Go Long Podcast

This is the year Joe Burrow stays healthy and his defense isn’t steaming-hot junk.

It’s got to be.

Finally.

Right?

Right!?!

Hotdiggity did Burrow’s somber press conference on his 29th birthday harken back to Andrew Luck’s abrupt retirement. He looked and sounded defeated. Now, Joe Cool is completely rejuvenated — and for good reason. Cincinnati busted out the checkbook and got itself a defense this offseason. Boye Mafe. Bryan Cook. Dexter Lawrence. Unlike summers past, the vibes are damn good.

So, let’s get our pal Paul...

As camps grind into the heat of training camp, let’s hit record.

* There’s a new QB1 in Minnesota. We examined this union in full at Go Long with The Kyler Murray Project — here’s Part I and Part II for subscribers. A ton to unpack. We study what led to this all and where it’s going.

* Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams enter Year 2 together, and the Bears coach is talking a big game. Can this offense light it up? They may need to with a big injury hitting the defense.

* The heat s...

Good morn!

Hey, it’s Kyler Time. The Minnesota Vikings announced this week that Kyler Murray is their starting quarterback.

At Go Long, I’ve spent much of this summer reporting on the new union, speaking to sources in Minnesota, Arizona and ‘round the NFL. The Kyler Project, a two-part series, is live for paid subscribers. Part I takes a close look at Michael Bidwill, Marvin Harrison Jr. and all grime in Arizona, as well as J.J. McCarthy. Where did things go wrong for the QB selected to be the franchise guy in ‘24? Teammates had much...

Greetings, all. We’ve got substantive football to gnaw our teeth into on the pod. What a beautiful thing.

A perfect time to welcome in co-host Jim Monos for another episode of Real Football.

We hit on several training camps.

A few topics discussed…

* DJ Moore has been dynamite at St. John Fisher for the Buffalo Bills. What does it mean? Will it last? Go Long chatted 1 on 1 with Moore at camp.

* New Orleans Saints. Our pal Monos won a Super Bowl ring with this team in 2009 as the sout...

We’re campin.’

First up: St. John Fisher University.

Joe Brady is the new head coach of the Buffalo Bills. We’ve learned all about his rise and his vision. Now, it’s time to see how he’ll lead a team diehards expect to make the Super Bowl. Hard to imagine a coach in recent NFL history who has faced pressure to this extreme. And to his credit, Brady has not shied from the heat one bit.

After practice on Monday, I caught up with our friend Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News. Vide...

Football’s back, y’all.

A beautiful thing.

On the podcast, I catch up with the Green Bay Packers’ all-time leading rusher: Ahman Green. The episode’s off ‘n running with Green detailing life post-NFL. He’s doing everything in his power to maintain a healthy lifestyle — and for good reason. Green opens up on a new opponent that could prove more daunting than anything he experienced on the field: Parkinson’s. But he’s not scared.

Of course, we also look back to his fondest Packers memories. Green had six 1,000-yard rushing seasons in Green B...

A few days ago, I received a text from Chad Brown. He read our column on the wide receiver matrix and had thoughts on the topic from his playing days. After going back ‘n forth for a while, we decided to hit record on a podcast.

Love welcoming back one of the most underrated players of the late 1990s/early 2000s.

Brown is always insightful and introspective.

On this episode, we get into plenty:

* Tom Brady’s mid-life crisis. This is getting weird and sad.

* Wide Receiver drama. There were...

Hey, I see it’s quarterback ranking season.

They’re populating the interwebs everywhere.

A perfect time to reprise the Quarterback Draft on Real Football. Subscribers may recall co-host Jim Monos and myself bringing in our pal Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic to draft QBs a few years back.

Let’s get the band back together.

Full video and audio is available above for paid subscribers.

There’s no perfect way to grade quarterback success, but we’ll use the QBR stat that takes multiple factors into account. Each of us sele...

His NFL life can now be told in two acts.

Eric Wood was the starting center the Buffalo Bills’ starting center for nine years. He helped end the 17-year playoff drought his final season.

Eric Wood has also now covered the team as a radio color commentator/podcaster/analyst the same amount of time. He’s the host of Centered On Buffalo and calls games on the radio broadcast.

This week’s Happy Hour podcast consists of a little bit of everything. Wood looks back to Drought memories and looks ahead to how these...

History repeats itself. Issues between a quarterback and a wide receiver in Philadelphia are nothing new. Once upon a time, Terrell Owens was protesting in the form of driveway pushups.

And the stuff Brian Westbrook was doing at running back? At his peak? Now, all teams seek this breed of playmaker.

This hour and a half was a fun ride.

On “Real Football” this week, we’re joined by an Eagles great.

He wasn’t big. He wasn’t 40-yard-dash fast. None it mattered, as Westbrook served as the engine and spirit of...

Happy July Fourth to all! Hope everyone enjoys a day full of country music, fireworks and a Busch Light or two.

Hey, is there a former player you’ve always wanted to meet? A question you’re dying to ask yourself?

Let me know and we’ll do everything we can to get that player on a virtual Happy Hour this 2026 season.

The mission here — always — is to bring you as close to the sport as we possibly can. So, paid subscribers can fully expect a steady stream of Zoom hangouts this season. Thrilled t...

On Nov. 24, 2015, Stedman Bailey’s life changed forever.

He was shot in the head twice. His skull shattered. Blood gushed. The grisly play by play remains forever fresh in his mind.

“Like a war zone,” Bailey told me once. “Call of Duty, but you’re really there.”

Miraculously, the NFL wide receiver survived. In 2018, I spent a few days with Bailey out in California for a story and he opened up on everything. At the time, he was hoping to make an NFL comeback. “I have a divine purpose to be here,” Bailey said back then...

Heartbreaking news stopped all of us in our tracks this week. Chris Johnson — the breathtaking Tennessee Titans running back — revealed on “Good Morning America” that he has ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He was diagnosed in 2025 at the age of 39.

The disease is progressing rapidly. Johnson communicated during the ABC interview via an eye-tracking, speech-generating device. The entire interview is worth your time.

It’s devastating. It’s courageous. Johnson vows to fight the disease and raise as much awareness as he possibly can.

At one point during the conversation, Johnson notes...

Football is funny. If Jayden Reed catches that deep crosser on the Green Bay Packers’ final drive vs. Chicago or if Christian Watson goes up with two hands at the goal line to catch a magnificent throw from his quarterback, the conversation around Jordan Love, Matt LaFleur and the 2026 Packers is much different.

This wild-card drive had a chance to go down in Packers/NFL lore.

It did not. Chicago hung on. Pressure on all parties involved ratchets up this fall.

It’s looking like Micah Parsons will miss a hearty chunk of this...

This fan base, like many, was dying for a Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles slayed Tom Brady and the Patriots in 2017, then Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in 2024.

Yet, grace periods last about as long as the taste from a stick of Juicy Fruit gum ‘round here.

You didn’t need to turn the volume up on your television to hear boo birds last season. Lest we forget, these Eagles did win the NFC East, too.

Here at Go Long, we continue to explore this fascinating team with an old friend from my Syra...

Forget playing in a game. Chris Manhertz defied the odds by stepping into an NFL building to compete for a spot on a 90-man roster. He was a collegiate basketball at Canisius who didn’t know anything about football.

Now, he enters Year 12. The tight end is still a wanted man.

He’s got high hopes for these 2026 New York Giants, too.

Loved welcoming Manhertz back on the Go Long Pod for this conversation. He first shared his origin story with us in March 2021 and, well, the Bronx native is still going strong.

The quarterback position is not always royalty. For every Josh Allen talking Super Bowl, there are so many others lost in the wilderness. OTAs and minicamp expose those broken compasses, too.

We’ve got a fresh new episode of “Real Football” live for subscribers. I ding record from the excellent Union 32 Craft House in Eagan, Minn.

For those new to Go Long, my co-host — Jim Monos — scouted for the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills. These days, he heads up personnel for the UFL. Hell no, he’s not backing off his scalding “Dime a Dozen J...

Hello from blistering Eagan, Minnesota. You know the drill. Every time we visit these Minnesota Vikings, I’ve got to sit down with fellow Substacker Matthew Coller of Purple Insider.

Coller takes the lead on our latest pod conversation above.

Kevin O’Connell may be conducting a “quarterback competition” between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy but it doesn’t take too much detective skill to see that starting the vet Murray is optimal. This team spent more cash than anyone in 2025. They’ve got arguably the best non-QB in the sport (Justin Jefferson), the best defensi...

There’s no high-drama quite like pro football and every high drama needs a villain.

That’s why Game of Thrones devolved into steaming garbage the final season. It was not ruthless enough.

After a sloppy, injury-plagued 2025, the Kansas City Chiefs aren’t quite as loathed at the moment. Could the Los Angeles Rams fill that void? On this week’s episode of Real Football, we discuss the blockbuster trade heard ‘round the league: Myles Garrett to the Rams.

This roster is loaded. Good luck finding a weakness. But let’s not forget about those...

Josh Allen’s arm remains Henry Rowengartner strong.

DJ Moore’s route running has been silky smooth in this setting.

All of those new defensive pieces are starting to piece together in Jim Leonhard’s defense.

OTAs have commenced across the country with minicamps ‘round the bend and training camps closer than you think. I spent some time this week at One Bills Drive for big stuff you’ll see roll out in the future. Until then, here’s a pod. I joined Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News at the Big Tree Inn, a Hail...

Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy are together again. What a difference seven years make, eh? The Pittsburgh Steelers refuse to rebuild, so they’ll roll with a fading great who turns 43 years old this season. McCarthy evolved in Dallas, escaped the Jerry World rot and will try to squeeze a little more magic out of his old QB.

He doesn’t need to do this. What an opportunity the coach had to develop someone else.

But while one ex-Packer sees squabbling between the two as inevitable, another offers a different prediction.

And my co-h...

New GM. New head coach. New quarterback.

Oh, the Miami Dolphins are also eating nearly $200 million in dead money.

This is an organization long overdue for such a complete reset. Jon-Eric Sullivan, Jeff Hafley and Malik Willis all travel from frigid Wisconsin to South Florida in an attempt to build something special from scratch.

I spent time in Florida on our most recent reporting trip for features you’ll see as training camps close in. Enjoyed two very compelling conversations.

In the meantime, I thought it’d be a good time to c...

Offseason hope tends to get choked out by regular-season realities for the New York Giants.

Yet with John Harbaugh, there are tangible reasons for optimism. I chatted with some people inside the building for this recent piece. It sure sounds like Harbaugh and GM Joe Schoen are in lockstep — don’t be surprised if contracts get aligned. The two have worked well together.

To take a closer look at the roster itself, let’s welcome Ed Valentine onto the Go Long Pod. Valentine is the man behind Big Blue View at SB Nation and Valentine’s Views...

We are both wearing gray Under Armour shirts. This was not planned. Apologies for the uniformed visual.

As it pertains to the prospects of these 2026 Green Bay Packers… our views differ.

Always enjoy welcoming on Mike Tanier of Too Deep Zone. This week, Tanier authored a critical look at the Packers — he sees a sharp decline coming. Here at Go Long, we’ve examined the psychology of the the team through Javon Bullard’s eyes and Brian Gutekunst’s construction.

So, it felt like a perfect time for a hearty discussion/debate on the state...

Sean McVay is happy. Just ask him. Don’t worry about it. See his smile?

See?

See?!

Ah, I always love when a bit of raw honesty makes its way to the podium after a draft pick. Everyone who saw the Los Angeles Rams head coach after the team selected Ty Simpson 13th overall pick could tell he was not well.

For Simpson, it’s a best-case scenario.

What does this mean for the Rams? And Quarterback Hunting in general? The No. 1 storyline from the 2026 draft is the first topi...

A huge thank you to everyone who headed out to Wayland Brewing Company in Orchard Park, NY for this spring’s pre-draft bash. Wings, beers, many football stories. It was a hell of a time. I’ll be sure to schedule more in-person hangouts into the future.

Before all festivities, Jim Monos and myself dinged the record button for one more pod ahead of the draft. Video and audio of that replay is above.

Where will Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love go? I wrote a column on the matter and get Monos’ thoughts as a long...

Hate being Everyone Won This Trade guy, but I do think this year’s pre-draft blockbuster makes perfect sense for both parties.

The Cincinnati Bengals need to fix the league’s saddest defense. Dexter Lawrence could be the piece that gets this team back into the Super Bowl, on the heels of strong free-agent signings. For a team trying to win now, he offers more value than a raw prospect in a draft lacking star power.

The New York Giants have a chance to create a team in John Harbaugh’s vision. At No. 5 and No. 10...

We can’t help ourselves. To those who aren’t on a #warpath for #BetterDays, I apologize. Inevitably, the Buffalo Sabres dominate the first 15 minutes of this podcast. This team is simply too much fun.

Eventually, yes, we get into everything Buffalo Bills and NFL Draft with Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News. You can read his work here. Always enjoy lobbing questions back ‘n forth with Jay. This episode, we try to figure out which direction GM Brandon Beane and head coach Joe Brady will go in Round 1 of the draft — Edge? Nose? Linebacker? Wideout?

Per us...

We’re one week away, folks.

Soon, mocks become reality. A glorious thing.

Here on Real Football — with longtime NFL personnel man Jim Monos — let’s examine prospects we love and hate at the top of the draft, shall we? Be sure to use Bob McGinn’s series as a guide, too. Links are below. His reporting is stellar as always.

I’ll take the blue bloods. You cannot go wrong with Caleb Downs and Carnell Tate. Monos is high on Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey. As for Miami’s short-armed Rueben Bain… not so m...

The draft industrial complex is too often riddled with asbestos. Groupthink settles in, marinates and few analysts are willing to think outside the box in fear of social-media condemnation.

Then, there’s Chris Simms. He sincerely does not give a damn.

I suppose that’s what happens when the sport itself nearly kills you.

What a pleasure to welcome a former Bleacher Report colleague back onto the Go Long Podcast. You can catch Simms daily on PFT Live and his Unbuttoned podcast, of course. He combines sharp insight, strong connections and his own eigh...

Right about now, each spring, NFL teams ask themselves the same question:

How soon is too soon to start a rookie quarterback?

There’s proof that patience pays off. (Mahomes, Rodgers, Young, etc.)

There’s proof that a baptism by fire can work. (Manning, Marino, etc.)

Matt Hasselbeck played 18 seasons in the NFL and studies the game extremely closely today. His litmus test is the best I’ve heard yet. He believes a young quarterback is ready for live snaps when that QB masters third-down protections. Understand this chaos? You’re ready. <...

He hates the Chicago Bears.

He cannot wait to blast into those who play for the Chicago Bears.

But read closely and you’ll see that Javon Bullard is far more critical of his own team, the Green Bay Packers, than a hated rival. Because firsthand, he saw how his team surrendered a playoff game.

As he said: “We’re on y’all ass and you’re acting like you motherfuckers don’t even want to play no more. But we need that instinct to kill motherfuckers’ hope. Like, ‘No. Not today. Not tomorrow. Y’all...

NFL Draft season is here. For the fourth year, Hall of Fame scribe Bob McGinn is bringing his draft series to our pages — all of which is available to paid subscribers.

Part I on the wide receivers is live.

At the very top of this year’s draft, those Las Vegas Raiders sure hope they hit the bull’s eye. (It’s been a while.)

As we transition from free agency to the draft, I wanted to catch up with a friend in the biz: Bill Reiter recently took his excellent radio show to the i...

Long gone are the days of Super Bowl contenders twiddling their thumbs in March. If you’re not making transactions, you’re not trying.

We saw elaborate checks written, blockbuster trades and even one trade reneged at the last second. Nobody can blame GMs for not trying.

What does it all mean? Let’s examine on “Real Football” with our resident scout, Jim Monos. DJ Moore to Buffalo. Jaylen Waddle to Denver. Trey Hendrickson to Baltimore. I love what the Washington Commanders did to help their franchise quarterback. This defense needed bodies. And what’s going on in...

This is a familiar story in Minneapolis. At the quarterback position — regime to regime, coach to coach, QB to QB — the franchise always welcomes in veterans from other teams.

Can Kyler Murray redirect this team back into the playoffs?

To get answers, let’s welcome back our friend Matthew Coller of Purple Insider.

We revisit the Vikings’ confused 2025 plan — spending more cash than any team in the NFL despite the great J.J. McCarthy unknown. You heard from the vets on this Minnesota defense during Super Bowl Week. They missed Sam Darnold. With Coller, we...

The bonanza continues, too. Expect more stories ‘n pods here at Go Long through the week. Malik Willis is heading to Miami. Tyler Linderbaum is off to Las Vegas. And Carolina paid a premium for Jaelan Phillips.

First, here’s a replay of our livestream with “Real Football” co-host, Jim Monos.

As the news was flying, we broke it down, shared stories from the road and took your questions.

To join future Substack Lives, download the app and turn notifications on. Thanks for hanging, everyone.

You love football. I love football. We all love football.

Even those select few who do not (I’m talking to you, Gina) cannot deny the sport is central to American life itself.

How did we get here? Why is football so primal, so ingrained into the culture?

Where is all this heading?

I cannot recommend “Football” by Chuck Klosterman enough. The sensational essayist took on this phenomenon as only he can. His masterpiece will make you laugh, cry and — above all — stare deep into your football soul like never before. Here’s the...

Fifteen years ago, I met a young Green Bay Packers offensive guard on the far side of the locker room. Almost immediately, we started discussing his wild Green Bay nights and his deep, personal transformation. A couple years later, he opened up on the death of his father.

Mining for unfiltered honesty inside a modern NFL locker room isn’t easy. Some players treat interactions with reporters as an obligation in their contract. They’re on autopilot.

Then, there’s T.J. Lang.

Unapologetic authenticity — on and off the field — endeared Lang to fans his f...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.golongtd.com

Brandon Beane stays.

Sean McDermott is out.

Joe Brady is in.

Everyone at One Bills Drive fully understands the expectation in 2025: a Super Bowl appearance. Brady has hired an impressive first staff — now it’s time for the Bills to be bold, to make a critical move (or two, or three) that deliver a championship. Beane has said he’s aggressive and willing …

What a potpourri of a podcast we have for you this morning. The hilariously insightful Mike Tanier of Mike Tanier's Too Deep Zone is back on the Go Long Podcast.

Together, we make sense of this offseason’s scarce quarterback market.

Malik Willis is the crème de la crème of available quarterbacks — how good is he? (I’ll also examine in a column soon for subscribers.)

Yet again, the Pittsburgh Steelers are groveling to Aaron Rodgers. It makes zero sense. Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy do not need to do this.

And...