My personal attitude to the approaching football season with regard to the Hawks has changed over the years. Back in the 80's, I was a huge optimist, convinced that we had one of the best teams in the league and that we were Super Bowl bound. It never happened as after that exciting year in the '83 season, we never even got to the conference championship, each season leaving me extremely disappointed.
Now, I'm more practical about my assessments, and take a more of a 'prove it' attitude, not getting too excited about the upcoming season until I've had a chance to see the current edition. I've also intentionally lowered my expectations, which creates a sort of win-win situation. If we lose, then I'm not as disappointed as I would have been otherwise because I've anticipated it and if we win, I'm more jacked because it was such a pleasant surprise.
This year, I'm expecting a sub .500 season. I really like our two new OT's, but they're going to have a learning curve, and given some of the edge rushers they'll be facing (the Bosa brothers, Kahlil Mack, etc), we're going to experience some growing pains. I also have zero confidence that Rashaad Penny can put in an injury free season, and that he'll miss multiple games. And of course, we do not have a reliable QB, although I do think that Geno will have a few golden moments. I'm predicting a 6-11 season.