Go Long

It’s high time for Isaiah McKenzie to get the ball more in Buffalo. (A 101-yard kick return is proof of that, right?)

It’s not time for anyone to hire Isaiah McKenzie as their next babysitter. (This story will crack you up.)

He’s masterful at getting underneath the skin of teammates. (Just ask Micah Hyde.)

He runs for miles… upon miles… upon miles every practice. (And sure wouldn’t mind a scout team “bonus” in his next deal.)

These are just a handful of the many truths we learn on Episode 3 of the Isaiah McKenzie Show. Again, we record live from Mister’s Bar & Lanes in East Aurora, N.Y., and it’s a rollicking affair. We start off by reliving the Bills’ 34-31 loss in Nashville, where McKenzie was nearly the hero. His touchdown with three minutes to go was called back on a hold. From there, we look back at the moments that made McKenzie growing up. The questions from folks in the audience were fantastic, too.

You’ll get the inside story on Dawson Knox’s two-point throw with a broken hand.

With Halloween around the corner, McKenzie power ranks his top 5 candies.

And I think you’ll enjoy McKenzie’s take on “taunting” in the NFL.

A huge thanks to everyone who came on out to pack Mister’s. Remember, we’ll be there on site for three more episodes at the dates below. Make your reservation today. Subscribers to Go Long get first dibs at a table. Just note your email address in the comments section on Open Table or let them know on the phone.

Monday, Nov. 1 (6 p.m.-7 p.m.)Monday, Nov. 22 (6 p.m.-7 p.m.)Monday, Jan. 3 (6 p.m.-7 p.m.)

You can catch all 10 episodes of the Isaiah McKenzie Show, throughout the season, right here at GoLongTD.com, over on the flagship Go Long Podcast, on its own Apple and Spotify feeds and, of course, YouTube.

Have a question for McKenzie? Email us at [email protected].

Thanks, everyone.

Go Long is a newsletter dedicated to enterprising pro football journalism. Free and paid subscriptions are both available. You can support this publication best by subscribing 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

It’s high time for Isaiah McKenzie to get the ball more in Buffalo. (A 101-yard kick return is proof of that, right?)
It’s not time for anyone to hire Isaiah McKenzie as their next babysitter. (This story will crack you up.)
He’s masterful at getting underneath the skin of teammates. (Just ask Micah Hyde.)
He runs for miles… upon miles… upon miles every practice. (And sure wouldn’t mind a scout team “bonus” in his next deal.)
These are just a handful of the many truths we learn on Episode 3 of the Isaiah McKenzie Show. Again, we record live from Mister’s Bar & Lanes in East Aurora, N.Y., and it’s a rollicking affair. We start off by reliving the Bills’ 34-31 loss in Nashville, where McKenzie was nearly the hero. His touchdown with three minutes to go was called back on a hold. From there, we look back at the moments that made McKenzie growing up. The questions from folks in the audience were fantastic, too.
You’ll get the inside story on Dawson Knox’s two-point throw with a broken hand.
With Halloween around the corner, McKenzie power ranks his top 5 candies.
And I think you’ll enjoy McKenzie’s take on “taunting” in the NFL.
A huge thanks to everyone who came on out to pack Mister’s. Remember, we’ll be there on site for three more episodes at the dates below. Make your reservation today. Subscribers to Go Long get first dibs at a table. Just note your email address in the comments section on Open Table or let them know on the phone.
Monday, Nov. 1 (6 p.m.-7 p.m.)
Monday, Nov. 22 (6 p.m.-7 p.m.)
Monday, Jan. 3 (6 p.m.-7 p.m.)
You can catch all 10 episodes of the Isaiah McKenzie Show, throughout the season, right here at GoLongTD.com, over on the flagship Go Long Podcast, on its own Apple and Spotify feeds and, of course, YouTube.
Have a question for McKenzie? Email us at [email protected].
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

Our three cold-hard, take-'em-to-the-bank LOCKS of this week inside, supported by Hamburg Brewing Company.
Stop on in sometime for some Louie, the best IPA in Western New York.
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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

There will never be another defense quite like the “Blitzburgh” Steelers of the 1990s.
They were mean. They were violent. They… probably could not exist in today’s NFL.
We take a look back at the Steelers of old and the Steelers of today on this week’s edition of the Go Long Podcast. It’s an interesting time for a team quarterbacked by the 39-year-old Ben Roethlisberger. There’s some sound logic to this franchise’s desire to win now, but the future Hall-of-Famer has struggled.
Kirkland is a master storyteller and doesn’t hold back on…

His pal, Greg Lloyd, who once smashed his wrist and left permanent damage. Lloyd was one of a kind.

His own game. At 280, Kirkland would still carry tight ends up the seam.

The “Art of Defense,” and what exactly made that Steelers 3-4 defense so special.

His memorable battles with fullbacks Sam Gash and Howard Griffith. (Kirkland rights the history, too.)

Why he believes Kordell Stewart was held back at QB — Kirkland says he was made for today’s NFL, too.

What’s up with the Steelers of today? Kirkland has some thoughts. He believes the quarterback is holding the team back.

ICYMI, here’s our feature at Go Long last season on the history of the Steelers’ linebacker, too, through the eyes of Kirkland, Joey Porter, Chad Brown and Vince Williams. It’s a tradition unlike any other in the NFL. And Kirkland helps bring it all to life here on the pod for those in need of a little 90s nostalgia.
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Subscribe to GoLongTD.com today for full access to future hangouts with current and former players.
On this Go Long Happy Hour, subscribers hang out with former Bills quarterback Rob Johnson.
Ahead of the Bills' win over the Chiefs, Johnson shared some old Flutiemania stories, the fight at halftime of the Music City Miracle, discussed his turbulent career and a lot more.
For a full Q&A with Johnson, here's what we had at Go Long over the offseason.

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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

We'll include the 10-episode Isaiah McKenzie Show right here in the main Go Long Podcast feed. The Buffalo Bills wide receiver/returner is hanging out with Go Long all season long to take listeners beyond the press conference. He's authentic. He's real. He'll peel the curtain back on this game because that's what NFL fans deserve. You can also watch Episode 2 the Isaiah McKenzie Show right here at Go Long.
Do you live in or around Western New York? Want to see a live show in-person and hang out with McKenzie? Five of the 10 episodes will be held at Mister's Bar & Lanes in East Aurora, N.Y. Here are all dates with a full description of the show. (Go Long subscribers get first dibs on a table reservation, so feel free to upgrade to a subscription at GoLongTD.com.)
Thank you, everyone.
Enjoy the show.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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'll include the 10-episode Isaiah McKenzie Show right here in the main Go Long Podcast feed. The Buffalo Bills wide receiver/returner is hanging out with Go Long all season long to take listeners beyond the press conference. He's authentic. He's real. He'll peel the curtain back on this game because that's what NFL fans deserve. You can also watch Episode 1 the Isaiah McKenzie Show right here at Go Long.
Do you live in or around Western New York? Want to see a live show in-person and hang out with McKenzie? Five of the 10 episodes will be held at Mister's Bar & Lanes in East Aurora, N.Y. Here are all dates with a full description of the show. (Go Long subscribers get first dibs on a table reservation, so feel free to upgrade to a subscription at GoLongTD.com.)
Thank you, everyone.
Enjoy the show.
(And Isaiah McKenzie explaining the real reason he didn't go to Notre Dame.)
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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

We're 8-3-1 the last two weeks against the spread. Free money this episode...
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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

The timing was right to check in with the man who knows Lamar Jackson best.
Joshua Harris has been coaching the Ravens quarterback privately back to high school and still helps him week to week. He details the quarterback's rise -- and why he has always embraced a challenge. Also, Harris goes deep on why Jackson truly is "1 of 1" at the position, right down to how he reads NFL defenses in a different way.
And football in South Florida? It's insanely competitive from Pop Warner on. (More than you might think.)
Our interview with Harris starts at the 27:57 mark. Up to then, we discuss the Bills' demolition of KC, why Matthew Stafford isn't as good as you may think and, of course, Jon Gruden. The NFL probably isn't too worried about the bad headlines this week.
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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

To fans, the Buffalo Bills’ 38-20 domination of the Kansas City Chiefs felt like more than just another regular season win. This was the team that knocked the Bills off in the AFC title game, after all.

To players, it sure felt special, too.

On Episode 2 of the The Isaiah McKenzie, we relive the Buffalo win — from the weather delay to the budding Chiefs rivalry to Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes. McKenzie signed with the Bills in 2018, so he’s seen Allen’s maturation up close. What may surprise you is that he had no clue who Allen even was upon arriving in Western New York.

The receiver explains just how much his quarterback has grown since that rookie year.

And, big picture, Sunday night’s result is giving the 2021 Bills a ton of confidence.

“We know — we know — that we have to beat them,” McKenzie said on this week’s episode, “to show not only just them, but the world, that we come to play this game to win this game to show you that we’re not just any Buffalo Bills team. We’re not just a Buffalo Bills team that’s around to make it to the AFC Championship Game or have potential to make the playoffs every year now. We’re trying to win something bigger than that.

“The Chiefs, last year and the year before, were the standard. Patrick Mahomes. Tyreek Hill. Travis Kelce. I can go down the line. Tyrann Mathieu. They were the standard. Those guys had been winning. In order to beat them, you have to find winners that want to beat them.

“We’re trying to win and we know we have to go through them.”

There’s X ‘n O talk on how his jet sweep action helps fuel this offense as well as the roots of his fearlessness as a returner — McKenzie once suffered a concussion back in high school that knocked him out.

We give McKenzie a chance to elaborate on his Notre Dame decomittment. Our clip from last week, nearing 200K views, seemed to trigger the Fighting Irish a bit. (Yes, McKenzie was told he couldn’t have, uh, sexual relations on campus.)

With Georgia ranked No. 1 in the nation, we also look back to McKenzie’s college days, his relationship with Kirby Smart and how dangerous he was at wide receiver. Mel Kiper Jr. once compared his game to Antonio Brown.

Finally, we received some fantastic questions from subscribers, including one on Sean McDermott. McKenzie takes it upon himself to loosen his head coach up around One Bills Drive.

Thank you everyone for listening and watching this new show at Go Long and feel free to share episodes with a friend. All air right here at GoLongTD.com, as well as Apple, Spotify and YouTube.

Live nearby? Hang out with us in real life. Five of these 10 episodes are held at Mister’s Bar and Lanes in East Aurora, N.Y., with the next show slated for Monday, Oct. 25, at 6 p.m. (EST). Go Long subscribers get first dibs on a table — and they go fast! — so be sure to reserve your table today and note in the Open Table comment section that you’re a paid subscriber with your email address to confirm.

The remaining live show dates are below:

Monday, Oct. 25 (6 p.m.-7 p.m.)Monday, Nov. 1 (6 p.m.-7 p.m.)Monday, Nov. 22 (6 p.m.-7 p.m.)Monday, Jan. 3 (6 p.m.-7 p.m.)

Past episodes of The Isaiah McKenzie Show:

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