Was Long terrible?
| Year | FEI Offense | FEI Offense Rank |
| 2022 | -0.70 | 108 |
| 2021 | -0.17 | 78 |
| 2020 | -0.29 | 98 |
| 2019 | -0.35 | 94 |
| 2018 | 0.78 | 19 |
I pulled a few numbers because I thought Long would be below average, and “terrible” would be hyperbole. I was wrong.
There is play calling, and there are a lot of other facets of being an OC. Patenaude’s time here was terrible. Long’s was actually worse. The last two games looked better, but it’s rumored that Weinke called those games.
There’s the temptation to say “yeah, but Collins made him worse and messed up practice”. Collins did that with Patenaude too, and Long’s numbers are worse. There are lots of things that were weaker this year than last. Maybe Patenaude was above average and Collins dragged him down; but that would still leave Long below average on a team that needs coaching up.
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As for keeping Long and the offensive staff for a year, it costs us money when we’re really low on money. That hurts. I completely understand a strategy of “stabilize the team, get people back in the stands, let the players actually learn Long’s scheme better, and standardize the terminology so that you can plug and play OCs later”.
It’s guesswork, but I don’t think Long would get much better next season if he thought it was his last. On the plus side, it’s a “contract year” and you want to look good in a contract year. On the negative side, you’re not your best self when your foot is out the door and you’re spending time networking for other jobs. Your recruiting probably takes a massive hit, unless you can convincingly say “come play for me” when you know you’re gone in six months.
I’ve also said that it really hurts a coach to have two transition seasons. If you can afford to improve you coaching staff today, do it as soon as you can afford to.
This leaves us paying coaches not to coach—at least one. I hope Key knows some good coaches and we can find the funding.
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