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B&G.com: “Gerald and Synetta, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with “Who Dat” fans.”

Gerald & Synetta: “You’re welcome; we’re glad to have the opportunity.”

B&G.com: “Both of you got my attention because I saw the Falcons pennant flying from BOTH sides of your minivan. I have to say, I was impressed that you’re not only making the trip from the Atlanta area, but you’re proudly flying the Falcons’ colors for all the world to see.”

Gerald: “Hey, I’m a diehard fan. I’ve been a Falcons fan since 1966, and I’ve been a season ticket holder since 1981.”

B&G.com: “How did you BOTH come to be Falcons fans? Were you high school sweethearts? Or, did Gerald make being a Falcon fan a condition of marriage?

(laughter by all)

Synetta: “No, he didn’t make it a condition. But I have to admit that I became a fan after we got married. He loves the team, and I love him and want to also show my support.”

B&G.com: “Are you both from the Atlanta (Fulton County) area?”

Gerald: “We actually live about an hour from there. We live in a town called Dallas, GA.”

B&G.com: “How long have you been married?”

Synetta: “We became engaged in 1989, and were married in 1990.”

B&G.com: “You’ve seen some up and down, good and bad times, haven’t you?”

Gerald: “Yes, we have! I’ve been a season ticket holder since 1989, and I’ve endured 1-15, 2-14 seasons as well as the 1998 season (when we went to the Super Bowl in early 1999).”

B&G.com: “Right now, in 2007, Falcon Nation has got to be bumming-out. Not only did you allow Matt Schaub to leave (to the Texans), but you’ve also had the Michael Vick saga, key injuries, and now the Harrington-Leftwich ordeal. It hasn’t been pretty.”

Gerald: “No, it hasn’t. But you know, that’s what being a fan is all about. As I said before, we’ve seen bad times before. On the other hand, when your team makes it all the way to the Super Bowl, it makes the journey worthwhile. For instance, when we made the playoffs in 1998, nobody figured that the Falcons could beat the ‘mighty and powerful’ Minnesota Vikings in the Metrodome. After all, they were 15-1 in the regular season, the Culpepper-to-Moss combination was nearly unstoppable, they had a decent running game, and their kicker was the most accurate in NFL history. But in that game we played as a team. And even though no one else figured we could pull it off, it was our Atlanta Falcons TEAM that prevailed.”

B&G.com: “Saints fans cringe to think about Joe Horn coming back to the Superdome in a Falcons uniform. As you know, some of us still have nightmares about the image of Bobby Hebert doing his ‘airplane’ imitation on the field after throwing a winning TD vs. the Saints. Not only that, but we’ve also seen Morten Anderson and Brady Smith come back to have stout games vs. our beloved Black and Gold. What do you envision for Horn when he plays vs. the Saints?”

Synetta: “I don’t see it as one player having a spectacular game. I see Horn, Anderson, and the entire team coming in to play their best as a TEAM. Yes, they played for New Orleans. But now, they are with the Falcons… our team. It’s a long-standing rivalry, and I expect it to be a good game. As my husband has often said, you can throw out the win-loss record with these two teams when they play.”

B&G.com: “What has ‘Hollywood’ Joe Horn brought to your team?”

Gerald: “Well, Joe Horn is certainly an outspoken player. But he is a proven professional and seems to have brought a good level of leadership to the Falcons locker room. In many ways, he has been a ‘voice of reason’ for the younger players. He is also competitive, and gives 100% every game.”

B&G.com: “The national media has had reports that the Michael Vick (dog fighting & gambling) scandal has fractured African-American from other ethnic communities because of their perspective on Vick’s guilt or innocence. Is this a fair assessment, or do you see it another way?”

Gerald & Synetta: “To an extent, this has been the case. Without a doubt, there is a segment of the African-American community that will give Vick the benefit of the doubt no matter what evidence is presented. But with most reasonable citizens (regardless of their ethnicity), the bottom line is: ‘Right is right, and wrong is wrong’ …no matter who you are.”

B&G.com: As I said earlier, I think it’s remarkable that both of you are traveling as fans from Georgia to cheer on the Falcons. Anybody can jump on the bandwagon when the team is winning. But when times are down (like now), your effort has to be admired. Do you travel elsewhere for Falcons games?”

Gerald & Synetta: “Yes. In addition to New Orleans (where we’ve only missed 3 or 4 games in New Orleans since 1990), we’ve traveled to St. Louis, Tennessee, Tampa, and Carolina. So when our schedules can accommodate it, we’ll be there cheering our team on.”

B&G.com: “It’s obvious that one year you didn’t come to New Orleans was 2005 (post-Katrina). But tell us about the reopening of the Superdome game (on Monday Night Football) in 2006.”

Gerald: “Man, we were in New Orleans earlier that day and I could tell with the pre-game enthusiasm that something special was brewing for the Saints. The last thing that we needed was for the Saints to have a big play early in the game. Well, as you know, Gleason blocked the Falcons’ punt and the rest is history. That let the air out of our sail. The Superdome crowd was LOUD! As a Falcons fan, we felt very isolated and alone. The excitement of the Saints fans that night was almost indescribable.”

B&G.com: “When the chips are down, how hard is it to keep pulling for your team?”

Synetta: “The way you do it is to keep hope alive when you pull for them. You should always expect your team to do better on the next play… the next quarter… the next game… or the next year. You never, ever give up. This is our team. We’re not fans of individual players (per se); we pull for the Atlanta Falcons. They’re still your family; you never disown them.”

Gerald: “Another key is to remember where the term ‘fan’ comes from. It’s from the word FANatic. In other words, you have to be somewhat crazy to go against conventional wisdom in pulling for your team. Remember that as long as there is breath in your body, there is hope. Nothing is as sweet as when you’ve endured the hard times and finally get to enjoy the good times (…such as the 1998 Falcons’ trip to the Super Bowl). Those special times make everything else ‘all right.’ Persistence is the key.”

B&G.com: “Gerald & Synetta, on behalf of BlackAndGold.com and Saints fans everywhere, thank you once again for taking the time to give us your INSIDE perspective on being a Falcons fan when others have jumped off the bandwagon. It’s refreshing to see faithful fans, even if you do pull for the ‘Dirty Birds.’ We appreciate your input.”

Gerald & Synetta: “You’re welcome; it was our pleasure.”

B&G.com: “Have a safe trip to the Big Easy, and back home.”

Gerald & Synetta: “Thank you.”