Right up to hitting “publish,” the phone was ringing. Another GM wanted to weigh in. Then, another personnel man called. Because as it pertains to these Chicago Bears — the QB, the GM, the way business is conducted — people around the NFL have a lot to say.
First, a huge Thank You to everyone who has subscribed to Go Long this past week. What an honor it is to serve readers who genuinely want to learn more about how pro football works. I do not take that lightly. After launching this site in November 2020, I had zero clue what to expect: Would people really want to spend a half-hour reading a story? Moments like this crystallize why Go Long exists.
Our No. 1 goal is to take you places others will not.
A coordinator once told me that the NFL is more like “Game of Thrones.” There’s a version of the league polished and buffed for press conferences. Then, there’s reality. Our promise is to relentlessly pursue that reality in every sense. That could mean sitting down with Zay Jones to discuss the night he nearly hurled himself out of a window 30 floors high, Kevin Kolb opening up about his horrifying concussions, David Long Jr.’s lifelong battle to tame the beast within and Julian Hill trying to save the lives of trafficked kids in Miami.
We’ll bring the gladiators of the game to life. Guys like T.J. Watt and David Montgomery and Orlando Brown Jr. and Wyatt Teller and Drake London play the way the football gods intended.
And, yes, this charge also means investigative work into how NFL teams operate.
In full transparency, genuine optimism led us to these Chicago Bears way back in the spring. A brilliant coach? A talented quarterback? Brighter days felt inevitable. And the more I learned about how 2024 unraveled — one phone call to the next — the more my jaw dropped. Thirty-two sources over many, many hours weighed in.
With the 2025 NFL season now in full swing, it’s worth repeating here for new readers contemplating a membership.
Go Long strives to bring you as close as humanly possible to the sport you love.
At the forefront of our brain is the fan who’s paying an asinine amount of money for tickets, parking, beer, streaming services and — most importantly — investing their sanity into a team. You deserve to know the good, bad and ugly. Time to time, our findings won’t be pretty. Twitter/X/Bluesky feathers will be ruffled. All week, I find myself quoting Hyman Roth to friends: “This is the business we’ve chosen.” But, honestly, what’s sad is that this “business” is being bastardized.
On a macro level, the NFL itself sold its television network to ESPN for a 10 percent stake in the “Worldwide Leader in Sports.” This raises ethical questions.
On a micro level, the push to pander only grows. No doubt, there are still very sharp beat writers and TV personalities doing their thing around the country. We chat with many on the Go Long Pod. But there’s also a groundswell of others who covet mob approval. Why examine dysfunction at deep, uncomfortable depths if it’s only going to piss off readers and/or potentially hurt your access? Writing a controversial piece is akin to biting the hand that feeds, so this brand of coverage tends to get dolled up in emojis, memes and ass-kissing. I could only chuckle when the Chicago sports podcast CHGO later apologized to its viewers for having the audacity to talk to me about our series. (The horror!)
They’re not alone, of course.
Whether loud or subtle, bending the knee is commonplace these days. Too many people writing and talking about football these days live in fear of their mentions filling up with obscenities. We sincerely do not give a damn. Go Long serves the people willing to read a 27,000-word series with an open mind, not the ones hyperventilating over a screenshot.
For everyone out there who wants this sport in its rawest form, we write for you.
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Here’s our content plan for 2025, straightforward as a Mike Alstott helmet to the sternum.
Monday: Column. We’ll dissect the action with our usual Morning After-style piece.
Tuesday: Go Long Pod. I’ll be joined by a guest — a former player or a fellow media personality — to look back and look ahead.
Wednesday: “Ty & Bob Pod.” Hall of Famer Bob McGinn is back to analyze everything NFC North. (Also: McGinn will pen the occasional column for us.)
Friday: Our signature piece each week. Since Day 1, we’ve tried to make the Friday Feature a staple — be it a player profile, a team deep dive, something worth your valuable time.
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Also: Keep an eye out for occasional Zoom Happy Hours and Substack Lives to join the conversation yourself. You’ll also get a steady diet of Q&As with former players, subscriber-only Mailbags and — each spring — you can expect McGinn’s draft series here at Go Long.
There are three ways to access everything at Go Long.
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Stories past for those new around here…
House of Dysfunction, our series on the Chicago Bears, begins here. (I think you’ll discover that it’s a lot more about Ryan Poles, than Caleb Williams.)
A three-part series on the Fight for Erik Kramer’s life, from a near suicide to somehow everything getting much, much worse. (Side note: Kramer’s life is now a Serial-style podcast.)
Here’s our series, “The McDermott Problem” from December 2023, followed by a 1 on 1 right inside of Sean McDermott’s office the next season.
Before he nearly died on a football field, Damar Hamlin shared his surreal life over chicken wings.
Why Romeo Doubs, straight out of South Central, is unlike any other wide receiver.
When Kevin O’Connell replaced Mike Zimmer, he needed to clean up much more than the offense.
Sources inside Giants HQ detailed how the Dave Gettleman-led operation completely fell apart — and why problems run deeper.
Jerry’s World is a wacky place. We’ve tried to make sense of the Dallas Cowboys over the years, from this three-part series, to wondering what in the hell they’re doing in June ‘24 to examining the organizational rot in January ‘25.
The Green Bay Packers finally transitioned from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love in ‘23. We explained why. Go Long also first reported that Green Bay would be making the move.
Will Anderson Jr. is one of the most savage players in the sport. He also is afraid of the dark.
An inside look at how Dan Quinn has completely transformed the Washington Commanders.
Once upon a time, the owner of the Buffalo Bills loved Patrick Mahomes. He didn’t intervene. Josh Allen proved to be one hell of a consolation prize. Here’s our debut two-parter from back in 2020.
Yeah, I subscribed because of the Bears article, but I'm excited to go back and see what else you have here. Thanks for the links!
Carry on with your mission Tyler! I'll be here gobbling up your stuff!!!