Tired of going through one quarterback after another, head coach Rocky Long handed the starting position to the only man he trusts - quarterback Rocky Long.
After winning his appeal to the NCAA for one more season of eligibility, the 52-year old coach named himself the starter for the 2002 season, citing a lack of talent at the position and his own performance as quarterback during the 1969-1971 season.
"Players make plays," Long said. "After watching tapes of my games from my senior year and my play during my family's annual flag-football game, I felt that I was the still the best man for the job. I made the most plays."
Long showed tape of the two-on-two family competition, held March 9, during his announcement, which pitted Rocky and daughter Roxanne against his wife, Debby, and other daughter Hannah. Rocky consistently slashed through Debby's and Hannah's porous defense to score four touchdowns and threw five more scoring passes to Roxanne for a 63-2 win.
"I was disappointed with Debby's tackling; I thought I taught her better than that in college," Long said. "I guess she didn't want it bad enough."
Bouyed by his showing, Long appealed to the NCAA for one more year of eligibility citing that he never played his freshman year.
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"Kids today get to play for four years," Long wrote in his appeal. "I feel I was deprived an opportunity to fully utilize my eligibility. Getting a chance to play more year would fulfill my dream and give me a chance to build a better bond with my players.
"Besides, I want one more chance to beat the shit out of BYU."
Long told reporters during the press conference that his skills as a quarterback suit the offense, which is a multiple-set offense that utilizes the option as well several passing packages, perfectly. His numbers back that up.
Long is the eighth leading rusher in UNM history and is No. 6 in total offense. While he did that in the ground-oriented wishbone offense, Long said his passing ability is vastly underrated.
"I can outthrow (last year's starter Casey ) Kelly, I can outthrow (freshman Kyle) Kristick," Long said. "We have to take advantage of my skills in the pocket. I'm also more mature. I don't lose my nerve in the pocket. These kids could learn from my leadership. I'm thinking of next year, when I'll have to go back to the sidelines."
Already NFL scouts have taken notice. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. said he would put Long in the top five prospects in the 2003 NFL draft. He said many teams are desperate for good quarterbacks like Long, even if he's 52.
"He may be a coach, but he has the body of a 30 year old," Kiper said. "With his football experience, he would dominate for the next two or three years."
But Long said he isn't considering a career in the NFL - he's a proud supporter of the Canadian Football League. He played with the British Columbia Lions in 1972 and 1973 and from 1975-1977. Long said the CFL is a much more wide-open league that puts a premium on creativity.
"Nah, I wouldn't care for the NFL," Long said. "I love CFL football. It's so much fun. I think I'm going to recommend to the NCAA that they play by CFL rules. Think about it. One hundred ten yard fields, three downs, 12 players. What could be better than that?"
While he missed an opportunity to work out with the team during spring drills, Long has gotten some time in with wide receivers and defensive backs in practice drills. He clearly demonstrated his ability to separate Long the Coach and Long the Quarterback. In one drill, he and Rashaun Sanders discussed a route Sanders cut short that Long expected to go deep. In a later series, he made Sanders run when Sanders dropped three straight passes that Long said were "catchable."
"He needs to focus better; those drops indicated that he's not concentrating long enough," Long said. "He needs to start making plays"
Wide receiver Dwight Counter said the first pass Long threw to him went through his hands and gave him a welt on his chest. It was the last pass he failed he has failed to catch.
"I heard it coming, but I didn't think he threw it that hard," Counter said. "I really didn't try to catch the ball, I was trying to protect myself. I figured the next time, I would protect myself if I just caught it. But, damn, (my hands) hurt."
