Its been said before many times by very accomplished engine builders. The rod connects the piston to the crank, period. My thoughts, the only real benefit from a longer rod, is the potential for a lighter piston. Certian situations may favor a shorter rod, and certain situations favor a longer rod. For example, a big unrestricted slower port, tends to like the shorter rod, as is accelerates the piston away from tdc harder, yanking on the intake charge, speeding it up. Limited stuff, or smaller higher velocity ports, respond a bit better to longer rods, as the piston dwells a bit, and doesn't accelerate as fast away from tdc, balancing everything
Frank