Go Long Podcast

His job is thankless. Seventy thousand fans filling a stadium are not fixating their binoculars on No. 63 in black.

But his job is exceptionally important to the entire operation. Down-in and down-out, he is the player unlocking doors in the offense. That’s why the Atlanta Falcons made him the highest-paid guard in NFL history last year at five years, $102.5 million.

Meet Chris Lindstrom, the best offensive guard in the NFL.

On this episode of “How the NFL Works, Lindstrom explains his job in meticulous detail. A profession that is equal parts brain and brawn. True, he must pummel linebackers into the turf. But being the best guard in football demands far more thinking than anyone knows. Lindstrom explains everything that goes into a wide-zone run, the “flow state,” how he harnesses intensity, how he bulked up in college, the toughest defensive tackles he’s ever faced and a ton more.

This has been a peculiar season for the Falcons, obviously.

We sat down with GM Terry Fontenot ahead of their wild offseason. Since then, the mandate’s been clear. This team expects to win in 2024 — and beyond — with their quarterback of the present (Kirk Cousins) and the future (Michael Penix Jr.) on the roster. One Thursday Night Football shootout against Tampa Bay supplied plenty of hope. But after racing to 6-3, the Falcons have backtracked with a pair of losses. They’ll try to get back on track against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

It’ll sure help to have Lindstrom — PFF’s No. 1-rated guard into 2024 — paving the way.

You can watch the video of our conversation above. If audio is preferred, just click that icon to the left of the screen on your desktop. This episode is also available on our Apple, Spotify and YouTube channels.

Here is the written Q&A transcript:

Thanks, all!

Go Long is your forever home for longform journalism in pro football.

Previous episodes of “How the NFL Works” below:

* 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 isn’t the first time a Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears football game came down to the final kick.

Nor will it be the last.

We take you deep into the 20-19 Packers win with Hall of Fame scribe Bob McGinn on this edition of the Ty & Bob Pod. As always, McGinn meticulously breaks down the film. Christian Watson enjoyed his finest day as a Packer. Xavie…

ORCHARD PARK, NY — Buffalo and Kansas City will meet again in January.

Because of course they will.

That’s how this rivalry works. Then — and only then — will the Bills truly feel satisfied knocking off Patrick Mahomes. But Sunday evening’s 30-21 triumph still felt like a major step in the right direction for Sean McDermott’s team.

In sum, they played to win. They let their own virtuoso at the position, Josh Allen, take over on fourth and 2.

I’ll have a column from the game at Go Long Monday AM. Until then, here’s an instant reaction video with Jim Monos, the team’s former director of personnel and 2009 Super Bowl champ with the Saints.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to download the app and catch future Substack Live videos, too.

Thanks, all!

GREEN BAY, Wisc. — Christmas decorations are going up in House Clark and just know that the Green Bay Packers’ hulking defensive tackle goes hard for the holidays. This family is getting into the spirit… and then some.

Head downstairs, into the man cave, and you’ll see massive action shots of Kenny Clark in the trenches.

One features Clark nose up on the ball, staring through the soul of a Carolina Panthers center. There are two game balls atop a fireplace mantle — one from a 10-3 win over the Bears in 2019, another from a 38-20 win over the Bears in 2023. That second ball holds a special place in his heart.

In a back corner are Normatec compression leg sleeves. He’s always seeking an edge. After all, those collisions at the line of scrimmage take a physical toll on a 6-foot-3, 314-pound man.

And in comfy sweatpants, the Packers’ grizzled nine-year stalwart in the middle takes a seat on a plush sectional sofa to chat again with Go Long.

Readers may remember our profile from the 2021 season. That’s when Clark opened up about his incarcerated father. Kenny Jr. was only 9 years old when Kenny Sr. was locked up for a murder he insisted he did not commit. (“My Dad did nothing wrong,” son said then.) Clark truly had no idea if his Dad would ever get to see him play — he was sentenced to a minimum of 55 years. To his shock, that moment finally arrived in Week 1 of the ‘23 season at Chicago. It was an emotional afternoon for Kenny Jr., for his mother, for everyone. After more appeals, court proceedings and heartache than he could ever recall, Kenny Clark finally has his father back.

Life is good.

His daughter, Kenaii, is growing fast and he’s got another baby girl on the way.

He inked a three-year, $64 million extension last July.

As for this year’s team? Clark hasn’t felt this hopeful in a long time. The three-time Pro Bowler who’s been on this team since 2016 has suffered plenty of crushing postseason over the years. Now, he’s the elder statesman on the youngest team in the league.

It only made sense to catch up with Clark on our recent reporting trip to Wisconsin.

Audio of our conversation is above for our latest edition of “How the NFL Works,” and the written transcript is here:

Right here is how one of the best of the best on the defensive line balances life and football in the heat of a playoff run.

Full episodes, as always, are available to Go Long subscribers.

Bring in that Christmas cheer!

Previous episodes of “How the NFL Works:”

* 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

Greetings from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport!

Always love flying back to the Badger State where the Spotted Cow tastes just as good as I remember and team president Mark Murphy essentially built an entirely new town around Lambeau Field. (Great work, Mark.) It was a very busy week of reporting for future stories at Go Long in Green Bay, Wisc. — make sure you’re subscribed to read ‘em all. But before heading to the airport to fly back to Western New York, I recorded this Substack Live with Peter Bukowski of “The Leap” and the Locked On Packers podcast.

We try to make a little more sense of the mess in Chicago and what the Bears could do to make Caleb Williams’ life easier.

Also, will we witness another second-half surge out of Jordan Love? The Packers sure hope so.

This was fun.

As a reminder, you can download the Substack app here to catch these impromptu videos with fellow Substackers live:

Miss our feature today? I caught up again with Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. He’s come a long way from nobody recognizing him at Elmo’s for chicken wings as a rookie. Hamlin opens up more on the night he died and came back to life.

His comeback represents the beauty of the sport.

Thank you for reading, subscribing and sharing, everyone.

Chicago Bears fans have descended from Cloud 9. The hype has subsided and the panic is here.

Ah, now, this is familiar territory for the franchise.

Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was fired on Tuesday and more changes could be on the horizon. The playcalling has been bad. The offensive line is battered and struggling. But how worried should the Bears be about No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams? Is starting Tyson Bagent a possibility? We get into everything here on the latest episode of the “Ty & Bob Pod” — your NFC North-centric podcast — with Hall of Fame scribe Bob McGinn.

Chicago’s depravity at the quarterback position was explored in our two-part series over the offseason. Williams was supposed to be different, and he still can be.

What a fragile time for Chicago.

Also on this episode, the Minnesota Vikings squeaked out an ugly 12-7 win over Jacksonville. This team has far exceeded expectations and enters the cupcake portion of its schedule, but Sam Darnold’s three picks are a concern.

The Detroit Lions found a way to win vs. Houston despite five interceptions from Jared Goff. We shouldn’t be surprised. The real question is whether or not James Houston relieved himself during the game. We investigate.

And, somehow, we meander into some Aaron Rodgers talk.

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General managers spend seven months meticulously crafting a plan for the NFL season.

They piece together a winning formula and sell a contender to ownership, media and fans alike.

But you know the legendary Mike Tyson quote. Everyone has a plan until they’re punched in the face. Here at the midway point of the 2024 NFL season, several teams must decide whether they’ve got a realistic chance to win with their current group or if it’s time to plan for 2025. Even then, it gets complicated — what goes into those 2025 plans? Who stays, who goes?

For our new show this season — “How the NFL Works” — I welcome back an old friend: Jim Monos.

My former podcast co-host worked as scout for the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints — winning a Super Bowl in 2009 — before taking over as the Buffalo Bills director of personnel 2013- ‘17. Now, he’s the GM for the Memphis Showboats of the UFL.

For an hour, we get into plenty…

* Are the Cincinnati Bengals contenders? Joe Burrow’s crew has a monster game tonight against the Baltimore Ravens.

* What now for the New York Giants. I tried to make sense of this team following their latest gut-punch loss in the Monday column. Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll decided to roll with Daniel Jones this season. While the 2-7 record isn’t all on the quarterback, Jones’ ceiling has been clear. We discuss how the Giants should navigate the rest of the season.

* The Bills are 7-2. Life’s always good when you’ve got Josh Allen at QB. But January Football should always be on this team’s brain. I ask Monos if the Bills are better equipped to win that inevitable playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

* Why the 2024 Bills remind Monos of his 2009 Saints.

* And throughout the pod, we connect the issues of NFL teams present to Monos’ past. He faced all of these quarterback decisions running the Bills with GM Doug Whaley. More specifically, he understands the danger in sticking with a QB who isn’t the answer. His lesson: Find your guy.

Audio is above. Video is below. You can also catch this episode everywhere you pod, including…

Apple

Spotify

YouTube

Make you download the Substack app where we’ll continue to film “Substack Live” videos, like this one after the Bills’ dramatic win over Miami.

Miss our latest feature? Here’s a profile on the marauding maniac central to everything in Minnesota: linebacker Blake Cashman.

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Jordan Love was careless.

Jared Goff was flawless.

And the Detroit Lions socked the Green Bay Packers with haymakers at the line of scrimmage — jarring considering all of the injuries to Dan Campbell’s crew.

We examine the 24-14 defeat in full here on the “Ty & Bob Pod.” Our Pro Football Hall of Famer Bob McGinn reviewed the tape and many of his findings will surprise you.

Also, the Minnesota Vikings snapped their two-game skid with a convincing 21-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts at home. It was not perfect. Sam Darnold threw two bad picks and there are questions on the offensive line. But Kevin O’Connell can take a lot of good from this win, from left tackle Cam Robinson’s debut to Justin Jefferson’s dominance to Brian Flores’ defense getting back to its chaotic ways.

Go Long paid subscribers can access the full hour and a half.

Packers-Lions talk starts the show and we get to the Vikings about an hour in. As always, the “McGinn Memory” tops us off.

Audio is above and video is below.

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Miss our Monday column? I wrote on Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll and the New York Giants’ direction.

Tyler Bass missed an extra point on Sunday afternoon against the Miami Dolphins and banked another one in.

So, of course, the Buffalo Bills kicker drilled the game-winner from 61 freakin’ yards.

What a thriller in Orchard Park as Buffalo outlasted Miami, 30-27, to improve to 7-2.

Here at Substack, we’ve now got the ability to bring you live videos. Right inside the app, we’ll start recording more instant reactions to various games and news stories. After this wild finish, it felt like a perfect time to welcome back my old podcast co-host Jim Monos. For those new to Go Long, Monos won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints as a southeast scout and served as the Bills’ director of personnel with former GM Doug Whaley.

Now, Monos is taking over as GM of the Memphis Showboats in the UFL this upcoming 2025 season.

He always brings a fresh perspective.

Here’s a quick half-hour on Bills-Dolphins and I’ll sit down with Monos again soon for an episode of “How the NFL Works.”

Thanks, everyone. Be sure to download the app for all future Substack Lives:

Go Long is your forever home for longform journalism in pro football.

We are completely powered by you.

The NFC North has been high drama from the get-go this 2024 NFL season.

All four teams quickly found hope through all four quarterbacks.

Now, the weather’s getting colder, the stakes are rising and we’ll see who can separate. This Sunday, the Detroit Lions (6-1) head to Wisconsin for a date with the Green Bay Packers (6-2). Both clubs are feeling damn good after victories. Who has the edge? How did each team score victories this past Sunday? This week’s episode of the Ty & Bod Pod — with Hall of Fame scribe Bob McGinn — explores in full.

Josh Jacobs has become central to the Packers offense. Rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper continues to be a menace. Jordan Love is now battling a groin injury. Jaire Alexander’s effort on a few plays left quite a bit to be desired. The Packers are a fascinating (and healthy) bunch right now. We get into everything.

The Lions, meanwhile, are again coping with a Jameson Williams incident. Not ideal!

Dan Campbell’s search for a pass rush has led him to strange places, too.

Elsewhere, the Chicago Bears lost in the most absurd fashion imaginable. Tyrique Stevenson, of course, was caught on camera taunting fans on the final Hail Mary. How did Caleb Williams play? It was an adventure for the No. 1 overall pick.

Minnesota lost to the Rams in L.A., and now must replace its dancing-bear left tackle, Christian Darrisaw. While we recording this episode, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah swung a trade for Cam Robinson.

Finally, the “McGinn Memory” is a classic. Let’s just say it involves quarterback Lynn Dickey and dog pee.

Go Long subscribers can access the full hour and 38 minutes of analysis. This was a fun one.

Audio is above and video is below.

My column from Monday recapping Week 8 is the NFL — focusing on GM Brian Gutekunst — is also live, icymi, as is this feature on Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr.

Thanks, all.

Go Long is your completely independent home for longform journalism in pro football.