By Mick McGrane, GoAztecs.com Senior Writer
(@MickOnTheMesa)
The timeline reveals that his last tweet came virtually four years ago today, a message acknowledging the offense, defense and special teams for their contributions in a 38-3 drubbing of Wyoming.
And there it ended. Without explanation, Rocky Long's dive into social media as head coach of San Diego State's football team was over.
Much has transpired since then, of course, division titles and championships that prompted well-wishers to unleash an avalanche of smiley-faced tweets.
But Twitter, with its trolls and poison-tipped arrows, can be a treacherous two-way street. And never was that more evident than in the wake of last week's loss to Nevada.
Stripped of its national ranking in a game in which SDSU again struggled mightily to produce points, the Aztecs' offense became social media's Public Enemy No. 1. Predictably, the critiques ran the gamut, from coaches to play-calling to demanding personnel changes, not merely on the field, but in the football offices.
But if many comments were delivered out of frustration, others came dripping with venom, personal attacks safely launched behind the security of a screen name.
Don't get me wrong. People are entitled to their opinion. They have every right to rant, rave and otherwise rip their hair out. Freedom of speech doesn't exclude criticism of sports figures.
Yet, passing judgment on coaches, who view social media flak as part of the profession, has little in common with the lambaste leveled at 18- to 22-year olds.
"We have great young people in our program," Long said. "And you know what? They've had great success over the last 10 years on the football field. And, right now, they don't feel like they're appreciated because of social media and all those other things. They think that they are being downgraded for their efforts. Guess what? They go out there and play as hard as they can every weekend. Sometimes they play good and sometimes they don't play as well.
"I feel for them. We're 7-2. We're one of two teams of the non-Power 5 guys that have qualified for 10 straight bowl games, and everybody is treating them like their losers. The social media stuff they show me is unbelievable. What they're getting on their phones and stuff, it's unbelievable."
It's particularly unbelievable given they represent the same student population from which some of the tweets originate. They are "student" athletes, with a mere 1.6 percent of college players ever realizing an NFL dream.
It's particularly unbelievable given the hostility they draw from some fans who have long since donned a cap and gown at SDSU, but no less find time to dabble in social media incivility.
And it's particularly unbelievable when, with three regular-season games remaining, they could use every ounce of support available. Though still in first place in the West Division of the Mountain West, the Aztecs are clinging to a one-game lead over Fresno State and Hawaii, with Fresno State coming to town on Friday.
A well-worn sports euphemism suggests that while being bad is one thing, being bad and boring is quite another. No one would dare defend the recent performance of SDSU's offense. But just so you're aware, Long isn't defending it, either. Nor is quarterback Ryan Agnew, who squarely placed the blame on himself in the aftermath of last week's loss.
Nonetheless, the resultant responses on social media, for a team that remains positioned to secure its third league title in five years, didn't fail to hit the mark.
"It's hard sometimes, because with some of the comments you're like, 'Wow!' " said senior linebacker Kyahva Tezino. "But it's just somebody else's opinion. It's the way sports go. Everyone is going to have their opinion. Not everyone is going to be with you during the ups and downs, and that shows (the) true colors of your fans. Fans have their opinion and it is what it is. We'll just continue to do what we do and, hopefully, make it to the championship."
Said junior center Keith Ismael: "We have some of the most passionate fans, I feel like, in the country. They want to win just as much as we do. So, when we don't win, you get criticized. It's coming from everywhere.
"But for us, that's outside noise. The only thing that matters is us, the team, the people next to us and the ones that play on Saturday. We see it. We take it with a grain of salt and move on. Everyone has their opinions, their input, but they're not the ones strapping up like we are."
Strapping up for a team that is 7-2 after nine games for the third straight season. Strapping up for a program whose head coach is one of just six active coaches in the country to lead his team to a bowl game in each of his first eight seasons.
A head coach who, you should know, shares your dissatisfaction.
"We're not scoring any points," Long said. "We're not scoring enough points to win, anyway. But out of 65 non-Power 5 schools, there are only two that have qualified for 10 straight bowl games. Guess what? We are one of the two. So, I get caught up in it, too. Around here, we act like something's terrible when we lose a game, and we're 7-2. There's about 80 percent of the schools in the country that would be happy to be 7-2 right now. They'd be beating their chest and telling you how good they are."
On Twitter.
"I'd like to take their phones away from them, but I'd have a mutiny on my hands if I took their phones away from them," Long said. "That's their life, that's their culture. I don't understand it. I can turn my phone off. I can lose a phone and it doesn't matter a bit. They lose their phones and they're upset. They spend the whole day looking for them, or they quickly buy another one.
"But that's their life, that's their culture. They have to learn how to live with (criticism on social media) and how to handle it. Maybe it's good that they learn how to handle it. It doesn't get any easier as they get older."
For now, however, they're college kids, 18- to 22-year-olds who put on a brave face, telling you the criticism is meaningless, while trying to rationalize comments that can cut to the quick.
"I believe in my brothers, I believe in our coaches and we go out every week to try and do the best we can," Ismael said. "We're trying to regain that full confidence. We've talked about teams that have won championships here in the past, about going out there fully confident in everything we do and dominating the opponent. It's tough coming off a loss, and it's a quick turnaround this week, but we've got a chance to put that loss behind us. It definitely hit us hard."
As if they needed reminding.
McGrane: On Twitter, the Buzz Comes With a Sting
