Isaiah McKenzie Show, Ep 1: From Miami Gardens to Orchard Park

And… we’re off.

What a fun time at Mister’s Bar and Lanes in East Aurora, NY launching “The Isaiah McKenzie Show” this week. Thrilled to share the show with all of our readers and listeners at Go Long right here.

We explained the premise last week, ICYMI. In a sport increasingly watered down by press conferences, the hope is for fans to really get to know one of its most dynamic personalities: Bills receiver/returner Isaiah McKenzie. These 10 episodes should show everyone a side of the game they haven’t seen before. McKenzie is one of a kind, so we’ll dive into it all: The Bills. The league. The world. His surreal background.

You can get all episodes via video or audio — whichever you prefer — right here at GoLongTD.com. Both formats are embedded in this post above. Further, you’ll be able to locate the show on Apple, Spotify and our YouTube channel as the files matriculate to those channels.

Longform storytelling is always the focus at Go Long and we’ll keep churning out the written word at our regular clip, but I’ve also had a lot of readers tell me they want to plug podcasts into their ears while they’re mowing the lawn, driving to work, changing diapers, etc. Hopefully The Isaiah McKenzie Show, Go Long Podcast and Ty & Bob Pod help accentuate our coverage here. (Note: Keep an eye out for our next big story dropping Friday AM.)

Here’s what’s cookin’ on Episode 1 with McKenzie…

• The Bills’ current obliteration of opponents. They’re outscoring teams 118-21 the last three weeks. What’s the mood internally with Sean McDermott and all of the players? More importantly, into this rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs, is this a Super Bowl-or-Bust type of season for the Bills?

• McKenzie’s unique role in it all. How do you hijack a game when you’re getting the ball a handful of times on “minimum wage?”

• His career started in Denver and, honestly, should’ve ended in Denver. A flurry of muffs threatened to ruin McKenzie mentally. He opens up on how he totally refocused when the Bills threw him a life raft in 2018 — with advice everyone can apply to their own lives.

• Growing up in Miami Gardens. It was not easy — and we’ll dig into this more throughout the 10 episodes — but McKenzie was sure to have a little fun as a kid, too. Too much fun, actually. One prank pulled on his grandmother is an all-timer… and led to a whupping he’ll never forget.

• Struggling in school. He was no fan of class, no. Yet when college football became a real possibility, McKenzie started to shape up.

• The, uh, reason McKenzie decommitted from Notre Dame. Don’t miss this. You’ll learn something new about this school today.

• His new dog, “Papi,” is in the house at Mister’s.

• Your questions. The last 15 minutes of The Isaiah McKenzie Show will always be about you and anything on your mind. McKenzie is asked who his best friend on the team is, his pregame ritual, his role on offense, Cole Beasley and what it’s like returning a punt with a tackler right in his face. (We’ll be sure to pass the mic ‘round next time, too.)

Thanks everyone. This will be a lot of fun.

Want to see a show in person? Make your reservation via Open Table through the Mister’s website. If you’re a subscriber, you get first dibs, too. (Our other five episodes are via Zoom.)

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

If you can’t make a show in-person, be sure to drop any questions for McKenzie to me at golongtd@gmail.com. And we’d love it if you subscribed to Go Long, right here, to get everything we have to offer: