rome8180 said:
I probably shouldn't comment here because I am a basketball fan (don't watch really football, college or NFL).
But the reason I find statements about eating crow incredibly annoying is that it's as if the person saying them believes they "knew it all along" -- as if they could predict the future and anyone who was being negative (quite reasonably negative, often) simply didn't have access to the same Nostradamus-like qualities. It also ignores the fact that the person who made a negative prediction is probably thrilled to be wrong. It focuses attention on a contest of "Look who's a better fan" rather than the genuine pleasure every fan should get with a win (especially the kind of win that's been a long time coming).
Eh, it's a little different on the football board.
For me personally, I never made any specific positive predictions so it's not an "I was right" thing. It's more that during a time when the football program didn't have many people behind it at all, and we had what might have been our last good chance to rebuild from the worst major program in college athletics, posters and mods were just absolutely trashing and ridiculing the coaches and players who were putting their hearts and souls into that effort. It wasn't the equivalent of "Curry should sit because he can't play defense" and "Wojo presents an issue attracting big men", it was "Curry is a useless POS who is stealing money from Duke with his scholarship" and "We shall never win a single game as long as Wojo is on the staff and he MUST be fired immediately!" Throw in the fact that, at the time, no one really wanted any part of our program, and it really struck me as unfair, unrealistic and pathetic.
IMO, there's also a little difference between criticizing and demanding results from a top 5 program (Duke basketball) and a program that had legally been declared the worst football program in the country - our
own argument, verified by the court - in 2008. You've got to understand the context of what you're demanding and think you "deserve" as a fan.
And lastly, despite the losing records in the last couple years, there were clear and obvious improvements in our competitiveness, athleticism and depth that these posters completely denied. Everyone can see it now, because we're continuing to mature, getting the breaks and winning games. I don't want credit for being "right" about that last year or the year before, but I would like posters who bashed the staff at the time and refused to give them any credit for any incremental improvement to be held accountable for being morons and, really, antagonists to the program. If they'd gotten their wishes, all of the progress would have been lost and we'd be starting from scratch again instead of enjoying our current success.
(...Sorry for the long-winded response)