Go Long

To all of our new subscribers… welcome! The “Ty & Bob Pod” is one of the three podcasts at Go Long.

Here, each week, Hall-of-Fame sportswriter Bob McGinn meticulously breaks down the team he has covered since the 70s: the Green Bay Packers. Bob is one of a kind. I think you’ll love his unique eye for the sport, his ability to shuffle through notes at high speeds and, of course, his convincing argument to microwave your morning coffee. (I’m in. It’s life-changing.)

And to our regulars, thank you. You make these two hours part of your life every damn week and we do not take that for granted.

As always, hit us with your thoughts in the comment section below.

We kick off this week’s episode with New York Giants talk. Owner John Mara has quite a mess to clean up but will he attack the mess with a wrecking ball or a squeegee? Bob provides his perspective on our two-part series.

As for the Packers, it was another ugly win. If the officials throw the flag on Baker Mayfield’s fourth interception, this is probably a much different conversation. Alas, the Packers held on, 24-22, to improve to 12-3. With wins over the Vikings and Lions to close the season, they can ensure the road to the Super Bowl goes through northeast Wisconsin in the NFC.

Cornerback Rasul Douglas, one of GM Brian Gutekunst’s crown-jewel signings, continued his banner season.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers had basically the same sort of game he’s had every week.

And Mayfield? He is the topic du jour and he wasn’t as bad as you might’ve thought. All four picks weren’t on Mayfield and let’s not forget the state of his body, either. He's in major pain. Then again, he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2018. We discuss the present and future of the Browns quarterback.

The “Rating the Packers” rundown starts ‘round the 18-minute mark if you want to cut to the nitty-gritty.

Thanks again, all.

Scrambling for a Christmas gift? As the New Year approaches? Share our football storytelling right here if you’d like:

Bob McGinn’s Football Awards

(maximum is 5, minimum is one-half)

* RECEIVERS: 3

* OFFENSIVE LINE: 3 1/2

* QUARTERBACKS: 4

* RUNNING BACKS: 3 1/2

* DEFENSIVE LINE: 1 1/2

* LINEBACKERS: 2 1/2

* DEFENSIVE BACKS: 3

* KICKERS: 3

* SPECIAL TEAMS: 3

* OVERALL: 3 ½

STARS OF THE WEEK

One. Aaron Rodgers, QB

Two. Rasul Douglas, CB

Three. Aaron Jones, RB

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What a month it’s been for Isaiah McKenzie.

Not sure we’ve seen a turnaround quite like this anywhere in the NFL this season.

Way back when the Buffalo Bills were shellacked by the Indianapolis Colts, 41-15, the receiver/returner was promptly sent to the bench. Head coach Sean McDermott appeared to be making an example out of McKenzie after his fumble in the blowout loss. And right then, as he explains on this week’s show, McKenzie feared his career with the Bills may be finished.

He was inactive in New Orleans, then inactive against the Patriots at home.

McKenzie got called back up for a handful of plays in Tampa Bay and finally — with wide receivers Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis both on the Covid-19 list — McKenzie was needed. He did not disappoint, either. In Buffalo’s 33-21 win in Foxborough, he caught 11 passes for 125 yards with one touchdown. Again and again, quarterback Josh Allen looked for McKenzie in crucial situations and now Super Bowl hopes are very real again for the Bills.

On “The Isaiah McKenzie Show,” at Go Long, McKenzie digs into it all…

* The benching. He breaks down his conversation with McDermott and what happened next personally. It took a few sleepless nights to get past his head coach’s decision. McKenzie was in his own head. This wasn’t easy.

* How he dominated Bill Belichick’s defense. Not many receivers can live to tell these stories but McKenzie knew that in man-to-man coverage, no cornerback could keep up with him. So, he ate Myles Bryant's lunch.

* His rapport with Josh Allen. He’s convinced they still have a rare connection that goes back to 2018 when Allen was a raw rookie out of Wyoming and he was just trying to save his NFL career after the Denver Broncos gave up on him. The two are tight. Allen believed in McKenzie with Beasley and Davis both out.

* Spending Christmas Eve with complete strangers. It's the ultimate Western New York story, isn't it? McKenzie was hungry, let folks know on social media and, voila, all of a sudden he's at the kitchen table with a family. He explains how it all happened.

* His Georgia Bulldogs are playing in the College Football Playoff. He wants a piece of ‘Bama in the title game, too.

* Remember when McKenzie’s chest landed on the ball? He’s still feeling the effects of that one.

* What does the future entail for McKenzie? He’s been joking with teammates that coaches only use him one game a year, so who the heck knows what happens next. Maybe now, a calendar year later, he is this team’s secret weapon.

You can watch and/or listen to The Isaiah McKenzie Show right here at Go Long. Audio and video options are both available above.

Or, if podcasting is your thing, the shows are always available right inside the main Go Long Podcast feed on Apple and Spotify as well as its own standalone podcast feed on Apple and Spotify. All episodes also can be found on our YouTube channel.

We do have one more in-person show scheduled at Mister’s in East Aurora, N.Y. for next week, though stay tuned to GoLongTD.com for updates.

Thanks, everyone.

Go Long is a completely independent newsletter committed to finding a story you have not read (or heard) before. If you’d like to support independent journalism, you can upgrade to a full subscription right here:

Miss a past episode? You can catch up right here:

Ep 7: One shining moment

Ep 6: What happened to the Bills?

Ep 5: ‘I was grazed by a bullet once’

Ep 4: The true story of 'Lil Dirty'

Ep 3: Why it's time for the Buffalo Bills to give him a scout team 'bonus'

Ep 2: Inside the Bills’ demolition at Arrowhead

Ep 1: From Miami Gardens to Orchard Park

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 month it’s been for Isaiah McKenzie.
Way back when the Buffalo Bills were shellacked by the Indianapolis Colts, 41-15, the receiver/returner was sent to the bench. Head coach Sean McDermott appeared to be making an example out of McKenzie after his fumble in the loss. And right then, as he explains on this week’s show, McKenzie feared his career with the Bills may be finished.
He was an inactive in New Orleans, then an inactive against the Patriots at home.
McKenzie finally got called back up for a handful of plays in Tampa Bay and then — with Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis both on the Covid-19 list — McKenzie was needed on offense. He did not disappoint, either. In Buffalo’s 33-21 win over the Patriots, he caught 11 passes for 125 yards with one touchdown. Again and again, quarterback Josh Allen looked for McKenzie in crucial situations and now Super Bowl hopes are very real again for the Bills.
With Go Long, McKenzie digs into it all…

The benching. He breaks down his conversation with McDermott and what happened next personally. It took a few sleepless nights to get past his head coach’s decision. McKenzie was in his own head — this wasn’t easy.

How he dominated Bill Belichick’s defense. Not many receivers can live to tell these stories but McKenzie knew that, in man to man, no corner could keep up with him. He ate Myles Bryant's lunch.

His rapport with Josh Allen. He’s convinced they still have a rare connection that goes back to 2018 when Allen was a rookie and he was just trying to save his NFL career. The two are tight and Allen believed in him with Beasley and Davis both out.

Spending Christmas Eve with complete strangers. It's the ultimate Western New York story, isn't it? McKenzie was hungry, let folks know on social media and, voila, all of a sudden he's at the kitchen table with a family. He explains how it all happened.

His Georgia Bulldogs are playing in the College Football Playoff. (He wants a piece of ‘Bama in the title game, too.)

Remember when McKenzie’s chest landed on the ball? He’s still feeling the effects of that one.

What does the future entail for McKenzie? He’s been joking with teammates that coaches only use him one game a year, so who the heck knows what happens next. Maybe now, a calendar year later, he is this team’s secret weapon.


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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

This is a team in a terrible place. How did the New York Giants, under GM Dave Gettleman, get here? Subscribe to GoLongTD.com to find out. In a two-part series, Go Long talks to everyone who witnessed the wreckage up close pick to pick, draft to draft. It's ugly. It's bigger than the GM. And if the Giants aren't careful, they'll continue to repeat their mistakes.
Here on the podcast, we discuss the stories and Jim Monos -- who has been in those draft meetings -- supplies his one-of-a-kind perspective.
He knows how things can go south behind the scenes.
Also, Jim shares some exciting news. We've got an XFL exec on our hands now.
Thank you, all, for listening.
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We'll be dropping our story on the New York Giants next week -- exclusive to paid subscribers.
Join our community today at GoLongTD.com to get this longform piece and everything we have to offer.
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Grinding on a young woman who is not his wife. Kicking his kicker. Hiring a strength coach who was accused of racism.
Zero results on the field.
The Urban Meyer Experience could not have gone any worse and, now, he’s finished. Jacksonville finally decided enough was enough and fired Meyer this week. On this week’s episode of the Go Long Podcast, with former Buffalo Bills director of personnel Jim Monos, we try to make sense of it all.
Also, is Sean McDermott holding back quarterback Josh Allen in Buffalo? He may be.
Who’s the NFL MVP? Monos is high on Aaron Rodgers.
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He was an enforcer on one of the last true violent secondaries of our time.
From Cleveland to Denver, T.J. Ward was one of the most feared safeties in pro football. He made two Pro Bowls (2013, 2014), was a second team All-Pro and then had the game of his life in a 2015 Super Bowl win over Carolina.
His “No Fly Zone” DB group — which included Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr. and Darian Stewart — perfectly complemented Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware up front to shut down Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady and league MVP Cam Newton that postseason.
In this hourlong conversation with Go Long, the bruising safety opens up on that Broncos defense, all of the concussions he suffered over the years, why the NFL has gone too far with player safety (and may look like rugby one day) and, also, why he believes the league blackballed him. Ward had a bad experience with the Buccaneers in 2017, couldn’t sign with anyone for two years and had a cup ‘o joe with the Cardinals last season before retiring.
He does not hold back — on anything.
The full Q&A is posted at GoLongTD.com and, remember, you can always subscribe this holiday to get everything we have to offer.
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We haven't seen parity like this in years. So, who's for real? Who's not? We try to make sense of it all.
Also, we catch up on the aftermath of Buffalo's loss to the Patriots.
As always, check out the Go Long newsletter any time at GoLongTD.com.
This podcast is powered by our friends at Hamburg Brewing Company.
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Everyone knew the Patriots were going to run the football and the Buffalo Bills could not stop it. They were soft in the trenches again.
Meanwhile, Josh Allen played well in the crazy Western New York wind... right up to the final drive. At his salary, he needs to make one of these plays.
We relive the Patriots' wacky 14-10 win over the Bills on MNF here on the podcast. It all starts at the top with Sean McDermott.
Also, if you stick around, you'll find out why Doug Marrone quit on the Bills. Co-host Jim Monos shares the behind-the-scenes reasoning. I don't think you'll want to miss it.
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Subscribe to GoLongTD.com today to hang out with players around the NFL.
This week, former Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl center Eric Wood threw back drinks with us. Here's the full replay to give you a sense of what you get upgrading at Go Long today.
Thanks, everyone.
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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