Where is the love for Jeff Long?...Or give it one more year?

[OldCoot]

Don't feed the trolls.

[Shoat]

Jeff Long's love is in his salary and the raises & bonuses he's already gotten. In this State, he's gotten more "love" than most so let's just hold up a minute.

[Pickwick Hog]

Arkansas athletic programs are getting a lot of ink these days. Anyone thinking Long doesn't deserve some credit for that still has their chin rubbing Petrino's upper thighs.

[Pigdiana Jones]

I will never give Long "love" like some of you proclaim.

[tusksincolorado]

Of course, Long's name became nationally recognized not as a result of anything he'd done but as a result of something someone else did.

Totally disagree....it was not what was handed to him, it was how he handled the issue with all the hate and angry that ensued.

[MTBrookHog]

How dare you come on this board and give praise to the man that fired the God that many on this board worship! All hail God Bobby!

[trippigs]

Everyone has a bias. Mine is that Jeff Long is at the top of his profession.

[reddogjcss]

Long and the coaching staffs have all Razorback sports looking better and seems like the future is MUCH brighter.
Jeff doing a good job and doing it the right way, so are the coaching staffs!

[GuvHog]

How dare you come on this board and give praise to the man that fired the God that many on this board worship! All hail God Bobby!

Petrino is far from being a God but Jeff Long could've handled that situation better than he did.

That being said, I'm sure glad he hired Bret Bielema, that was a Whale of a hire! (no pun intended, the guy can coach)

[HogMantheIntruder]

Give him many more years!  JL has done a fantastic job filling some very large shoes.  He has been an excellent ambassador for the university/state, and he is the kind of boss that coaches like to work for (until they... well, you know).  Much love from over here!

[DeltaBoy]

I have been hard on Jeff since he came to the Hill, my views have soften on him since.  I hope he stays for at least 15 years.

[bigbadhog]

Jeff Long the model of honor and integrity? Hardly, where was this model of intestinal fortitude during the Courtney Fortson tweet affair? Remember this.

"Im gettin it at workouts like a dude who doesnt understand the word no from a drunk girl lol."

All that happened in that  SHAMEFULL situation was that three scholarship players got suspended for a few games. I've heard people say well there were no charges filed and fraterny witnesses stated that the young lady was completely agreeable to being with the three players. How did no charges being filed excuse that type of behavior? Those three players should have been kicked off the team, Jeff Long being the AD should have insisted those players be kicked off the team, but it didn't happen. Where was this man of such honor and integrity then? Nowhere.

Jeff Long has selective integrity and used the BP situation to propel his name to the most recognized AD nationwide.  It then further propelled him to Chairing the CFP Committee.  It is selective integrity but he really knows when to turn it on...

[hamARchy in the USA]

Long does appear to be a capable administrator.  A very highly paid one.  However, we know from his track record that he's no visionary.  It's only due to some fortuitous events at Arkansas that his personal profile was raised from a nobody to a nationally recognized name.

Long's hire of Dave Wannstedt at Pitt and his pursuit of Tommy Bowden and Mike Anderson at Arkansas illustrates that he either does not have an eye for coaching talent or else he's more concerned about himself rather than the programs he is over.  Perhaps he considered them safe non-controversial hires because of their name recognition and experience.  Track coach Chris Bucknam is an exception; his history suggested he'd win championships at Arkansas.  Ironically, Long has gotten the most criticism (on here) for the track hire.   

If Long had been allowed to hire Tommy Bowden then there is a good possibility that both he and Bowden would have been run off by now.  Long would still be a nobody, one with a distinction of having been fired from Arkansas. 

Fortuitously for Long, Petrino pursued Arkansas and was able to snag the job.  Petrino said he kept a list of criteria for jobs he'd be interested in.  If he shared all of his list I don't remember it but one of the items on it was that the school must have shown it was possible to win a national championship there.  And he wanted an SEC job.  Thanks go to JF Broyles for having established a program that a top coach such as Petrino would pursue.  In only his third season Petrino did what fans knew could be done:  he raised the ceiling on the program with a BCS bowl bid.

Meanwhile, by being the one who publicly announced the firing of a coach that so many around the country hated, Long found himself in the role of instant celebrity. Fortuitous indeed.  Just like that Long went from a nobody to a celebrity.

Bielema too pursued Arkansas.  We know from the letter he sent to Long after the firing of Petrino that Bielema made first contact.  Similarly to Petrino, Bielema hinted that he had criteria for programs he'd pursue.  He wanted to move to the SEC.  He wanted to work for an AD whose name was not Barry Alvarez.  His comments saying he was surprised at the talent deficiency at Arkansas indicated that he thought the program was in better shape than it was coming off a recent BCS bowl. Petrino had raised the profile of the program. So as in Petrino's case, Long wasn't depended on to have to sell the program to a top coach.  It sold itself thanks to the accomplishments of Broyles and Petrino.

Long is an administrator.  He appears to have done a good job allocating monies to Bielema to keep preferred assistants.  The flip side is the pursuit of lackluster coaches, and in the extreme, John L Smith. 

Perhaps off in the future Long will have blazed some trails of his own and established himself as one deserving of accolades.  At this point in his career, he's done nothing that other administrators couldn't have done, but at a higher price than most.  And when it comes down to him having to sell an athletic program to a top coach, arguably the most important role he has, he's shown he can't be counted on.

[ricepig]

So, he gets blamed for hiring JLS in April, when there aren't any other options, yet gets no credit for Petrino or Bielema, gotcha......

[hamARchy in the USA]

So, he gets blamed for hiring JLS in April, when there aren't any other options, yet gets no credit for Petrino or Bielema, gotcha......

Of course there were other options.  What we know is that Long had to make a decision and he couldn't have made a worse one.  How is that even possible for someone at this level and who is being paid a sum almost without peer ...

As for Petrino and Bielema, Long did a good job driving the taxi.

[ricepig]

Of course there were other options.  What we know is that Long had to make a decision and he couldn't have made a worse one.  How is that even possible for someone at this level and who is being paid a sum almost without peer ...

As for Petrino and Bielema, Long did a good job driving the taxi.

Lol, driving the taxi on two, yet the mastermind behind the other, nah, no agenda. I don't think he's perfect, because there isn't a perfect AD, coach, or for that matter, person, but he's done a good job.

[Atlhogfan1]

There weren't good options for interim football coach.

He made the hire he had to make with Anderson and got it done. 

[hamARchy in the USA]

There weren't good options for interim football coach.

He made the hire he had to make with Anderson and got it done. 

Saying there weren't good options, which may or may not be true, doesn't excuse choosing the absolute worst one.  That's straight out of John White's handbook.

And if he had to hire Anderson, why pay him seven figures ?  If he isn't responsible for his decisions then install a much lower paid puppet and use the balance elsewhere.

[Atlhogfan1]

Saying there weren't good options, which may or may not be true, doesn't excuse choosing the absolute worst one.  That's straight out of John White's handbook.

And if he had to hire Anderson, why pay him seven figures ?  If he isn't responsible for his decisions then install a much lower paid puppet and use the balance elsewhere.

To get him to take the job perhaps.  You know the Anderson situation is unique and one that only our athletic department would get themselves in again.  I don't believe any AD would have looked elsewhere for a basketball coach for a number of reasons.  The test may come if the program becomes stagnant at making the NCAAT most seasons and even fewer fans care. 

[hamARchy in the USA]

To get him to take the job perhaps.  You know the Anderson situation is unique and one that only our athletic department would get themselves in again.  I don't believe any AD would have looked elsewhere for a basketball coach for a number of reasons.  The test may come if the program becomes stagnant at making the NCAAT most seasons and even fewer fans care. 

Sorry, I meant why pay Long seven figures if he's a mere puppet.  Anyone could fill that role and at much less cost to the program.

[ricepig]

Sorry, I meant why pay Long seven figures if he's a mere puppet.  Anyone could fill that role and at much less cost to the program.

You appear to be the only one calling him a puppet, did you apply?

[Atlhogfan1]

Sorry, I meant why pay Long seven figures if he's a mere puppet.  Anyone could fill that role and at much less cost to the program.

Not just anyone could have hired Anderson.  But it would have taken someone brave and stupid to have resisted and even tried to make another hire.

[hamARchy in the USA]

You appear to be the only one calling him a puppet, did you apply?

The previous poster said Long had to make the hire, implying he had no choice or that he's nothing more than a puppet.

If that's the case then why is so much money being paid out to an interchangeable part ?

[HogMantheIntruder]

Saying there weren't good options, which may or may not be true, doesn't excuse choosing the absolute worst one.  That's straight out of John White's handbook.

And if he had to hire Anderson, why pay him seven figures ?  If he isn't responsible for his decisions then install a much lower paid puppet and use the balance elsewhere.

As I recall, about 85% of Razorback fans wanted MA back.  About the same number (along with the ENTIRE football team) thought that JLS was a great idea.  No one could have predicted the train wreck that ensued, regardless of how much he makes.  That debacle lies squarely on one man's shoulders, and his name isn't Jeff Long.  I can't believe there are still people out there who think BP left him any choice.  And the funny part is that JL gets all the blame for the firing, and none of the credit for the hiring.  Explain that one to me.

Arkansas is relevant in the big three sports, on the rise in at least two of them,  and we are still a national power in track, even after having to replace one of, if not the best track coaches of all time.  He is a fantastic AD.  Anyone outside of the state of Arkansas who knows anything about him would say the same.  The only people who don't are here, and they're still crying about losing our Son of Anarchy. 

[hamARchy in the USA]

Not just anyone could have hired Anderson.  But it would have taken someone brave and stupid to have resisted and even tried to make another hire.

Hiring a proven winner would have cured a lot of ills, had there been any ills.

[Atlhogfan1]

Hiring a proven winner would have cured a lot of ills, had there been any ills.

We had a lot of ills.  He had won enough especially in one season where we, including Long, had no choice. 

[hamARchy in the USA]

As I recall, about 85% of Razorback fans wanted MA back.  About the same number (along with the ENTIRE football team) thought that JLS was a great idea.  No one could have predicted the train wreck that ensued, regardless of how much he makes.  That debacle lies squarely on one man's shoulders, and his name isn't Jeff Long.  I can't believe there are still people out there who think BP left him any choice.  And the funny part is that JL gets all the blame for the firing, and none of the credit for the hiring.  Explain that one to me.

Arkansas is relevant in the big three sports, on the rise in at least two of them,  and we are still a national power in track, even after having to replace one of, if not the best track coaches of all time.  He is a fantastic AD.  Anyone outside of the state of Arkansas who knows anything about him would say the same.  The only people who don't are here, and they're still crying about losing our Son of Anarchy. 

There was no groundswell of enthusiasm for hiring MA.  The empty seats proved that point really quick.

The football team doesn't get paid big bucks to make hiring decisions.  The JLS fiasco is 100% on Long.

And by the way, I was among those who fully supported the firing of Petrino.

[HogMantheIntruder]

And by the way, I was among those who fully supported the firing of Petrino.

Then I can respect your opinion on that. You are in the minority, though.

[ricepig]

Then I can respect your opinion on that. You are in the minority, though.

Link?

[ricepig]

There was no groundswell of enthusiasm for hiring MA.  The empty seats proved that point really quick.

The football team doesn't get paid big bucks to make hiring decisions.  The JLS fiasco is 100% on Long.

And by the way, I was among those who fully supported the firing of Petrino.

Season ticket sales are up for basketball, and have been for the past few years. As far as JLS, he's said it wasn't a good hire in the end, he and many thought he would be a good 8 month caretaker.

[Svrdhd]

  I'm completely bumfuzzled by some saying they supported the Petrino firing or think Long could have handled it better.
  Petrino flagrantly violated state labor laws, opening the University up to potential class action litigation from a large pool of employment candidates. Petrino could also have been prosecuted by the state attorney general's office if they so desired.
  Long had no choice but to terminate, and the whole saga played out on the national news. He did the right thing and did it fairly quickly. The national perception of the athletic department could have been irreparably damaged if it even remotely looked like we were trying to find a compromise over the next couple of weeks.
  Petrino committed a very real crime. Long preserved the integrity of our university by firing Petrino quickly.