Go Long

What a potpourri of a podcast we have for you this morning. The hilariously insightful Mike Tanier of Mike Tanier's Too Deep Zone is back on the Go Long Podcast.

Together, we make sense of this offseason’s scarce quarterback market.

Malik Willis is the crème de la crème of available quarterbacks — how good is he? (I’ll also examine in a column soon for subscribers.)

Yet again, the Pittsburgh Steelers are groveling to Aaron Rodgers. It makes zero sense. Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy do not need to do this.

And while it’s true that many teams are striving for that Sam Darnold-like middle class — one of many lessons to learn from Super Bowl LX — who’s worth $30 million per year? Finding the Next Darnold is a challenge. We also discuss the Steelers’ humiliating NFLPA report card… and those five toilets in the facility. Five! Things naturally go off the rails from there.

Tanier records live from Indianapolis where the NFL Combine isn’t what most think.

Thank you for listening and sharing, friends.

Go Long subscribers, as always, can access everything we have to offer through what promises to be an eventful offseason.

Also: Be sure to subscribe to Mike’s Substack for more humor and freshly cooked takes.

Miss any of our February Mailbag? Here are all three parts:

* Part I: Maxx Crosby Watch, Brandon Beane, Bills WR Plan, Jets reek, trades, Will Campbell’s future

* Part II: Matt LaFleur debate, “Indiana” Bears, kickers, NFL straying from its base?

* Part III: Which teams nailed their HC hire?

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

Life hits you fast in pro football. Last winter, Dan Quinn had a 14-5 team one win from the Super Bowl. Assistant coaches, one by one, praised him as the best culture-builder they’ve ever met. Jayden Daniels was the offensive rookie of the year. The Washington Commanders were here to stay.

Then, everything went haywire.

Daniels suffered multiple injuries. One fumble in the rain proved costly vs. Chicago. More injures struck the roster. Old players looked old. The Commanders stumbled to 5-12 and fired both of their coordinators.

On the podcast, let’s sift through the rumble and look ahead to 2026 with a man who covers this team inside and out on Substack: Ben Standig of Last Man Standig .

Last year went south. Fast. But the good news? Washington has the fifth-most projected cap space ($73.6 million) in the NFL and Daniels could always blow-torch defenses again.

Video and audio is above. You can also check out this episode on our Apple, Spotify and YouTube channels. Be sure to give Ben a follow. As you’ll learn on the pod, he brings incredibly sharp insight to a fascinating team.

Go Long is your forever home for longform.

We’ve got you covered through the entire offseason. We’ll post Part I of the February Mailbag later today.

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

SAN FRANCISCO — Defense rules again. Mike Macdonald and the Seattle Seahawks suffocated the New England Patriots from the jump. Gaining yards — period — was quite the adventure for Drake Maye, Josh McDaniels and an overwhelmed Patriots offensive line. (Sound familiar?)

After Seattle’s 29-13 win in Super Bowl LX, I wrote this column on Sam Darnold. His stoicism is an inspiration for all.

And give it up to this relentless Seahawks defense. Once again, teams across the NFL will try to find their own bodies to dominate the line of scrimmage. This was a thorough beatdown.

Here’s a quick solo podcast recapping the game before heading to my redeye flight east.

Miss any of our features and pods from Super Bowl Week? Links are below. And thank you for subscribing and supporting all season long.

Go Long is thriving because of you.

There is no offseason here. We’ll be examining everything behind that NFL curtain over the next seven months.

* Sam Darnold, Super Bowl LX and the power of stoicism

* ‘Tough son of a b***h:’ The Lessons of Sam Darnold

* Rare Hawks: Why Ty Okada & Jake Bobo embody the Seattle Seahawks

* Predictions!

* Pod: SI’s Conor Orr on Super Bowl LX & Ahman Green on the Green Bay Packers

* Q&A: Seahawks QB coach Andrew Janocko on the ‘resiliency’ of Sam Darnold

* Real Football: Seattle Seahawks-New England Patriots Super Bowl LX Preview!

* Carlton Davis: ‘I feel like it’s going to be another surprise win’

* Southern Comfort: Patriots’ gator-huntin’ rookie Will Campbell is 1 of 1

* ‘It’s incredible:’ Super Bowl LX’s roots are in Ron Wolf’s Green Bay Packers

* Pod: Stevie Johnson has a PSA for Buffalo Bills WR Keon Coleman!

* Best Super Bowl storyline? Terrell Williams is cancer-free, back on the Patriots sideline

* 1 on 1: Seahawks GM John Schneider on Packers roots, Sam Darnold, building a winner (again)

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

SAN FRANCISCO — Good morning! Welcome to Super Bowl LX.

We’ll bring you all the action live from Levi’s Stadium inside the app.

To get you primed, here’s a pair of conversations on the podcast.

First up, I’m joined by my good pal Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated. He wrote one of the best stories you’ll read this week on Mike Vrabel and the Patriots coach’s obsession with C4 energy drink. We offer our final thoughts on everything Patriots-Seahawks and tell tales from San Francisco. The Shure mic drops halfway through, but Conor’s excellent takes endure! Bear with us.

On the back half of this episode, I catch up with the Green Bay Packers’ all-time leading rusher on Radio Row in San Francisco: Ahman Green.

Green fills us in on everything going on in his life these days. He’s in the midst of a cleanse. Then, we dive right into the Packers’ brutal playoff loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Green has many sharp critiques. Matt LaFleur and his crew will need to do some soul searching this offseason. I also get his thoughts on the Packers’ workhorse back today. Green is naturally a big fan of Josh Jacobs.

Thanks for reading, listening and sharing.

Super Bowl LX links:

* ‘Tough son of a b***h:’ The Lessons of Sam Darnold

* Predictions!

* Q&A: Seahawks QB coach Andrew Janocko on the ‘resiliency’ of Sam Darnold

* Real Football: Seattle Seahawks-New England Patriots Super Bowl LX Preview!

* Carlton Davis: ‘I feel like it’s going to be another surprise win’

* Southern Comfort: Patriots’ gator-huntin’ rookie Will Campbell is 1 of 1

* ‘It’s incredible:’ Super Bowl LX’s roots are in Ron Wolf’s Green Bay Packers

* Pod: Stevie Johnson has a PSA for Buffalo Bills WR Keon Coleman!

* Best Super Bowl storyline? Terrell Williams is cancer-free, back on the Patriots sideline

* 1 on 1: Seahawks GM John Schneider on Packers roots, Sam Darnold, building a winner (again)

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 free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.golongtd.com

San Francisco has resembled a dystopia at times this week, but the football promises to be pure and beautiful. There’s so much to get into with our longtime scout Jim Monos on this week’s edition of “Real Football.”

Patriots. Seahawks.

Vrabel. Macdonald.

Wolf. Schneider.

Maye. Darnold.

How both teams reached Super Bowl LX is instructive for the other 30 NF…

He still believes.

He has (very) high praise for the Buffalo Bills’ embattled young receiver.

When in the Bay Area, you know we’ve got to catch up again with Stevie Johnson. We’ve covered his immense impact on both the position and the Bills in 2021, and then welcomed Johnson onto rip-roarin’ Happy Hours in 2022 and 2023. From Radio Row here in San Francisco at Super Bowl LX, I chatted with Johnson on a host of topics…

* Igniting a flame in WNY. He saw the need for fun.

* How he helped revolutionize the position… with the help of a few friends. Young receivers across the NFL say Johnson changed the sport with his inventive route running.

* How he learned to cook Darrelle Revis.

* Keon Coleman. How can the Bills receiver turn it on in Year 3?

* Separation. It’s been a problem for Coleman, but Johnson sees a solution.

* Out is Sean McDermott. In is Joe Brady. We get his thoughts on the state of the Bills.

Video and audio is available here as well as Apple, Spotify, everywhere you pod.

ICYMI, Go Long also sat down with Brandon Beane and Pete Guelli to guide you through the search for new head coach Joe Brady. Both had a lot to say.

Subscribers can access everything from Super Bowl Week.

Thank you for reading and sharing with a friend. We’re 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

The Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams staged a thriller of an NFC title game.

New England trudged through the snow with a tick more precision than the Jarrett Stidham-led Broncos.

We dissect both conference title games here on “Real Football” with co-host Jim Monos.

New here? Monos was an area scout for the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints before spending four seasons as the director of personnel for the Buffalo Bills. We discuss ‘n debate everything you saw on Sunday: Sean Payton going for it on fourth down, the Rams’ special teams disaster, Sam Darnold’s finest hour and Mike Vrabel’s dominant defense. (What a rebuild it’s been.)

Of course, here in Western New York, the Buffalo Bills’ search for a new head coach is heating up. They’ve interviewed a slew of candidates, from Brian Daboll to Grant Udinski. A decision could be made soon. After all, whoever’s the new head coach will need to flesh out a staff.

What is it like inside these interviews? Monos shares his experiences.

Also, we expand on the need for the Bills to sync up Josh Allen with a new coach. It’s crucial. It’s been missing.

This entire 74-minute episode is available to paid subscribers. No ads, no sponsors. We’re powered by YOU. Thank you for your patronage.

You can access this episode in its entirety above and inside the Substack app. If you prefer to listen on Apple or Overcast, bang it here to sync your account. Instructions on syncing on Spotify are also here.

Miss the three stories last week? Links here…

* Hunt for QB-HC harmony: Why Josh Allen is sitting in these meetings

* ‘What is success?’ The truth hurts...

* Why was Sean McDermott Fired?

Past episodes of Real Football:

* Sean McDermott is out, Brandon Beane is promoted... now what?

* Mile High Moment of Truth

* Wild Card Extravaganza!

* Soul-searching time for Chiefs & Bengals

* Your move, C.J. Stroud

* It’s Not Sunny in Philadelphia

* An Epiphany in Buffalo

* What’s wrong in Buffalo?

* Meet the NFL’s 2025 Party Crashers

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

Crushing playoff losses have consequences in the NFL.

Especially when those losses stack up to this extreme.

On Tuesday AM, we published this piece on why the Buffalo Bills finally moved on from Sean McDermott after nine seasons. Thank you to everyone who has subscribed and looked back at our three-parter (now unlocked) from December 2023.

What a perfect time to record an episode of “Real Football” with co-host Jim Monos. For those who don’t know, Monos served as the Bills’ director of personnel from May 2013 through 2017 after scouting for the Eagles and Saints. He and Doug Whaley led the search to hire McDermott once upon a time. On this episode — exclusive to our paid subscribers — Monos offers sharp perspective on everything.

He brings his experience from living a week like this himself and I share some more reporting from sources around the former Bills head coach.

We examine all angles of this decision and drive it forward. Urgency is high. Josh Allen isn’t getting any younger, the New England Patriots are back, it was high time for a change at One Bills Drive.

Go Long subscribers can access this episode in its entirety above and inside the Substack app. If you prefer to listen on Apple or Overcast, bang it here to sync your account. Instructions on syncing on Spotify are also here.

Greatly appreciate you all for watching and listening. We don’t rely on ads or sponsors around here. All stories and podcasts are completely powered by you. On the free list? Interested in accessing this pod and all coverage in full? Subscribe here.

And if you’re enjoying your time at Go Long, we’d love it if you shared the word with a friend.

Past episodes of Real Football:

* Mile High Moment of Truth

* Wild Card Extravaganza!

* Soul-searching time for Chiefs & Bengals

* Your move, C.J. Stroud

* It’s Not Sunny in Philadelphia

* An Epiphany in Buffalo

* What’s wrong in Buffalo?

* Meet the NFL’s 2025 Party Crashers

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

Of course, this one boiled down to more theatrics.

These 2025- ‘26 Chicago Bears know no other way.

Once again, Caleb Williams made a few mistakes throughout the course of the game. But once again, Caleb Williams supplied a throw for the ages. His touchdown to Cole Kmet at the end of regulation is one of the best our Bob McGinn has ever seen.

Here on your weekly NFC North pod, we analyze everything Bears-Rams and look ahead. Year 1 did not go well for Williams but — without question — the young QB accepted Ben Johnson’s hard coaching and supplied hope for the future. This division will be a lot of fun.

Go Long subscribers can access this episode in its entirety above and inside the Substack app. If you prefer to listen on Apple or Overcast, bang it here to sync your account. Instructions on syncing on Spotify are also here.

On our free list? Looking to upgrade? You can subscribe here.

Also, here is my piece on the firing of Sean McDermott.

Looking forward to a Happy Hour discussion tonight. Join me at 8 p.m. (EST).

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 heard from the Texans defenders. That’s one nickname Calen Bullock, Kamari Lassiter and the gang kicked around. A simple “SWARM” works, too.

This week, Drake Maye assured us all in Foxborough that he understands what’ll happen if he tries to escape the pocket to gain yards against this Houston unit.

“Those guys, especially at the linebacker level, they’re trying to take your head off. … They tackle the ball carrier hard and they’ll make you pay for it.”

There will be blood on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. This is — without a doubt — the greatest test yet for New England’s 23-year-old wunderkind.

Let’s welcome back the excellent Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston to see how Maye and the Patriots will counter the best defense in the NFL. Phil hosts The Next Pats Podcast and co-hosts Tom Curran's Patriots Talk. Absolutely love learning everything we can from Phil.

Video and audio is above.

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

OUTLAWS:

* Part I: ‘We want you to remember when you played the Texans’

* Part II: Why Azeez Al-Shaair and these Houston Texans ‘savages’ seek and destroy

Links:

* ‘Who’s willing to shed blood?’ Hard coaching makes a comeback

* ‘We’re savages:’ The Houston Texans’ defense aims for history

* Mark your calendar: Isaiah McKenzie is BACK for an NFL Playoffs Happy Hour

* Real Football: Mile High Moment of Truth

* Ty & Bob S4 E17: Autopsy look at the Green Bay Packers’ wild-card calamity in Chicago

* Hall of Fame pits greats against each other

* And then there were EIGHT: On Cole Bishop & Bills D delivering, Caleb/Maye, John Schneider’s mastery, more

* Matt LaFleur, the Green Bay Packers and the art of a choke

* It’s Year 9. The Bills (again) have the talent to reach the Super Bowl, but will they?

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