■ 13 September 2008 | 10:41 AM
Introducing the firestarter ...
Yeah, I did it. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. But, come on, there’s some entertainment value in catching up with Jason from Arlington, is there not?
This guy, with one call, stirred up a hornets nest in Hokieland this week. I was curious what he had to say. Some of you have threatened to stop reading me if I give this fella anymore publicity.
Well, we’ll miss you here on the blog. Really, though, take a breath. It’s not THAT big a deal. JFA was really pretty calm and reasoned. He makes some solid points.
His name really is Jason (and no, I won’t tell you his last name). He’s 30. He’s married. He does, in fact, live in Arlington, where he does taxes for a living. He’s a Virginia Tech graduate and season ticket holder. His father has been, too, since 1996.
And here is what JFA had to say …
JASON FROM ARLINGTON
ON FINDING HIMSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONTROVERSY: “I thought it was so funny that (Frank Beamer) responded that way. Somebody needs to light a fire under somebody’s (rear). Everybody’s asking what I told them when I got screened (for the Hokie Hotline radio show). They usually ask what you’re going to ask, but they didn’t even ask this time. I’ve been calling in for years. I had no idea it was going to go like that.”
ON WHAT HE WANTS OTHER TECH FANS TO KNOW: “The first thing you should know is I’m the biggest Hokie fan of all-time and I love college football. It’s not just some schmo fan making these assertions. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know our offense sucks.”
ON PREVIOUS CALLS TO THE HOKIE HOTLINE: “I call in probably once or twice a season. I think one time I called in and asked Coach Beamer if he knew the lowest-ranked offense that’s ever won a national title in the last 10-15 years. It was in like the 79th or something. I don’t think Stinespring’s average has even been that high over all his years as the coordinator.”
ON “HAMMERING” BEAMER ON THE CALL: “Usually, they always get softballs. I can only imagine what he’d be getting if he were coaching at LSU or Auburn. This would happen every week. I didn’t raise my voice or cuss, and he got all worked up. Apparently they know something’s not working for him to respond that way. Look, I just want Hokie football to do the best we can. I think we can win a national championship or two, but not without some help from the offense.”
ON BEING MENTIONED ON ESPN, DURING THE HALFTIME SHOW OF THURSDAY NIGHT’S GAME: “I actually was not watching. Me and my wife were watching some re-runs of The Office. Then my phone blew up. People were like, ‘Dude, you got on ESPN.’ My friends can’t believe it’s getting this much run.”
ON WHY HE THINKS IT IS GETTING SO MUCH PUBLICITY: “I think what really blew it up was Frank coming into that press conference the next day and going on an unsolicited rant. Wow. That told you it hit home with him a little bit. I know that guy wants to win. Sometimes, though, the stats don’t lie. We’re just on the cusp of being elite, and we just need to win one. It sucks that you know the team could have done better in some of our losses.”
ON BEAMER CHALLENGING HIM, AND ANY OTHER CRITIC, TO SHOW UP TO HIS OFFICE FRIDAY TO PROVE HE KNOWS MORE: “You don’t have to be a mechanic to know that your transmission is broken. The whole thing about do I think I know more than Bryan Stinespring … I don’t think that. But I think there are people out there that do. How long does this tryout last? I know he’s close to Bryan Stinespring, and I know it’s got to be tough, but this is a business.”
ON EXPECTING A NATIONAL TITLE AT A SCHOOL THAT NOT SO LONG AGO WAS A DOORMAT: “(Beamer) built the trophy case. He had that built. We’re not exceeding his expectations here. He established them.”
ON STARTING HIS OWN BLOG THIS WEEK, AND WHY: “Everybody thinks I’m trying to get my 15 minutes of fame. I’m so honest when I say this: I’m just glad the message got out and it’s caused so much support and following. Because so many people were thinking that for so long, and I don’t know why it took so long, but I’m glad it hit home with Beamer Monday. Why the blog? A bunch of my friends were like, ‘You should definitely do a blog.’ I don’t even know how. My wife helped set it up and my friends are contributing links to stuff. I just wrote the first part of it. Aren’t the blogs the trendy thing to do these days?”
ON BEAMER SAYING THE OFFENSE HASN’T BEEN AS TALENTED AS THE DEFENSE: “I think we have the talent. How about Eddie Royal? His first game with the Denver Broncos, they were using him like Percy Harvin and Reggie Bush. Crazy. And how did we use him? He got a third of the touches from his senior year in one NFL game. So we’ve got to stop blaming it on the ingredients there. We had three receivers drafted into the NFL in one year. And Duane Brown, first-round draft pick last year. I’m just saying, something’s not adding up here.”
ON QUARTERBACK SEAN GLENNON: “I feel sorry for Sean Glennon. I think the dude could be good in the right offense. Beamer says people shouldn’t boo him. Well, he’s right. But people wouldn’t be booing Glennon in a better offensive system.”
ON WHETHER HE ADVOCATES IMMEDIATE CHANGE: “I know it’s not going to happen this year. I wouldn’t even want it to. That would make things even worse. But what, are we going to start the fire in December? No, now’s the time to start the fire.”
Well, Jason, to quote Billy Joel: We didn’t start the fire. You did.
Enjoy the game, Hokies. See you back here shortly afterward (if you’re still reading).
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