Go Long

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 Blackburn on McAfee. The good news? Taylor’s the sort of coach that can guide a team through it all.

We take the conversation to Substack Live.

Here’s the Orlando Brown Jr. story from ‘23 mentioned at the top, too.

If you’d like to join future Live episodes, download the Substack app and flip notifications on. Thanks, all.

Go Long subscribers can access every story and every podcast.

Bob McGinn’s 41st annual draft series is exclusive to members. Live on Friday is a close look at Travis Hunter and the cornerbacks.

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

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 Live pods.

Go Long is your home for longform. We’d love to have you join our community today.

More from West Palm coming soon, as well as the rest of Bob McGinn’s 41st annual draft series.

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

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 didn’t do much in free agency. (Shocker, I know.) The youngest team in the NFL is banking on its own players improving.

Minnesota is set to start J.J. McCarthy at quarterback barring a new twist in the Aaron Rodgers saga.

Let’s take a moment to make sense of the changes on Substack Live with Justin Rogers of the Detroit Football Network. One name we keep coming back to? Ben Johnson. It’ll be fascinating to see how the Chicago Bears’ new head coach manages Caleb Williams in Year 1.

Be sure to download the Substack app and turn notifications on to join future Live videos.

Thanks, all.

As a reminder, paid subscribers can access Bob McGinn’s 41st annual draft series in full. We also have a chat with LeRoy Butler live at the site.

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

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 chatted several times for stories and pods — from his own life story, to Green Bay’s messy divorce court with Aaron Rodgers, to a Happy Hour with subscribers to (most recently and most fun) hanging out with rookie Evan Williams over dinner in Green Bay, Wisc.

This felt like a perfect time to catch up again.

With pressure rising in Green Bay, with Rodgers looking for a new home and with the draft headed to Butler’s backyard, we chat for an hour and a half.

Topics discussed:

* The 2025 NFL Draft heading to little, ‘ol Green Bay. The city has a population of 105,000. This event attracted north of 700,000 visitors to Detroit last spring. How is this even possible?

* Mark Murphy’s legacy. The Packers’ president will retire in July. We discuss how he’ll be remembered both at the start of the pod and the end.

* Why Butler believes Brian Gutekunst saved the franchise.

* Everything Aaron Rodgers. All signs obviously point toward Pittsburgh. Butler’s perspective on the entire situation was (extremely) surprising. Yes, he says this is a perfect fit. Butler, who’s been critical of Rodgers in the past, sees the four-time MVP enjoying his own “John Elway” moment.

* We delve into the psychology of this all. What motivates Rodgers? What’s his foundation in life? Is he willing to suppress ego and control if it means a legitimate shot at another ring?

* Jordan Love and the Packers fell short in 2024. Now, the man we’ve anointed enters Year 3 as a starter. It’s time for Love to take a step. The key, Butler says, is Matt LaFleur giving him the keys.

* What should Green Bay do with its 23rd overall pick? Butler wants Gutekunst to trade the pick for a veteran wideout and offers two possibilities.

New here? It’s a great time to upgrade with Bob McGinn’s 41st annual draft series rolling out.

Also, if you live in Wisconsin, you can hang out with Butler on Wednesday, April 23 at Oneida Casino Hotel for a predraft party. Several former Packers will be in attendance, too. His Leap 36 podcast is also available right 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

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 Patrick Mahomes. Of course, Brock Purdy tumbled all the way down to 262nd overall.

Other years, QBs are overhyped, overdrafted and flop completely.

What should we think about this 2025 group?

Here on the Go Long Pod, that’s where the conversation begins with Joel Klatt. You can see and hear Klatt everywhere, of course. He is Fox Sports’ excellent college football analyst. Be sure to check out “The Joel Klatt Show” everywhere you pod. This spring, he’ll also be calling UFL games at Fox.

Before dissecting the sport as an analyst, Klatt was the starting quarterback at the University of Colorado in 2003, 2004 and 2005, throwing for nearly 8,000 yards with 46 touchdowns.

We get into plenty…

* The 2025 Quarterback Class. Is there a hidden gem beyond the top two?

* Why he believes in Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, a combination of “Montana” and “Tarkenton.” (Klatt does not hold back.)

* As a Colorado alum himself, Klatt knows how bad it was for this program before Deion Sanders’ arrival. He also shares insight into the Father-Son dynamic.

* One team Klatt sees as a perfect fit for Sanders.

* The value of accumulating starts as a collegiate quarterback. He thinks there could be a Purdy hidden in this group.

* UFL! We’ve got real football beginning on March 28. Klatt explains why he believes the league is built to last.

* Our former co-host Jim Monos is the GM of the Memphis Showboats. How’s it looking for his team?

* Is Syracuse Football back?

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

I’ll be sure to post the written transcript later.

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

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.

And whenever the Colts come to mind, it’s smart to place a call to Zak Keefer of The Athletic.

Zak covered the Colts extensively for years and now writes features on the entire NFL. Last January, he authored this penetrating piece on Indy’s poor culture.

Here on the Go Long Pod, we discuss everything Anthony Richardson and Chris Ballard. There’s something missing to the quarterback’s DNA, beyond all of those erratic incomplete passes.

Thank you for sharing with a friend and fueling our independent journalism.

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

One year ago, we tip-toed through the Chicago Bears’ quarterback graveyard at Go Long. Oh my, was it very dangerous terrain.

But now? The 2024 first overall pick, Caleb Williams, is paired with one of the sport’s most innovative offensive minds in Ben Johnson.

Is Chicago positioned to launch itself into NFC contention? We’ll be taking a close look at this franchise soon in print. There’s a lot to love. But first, here’s excellent Bears beat reporter/podcaster Adam Hoge of CHGO on the Go Long Pod.

Hoge has covered the team since 2011 and shares a ton of insight on this hopeful moment.

* How were the Bears able to lure Johnson, the No. 1 coaching candidate the last two years? Money talks. But there must’ve been more.

* Who’s in the charge? The Bears have a different hierarchy with Kevin Warren, Ryan Poles and Johnson. Will everyone sing Kumbaya in 2025 and beyond?

* O-Line Overhaul. Chicago wasted no time fixing what ails this roster.

* A sharp look at the Ben & Caleb football marriage and why it will/won’t work this season.

Go Long subscribers can access every story and every podcast.

We are completely powered by you.

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

These New England Patriots are swiftly becoming a reflection of their new head coach. Who knows when this team’s ready to win, but all five signings the first 24 hours of NFL free agency should bring to life everything Mike Vrabel preaches to the team as a whole.

On Substack Live, we continued the conversation with Andrew Callahan, Patriots beat reporter at The Boston Herald and host of the Pats Interference podcast.

* Milton Williams broke the bank. What’s his ceiling?

* New England was spurned by Chris Godwin, and that’s been a pattern at wide receiver. Without a doubt, this is the worst receiving corps in the NFL. There is one veteran available who makes sense.

* And the most important person in the building is obviously Drake Maye. The Patriots would love it if receivers warm up to the idea playing with their young QB exactly as John Brown, Cole Beasley and Stefon Diggs flocked to Josh Allen in 2019 and 2020. How realistic is an Allen-like ascent in New England?

This organization has a vibrant pulse which, I suppose, is all Vrabel can ask for right now.

If you’d like to join future Substack Live events, download the app and flip notifications on. Always open to your questions.

More on the Patriots at Go Long:

Violence, required: These are now Mike Vrabel's New England Patriots

Here’s a profile of Carlton Davis from 2023:

‘We’re going to wreck s**t:’ Carlton Davis bows to no man

Also, Bob McGinn wrote this on Vrabel a few years back:

McGinn Files: There is only one Mike Vrabel

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

It’s Decision Time for Aaron Rodgers. He is officially a free agent.

The laws of supply and demand have the four-time MVP in a position of leverage — multiple reports suggest he’s choosing between the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Then again, it’s important to remember that these teams can think outside the box.

Here on the Go Long Podcast, I catch up again with former NFL quarterback Shaun King — he brings the heat, too. King has a true knack for forcing all of us to think about the position in a different way. We dissect all quarterback movement for an hour.

Most notably? King believes the Steelers should sign Jameis Winston to be their starting quarterback.

He took it one step further, too, by directly reaching out to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Everyone may have an entrenched opinion on Winston but King explains why we need to think about this player in a different light.

Also, on the GL Pod:

* Geno Smith vs. Sam Darnold. He believes Smith is the far superior quarterback and that the Seahawks are nuts for trading him away.

* Aaron Rodgers. King says Rodgers is not a team player in any way, likening him to the ornery old man at the nursing home doing puzzles in the corner of the room.

* But Jameis?! Really? Let him explain.

* The Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback predicament. Both Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson will compete for the job in training camp — their careers are on the line. Not the way Chris Ballard dialed it up, no.

* Why he loves New England’s spending spree.

* Why he hates the franchise tag. King has strong thoughts on the Tee Higgins situation.

* Dallas? Hello?

* James Cook. How does this end for the Buffalo Bills running back?

Here’s the transcript:

Miss King’s previous two chats with Go Long?

* Shaun King, unfiltered ex-QB, is your NFL personnel consultant

* NFC South Preview: Shaun King brings his quarterback takes loaded

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

Happy Free Agency, everyone.

Here’s to Super Bowl dreams spawning anew across the country.

Our Substack Live replay is available right here. We discuss everything Myles Garrett, D.K. Metcalf, Aaron Rodgers and what’s next for team’s in desperate need for a quarterback. (There are many.)

Thanks to all who joined live. We’ll be sure to record more through the week — you can download the Substack app right here:

Paid subscribers can access all free agency analysis, all podcasts all week.

ICYMI…

Finally the Minnesota Vikings will swing big

BUILT TO LEAD: The Arduous Rise of Cincinnati Bengals OC Dan Pitcher

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