Editor,
After 11 years of mixed success, Rocky Long has stepped down. Yes, he had some success. Yes, the team has improved since he became coach. But I am glad to see him go.
Rocky got a raise, but instead of improving team performance, the team got worse. We won our last bowl game, but it was against a mediocre team from a mediocre conference. Long's whining about fans was a constant theme. So was his complaining about recruiting problems. The team whined about injuries, too. Injuries are a fact of life at any level. The reason why team performance got worse with injuries was because of lack of depth. That goes back to recruiting, and Long.
He blames the fans for his woes. But weren't student fees and taxes responsible for his salary? He says fans want a big-time program. Well, we do, but as TCU, BYU and Utah got better, the Lobos got worse.
I have an idea for Long: How about giving us some bang for our buck by giving us a conference championship? How about a BCS bid? How about better ticket prices? How about getting Lobo games off the lame Mountain channel? How about quit your whining and produce some big-time results with your big-time contract?
The problem with this town and school is that everybody kisses up to him. Everybody had an excuse. Well, I've got news, Long: If you can't take the heat, then get out of the kitchen. Oh, I'm sorry, you already did. Suck it up, buttercup. Thanks for the good memories, Long, but I am sick about your whining. Football is a game of constant pressure and not a game for whiners.
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Mark Ortega
Daily Lobo reader
