“I don’t know what else to do about it,” Brandon said. “I’ve done everything I can to get support for our program.”

So, Coach Brandon storms into the press conference. His team has just blown a 20 point lead in the 4th quarter, lost a chance to play for the East title, gone 1-4 at home for the year, etc. And he's cranked up (based on the observations of those who were there).

What do you expect him to say? I'll be it wasn't this....(from Ryan's blog, link above):

“That crowd was pitiful,” a furious Brandon told reporters. “The fans that showed up, that’s awesome because they’re the true fans. But our kids deserve much better than that. To be in a game with so much on the line, that disgusts me.”

(Disgust? Really?)

So let's stop and think about this. First, the initial reports on the Internet made it sound like he said "the crowd was pitiful," and those of us who sat in the snow and cold to watch our team, and who never miss a game (and that's everyone in my section), that is something that pisses you off.

But, he didn't say that, so we can probably turn the burner off the "boil" setting. People like Coach Brandon always want to be quoted in context, so let's look at the overall context of what was going on.

As mentioned, the season was on the verge of being saved, and then we threw it away. It is a collapse that you talk about for a decade. Coach Brandon comes into the press room. There are lots of things he could have said.

• He could have complimented Buffalo.
• He could have taken responsibility for the season.
• He could have been philosophical.
• He could have refused to show up.

Instead, he decided to rip the program's already tenuous fan base. They say that a crisis doesn't build character, it reveals it. And I think it does. Coach Brandon has rarely, if ever, said that he and his coaches need to do a better job. He often has no-harm excuses, like injuries, or weather. He often minimizes things ("we were in the game in the fourth quarter"). And sometimes, he actually blames the players for the defeat, sometimes even by name.

And I'll be honest. I expected him to say one of the following:

• We had a chance to win in the fourth quarter.
• That injury to Jason Rice really threw off our game.
• This a really tough conference, you know. Its hard to win. The other team tries too.
  

But no, he decided to rip on people we are trying to bring to the games. Ryan reported that AD Greg Christopher was there the whole time, and he can't be happy. In fact, Coach's audio was not posted on the website, which it always is. I have to believe that is to keep the comments from spreading too far.

Its kind of cute, but that's what they must be thinking. Apparently, they are not familiar with the Internet.

Anyhow, he also made the statement that is the title of this post. And I would like to answer it.

Coach Brandon:

Put the tape of the last 11 minutes into your machine and watch it. Then ask yourself why someone would drag themselves out at 6:00 on a work night to sit in the snow and cold for three hours to watch that.

If you don't have the answer, watch it again.




You're not entitled to attendance. You say you don't know what else to do about it? Instead of having the SID write a letter to the editor, how about this:

• Beat Miami and EMU (and, for that matter, Minnesota). (In other words, stop letting your fans down when they do show up).
• Create a team that's worth watching.
• Create a team that is "can't miss."
• Schedule games when your crowd can make it.
• Hold yourself publicly accountable for wins and losses. Stop blaming other people. Its embarrassing and revealing.

Since none of these things were in effect on Friday, you should expect what you got.