Go Long

There’s not another general manager in the sport quite like Terry Fontenot.

At Go Long, the Falcons GM guides you through all of his colossal decisions the last two years, and he knows the time to win is now. He doesn’t care what anybody thinks, either. As Fontenot says: “If you’re worried about pleasing everybody, you’re going to be a failure.”

He most certainly is not afraid.

Our entire piece is available to paid subscribers:

On Substack Live, I continued the conversation with our good friend Justin Felder of Fox 5 Atlanta.

We get into everything Penix, Jalon Walker, James Pearce and 2025 Falcons.

Want to join future video chats? Download the Substack app and turn notifications on.

Thanks, all.

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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. After inking Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency, the Giants stuck at No. 3 overall to take perhaps the best player in the draft (Abdul Carter), before then managing to jump back into the first round for Ole Miss passer Jaxson Dart.

This division is loaded, but there are signs of hope on this roster.

Barber, who calls the team “unwatchable” a year ago, believes the Giants can find an identity. He recently spoke to the team, too.

Video and audio of our chat are both available above, and you can also access the Go Long Pod over at Apple, Spotify and everywhere you pod. After diving into Barber’s life a while back, we stick to the Giants of today on this episode.

Here’s the written transcript if preferred.

Barber hits on everything Giants. A handful of topics discussed….

* Life post-Saquon.

* The “juggernaut” Philadelphia Eagles. Barber can’t help but love what his arch-nemesis has created.

* What went wrong for Daniel Jones?

* What can go right for Jaxson Dart? Personalities — finally — have a chance to match.

* Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll and the identity both are trying to create for this team.

* The moment Barber started to believe in rookie Eli Manning.

And of course, you can always catch Barber’s analysis in the New York sports media scene. He co-hosts “Evan and Tiki” on WFAN.

Go Long is completely independent.

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.golongtd.com/subscribe

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 Buffalo News for a quick Substack Live video at One Bills Drive. Thanks for joining, everyone.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.golongtd.com/subscribe

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 running back hangs out on the Go Long Pod to relive it all. During a Pro Bowl season in 1994, Hoard led the Browns to the playoffs with 1,335 total yards and nine touchdowns. Of course, he also remembers the scene in ‘95 when the Browns played their final games at Municipal Stadium. He’d later resurrect his career with the high-flying Vikings of the late 90s.

Full audio and video is above, and available within your Apple and Spotify feeds. I’ll share the written transcript later today.

Topics include…

* Life as a running back in the 1990s, from the old AFC Central to the NFC Central.

* Growing up in New Orleans’ dangerous Ninth Ward.

* The worst collision of his football life.

* The time the Browns moved from Cleveland to Baltimore.

* The time he arrived in Minnesota on a Tuesday, started on Sunday and it felt like living in China.

* Concussions. Pain. Life has been hard for Hoard since he retired. Did he have suicidal thoughts? Was he depressed? Hoard explains this empty feeling.

* Finding purpose as a radio commentator today at 560 WQAM in South Florida.

* Bill Belichick. His former coach in Cleveland has made offseason waves. We get Hoard’s thoughts.

* Analysis on the Browns today, Kevin Stefanski and the failed Deshaun Watson experiment.

Thank you for fueling our independent journalism here at Go Long and sharing with a friend.

Hoard previously hung out with us back in November 2021 if you’d like to check out that conversation, too.

Miss our Browns column this week? There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

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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, albeit with teams that never finish with a losing record.

Rodgers hasn’t been a good quarterback in four years.

How did the Steelers get here? How will this all end? On this week’s Substack Live at Go Long, I chat with Brian Batko of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Always love seeing Brian on our trips to Steelers Country. He offers a sharp perspective on everything Tomlin and Rodgers. Yes, those Steelers of 2019 fought like hell — it was fun following that group for a B/R feature — but those wins with “The Duck” ‘n co. present a bitter counterfactural. We explore.

As a reminder, you can always join our Substack Live videos by downloading the app here and turning notifications on. I’ll also schedule episodes ahead of time so you can add them into your calendar.

Also: Here is my column on the state of affairs in Pittsburgh, icymi.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.golongtd.com/subscribe

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, you’d never tell. His mind is extremely sharp… and there’s good reason for that. DeLamielleure’s day-to-day life supplies real hope to all former players worried about their concussions leading to dark days.

Loved catching up again with the man who made six Pro Bowls through a 13-year career with the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns.

Audio of our chat is above, and available on Apple, Spotify, everywhere you pod.

Here’s the written transcript:

Topics discussed…

* Joe DeLamielleure and Joe Ferguson were the first two players to ever walk into Rich Stadium. This 2025 season will mark the Bills’ final season in this bowl.

* What kind of teammate was O.J. Simpson?

* Remarkably, O.J. wasn’t Joe D’s only friend who killed somebody.

* How his “Electric Company” offensive line followed Vince Lombardi’s Packers blueprint with the help of Jim Ringo.

* A pair of Tom Dempsey stories — DeLamielleure’s comedic timing was spot on.

* In 2013, a doctor told him he’s living with CTE. Unlike fellow NFL lineman Mike Webster — whose life took a very haunting turn due to head trauma — DeLamielleure feels strong as ever in 2025. Both mentally and physically. How is this possible?

* Why Joe D believes current Bills quarterback Josh Allen is “one in a million.”

* Don’t forget about those Browns days. DeLamielleure helped me out with the Ozzie Newsome chapter in “Blood and Guts” and again looks back to his crushing Red Right 88 playoff loss against the Oakland Raiders. (Damn those scuba gloves!)

* A story about his father you will not want to miss.

Thank you for listening, subscribing and sharing Go Long with a friend.

ICYMI…

I'm in on Brandon Beane's defensive swing

Julian Hill will save lives, Part I: Underworld

Julian Hill will save lives, Part II: Rescued

Julian Hill will save lives, Part III: Destiny

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.golongtd.com/subscribe

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 back at the Philadelphia Eagles’ boa-constriction of a Super Bowl win in February — the playoff runs of Hall of Fame Super Bowl champs past supply plenty of clues.

Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers all needed a boost.

We discuss on this week’s Substack Live video.

To join future shows, download the app here.

Also: Go Long subscribers can access our aforementioned 1 on 1 with Beane here.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.golongtd.com/subscribe

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 Heisman Trophy runner-up, College Football Hall of Famer, 1982 Super Bowl Champion and 1983 NFL MVP. Theismann was as tough as nails, too, in starting 163 straight games — quite a feat considering his prison-rules era of football.

Topics discussed include…

* One brutal, tough-love lesson from his father.

* How he won the job at Notre Dame. Upon arrival in South Bend, Theismann was one of 13 quarterbacks.

* The day he pissed off Don Shula.

* Power of “mental toughness.” Call it spite or pride — Theismann says he was obsessed with proving people wrong.

* How he started 163 straight games. Theismann recalls the time Ted Hendrickson dropped him on his head.

* What made his 1983 Redskins historic to this day.

* Why he believes in Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Video and audio is available above.

You can also catch this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and everywhere you pod.

Thank you for fueling everything here at Go Long.

Full transcript:

Miss our three-part series on the harrowing journey of Dolphins tight end Julian Hill? All links are here:

* Part I: Underworld

* Part II: Rescued

* Part III: Destiny

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.golongtd.com/subscribe

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.

Want to join future recordings? Download the app and flip notifications on here:

Also:

Our three-part series — “Julian Hill will save lives” — is now available in full. Here are the links. Thank you for reading.

* Part I: Underworld

* Part II: Rescued

* Part III: Destiny

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.golongtd.com/subscribe

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 and Brandon Beane’s big move on defense. The Buffalo Bills GM has a plan, and he’s sticking to it. (Our Q&A for Go Long subscribers, icymi.)

Want to join future Substack Live videos? Download the app right here and flip notifications on:

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.golongtd.com/subscribe