee increase, there is no return of ETSU football. So do what it takes for the return of ETSU football student fans. Cookouts & tailgating, BETTER seats than the crappy endzones (hell, someone referenced a $100 season ticket that goes to endzones, but students pay $250 without choice, even if they do not attend.) I would be fine allocating fewer, but better, seats to students. Make it a high demand, low supply situation and capture the show power of a riled up student section.

The SGA didn't need to vote anything in. If Noland wanted football back, it was happening with or without them, just the same as the library, Culp Center, CPA, and Men's soccer were ALL shoved down student's throats with fees whether they wanted it or not.
Put the students in one block, on the sideline, at the ends. That's literally what everyone else does, and it generally works if you're winning.
ETSU needs to start winning, fast. Especially if they're going to charge what they're charging.