Good morning, readers. A quick pause from football if I may…

Live in the Western New York area? Looking to support a good cause?

The six-year-old son of one of my high school football teammates is battling brain cancer. This coming Saturday June 13 from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Great Valley, NY Fire Hall about an hour south of Buffalo, their family is holding a fundraising event. As noted in the graphic above, there will be a basket raffle, silent auctions, 50/50 and a ton of fun stuff planned for your kids.

Tickets are only $20 per person and kids under 12 are free. This gets you some chicken BBQ and two drink tickets.

The address is 6035 Depot St Great Valley, NY 14741.

I’ll be there with our family. Be sure to say hello if you’re able to make the trip.

And if you cannot attend but would like to donate, feel free to scan the Venmo code above or the link here.

I met up with Boe’s uncle and aunt this past weekend and, man. All I can say is that this little guy is a damn fighter.

Thanks, everyone.

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ORCHARD PARK, NY — His life is heading to the big screen.

Crossroad Productions is currently developing “Breakaway Ray,” which promises to be high drama worth your time.

In a league full of rags-to-riches tales, the upbringing of Ray Davis is particularly harrowing. The Buffalo Bills running back — as we’ve chronicled — grew up on the fringes of society itself. He became a ward of the state at age 8 and spent three different stints living in a homeless shelter: age six, eight and 12.

Some of his foster parents were fine. Others were abusive. He never knew when they’d simply get sick of him and throw him out. Whenever that two-week notice dropped, Davis scrambled to find a friend with a free couch or floor. One time, a foster parent put in the notice without even telling him. He found out on that 14th day and had no clue where to go.

As everyone will see on film one day, his resulting running style is a direct reflection of these roots. He’d go on to tear up defenses with Temple, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. As the Wildcats bell-cow back in ‘23, Davis carried the ball 199 times for 1,129 yards (5.7 avg.) and 14 touchdowns. “I let people feel me,” Davis told me in ‘24. “I let motherfuckers know it’s a long game. It’s a long, long game.”

The movie promises to be gripping for all viewers.

But this current life script? In the NFL? This isn’t exactly going according to plan.

Davis was an All-Pro kick returner in Year 2, and that was nice. But the team’s 5-foot-8, 211-pound wrecking ball is dying to prove his worth as a running back in the NFL. After chatting with Davis about his quarterback for our Friday Feature on Josh Allen, I figured we were overdue to ask what people should expect out of Ray Davis this season.

He began by admitting he’s trying to answer that same question to himself — he’s got no clue.

Then, Davis didn’t mince words.

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I’ll never forget exactly where I was when a co-worker at Bleacher Report texted me a warning: everyone was about to get whacked. My truck had just pulled into the Spot Coffee parking lot in Hamburg, NY — a go-to office away from the office. The 2020 NFL season was closing in, fast, and I was eager to chip away at one story in-particular.

That quarterback revolutionizing the quarterback position in Kansas City? Patrick Mahomes? Yeah, the owner of the Buffalo Bills loved him. Terry Pegula was all, all, all in on the Texas Tech quarterback early as October ‘16. Back when Mel Kiper Jr. viewed him as a third-round pick.

Fresh off a funky Year 2 for the Bills’ current quarterback — the 2019 wild card put all talent, all warts on full display — I planned on doing a deep dive on Josh Allen.

Given the Mahomes context, nobody faced more pressure in the league than Allen.

B/R decided it didn’t care anymore about writing and, honestly, the feeling was relief.

The more I learned about Substack and the idea of independent media, the more creating Go Long was a no-brainer. I could not wait to create a forever home for real, raw pro football storytelling. B/R, of course, wasn’t alone. All oligarchs in sports media were ditching longform for lists and BS in the name of clicks and ad revenue. So rather than rely on the vision of someone who doesn’t care that much about journalism, I figured I’d create something for people that do want to invest 20 to 25 minutes of their time reading about the NFL.

Maybe people would respond. Maybe they wouldn’t. I wasn’t sure.

The first thing I did was ramp up the reporting on that Allen story.

In November ‘20, we launched our site with this 2-parter:

Allen delivered.

Allen detonated.

Allen hasn’t looked back.

Your reaction to this mini series helped sharpen our vision. It was clear right out of the chute that there are droves of fans who want to see what’s cookin’ behind the scenes around the entire league. And since I live here in Western New York, we’ve done our best to track everything Bills (and Allen). From 13 Seconds to Allen’s rise to 9/11 speeches to that HC-QB relationship to smashing the title window, sitting right in Sean McDermott’s office, more playoff heartache, several player profiles (like these on Damar Hamlin, Dalton Kincaid and Jordan Poyer) and, then, everything we’ve seen this wild offseason.

This past week, Go Long came full circle in the form of a 1-on-1 sitdown with Josh Allen.

To everyone who subscribes, thank you for making us part of your life. Feel free to email me at golongtd@substack.com if you have any questions or would just like to say hello.

To those on our free mailing list, it’s a swell time to upgrade to read this piece in full.

My promise is to always put your investment to good use. I’ve been traveling the country for more profiles and deep dives this offseason that’ll roll out over the coming weeks and months.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

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Here are a few quotes from Josh Allen below. Much more insight in the story linked above.

“Every year you go through something. Scottie Scheffler talks about it all the time — the absurdism of ‘Why do I want to win this so badly? What’s the point of going out there and winning?’ Because at the end of the day you win and it’s on to the next. You’re just trying to win again. Those emotions that go on, it’s like, ‘Damn it. Every year that’s gone by, we haven’t gotten it done.’ The fire inside of me continues to push and want to get over that hump. No matter how crazy it seems. I want to accomplish something. I’ve set my mind to it and I want to accomplish it and I’m going to keep trying until I do.”

“This city winning a Super Bowl is the last greatest sports story in all of the world. I really do believe that. I want to be the guy that does it.”

“I’m going to play football how I know how to play it until I can’t. And when I can’t play it the way I want to play it, it’s probably when I’m done. But hopefully that’s still quite some time.”

“I’m a firm believer in no Plan B because it distracts from Plan A. That was my whole thing. I was like, ‘I’m going to figure it out.’ And I’ve always told myself in the NFL that there are two types of players: guys that figure it out and guys that get figured out. So I’ve always wanted to be in the first one there. Figuring it out.”

“I truly believe I’m stepping into the best version of myself.”

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Good morning! What a wild five months it’s been for the Buffalo Bills. All offseason long, we’ve guided you through all seismic changes right here at Go Long.

All stories are linked below.

New here? We’d love to welcome you as a paid subscriber.

I want NFL longform.

Current member? You can always share the word.

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Thanks, all.

Why was Sean McDermott Fired?

The goal is Super Bowls. With Josh Allen, the urgency has never been higher. Go Long talks to people with direct knowledge of the decision.

More:

‘What is success?’ The truth hurts...

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

‘He wants to win the whole damn thing:’ Inside the Buffalo Bills’ decision to hire Joe Brady as HC

The closer you look, the more it’s crystal clear why Terry Pegula, Brandon Beane and the Bills replaced Sean McDermott with Joe Brady. We take you inside the interview process.

Joe Brady takes charge, Part I: ‘I’ll set my jaw’

Sprinting onto the field in high school. Sleeping on a hotel floor. Authoring his own scouting reports. Who is the Buffalo Bills’ new head coach? A man with an “edge” who’s always in attack mode.

Joe Brady takes charge, Part II: ‘They’ve got to play us’

The head coach and quarterback are kindred spirits. Both, long ago, weren’t wanted in this sport. Now? All Joe Brady must do is win a Super Bowl. He won’t lose the plot.

‘My chip is deeper:’ Our 1 on 1 with Bills GM Brandon Beane

DJ Moore, Bradley Chubb, the 2026 draft. The Buffalo Bills boss details his thinking behind all roster construction. And, yes. He knows there’s pressure to win it all.

Why the DJ Moore trade is a win for the Buffalo Bills

‘He’s that guy:’ NFL WR coach on DJ Moore

Defense? Again? For the Buffalo Bills, it’s about the bigger picture in 2026...

Josh Allen, reborn

The heart and soul of the Buffalo Bills sits down with Go Long for an exclusive 1 on 1. As he enters the next stage of his football life, Josh Allen has more clarity than ever.

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We’ve got a new episode of “Real Football” with former NFL exec Jim Monos live as well:

Miss our three-part series in December 2023? All stories are unlocked to read, icymi:

• Part I: Blame Game

• Part II: Lost in translation

• Part III: Let Josh be Josh

2025 player profiles:

• Jordan Poyer’s Last Stand

• License to Kill: Jackson Hawes infusing Buffalo Bills (and the NFL) with a ‘Full Send Mindset’

• Q&A: Dawson Knox freed his mind... and knows his Buffalo Bills can, too

• Q&A: ‘I need this,’ a chat with Christian Benford

• The Revenge of Dalton Kincaid

On the field, the NFL remains a merit-based enterprise. Perform, and you’ll see a raise. Millions of dollars fill your bank account. Fail, and you’ll be released. Ejected into a new 9-to-5 reality. The entire world sees exactly what you bring (or don’t bring) to a football team. There’s no guesswork. Off the field, it gets murky. We don’t always know who’s good and who’s bad at their job. Owners who are present have a chance to snuff out used-car salesmen and hire the best people. Owners who are not — George McCaskey has claimed to be just a “fan” in Chicago — suffer from an abundance of blind spots.

A business plan that allows people like Kevin Warren to consolidate power.

In our House of Dysfunction series last summer, the grand poobah of these Chicago Bears was skewered by employees past and present for creating a culture of fear at Halas Hall.

Bottom line, he was hired in January 2023 to build a stadium.

It’s now June 2026.

At this rate, George R.R. Martin will publish “The Winds of Winter” before dirt is moved.

Warren first promised “shovels in the ground” by 2024. That didn’t happen. Warren then targeted 2025. That didn’t happen. Instead, legions of Bears fans have been treated to nothing but empty press releases, sugar-high interviews and, mostly, mud-slinging between Warren and these politicians. Downtown? Arlington Heights? Hammond, Indiana? This week’s news is the most damning yet and a sign that — as promising as 2025 was for these Bears — a stench still lingers.

Miss the Bears series? All three parts are now unlocked: Part I, Part II and Part III.

Subscribers can access everything at Go Long.

The Illinois legislature ended its spring session Monday AM without passing a bill that would’ve laid the foundation for the Bears to build a new home 26 miles from the city in Arlington Heights. The previous president, Ted Phillips, purchased the 326-acre property for $197.2 million. Unless there’s a special session in the summer, Illinois state legislature won’t convene again until November.

The Bears can build their stadium without tax assistance (ha!) or, as locals feared, pivot out of state.

Indiana has already passed legislation to attract the Bears.

A common theme has developed through the stadium stalemate.

Political reporters in Springfield keep hearing one name.

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Miss our latest profile? Go Long sat down with New York Giants wide receiver Calvin Austin III for 2+ hours over dinner in New Jersey.

Look deeper into his past and it’s evident he’s exactly what this organization needs.

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Ten years and one month ago, Rex Ryan strutted up to a podium inside First Niagara Center in downtown Buffalo to introduce the Republican nominee for President of the United States. A businessman by the name of Donald J. Trump. It was a wild night — stick around for video footage at the bottom of this post. Back then, I was covering the event as a Bills beat writer for The Buffalo News. As I walked to the media viewing zone alongside Mike Rodak of ESPN and Matthew Fairburn of Syracuse.com— lanyards around necks, laptops in tow — we were serenaded with boos.

New York always votes blue, of course. Nothing happening here was going to change the election. Yet, the area was packed. Right then, I remember thinking Trump just might pull a November upset.

Rex did Rex, pumping up the crowd with prepared battle cries.

There was backlash. Locally and nationally.

A decent amount of players on the Buffalo Bills roster certainly weren’t thrilled with the political affiliation of their boss. Eventually, OTAs came around. Then, minicamp, Then, training camp. Then, those 2016 Bills went 7-9 and Ryan was promptly fired.

There was plenty of squabbling in those Bills locker rooms. The season prior, multiple vets were pissed at Mario Williams for quiet quitting and, per one vet, caring more about his remote control cars than playing football. Sammy Watkins demanded the ball 10 times a game. Percy Harvin essentially vanished from the team. LeSean McCoy kissed the Eagles logo ahead of a game against his old team. The team’s offensive line coach (allegedly) punched a boy and threatened to kill his family over the use of a beach chair. The club picked up one defensive end, IK Enemkpali, who slugged his own Jets QB in the jaw… and then made him the captain ahead of one primetime Bills-Jets game.

When Rex hired his twin brother Rob into ‘16 — the real alpha brother — Buffalo’s defense only got worse.

If we were to conduct a forensic study of the Rex Era Bills, his decision to introduce Trump at a rally would hardly register. I knew a few players on the left end of the political spectrum in the locker room who didn’t give a damn about his voting preference. They also recall Rex’s pregame speeches as some of the best they’ve heard in their lives. But, man. They hated his scheme. They’re still pissed that he somehow managed to ruin a good thing on defense.

Which brings us to Jaxson Dart.

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Good afternoon! Greetings from the Outer Banks. The Go Long Fam trucked it south for a vacation. Years past, I’ve driven from Western New York, right on through the mountains of West Virginia to North Carolina at night while everyone was sleeping. That can feel something like a video game avoiding deer on the I-77, but not going to lie. It was nice catching up on an audiobook or five.

This time, our caravan of five traveled in the daylight. I can report that all kids were A+.

That doesn’t mean we’ll hit the pause button here at the site. Last week was quiet so I could finish up our next profile. We’ll keep the content humming.

Looking forward to sharing this one.

On Tuesday AM, you can read our piece on New York Giants wide receiver Calvin Austin III. We sat down for 2+ hours over dinner in New Jersey recently.

What an offseason it’s been in Giants Country. Hope is renewed. As we wrote a few weeks back, John Harbaugh and Joe Schoen hit it off over shared scars. The GM then received a new contract. This roster is suddenly chockfull of promising young talent. Jaxson Dart showed signs of being the long-term answer. The defense is loaded with pass rushers. It’s time for this team to win.

What’s missing? A spark. A player who’ll bring life to dilapidated MetLife Stadium.

As we learn, Austin — the hero of Pittsburgh’s win over Harbaugh’s Ravens in Week 18 — can be that weapon. He takes us through a wildly turbulent football life. Nobody believed in a receiver just shy of 5 foot 8. There were snubs. There was mockery. But thanks to a strong relationship with his Dad and unrelenting belief, here he is.

Calvin Austin III fully expects to break out this 2026 season.

Thank you for reading and sharing, everyone.

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ICYMI:

Here’s a guest column from my co-host of “Real Football.” Jim Monos worked as an area scout for the Philadelphia Eagles (2000- ‘04) and New Orleans Saints (2005- ‘13) before taking over as the Buffalo Bills director of personnel (May 2013- ‘17). Today, he works for the UFL.

We always love getting his fresh perspective on this sport.

Go Long is powered by you.

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By Jim Monos

Offensive play is overrated.

Take a breath all football purists. Obviously the O-Line is not completely overrated. Better word may be overvalued. The easiest excuse analysts use when an offense is struggling is “the line is not good enough.” Such a weak and soft analogy. Nobody really understands how hard it is to play offensive line.

The offensive line room is unique. Always has been. Nobody really wants to play offensive line if you do not have to. It can be a miserable existence. You rarely get any credit, you feel underpaid, under-appreciated and every day is physically draining. When you commit to being a top-level offensive lineman, you are committing to living overweight physically and consistently have to fight another man to cash your checks.

No easy days.

Building an offensive line is what needs discussed. I am convinced that taking an offensive lineman in the first round is a complete waste of time unless he is an everyday starter at offensive tackle.

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Press conferences will be held. Everyone will say the right thing. Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy will minimize tales of friction years past and/or claim absence makes the heart grow fonder. It’s been 7 1/2 years since the two split in ugly fashion.

A lot has happened in those 7 1/2 years, too.

Rodgers won two more MVPs, bellyflopped in the playoffs, regressed to a bottom-third starting quarterback. He’s 42.

McCarthy won 12 games three seasons in a row with the Dallas Cowboys, before (understandably) growing tired of Jerry’s World. The Cowboys moved on after five seasons. The Pittsburgh Steelers brought their native son home to replace Mike Tomlin. He’s 62.

Now, the two are set to reunite. According to 93.7 The Fan, Rodgers will be in Pittsburgh Thursday night with the expectation of signing this weekend. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport added that a deal should be finalized soon. All offseason, the complicated fella was the quintessential middle-aged man in a midlife crisis tapping through an old high school girlfriend’s Facebook photos. The jig is up. Options were extremely limited. So, now, he’ll try to rekindle a fire that burnt out long ago.

This constitutes as the saddest story of the NFL offseason.

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OK, nobody is insinuating that we should all sprint directly through the sternums of other human beings at maximum velocity. Although, let’s face it. We all know someone who refuses to deplane with row-by-row chivalry. Those heathens deserve a trip to the blue medical tent. Come to think of it, all community relations departments for all 32 NFL teams should collaborate with Delta, Southwest and JetBlue to unleash linebackers on the dregs of society trying to shave 1.7 seconds off their commute to Gate B5.

I get it. You see the name in the headline above — Azeez Al-Shaair — and immediately imagine the worst this sport has to offer.

The Houston Texans linebacker has been universally dubbed the dirtiest player in football. After his hit on Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence during the 2024 NFL season, the NFL’s own VP of Football Operation Jon Runyan made a public spectacle out of Al-Shaair, declaring to the sport’s millions upon millions of consumers that the Texan had zero respect for the sport itself.

“He wrote the letter,” Al-Shaair told us, “as if I personally slapped him in the face.”

That week, Al-Shaair was admonished by roughly 99.9 percent of the public.

It’s an extremely violent play. We’ll get to the logistics of it all.

But in that moment of uproar, what got completely lost in the discourse is everything that preceded that seven-second clip.

How Al-Shaair escaped a burning home at age 12, saving his two brothers and one niece. How his family of 11 became homeless and crammed into an extended-stay motel at $370/week. How he’d take the city bus 2 1/2 hours to school — it took so long because he needed to drop his little brothers off at elementary school on the way. How he wore the same clothes every day. How he tried not to eat his lunch because Al-Shaair knew the little ones back home needed food more than him.

How football became his release. He had no off switch. At Florida Atlantic, he’d fight with teammates on the field and study film at 3 a.m. off it.

How those two brothers saved from the flames moved in with him at college because cockroaches were scattering across the floor back home. He didn’t want them going down the wrong path.

How he led the Conference USA in tackles as a junior, tore his ACL as a senior and competed in linebacker drills at his pro day 140 days later.

How he defied all odds to crack the San Francisco 49ers’ 53-man roster… royally pissing off Kyle Shanahan that camp.

The player, no, the person was reduced to nothing but a repulsive villain in the wake of that Jaguars melee. And as Al-Shaair revealed to Go Long in a two-part series on the Texans defense, it all steered him down a very, very dark road.

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Quarterback conviction is the most valuable sixth sense anyone in this sport can possess.

Fail to secure hope at this position and, in due time, everyone is fired.

Hit the bull’s eye and you’re immortalized in franchise lore. You’re Ron Wolf retelling the moment you saw something special in Brett Favre.

Of course, even in 2026, it’s harder than ever to get this position right. The NFL draft, like this year’s crop, can be desolate. Very rarely does a talented quarterback make it to free agency. Reclamation projects are a crapshoot. So, here’s a concerning alternate universe for fans of the New York Giants. “You look at this year’s quarterback class,” says one team source. “Can you imagine if we didn’t get Jaxson? Brutal.”

Shudder to think where this NFC East doormat would be if they did not jump back into Round 1 last spring to select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. This was a club employing Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. That draft crept into the 20s and GM Joe Schoen pulled the trigger, dealing the Houston Texans his team’s second-rounder (No. 34), third-rounder (No. 99) and a ’26 third-rounder for the consequential 25th overall pick.

Injuries ravaged personnel around him. L’s have mounted and it cost head coach Brian Daboll his job.

Yet, Dart still managed to dazzle through his 12 starts as a rookie. And it’s exactly those glimmers of hope — coupled with a sneaky accumulation of talent — that helped convince the No. 1 coach on the market to accept this job. John Harbaugh could’ve taken his 193 career wins anywhere. He chose the Giants and, hell no, a man this smart, this experienced is not choosing the Giants if he doesn’t see a roster with building blocks in place.

Declaring any team Offseason Champs is risky business. The Giants haven’t even played a game yet. But from the moment Harbaugh put pen to paper, this team has only gained steam.

Nobody in the NFL has enjoyed a better four months.

The staff is stocked with experience. Into March, he told free agents he’s building a “bully.” The pitch worked. The Giants selected four players in the top 74 who can help immediately: menacing linebacker Arvell Reese, mauling lineman Francis Mauigoa, cornerback Colton Hood and wide receiver Malachi Fields. Reese has a case to make as the best player in the entire draft.

Internally? Everywhere we’re hearing at Go Long is that the Giants have genuine harmony. No easy feat for any team. The relationship between Harbaugh and Schoen has only strengthened. The expectation is for these two to work together in 2026 — and beyond.

There’s hope, real hope, for the New York Giants.

Right?

Right?!

Let’s explore.

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Free agency is over. The draft is over.

OTAs nationwide open soon. Followed by minicamp. Followed by training camp.

Before we all know it, yes, the ball will be kicked on this 2026 NFL season.

A perfect time for another marathon mailbag. Email all inquiries to golongtd@substack.com.

Ask anything you’d like and I’ll make calls around the league to get you answers.

Let’s dig into some topics that would make Red House, NY native Marv Hubbard proud.

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ICYMI, a conversation with Brandon Beane:

What do the NFL scouts think about the prospects your favorite team drafted?

Here are all links to Bob McGinn’s 42nd annual draft series:

• Part 1, WR: Who’s the next star wideout?

• Part 2, TE: Kenyon Sadiq and the hunt for matchup nightmares

• Part 3, T: Why Francis Mauigoa ‘n co. may define the 2026 NFL Draft

• Part 4, G/C: Why this is the year to draft a center

• Part 5, QB: The Fernando Mendoza Question

• Part 6, RB: Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love? ‘The best NFL prospect in this draft

• Part 7, DL: Secure your space-eater

• Part 8, Edge: Deep 2026 class promises to torment quarterbacks

• Part 9, LB: How should an NFL team unleash Arvell Reese?

• Part 10, CB: McCoy? Delane? Hood? Inside the debate at the top...

• Part 11, S: Why Caleb Downs, a ‘slam dunk,’ is one of the best players in the NFL Draft

• Part 12, ST: The kicking revolution is here

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We’ve been reporting on the Bills transition since the 2026 season ended. Links below if you missed anything.

Joe Brady two-parter:

The hiring:

The firing:

• Why was Sean McDermott Fired?

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

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

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Draft grades are here! Hoard supplies. Take shelter. Hug your loved ones. Barring an Amish-extreme media blackout, nobody is safe… and, oh no. What’s that lurking on Instagram? 2027 mocks have arrived to eat your brain cells.

Of course, it’s impossible to accurately assess how any of the 257 players selected over the course of 72 hours will perform with their new NFL teams.

Here’s what everyone should do, however.

Pull up the draft history of your favorite team on Pro Football Reference, look back five years and judge accordingly.

The assumption for the Buffalo Bills heading into the 2026 draft was that they’d prioritize defensive pieces for new coordinator Jim Leonhard — especially after shipping a second-round pick for veteran wide receiver DJ Moore. There’s a strong argument for acting exactly as Howie Roseman does in Philadelphia by trading up. To hell with future picks in the name of chasing a premier talent in the top 20. Instead, Brandon Beane traded down three times, back into the second to select Clemson edge rusher T.J. Parker and Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun. Many constituents are not pleased.

Rather than draw blanket conclusions on these two prospects, let’s look back.

The Bills have been hammering defense for ages. Last season, they went D-D-D-D-D with their first five picks. Before that, they’ve been investing heavily into the defensive line.

Watching the voracious discourse melt down X brought back memories of our chat with Bills GM Brandon Beane exactly one year ago. When I brought up Philadelphia’s beatdown of Patrick Mahomes — the Chiefs QB didn’t cross midfield until his team was down 34-0 — Beane was very quick to point out that building a dangerous pass rush has always been a focus of his. He’s been investing both draft capital and free agency dollars in defensive line since Year 1. Elite quarterbacks can, in fact, bleed. To him, the carnage inside the Superdome was not revelatory. Nor was Tampa Bay chasing Mahomes around for 497 yards worth of scrambling before sacks and throws a few Super Bowls prior. He cited the Carolina Panthers teams past he witnessed up close and said he knew what needed to be done.

When asked what gives him confidence Sean McDermott and the Bills staff could use the new pieces on defense to get different results, he was matter of fact.

“Yeah, I mean that’s what we have to do,” the GM said. “Everyone’s on board and that’s how we’re attacking it.”

There were highs, lows, injuries and the same January bellyflop.

The Bills fired Sean McDermott.

Beane stayed.

Joe Brady was promoted to head coach.

This organization is basically plastering its belief in gigantic letters across new Highmark Stadium.

Go Long is your home for longform in pro football.

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They believe McDermott was the problem even more than anyone thinks. Specifically, in this case, his ability to coach defensive football. Agree. Disagree. For nearly a decade, a defensive coach was supplied resources on the defensive side of the ball and owner Terry Pegula expected more in the games that matter most. There was no daring leap up the board for an April splash, no Micah Parsons- or Maxx Crosby-level blockbuster trade for a singular superstar/savior in March. The Bills spread some cash around in free agency (Bradley Chubb, Dee Alford, C.J. Gardner-Johnson), added more potential contributors in the draft and identified the overall philosophy of the defense as the true infection. Stagnation. Predictability. Bend-don’t-break logic that works vs. Geno Smith and Tua Tagovailoa but never in the postseason.

It’s why we’ve heard the word attack so relentlessly.

It’s why Brady was the choice. His approach to the sport is different.

All of which ratchets up the pressure to deliver this year. Nothing has changed in that regard. Buffalo will not be judged on a random weekend in April. When it’s time to get a stop vs. Mahomes or Burrow or (God forbid) Bo Nix, will the 11 players on defense be instructed to play on their heels? Or attack? A mentality shift is required. By law, we’re required to again repeat those non-kneeldown stats in the team’s last six (of eight) playoff defeats.

They’re as pleasant as a 2x4 to the face:

• 52 non-kneeldown drives

• 25 touchdowns

• 13 field goals

• 12 punts

• 1 missed field goal

• 3 turnovers

• 199 points allowed … good for 3.83 points per drive. (Higher than the 2007 Patriots.)

Numbers this bad demand consequences. Watching the Eagles defense in ’24 or the Seahawks in ’25 before flipping over to Buffalo’s defense induces a Sopranos-to-Bluey whiplash. Rather than clean house with a team that’s won 66 percent of its regular-season games under this HC and GM, Pegula removed the defensive coach from the equation. We’ll see if it works. The other option is thinking McDermott will get it right the ninth time around in the playoffs.

As nine interviews for the HC vacancy raged on, Pegula was likely thinking that he made the right choice. Through those conversations, the Bills learned a lot about themselves. One enlightening tidbit of information? Around the NFL, offenses viewed their defense as elementary by modern standards. Pre-snap, candidates said they knew what McDermott was trying to do and effectively audibled into the correct play.

Architectural design, gameplanning and playcalling were re-confirmed as major problems.

This year’s draft struck me as just another step toward Buffalo’s hope of an entirely new vision on defense.

With the Bills leading 27-23 in the AFC divisional round — and 55 seconds to go — Sean Payton and the Broncos saw Tre’Davious White go down, saw Dane Jackson enter the game and realized the Bills were leaving that ice-cold replacement in 1-on-1 coverage. Nix found Marvin Mims for a 26-yard touchdown. These are the decisions that win or lose playoff games.

The inverse of this all is what Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo did to Buffalo on fourth and 5 in the AFC Championship one year prior. All game, the Chiefs threatened to blitz the right side of the Bills’ line… and backed off. This time, “Spags” sent the house and flustered Josh Allen into a prayer of a heave. A ruthless ambush that guard O’Cyrus Torrence admitted took everyone by surprise. One Chiefs assistant coach told us during the subsequent Super Bowl week that the Chiefs designate one person to study the offensive line’s protections. That’s it. That’s all this person does. Each down and distance, he tracks their movement patterns.

Intel is relayed to Spagnuolo and Andy Reid in real time.

When it’s time, KC pulls the trigger.

This is what high-level coaching looks like.

What high-level coaching does not look like is Greg Rousseau noting in the same game that the Chiefs ran plays they never saw before. Such as pulling a tackle left and running a QB keeper right in a diamond formation.

There’s two ways to interpret the January failings. McDermott would argue he needs players capable of winning 1-on-1’s across the board. He took not-so-subtle shots at the roster frequently last season. Beane would argue that he’s been supplying players of all shapes and sizes. There’s been hits and misses. Buffalo was talented enough to beat the Chiefs in the regular season five times before the four playoff defeats. Something is amiss.

Onto this ‘26 class, I see no problem in trying to enrich the two most critical positions on defense at No. 35 and No. 62 overall. Parker joins Chubb and Rousseau in that ongoing effort to make quarterbacks finally sweat in the postseason. Igbinosun will play more than anyone thinks. The most telling part of Beane’s post-draft presser was when he was asked about drafting a cornerback vs. a player at a position with a clearer path toward starting sooner.

“Corners are premium positions,” Beane said, “if you look at who makes the top dollars in the league. If you look at our season last year—and it’s happened before—those guys are all going to play. It’s a long season. When you have corners who are not capable, they get bull’s eyes on them. Real fast. Especially when you’re playing the primetime quarterbacks, the primetime offenses in this league.

“Think of how many guys we went through last season that played in the playoffs for us — or helped us get to the playoffs. You’re going to need those guys.”

He later labeled cornerback the team’s No. 1 need headed into the draft.

With Christian Benford and Maxwell Hairston slated to start, this may sound odd.

That is, until you remember how those last two playoff games ended.

In ’25, Denver immediately targeted Jackson on that critical play. He was called up to the 53 one week prior. Denver also went after safety Darnell Savage for a touchdown when Cam Lewis went down. In ’24, Kansas City abused Kaiir Elam when Benford suffered a concussion. The former first-round pick, an abject bust, should’ve never been in this position. Further, Benford admitted to Go Long he also should’ve never been playing in this game after suffering the same brain injury seven days prior against Baltimore. (“I was cooked,” he told us. “I was barbecued.”)

Too often, all of us fail to look beyond the 22 starters. Cornerback is too valuable. Several bodies are required.

For what the Bills are trying to construct — an attacking defense — combative corners are a must. At Ohio State, Igbinosun excelled on the boundary in Matt Patricia’s Cover 3 scheme. Penalties were a concern. The good news is that after committing a startling 12 penalties in ’24, he cut the figure down to four last season. “IGB” enjoys the sport’s violence, a trait that surely stood out to Buffalo.

“My mentality,” Igbinosun said. “I tackle with my whole life. I’m not afraid of anybody. That’s one of the reasons that separates me from the other corners in the country. That’s what I take pride in.”

All after going all-out on defense last spring.

Buffalo is banking on production from this injury-riddled crew, too.

Disguise and deception must make a comeback in this Bills defense. It’s been a while. The tricky part is not going Full Rex. Eleven years ago, the bodacious blatherskite inherited one of the NFL’s best defenses and his house was on fire by mid-October. Mario Williams openly protested his role. Marcell Dareus, the team’s $100 Million Dollar Man, was asked to drop into coverage. Penalties and chaos and mass confusion reigned supreme. Preston Brown, the linebacker with the green dot, articulated the predicament perfectly. Checks on checks on checks on checks zapped instinct. Many times, players were subbing onto the field late. Buffalo tried to find the perfect play call based on an offense’s formation. Into Year 2, Rex Ryan’s solution was to hire his twin brother. Rob Ryan, the true alpha in this relationship, made everything worse.

Those ’15 and ’16 Bills felt as if they were solving X for Y with quadratic x-squared polynomials.

The game’s changed a lot since then. Jim Leonhard is his own man. He’s also one of Rex Ryan’s favorite players ever. His challenge as Bills DC is striking a balance. The field shouldn’t transform into a calculus-level math equation.

This is a run-and-hit profession. Predictable alignments also cannot fly.

It’s also laughable to suggest the Bills didn’t do anything personnel-wise this offseason. Leonhard clearly targeted a handful of players he views as fits.

Now, Brady’s football life comes full circle. Exactly 13 years ago, he was a college senior at William & Mary dying for a job. The head coach, Jimmye Laycock, told him he’d fill a vacant assistant linebackers position with one of three candidates. And rather than go home after graduation, as Laycock advised, Brady stayed on campus to obsess over all of the Tribe’s opponents that season. He authored individual scouting reports — with an offensive flair. Brady didn’t know a lick about defense then, but the collegiate receiver could apply offensive acumen to the gig.

He got the job and, all fall, William & Mary coaches could tell Brady was seeing a different game.

Scott Boone, the DC, recalled Brady kindly correcting them on the opposing offense’s intent behind plays all season long. “That’s not really what is happening,” Brady would say. “They’re doing this to create this matchup.” William & Mary held opponents to 10 points or less in six games and Brady’s coaching career took off like a rocket ship. Boone was struck by Brady’s desire to evolve daily.

“That’s probably why his track has been as fast as it has,” Boone told us.

All the way to taking over the Buffalo Bills at age 36.

Fresh off the Denver loss, these Bills desperately needed a fresh perspective on defense… that offensive eye. Brady, more than any candidate, presented that vision.

In his interview for this job, Brady applied the same logic. He told everyone at the table what drove him mad as a playcaller. When headset communication shuts off at the 15-second mark of the play clock, he cannot talk to Josh Allen. Safeties start moving. Cornerbacks take a foreign step. A linebacker stunts. The alignment of those 11 defenders shape-shifts, and the quarterback is left to his own devices. Brady made it clear that he wants opposing playcallers paralyzed by this same helplessness.

One well-timed blitz. One confusing simulation. Anything that makes that quarterback hesitate on a critical down. Back to “13 Seconds,” the Bills have lacked a postseason knockout punch.

The best defensive coaches live for this moment.

Think Devon Witherspoon blitzing off the edge to batter Drake Maye in the Super Bowl.

This does come at the expense of loading up on offense. Beane has spent the least draft capital on offense of any team in the league since 2020. Granted, the next two teams on that list are the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs. All three clubs are piloted by MVP quarterbacks. On Day 3, at No. 125 overall, Beane did get around to drafting a wide receiver the second-highest he ever has. UConn’s Skyler Bell caught 101 balls for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns last season and he’l have a chance to play. Hall-of-Fame finalist Steve Smith called him his favorite receiver in the entire class.

Overall, the GM’s bet is that the best way to maximize Josh Allen is by refueling on defense.

Consider Moore part of this draft class, too. He essentially counts as the Bills’ 57^th overall pick. Before free agency even began, the Bills wanted to lock in a No. 1 wide receiver.

Buffalo’s wide receiver unit now features Moore, Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer, Keon Coleman, Bell and Trent Sherfield. It also wouldn’t hurt if tight end Dalton Kincaid could stay healthy. This is a massive season for Beane’s top pick in ’23 (Kincaid) and ’24 (Coleman).

Picks need to hit. Let’s say Beane had 18 to 20 first-round grades. Buffalo could have packaged present and future picks together to climb up the board for a player who’s got the best chance to wreck a game in January. They could’ve beat Roseman to the punch on a prospect like USC wide receiver Makai Lemon. In each of the last three drafts, the Bills have opted for bundles of players. Logic being, you’ve got darts to throw. Cole Bishop took a giant step last season. Deone Walker may be the answer at nose tackle. To get to the Super Bowl, they’ll need one of those darts to hit the bull’s eye. Be it the lights turning on for Coleman… or T.J. Sanders busting out as a disruptive force… or Hairston staying healthy blanketing receivers.

Patience and depth ruled the ‘26 draft for the Bills.

A draft that reminded everyone of the new ethos for this team.

You heard it all from Brady in our 1 on 1. The team’s new head coach doesn’t want Buffalo being reactive on either side of the ball. “They’ve,” he makes clear, “got to play us.” Nor does anyone have to worry if the two people running the show are seeing eye to eye. There’s no guesswork on who’s behind which picks and there’s no separate press conferences for head coach and GM.

Beane and Brady are genuinely aligned.

Good or bad, save the draft grades.

All that matters now is what happens when Brady, Leonhard and the Bills face third down with less than two minutes left in the playoffs.

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Sean McVay had the look of a man who’d love nothing more than to clench his teeth and shriek at the top of his lungs. I half-expected him to grab an electric guitar and go full Robbie Hart. The NFL’s perpetual optimist who never, ever breaks character sat next to Les Snead and kept his words to a minimum. As if anything he said would be used against him in the court of law.

Why, yes, the Los Angeles Rams head coach did speak to Matthew Stafford before his club selected Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson 13th overall on Thursday night.

No, he will not share what was said.

Simpson’s prospects in Los Angeles?

“We’ll see,” he said through a forced smile. “He’s going to compete with Stetson.”

It was cringeworthy. And awkward. And you can only imagine what the reigning MVP had to say on that phone call. History also tells us that one day of rage can precede 10 to 15 years of paradise at the quarterback position. Stafford remains a star-level talent. Stafford is also 38 years old and every QB not named Tom Brady falls off a cliff at 40. McVay has also flirted with retirement and TV jobs. Four years ago, Amazon reportedly offered the coach a five-year, $100 million broadcasting contract — he’s liable to strut right into TV money at any point.

Snead, to his credit, doesn’t want to get caught with his pants down. He doesn’t want the Rams to slip into the same black hole as the team in this draft’s host city. Who knows when the Rams will ever be picking in the top 15 again. Snead saw a rare opportunity to draft and develop a quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons’ original pick.

Nobody knows if Simpson is Brock Purdy or Kenny Pickett. There’s organizational logic to follow.

Above all? Round 1 told us again that the NFL Draft isn’t only a crapshoot for teams. It’s an even crazier crapshoot for the players themselves. Forget McVay suppressing emotions. Jeremiyah Love’s ability to grin through the Arizona Cardinals making him the No. 3 overall pick deserves a trophy. If any non-QB should’ve pulled an Eli Manning and held a team’s jersey as if it’s been sprayed by a skunk, it’s him. This was the scenario we feared on draft eve — a special talent getting banished to the Bidwillian badlands.

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Maybe this hurdling, pulverizing, home-run hitter from Notre Dame is good enough to shine in the pros. He’s heading to a team with no quarterback plan, a bad offensive line, an unproven first-year coach selected late in the cycle and perhaps the worst ownership in the NFL. Before even thinking about evading linebackers on other teams, Love must contend with his own team. This union is an objective buzzkill.

Say whatever we want about Ty Simpson the prospect. Scouts are torn. He was the most polarizing prospect in this draft.

He landed in quarterback heaven and avoided the quarterback hells of Arizona and Florham Park, N.J.

A cavalry of Steelers legends walking out to terrible towels a’waving. Adoring fans on-site. Glowing reviews from TV commentators. Choreographed fist bumps in draft rooms. Amid all draft pageantry, it’s easy to forget that 32 teams have 32 ecosystems. That’s the beauty of those NFLPA report cards. They shine light on just how different life is from one city to the next across the continental United States. Sam Darnold was sentenced to a football prison with the New York Jets and universally written off as a bust before — finally — linking up with good coaching in San Francisco and Minnesota to revitalize his career and winning the whole damn thing last season in Seattle. (A “tough son of a bitch,” indeed.)

Props to Simpson for betting on himself. He could’ve stayed in college and earned $6.5 million to play for the Miami Hurricanes or $5 million at multiple other schools. Instead, he decided to go pro in a weak quarterback class. It was a colossal gamble. No prospect was picked apart more than the 6-foot-1, 212-pounder with only 15 starts to his name. “He’s a little guy that’s wild and inconsistent,” one scout told Go Long. “He doesn’t have good feel for timing. He’s terrible against pressure. He’s a good little athlete but he doesn’t escape pressure well. He should have stayed in school. You’re really just gambling.” Other scouts saw a quarterback who’s “always in command” and “can manipulate safeties with his eyes.” He played in a pro-style offense and the 2025 Alabama roster wasn’t close to the Crimson Tide teams of years past. One scout even said there’s an argument Simpson is better than Fernando Mendoza, the Las Vegas Raiders’ No. 1 overall pick.

With the Rams, he’ll have a legitimate chance to prove believers right.

McVay likely preferred a player who helps the Rams win in 2026. At one point this spring, he admitted to Kay Adams that she probably had evaluated Simpson more than him. It won’t affect his job. He’ll give Simpson the Shanahan- and O’Connell-tier of coaching Darnold received to reboot his career. Remember, Matt LaFleur wasn’t exactly jumping for joy when his GM took a quarterback in 2020. Now, Jordan Love is the feather in his cap.

Stafford won’t be thrilled, but it’s not like he’ll go into a tank of self-pity and sabotage his team. The presence of a first-round pick in his room is another motivator. Much like Aaron Rodgers in 2021 and 2022, bet on Stafford elevating. He doesn’t even seem like someone who’d hold his team hostage for 4 1/2 months of an offseason. He’ll be a big boy.

All of which helps Simpson. He gets to see how a future Hall of Famer works every day.

“He’s one of the greatest of all-time,” Simpson said during his post-pick call with reporters. “We watched his film all the time when I was at Bama. The stuff the Rams did with Coach McVay. The fact that I get to be in a room and soak up all that knowledge — I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”

Situation is exponentially more valuable than we realize. Examples abound. If Patrick Mahomes is coached by Rick Dennison and David Culley in Buffalo instead of Andy Reid, it’s a smidge tougher for the Texas Tech daredevil to find his GOAT trajectory. Purdy, “Mr. Irrelevant,” started his career as a third-stringer. The 49ers’ scheme perfectly matched his skillset. What happens to him if he’s drafted by any coach who isn’t from this tree?

Love, meanwhile, has the immense pleasure of playing for one of the NFL’s worst teams.

The Cardinals want a tantalizing name on the marquee. They’re a bland franchise. This pick also reeks of a family drowning in debt that purchases a Ferrari and goes on an all-inclusive vacation. Not unlike the New York Giants in 2018. GM Dave Gettleman saw a gold jacket in Barkley’s future. He was mesmerized. Guard Quentin Nelson would’ve been the more prudent choice. (Or, you know, that quarterback in Wyoming.) Barkley had his moments through three head coaches in six years with the Giants, but didn’t get to showcase his game in full until Year 7. As Philadelphia Eagle. Now, he’s up to 2,342 career touches on the odometer.

God speed, Jeremiyah.

In a weird way, both the Rams and Miami Dolphins had the luxury of selecting a prospect at any position. One team is a Super Bowl contender with no holes. One team is completely starting over. In L.A., there’s no need for Simpson to see the field any time soon. Again, this could backfire. Simpson doesn’t bring the enticing physical traits of Jordan Love when the Packers did this all six years ago. You may recall the Utah State quarterback drawing “Mahomes” comparisons from a teammate at Go Long. That’s not Simpson. We may look back at the 2026 draft and wonder why on earth the Rams traded the 29th pick for a cornerback on a second contract (Trent McDuffie), while also passing on a slew of options at No. 13: tight end Kenyon Sadiq, wide receiver Makai Lemon, edge Rueben Bain to name a few.

The all-in, win-now, F-them-picks GM may live to regret his decision on April 24, 2026.

Or, this could be the F-my-own-coach move that effectively bridges the present with the future and the Rams contend for Super Bowls long after Stafford retires. Snead must see shimmers of greatness in Simpson’s small sample size. The lack of experience is a concern. Purdy started in 3x the number of games as Simpson in college.

We’re unabashedly pro-player ‘round here. Simply, it’s nice to see a rookie quarterback head to a perfect environment for once. Almost all taken in the first round are banished to awful circumstances. GMs of winning teams are terrified to make this move because of what we saw out of McVay during that presser and because it undoubtedly pissed off Stafford. Potential collateral damage spooks everyone when, in truth, the best decisions in life are often the most difficult.

So, off they go.

One prospect is into anime. Jeremiyah Love is a physical marvel leaping over defenders into the end zone. Watch a highlight reel of this running back and you’ll think there’s nothing that could ever stop this player on a football field.

One prospect is a Legos fanatic. Ty Simpson is an undersized quarterback with a good-not-elite arm who prefers to shimmy around the pocket. Watch a highlight reel of this quarterback and you’ll gently nod in approval before carrying on with your day.

Aesthetically, the two players are on totally different ends of the spectrum.

But so are their new employers, and that may matter more than anything.

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We’ll continue with more coverage from Round 1 and all rounds of the NFL Draft here at Go Long.

Starting Thursday night, the NFL will hold its annual humiliation of the NBA.

Keep your remote handy. The juxtaposition is high comedy.

At some point during Day 3 of the NFL Draft, cameras will pan toward a 58-year-old fan in face paint cheering on a cornerback from Stephen F. Austin they’ve never heard of in their lives. Maybe that player cracks the 53-man roster, maybe not. Either way, ratings will soar. An event that’s 90 percent theater, 10 percent substance by Saturday afternoon rules sports.

Meanwhile, in the association, playoff games have commenced. Stakes that should demand our undivided attention. Games may be close, but ratings will continue sputter. The next wave of stars will fail to register nationally. Worst of all, the owners (whoops, I mean governors) will fail to acknowledge the quality of their product itself has devolved. Most consumers do not enjoy seeing teams jack up 50 three-pointers a game.

Granted, I miss the good ‘ol days of Jets and Eagles fans mercilessly booing inside Radio City Music Hall, but there’s no denying that the draft has become a national sports holiday.

A holiday filled with hope.

Looking to objectively root for something this spring? Here you go.

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Safeties are almost never drafted at the top of an NFL draft. This position isn’t valued like edge rusher, left tackle, wide receiver, etc.

In the last six decades, only 16 have gone in the first 10 picks and only five of those have been selected in the top 5. It hasn’t even happened in 16 years. Those players? Kenny Easley (No. 4 overall, 1981), Bennie Blades (No. 3, 1988), Eric Turner (No. 2, 1991), Sean Taylor (No. 5, 2004) and Eric Berry (No. 5, 2010).

Then again, two of the sport’s finest football minds ever — Bill Belichick and Nick Saban — were behind that safety going second overall in ‘91.

Then again, Caleb Downs is far more than a “safety.”

Watch any Ohio State game and you’ll see No. 2 striking defenders, making plays on the ball, closing fast from all contours of the field. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia deployed the All-American everywhere. In a class full of question marks, Downs is a sure thing. The 5-foot-11 1/2, 207-pounder from Hoschton, Ga., also has genetics on his side.

His father, Gary, was a third-round pick in 1994. He played running back in the NFL for six seasons.

His uncle on Mom’s side is also longtime NFL cornerback Dre’ Bly. The two-time Pro Bowler won a Super Bowl as a rookie with the St. Louis Rams in 1999, reached another Super Bowl in 2001 and finished his career with 43 interceptions, 20 forced fumbles and 150 PBUs. Now, he’s a coach. Bly is currently an assistant coach with the South Carolina Gamecocks.

He’s known Downs forever. He played with and against Canton-bound talents. He’s seen today’s NFL players up close as an assistant coach with the Saints, Dolphins, Lions and Jets.

How will Caleb Downs translate to the pros? This past week, I caught up with Bly on the phone. Our convo is transcribed below.

We get into his game, his smarts, his future.

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You can give us the best perspective on what really makes Caleb possibly the best player in the entire draft. What makes him special?

Bly: He is. He is. And here’s the thing — the way I look at it — because I’ve been hearing some of the hoopla. He didn’t work out. People are questioning his speed. When you play as well as he played, you don’t need to work out. His film represents what he is. He’s done everything you can imagine as a college football player. The same way Travis Hunter didn’t need to work out, Caleb Downs doesn’t need to work out. And so again, if you know what you’re looking at when you evaluate tape, then if you go back and evaluate all his tapes since he started playing football, you’ll see the same human being on the football field. He’s the best player that’s on the field. And so you see correctly. That’s who he is.

On the flip side of it, the family that he comes from, he’s super intelligent, he’s super smart. That’s what people don’t really know. All of our family is super smart, 4.0 GPAs. My wife and I both went to Chapel Hill. His Mom and Dad both went to NC State. My wife’s brother went to NC State. He’s an attorney. So my wife, brother and sister both went to NC State and my wife went to Chapel Hill. Their parents worked for IBM for 30+ years and my mother-in-law went to private school as a kid. My father-in-law was really, really smart. So that was the standard in the house. So all of our kids had really, really good grades. They all went to college. They all graduated with almost 4.0 GPAs. And so that’s the other side of the story that people don’t know. And then you combine that with Gary and his family. Gary is a military baby. And so his work ethic is different. His faith — Gary’s a strong believer — is different. So all that’s poured into Caleb.

And then with him growing up in a super competitive family, Caleb was the Last of the Mohicans. My son, I’ve got a 17-year-old. Caleb and my son are the two youngest boys. And so Caleb had a chance to see everybody else. He got the best of everybody. Growing up in an athletic family, he’s always been the best player on the field. The other thing when people don’t realize— I don’t think a lot of kids do enough of — our kids played multiple sports. Caleb played baseball, he played basketball. And so all of those skillsets that he learned from playing those other sports, he applied them out there on the football field.

If you watch and dissect how fast he played on the football field, why do you need him to work out? He’s the real deal, man. He’s everything that people imagine. He’s more athletic than any other defensive player in the game. His instincts, his awareness, his smarts. They’re going to get every bit of the player they’re supposed to get when they draft him as a top 10 player. And that’s a multiple Pro Bowl type of player that has the ability to be a Hall of Fame player. I don’t expect anything less or anything different coming out of Caleb.

He surpassed everything that I’ve done and I’m in the College Football Hall of Fame. And he’ll one day be in the College Football Hall of Fame. He won the Thorpe Award. I went 0-for-2 with the Thorpe. I was the finalist twice. Didn’t win that. He won the national championship. He won a state championship in high school. So this guy has always won. He’s always been the best player on the field on a really, really good team. And so now they’re going to get one hand of a ball player once you hear his name called in a couple weeks.

You don’t even need to look at a highlight reel. You can pull up a full 60-minute game to understand his impact. Usually a safety makes a play here, a play there. But Caleb Downs is in the camera shot all game long. I’ve got to think that speaks to that intelligence. So even at an early age, in what ways did you see his smarts?

Bly: At nine years old, he was the most dominant player on the football field. So his football IQ — the plays he was able to make at nine years. The vision. The awareness. You can see that at an early age. He was doing things at 10 years old that grown folks don’t do. How do you know that he’s every bit of the player that we think he is? Well, he’s the quarterback on the football field. He talks to everybody. He gets everybody lined up. He communicates. You don’t see a lot of players in the generation communicating and doing some of those things. He’s cut from the old school. You see us 30 years ago, that’s the way we operate, that’s the way we move. And so you see some of that, man.

But then some of the players, people were questioning: “Why do we draft a safety that high?” Because he makes everybody around him better. He has the ability to intercept six balls. He has the ability to have 100 tackles. He has the ability to get you six, seven sacks. He has the ability to cause five, six fumbles. That’s the thing that separates him from the majority of the other defensive players in the draft. And I’m here to tell you, it’s all legit, man. I’m a guy that played four sports growing up. I was a guy that made plays all over the field from high school to college to the NFL. And one of the things that separated me from the rest of the guys I played with were my ball skills and my awareness and my instincts. He’s cut from that cloth. And so that was something you could see at an early age. He stood out on the field whenever he stepped in the field.

He was always the best player on any field he stepped on. And everybody said that. Even when they were recruiting him out of high school. I’ve been around significant football minds and guys that have been doing it for a long time. They said, “Dre, he’s the best football player that we’ve recruited in the last 30 years.”

Really?

Bly: Yeah. People say that. I don’t think they were just saying that to blow smoke because he was my nephew. Nah, when you’ve been around this game as long as you’ve been around the game, you see it. And you’ve got to believe what you see and don’t try to convince yourself that it’s something else because it’s not. And this is what happens when you’re dealing with analytics and these so-called “gurus” that think they understand the game. Well, shit, he didn’t work out. He didn’t run. He didn’t need to work out! If you dissect him — and understand what you see on tape — you see that he’s the fastest football player that laces those cleats up on Saturdays. So you don’t need to time him when he runs the 40.

And here’s the other thing. When I came out, I ran 4.48, 4.51. People said Dre’ Bly was timed in the 4.5 in the 40. Well, I had 43 career picks, caused 20 fumbles, had 150 breakups in the NFL. And then in college, I had 22 interceptions in three years. I made a lot of plays. And in high school, I had 14, 15 picks. I made a lot of plays. I didn’t need to be a 4.3. It was my instincts and my awareness and my savviness, ball savviness. That’s what allowed me to be the player that I was.

Caleb reminds me of that type of player. Super instinctive. He’s super aware. He’s super smart, which allow him to play faster than any other football player on the field.

In your era, you played against safeties who are in Canton. Obviously you’re blood, but at the same time, the film speaks for itself. Do you think that he’s got a game that rivals anybody?

Bly: He does. He does. Even coaching now and being around some of the athletes I’m around, if my nephew stays healthy, he has a chance to be really, really special because he checks all the boxes. He’s physical. His size, his instincts. His ability to tackle in the open field. You put him in any environment, he makes players around him better. It’s hard to pinpoint one particular person, but I see a mixture of Brian Dawkins. He’s pigeon-toed like Ed Reed with how he runs. And to sit here and say that you’re going to have as many interceptions as Ed Reed, that’s hard to say. But Ed Reed, it’s like Kobe Bryant. When you’re hot, you’re hot. It’s like when I had 13 interceptions my freshman year of college. I can’t duplicate that. I was hot that year. He’s going to make a lot of great football plays. He’s going to be in position to make a lot of plays. He’s going to make those plays. Whatever defense he lands on, he’s going to make that defense better. And if he stays healthy — which you can’t predict. You hope that every player that gets drafted can play 16, 17 games a year. But ability-wise, I know he’s different. He’s special. There haven’t been a lot of guys that’ve come up the way this man has come up and done the things that he’s done. He’s done more than me, and he’s going to be a damn good pro.

It sounds like he’s made of the right stuff. Eats, sleeps, breathes this sport. And that’s saying something today. You’re working through it right now in college. You’ve got to figure out who loves this sport. It’s not as guaranteed as it might’ve been back in your day. What does it look like up close with Caleb, being an old soul who genuinely loves it?

Bly: He is an old soul. My wife and his mom are sisters. She calls him “Dusty.” They say he’s an old soul. He eats and breaths and sleeps football. And that’s how our family is. Anything they set their mind to, they’re going to be all-in. There’s not a defensive system that he can’t understand, retain, learn. He’s super smart, super intelligent. And to me, if you have that intangible along with the skill-set, it’s going to be hard to be defeated. He’s the complete package. But yeah, everything that he does, he’s a hard worker. He’s as clean as it gets when it comes to an athlete. He doesn’t drink. He doesn’t smoke. He trains all day, every day. He’s a Christian. He was raised correctly. Everybody around him — his uncles, aunts, they’re all married. His parents, his grandparents. He’s the complete package, man. And so everything that you’ve seen is a representation of how he was raised and what’s been around him. And I would say my brother- and sister-in-law have done a hell of a job with Caleb, and we’re super excited to see the flowers that he received from all the hard work that he’s put in.

The New York Giants make a lot of sense with what John Harbaugh is trying to instill. If I’m John Harbaugh, I’m thinking this is Kyle Hamilton+ because Caleb isn’t only a safety. You put him anywhere — slot, corner, linebacker. Man, that would make a lot of sense.

Bly: It would. That’s how the Ravens utilized Kyle Hamilton. And I’m cut from that cloth and Coach Harbaugh is, too. Defense wins championships. And when you’re drafting a player that high, you need instant impact. That’s what Caleb represents every time he steps on the field. If you go back and do your background, that’s who he’s been every single time he stepped on the field. It’s not like he surprised you one year. No, every time he stepped in the field, he’s been the best player. And he’s made everybody around him better. And then he fits the mold of being a top five, top six pick, a first-round draft pick to fit in the city of New York. He is what you want your first-round pick to represent. He’s going to do everything he’s supposed to do. And I’d be willing to bet everything. He’s not going to disappoint when it comes to the off the field because of how he was raised and how he moves and how he operates. And so hopefully he’s there. I’m saying hopefully because his dad was drafted with the Giants. So that would be a great story if the Giants drafted him after drafting his dad almost 30 something years ago.

So we’ll see, man. I’m rooting for him. I will be there with him in Pittsburgh. I’ll be there with him in the green room, and I’m looking forward to celebrating whichever team selects my nephew.

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Be sure to see what NFL scouts told Bob McGinn in his series about Caleb Downs.

Miss any of McGinn’s 42nd annual NFL Draft series? All posts are right here for paid subscribers:

• Part 1, WR: Who’s the next star wideout?

• Part 2, TE: Kenyon Sadiq and the hunt for matchup nightmares

• Part 3, T: Why Francis Mauigoa ‘n co. may define the 2026 NFL Draft

• Part 4, G/C: Why this is the year to draft a center

• Part 5, QB: The Fernando Mendoza Question

• Part 6, RB: Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love? ‘The best NFL prospect in this draft

• Part 7, DL: Secure your space-eater

• Part 8, Edge: Deep 2026 class promises to torment quarterbacks

• Part 9, LB: How should an NFL team unleash Arvell Reese?

• Part 10, CB: McCoy? Delane? Hood? Inside the debate at the top...

• Part 11, S: Why Caleb Downs, a ‘slam dunk,’ is one of the best players in the NFL Draft

• Part 12, ST: The kicking revolution is here

ICYMI:

Two-part series on new Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady…

• Part I: ‘I’ll set my jaw’

• Part II: ‘They’ve got to play us’

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Inside today’s piece…

• Why the pressure is on Matt LaFleur. You heard from Javon Bullard. The Packers are finding the right attitudes. Will the Packers HC allow these personalities to flourish?

• The Giants have a chance to vault themselves into playoff contention with John Harbaugh. One prospect makes a lot of sense.

• My thoughts on the bungalow pictures seen ‘round the football world.

• A draft take for all legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

ICYMI, our series on Joe Brady is also live…

Part I: ‘I’ll set my jaw’

Part II: ‘They’ve got to play us’

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Bless Mike Daniels. The man tried. The man was ahead of his time during a Green Bay Packers career that lasted 2012 to 2018.

He sat in his locker — a football Buddha — imploring his teammates to play with more violence. More bad intentions. Publicly, the defensive tackle was a lone wolf on defense. He was the only player speaking in such blunt terms. Privately, his message was even louder. After seeing running backs Eddie Lacy and James Starks get hit by Brandon Meriweather, then seeing Jermichael Finley’s career end during the 2013 season, he asked a simple question: “When are we going to punch somebody else in the face?”

“I’m tired of watching my teammates, my brothers who I love get carried out of the game because they got hurt,” Daniels reflected in a 2023 chat with Go Long. “I took that personal and that’s where some of the flags came in. That was hard, man. I hated watching my brothers on offense go through that, and I wanted us to be able to implement that type of punishment.

“But it seemed like that wasn’t on the forefront of everybody’s mind.”

A decade later, the same problem persists.

With one very notable difference.

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Good morning, Go Long World.

A programming note to share.

Soon, we’ll post a two-part series on the new head coach of the Buffalo Bills: Joe Brady. After sitting down with the 36-year-old head coach for two hours at One Bills Drive, a fresh portrait emerges. He opens on all of the defining moments of his life, from his Florida roots to William & Mary to Orchard Park. It’s clear why the organization chose this man at this time.

I think you’ll enjoy this one.

Subscribers can access in full.

I want NFL longform.

I want to grow Go Long.

Until then? Feel free to catch up on everything that led the Bills to this point at the links below. Since launching in November 2020, we’ve strived to offer extensive reporting and a raw perspective on this Bills team banging on the championship door.

Brady’s been chosen as the man to smash that Super Bowl wall.

The Pressure is on Josh Allen

‘It was a bad, bad situation:’ Inside the Buffalo Bills’ fateful 13 Seconds

The McDermott Problem

• Part I: Blame Game

• Part II: Lost in translation

• Part III: Let Josh be Josh

Smash the Window

Part I: ‘Don’t ever stop’

Part II: The Super Bowl Plan

‘I bleed for that win:’ Our 1 on 1 with Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott

Why was Sean McDermott Fired?

‘He wants to win the whole damn thing:’ Inside the Buffalo Bills’ decision to hire Joe Brady as HC

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The NFL Draft is closing in.

Let’s hang out.

On Wednesday April 22 — “Draft Eve” — Western New Yorker’s can head out to Wayland Brewing Company in Orchard Park, NY for a night of beer and football.

I’ll record a episode of Real Football with my co-host Jim Monos around 5 p.m. (EST), and then we’ll stick around through the night to hang out with you. Keep an eye out for more Buffalo media personalities, too.

The first 25 people who show up will get their first beer on the house.

We’ll also raffle off a Wayland gift card and do some draft trivia for Go Long swag and subscriptions.

A little birdy tells me the chicken wings at Wayland are insanely underrated, too.

The spacious, state-of-the-art brewery is located at 3740 N Buffalo St, Orchard Park, NY 14127. Feel free to pass through whenever you’d like.

Thanks, all.

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You love real football. We love football. Go Long is forever committed to bringing you longform coverage of this beautiful, ruthless game.

With spring around the corner, we’ve got more Go Long apparel in stock.

For $25, we’ll send you a black long sleeve. For $20, we’ll send a t-shirt. One has our traditional logo, or you can choose the single light bl…

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