Go Long

So, what now?

The Green Bay Packers entered the 2024 season with realistic Super Bowl expectations, and they now exit without a true signature win. This team suffered yet another disheartening playoff defeat. Yes, they’re young. Yes, they’ll fully expect to get more opportunities. But nobody in history has taken sharper autopsy views of Packers seasons q…

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All season, we’ve been analyzing the NFC North with Bob McGinn right here on the “Ty & Bob Pod” at Go Long. The Detroit Lions took the throne in Game No. 272, but nobody’s quite ready to exhale.

The playoff matchups are set.

Green Bay heads to Philadelphia. Minnesota flies to L.A.

Both teams are staggering after humbling defeats… especially the quarterback…

Wild Card Football is here. Maybe this weekend conjures memories of the Buffalo Bills’ 35-3 epic vs. the Houston Oilers. Or Jerry Rice’s fumble. Or Frank Wycheck’s home-run throwback. Or a Jeff Garcia rally vs. the Giants. Or Matt Hasselbeck’s overtime declaration.

Will we see a classic this season? Let’s get the week started on the podcast.

I’m joined again by Jim Monos, the longtime NFL scout/exec who won a Super Bowl with Sean Payton’s New Orleans and was second in command with the Buffalo Bills May 2013- ‘17. We preview each game with a longer look at Bills-Broncos. After all, it was Monos who said way back in February/March that Nix was destined to be Payton’s quarterback in Denver.

You can access video and audio of the show here, as well as Apple, Spotify and YouTube.

Thank you for making Go Long your home for longform in pro football.

Also: I sat down with Sean McDermott ahead of his seventh trip to the postseason in Buffalo. That conversation is available to our paid subscribers.

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

So, it all comes down to this in the NFC North: the Detroit Lions vs. the Minnesota Vikings with all of America watching.

Ford Field will be ear-splitting.

Homefield advantage is on the line.

All season, we’ve been diving into the film on the “Ty & Bob Pod.” All season, the Packers, Lions and Vikings have exchanged body blows. Now, the tournament is closing in and you better know what you’re looking at in the mirror. Dan Campbell refused to heed Troy Aikman’s advice and played to win in Santa Clara. Detroit’s offense is humming along. The defense? That’s another story. Can Dan Campbell piece together a Super Bowl run? That No. 1 seed would certainly help.

At U.S. Bank Stadium, Kevin O’Connell’s team punked Matt LaFleur’s Packers.

The final score (27-25) was not indicative of the punishment. Big-game talk may be “bothersome” to LaFleur but it’s undeniably concerning that he hasn’t beaten the top teams. Green Bay wants to be a more physical outfit on offense, but it might be smart for LaFleur to unleash his $220 million dollar quarterback. This is a coach who tends to lose his cool on the sideline, too. We discuss how each of these teams are an extension of their coach.

Green Bay went 0-4 against Detroit and Minnesota this season and McGinn’s numbers behind this record are startling.

Is there time for the Packers to find themselves? Of course. There are a few answers out there on both sides of the ball.

Audio is above. Video is below.

And, icymi, here’s my conversation with Bruce Smith on “How the NFL Works.”

Thanks, all.

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Bruce Smith is hurting. He’s feeling the effects of those 299 total games played, those 214.5 total sacks (playoffs included). Many nights, he’s in so much pain that he barely grabs a wink of sleep.

So just imagine how all those quarterbacks feel.

Those 76 different quarterbacks he sacked.

The Buffalo Bills legend is truly one of the greatest football players to ever live. On this episode of “How the NFL Works” at Go Long, Smith explains exactly how he was able to dominate offenses. The Pro Football Hall of Famer was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team in both the 80s and 90s. Nobody sacked the quarterback more than him — not Reggie White, not Lawrence Taylor. There’s a very good chance his regular-season record of 200 lasts for a long, long time. For perspective, Myles Garrett still has 98 sacks to go.

And yet, Smith also knows his career could’ve crumbled if he didn’t look in the mirror and demand changes from himself. From brutal training sessions on a StairMaster to his diet to — above all — meticulous film study, Smith became a monstrous force vs. the pass and the run on the Bills team that reached four straight Super Bowls. And he did it while playing in a 3-4 defense.

Indeed, there’s an art to the destruction.

On this episode, Smith doesn’t hold back on a variety of topics.

* His life turnaround, from 310 pounds and out of shape to 6.3 percent body fat.

* His relationship with Bills fans. It has evolved. During the ‘91 season, he received racist letters and wanted out of Buffalo. One conversation with Marv Levy changed his mind.

* Stories from the trenches. What did Joe Montana and Dan Marino have to say after Smith flattened them?

* What kind of owner was Ralph Wilson?

* What was the missing piece on his Super Bowl teams?

* Josh Allen. Smith marvels at the team’s MVP-worthy quarterback today. He keeps in touch with Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane, too.

* Yes, Smith believes he’s got the case to make as the greatest defensive player ever.

Video and audio are available here.

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Here is the written transcript:

Past episodes of “How the NFL Works:”

* S1, E8: Quarterback Bliss with Matt Hasselbeck

* S1, E7: BLITZBURGH with Levon Kirkland

* S1 E6: The Domination of Chris Lindstrom

* S1 E5: Inside Kenny Clark's Lair

* S1 E4: 'Get a Quarterback' with Super Bowl champ and ex-NFL exec Jim Monos

* S1 E3: Resurrecting a Franchise with Ron Wolf

* S1 E2: Life After Football with Ryan Leaf

* S1 E1: Building the 2024 Quarterback with Quincy Avery

We also chatted with Bruce Smith a few years back. Here’s that Q&A:

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The Buffalo Bills have locked up the No. 2 seed in the AFC.

The New York Jets have locked up their status as the most dysfunctional organization in the league.

I’ll have more in print on Monday from one of the worst games in Aaron Rodgers’ 20-year career. Until then, here’s a quick 15-minute Substack Live with longtime personnel man Jim Monos. By the time Rodgers swapped his helmet for a ball cap it was 40-zip. He was disinterested and a shell of his former self. The quarterback on the other sideline, Josh Allen, made his last case for the MVP award.

Was it enough? We discuss. And all objective football consumers should hope for a Allen vs. Lamar divisional playoff showdown in this stadium.

To catch future live videos, be sure to download the Substack app and flip notifications on. Thanks for hanging out with us, everyone.

Go Long is your home for longform coverage of the NFL.

Thank you for spreading the word.

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

And down the stretch they come. Detroit reclaimed its mojo against the punching-bag Chicago Bears, Minnesota earned a thrilling win in the Pacific Northwest. Tonight, the Packers will face New Orleans.

It’s a strange week with Christmas Eve on Tuesday and Christmas Day on Wednesday, so we dinged record on the Ty & Bob Pod a little early here.

Audio is above. Video is below.

Much is discussed: Jameson Williams’ ascent, Jared Goff’s fatherly presence, Sam Darnold’s elite play and the McGinn Memory brings us all back to August 1987. The same month I was born, our friend Bob here was learning the game from Forrest Gregg.

I cannot thank you all enough for listening and sharing with a friend.

Have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS, everyone!

ICYMI:

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ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Good morning! And greetings from Lions Country, where the injuries are piling up to epic proportions.

Dan Campbell set the tone this week on his radio show.

This is also a team that started 4-19-1 under his watch. He managed to hold everyone together to build an NFC power. With the No. 1 seed still in view, we can certainly expect to see plenty of fight.

I’ll have more from this visit through the final stretch of the season. In the meantime, take a bite out of that molded bread and enjoy this conversation with Justin Rogers of the Detroit Football Network.

Justin has covered the Lions since 2011 and made the Substack plunge himself ahead of this 2024 season. I highly encourage everyone to check out his work. He does a hell of a job.

Here on the pod, we sift through the list of injuries and gauge the Lions’ title chances.

Also, we pan out for a big-picture view. From Day 1, Campbell had his finger on the pulse of the city. Now, his latest greatest test awaits.

Thank you for listening.

Audio is above. Video is below. You can also listen on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.

ICYMI:

Lions-related:

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At the top, the quarterback position is being played at a ridiculously high level this 2024 season.

Josh Allen has viewers on the edge of their seat. Lamar Jackson, too.

Patrick Mahomes is gunning for a three-peat.

Jordan Love’s ascent continues.

Elsewhere, a handful of organizations continue to meander through the quarterback wilderness without a coherent map and without much hope for the future.

Absolutely nothing matters more in the NFL than this position. So here at Go Long, we’re constantly trying to figure out how a team can reach such bliss.

For this episode of “How the NFL Works,” I chat at length with three-time Pro Bowler and 2005 NFC Champion Matt Hasselbeck to get answers. He saw the position played at a high level as Brett Favre’s backup under Mike Holmgren and Andy Reid early in his career. Then, of course, he took over as the Seattle Seahawks starter for a decade. Hasselbeck threw for more than 36,000 yards with 212 touchdowns… and he probably should have a ring, too. (We previously chatted with Hasselbeck all about his own NFL life last season — here’s that pod.)

This time, we connect some of his best stories as a player with the quarterbacks of today.

On this episode…

* Why Hasselbeck loves coaching high school football today. It’s more rewarding than yapping on ESPN.

* The power of youth. Ignorance is bliss for these 2024 Packers, the youngest team in the NFL. He sees Love playing freely, a dangerous thing this time of year.

* How has Josh Allen has balanced “Clark Kent” with “Superman?” Few understood the value of a quarterback playing free like Mike Holmgren, from Montana to Young to Favre. In the Bills quarterback, Hasselbeck sees someone who knows exactly when to take over a game. And it helps when the head coach allows that to happen.

* Holmgren could be ruthless, of course. He recalls the times the coach ripped into both Favre and Reid.

* Who’s the MVP of the league? Hasselbeck tells us to hold our horses. There’s a path for Baltimore’s Jackson. He loves the part of his game that nobody talks about. He’s athletic, yes. But Jackson is also making full-field reads.

* What are the conversations like between KC’s Reid and Mahomes as the back-to-back champ nurses a high-ankle sprain? Hasselbeck knows Reid well and takes us right into what those 1-on-1 chats sound like.

* You’ll love his analysis on the rookie quarterbacks, too. Hasselbeck is (very) high on New England’s Drake Maye. As for No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams? Not so much. He says Williams needs to look himself in the mirror and ask hard questions this offseason.

Thank you for listening and sharing, everyone.

The written Q&A transcript is here if that’s preferred:

Go Long is your home for longform.

Our goal — always — is to lift up the curtain on this sport.

Past episodes of “How the NFL Works:”

* S1, E7: BLITZBURGH with Levon Kirkland

* S1 E6: The Domination of Chris Lindstrom

* S1 E5: Inside Kenny Clark's Lair

* S1 E4: 'Get a Quarterback' with Super Bowl champ and ex-NFL exec Jim Monos

* S1 E3: Resurrecting a Franchise with Ron Wolf

* S1 E2: Life After Football with Ryan Leaf

* S1 E1: Building the 2024 Quarterback with Quincy Avery

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 Detroit Lions lost far more than a football game to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Ford Field.

Twenty-one players are now on injured reserve, and that number will likely grow to 22. It doesn’t sound good for running back David Montgomery playing again this season. In a 48-42 loss, Montgomery (MCL), Carlton Davis (jaw) and Alim McNeill (knee) all went down.

So… what now?

The Lions found ways to keep winning when their best defensive player Aidan Hutchinson — a DPOY-level talent — was lost for the season. With three regular-season games left, they’re grab-bagging like never before. McNeill (profiled here) and Montgomery (here) have been vital organs to Dan Campbell’s team. In line for the No. 1 seed, these Lions are in danger of falling. Here on the Ty & Bob Pod, your NFC North-centric show each week, we examine everything in detail. Hall of Fame scribe Bob McGinn has been closely watching the film of all Lion replacement players all season long. He believes panic is warranted.

Still, Campbell is already doing his best via an impassioned radio hit to rally his troops.

Back to eating “molded bread,” these Lions face their greatest test yet in 2024.

We’ve got a loaded episode for you. After plenty of Lions discussion/analysis, we transition into the Green Bay Packers thumping the Seattle Seahawks around the 53-minute mark. It was impressive. Jordan Love is playing mistake-free football, and his playmakers are stepping up. Defensively, the pass rush is coming alive.

McGinn believes the Packers have the best shot at making the Super Bowl out of all three NFC North clubs, and explains why.

You’ll want to stick around for his weekly “McGinn Memory” segment. One decade later, we relive the most absurd football game of a generation: Green Bay’s NFC Championship loss to the Seahawks. We all remember Brandon Bostick’s flub — an unforgivable error to many teammates — but I pointed the finger at Mike McCarthy’s passive approach then (and now) and McGinn puts that loss on the MVP Aaron Rodgers, whom he calls “the most overrated quarterback I’ve seen” on the pod.

And of course, we recap the Minnesota Vikings’ 30-12 thrashing the Bears. They’ve got an opening in the North and Brian Flores’ defense has Caleb Williams coiling on the bench.

Thank you for listening everyone.

Go Long subscribers can access the FULL two hours of NFC North talk.

We appreciate you sharing the gift of longform with a loved one this Christmas season.

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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