Go Long Podcast

The New York Giants needed to get the quarterback position right this offseason. And yet, this wasn’t exactly the year to be quarterback hunting. Options were limited. Now that the dust has settled, can GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll sell a vision to ownership? I caught up with one of the franchise’s all-timers — running back Tiki Barber — on the Go Long Pod this week to learn more. Aft...

James Cook likes his money. He made that much clear with his actions and words at mandatory minicamp Tuesday. It sounds like he’ll be good to go for training camp, too. And yet, the Buffalo Bills’ starting back would like to get paid. Obviously. Will GM Brandon Beane — who explained his reasoning in our 1 on 1 — be inclined to strike a deal with Cook’s camp? I caught up with Jay Skurski of The Buf...

Through a full decade of pro football — 1990 to 1999 — Leroy Hoard specialized in zapping the will to fight from defenders. His goal? Make you quit by the fourth quarter. The sight of No. 33 in Cleveland and No. 44 in Minnesota barreling through defenses helped define this glory era of the sport itself. Hoard ran with power, speed, attitude. And oh my, he has stories to share. The former NFL runni...

We don’t necessarily need to shape-shift into flies on the wall. Mike Tomlin and Aaron Rodgers surely had an excellent meeting earlier this offseason in Pittsburgh, Pa. There’s a very good chance that both head coach and quarterback view this looming partnership as a chance to stick it to the doubters and reclaim control of their narratives. Tomlin hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season,...

A decade ago, we met in the lobby of a Canton, Ohio hotel ahead of the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions. I’ll never forget Joe DeLamielleure — NFL great — offering this total stranger a seat. Before we knew it, an hour passed by. That’s “Joe D.” He’s 74 years old now, which is easily 90+ in Football Years for a man who absorbed endless head slaps as an NFL lineman in the lawless 1970s. Yet, yo...

You nailed it. You found a star at the most important position in sports: Quarterback. Now, what? That’s the question Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has been wrestling with since correcting choosing Josh Allen over Josh Rosen. This spring, he pumped a slew of defensive resources into the roster. As we write this week, the plan can work . There’s logic to follow. Not only can we look b...

He wasn’t tall. He wasn’t big. There wasn’t anything imposing about this athlete physically. Joe Theismann was doubted through high school, college, right into his CFL and NFL days. But the man never lacked bravado. This quarterback was fueled by true belief. Here on the Go Long Pod, I chatted with the Washington Redskins great at length about his truly unique rise from South River, N.J. to Heisma...

What a bizarre week in Cincinnati. Trey Hendrickson is not happy with his superiors, and he let everyone know. We discuss on this week’s Substack Live. Yes, the Bengals might’ve missed a golden opportunity to trade their star defensive end in March. But at this point? They can prove its a new day by paying the man and gunning for a Super Bowl title. There really isn’t an amicable middle ground. Wa...

Greetings! We’ve got another Substack Live for you here at Go Long. I was joined by Matt Lombardo of “Between the Hashmarks.” Be sure to check out his site. Matt’s always talking to coaches and execs around the NFL. Through this 40-minute chat, we hit on the George Pickens trade (what it means for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys), why Howie Roseman is a step ahead of everyone else...

Good afternoon! As always, thank you to everyone for hanging out on Substack Live. Want to join a future chat? Download the app and flip notifications on. The 2025 NFL Draft is behind us, so let’s discuss. We touch on a handful of topics here, including the New York Giants’ pursuit of ass-kickers, the New Orleans Saints finally wising up, the Arizona Cardinals’ sneaky-good draft and why those New...

Roles have reversed. After a generation of the New England Patriots (and Tom Brady) tormenting the Buffalo Bills, the AFC East has been running through Western New York five straight years. Not even those Jim Kelly-, Thurman Thomas-, Bruce Smith-, Andre Reed-powered Super Bowl teams earned five straight division crowns. Yet, there’s renewed hope in Foxborough. Mike Vrabel knows exactly what he wan...

On one hand, the Buffalo Bills’ defense has been a mess at the worst possible moments. On the other, Super Bowl teams tell us repeatedly that it pays to load up on weaponry. I wrote about the Bills’ defense-heavy draft here , icymi. Now, let’s bring on old friend Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News . Today’s episode of the Go Long Pod is available here — video and audio above — as well as Apple , Spot...

At No. 30 overall, the Buffalo Bills selected Kentucky cornerback Max Hairston. His services are most certainly required. This is a defense in need of a corner capable of sticking with receivers step for step in the playoffs. Nobody ran faster than Hairston at the NFL Combine, and scouts describe him as mentally tough — “a cocky little guy” who’s “electric as far as change of direction, movement,...

Good morn! Happy NFL Draft Eve, everyone. There’s a ton at stake for all teams, but nobody needs to nail the draft quite like the New York Giants. To discuss, I recorded a Substack Live with noted comedian (and long-suffering Giants fan) Joe Praino . He runs his own Substack — “Miscellaneous” — and is the co-host of the “Dirty Sports” podcast. I first got to know Joe when he produced the Adam Caro...

A true 40-yard dash time. (There’s a method to his madness.) Mock drafts. (They are poison.) Anonymous sourcing, and why it matters. (We relive Chris Ballard’s sharp criticism of Bob’s Adonai Mitchell report.) PFF and the cottage industry that is… film review. This 2025 Quarterback Class. And what was the most jarring thing he heard from NFL scouts? Oh, boy. Our Bob McGinn has many, many thoughts....

Way back in our early days of Go Long, we tried to learn everything we could about Jordan Love, the quarterback handpicked to take over for Aaron Rodgers. The plan was always genius , and now the Green Bay Packers are positioned to compete for a long time. Thus, one name you’ve read often — including here , here and here — is David Yost . The longtime college assistant was Love’s offensive coordin...

Mike Tomlin is still waiting on a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers to make up his mind. This isn’t how the Pittsburgh Steelers drew it up, and that’s part of the problem. There hasn’t been much drawing up of plans at the quarterback position. Now, T.J. Watt is unhappy? Oy vey. The Steelers’ best player took to Instagram on Wednesday to post a picture of himself flashing a peaceout sign. Such is protocol...

Here we go again. It’s April and we’re excited about the Atlanta Falcons. This organization has teased us all for years. But Michael Penix Jr. justifies optimism into 2025. Everything that preceded this shocking draft pick hasn’t been ideal, but if Penix hits? Nothing else matters. (Although I suppose $100 mill is $100 mill.) Let’s make sense of it all with our pal Justin Felder of Fox 5 Atlanta o...

The J.J. McCarthy Era is here… it just took a gust of spring drama. The Minnesota Vikings did indeed flirt with the notion of signing Aaron Rodgers. But, it’s McCarthy’s time to lead this team into the future. To make sense of it all, we welcome Matthew Coller of Purple Insider back onto the Go Long Pod. Be sure to follow all of Coller’s work right here on Substack and listen to his wildly popular...

Good afternoon! Back in Western New York after a busy 72 hours in Florida. Shingles ‘n all, we got a lot accomplished down there. I cannot wait to share one feature in-particular. First up, a feature on Zac Taylor and the state of the Cincinnati Bengals live at Go Long. There’s a lot of noise around this organization at the moment, from stadium squabbles to Trey Hendrickson sniping back at Katie B...

If Joey Bosa stays healthy — the greatest if regarding this team — the Buffalo Bills got a steal. Of course, that’s far from a guarantee. The team also signed a pair of player who’ll begin the season on the suspended list. Here’s the replay of my Substack Live chat with Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News . As a reminder, be sure to download the Substack app and turn notifications on to join future Li...

The best division in football — through the regular season, anyways — was the NFC North. Despite an avalanche of injuries, Dan Campbell’s crew hung on for the crown. We tracked all four teams all season long on the “Ty & Bob Pod.” But into the playoffs… yikes. It was ugly for all parties. Now, those Lions face a brutal schedule in 2025. There’s also brain drain on the coaching staff. Green Bay did...

There aren’t many human beings in Canton quite like LeRoy Butler, one of the best safeties to ever play the game. Any day, any time, he’ll drop what he’s doing to answer the phone and immediately ask about your kids. It’s genuine, too. From the moment the Green Bay Packers selected this DB out of Florida State in 1990, he’s become the organization’s greatest ambassador . And here at Go Long, we’ve...

Beware of the mainstream quarterback narrative. This is right when the discourse gets funky. Free agency is behind us. The NFL Draft is one month away. Now, everyone tries to make sense of the incoming class of quarterbacks. Somehow, quarterbacks still slip through the cracks. Back in 2017, in retrospect, there wasn’t nearly enough buzz around a swashbuckling quarterback out of Texas Tech named Pa...

We took a close look at Anthony Richardson in Tuesday’s column at Go Long . The 2023 fourth overall pick is the ultimate quarterback case study… and time’s running out. All 32 teams should be panning a magnifying glass over the Indianapolis Colts and their mercurial QB. Now, his career’s on the line. The leader on defense, linebacker Zaire Franklin, also offered a sharp perspective in the piece. A...