It's been a wild offseason...
... and the 2023 NFL season is almost here. Miss any features? Catch up inside.
Greetings, loyal reader.
Thank you — as always — for your loyal patronage.
We’ve got a lot brewing at Go Long. Our 2023 Season Preview features will begin to drop as camps break open… with a few major announcements, too. So, I figured it was a good time to catch folks up on stories you might’ve missed through an offseason that zipped by in a blink.
Here’s what’s been cooking since our trips to the Super Bowl and NFL Combine.
New here? We’d love to have you join our community:
Also, remember, tonight you can hang out with the great Peter King on our Happy Hour. He’s the best. Cannot wait for this one.
Goodbye, Mr. Rodgers.
Our Bob McGinn first reported on Feb. 17 that the Green Bay Packers were finished with Aaron Rodgers. News that shook the sports world, compelled local and national reporters alike to push back and proved 100 percent accurate.
The Jordan Love Era arrives.
It’s time, and we believe the young quarterback from Bakersfield, Calif., is ready. Everything has been building toward this moment. Here’s our feature with fresh interviews with those who know Love best. As the Packers trudged closer… and closer… to a trade with the New York Jets, we also gained valuable insight from LeRoy Butler and Ron Wolf.
Pressure builds in Buffalo.
For the fourth straight year, a Buffalo Bills season ended in playoff heartbreak. Sean McDermott, again, was central to defeat. So, what now? We began the spring with a look at the team’s offensive philosophy — and why it’s time to really lean into Josh Allen. Even as both McDermott and GM Brandon Beane hammered away at the quarterback’s play style, which we found strange.
Beane and the Bills front office worked the salary-cap fringes as well as they possibly could have.
From Trent Sherfield, whose football journey includes endless hours of work, an unforgettable premonition, and surreal politics in both Arizona and San Francisco. To Deonte Harty, formerly Harris, who we profiled two years ago. He nearly quit the sport two years. Also, don’t forget about Quintin Morris, a football purist who’s fed up with a game going soft.
Remarkable to see Damar Hamlin practicing. His story is why we love football.
What happened to Kevin Kolb?
More than anyone knew. Four concussions rocked the quarterback’s world. After the fourth, he nearly lost his life in a head-on collision. But the darkness Kolb dealt with around those four concussions was even worse.
Kolb opened up to Go Long with this two-part series.
Our Florida swing.
Remember when Zay Jones nearly threw himself out of an L.A. condo window 30 floors high? He finally opened up on it all — and a lot more. “That night could’ve ended my life.”
In Tampa, Carlton Davis warned of a “rude awakening” for anyone who thinks they’re toast post-Tom Brady. His Bucs are fully prepared “wreck shit.” Davis wasn’t looking for headlines and there’s a deeper reason for it all.
We threw some Jai Alai IPAs back with the wildly introspective Patrick Laird, a Q&A you can follow in print and over at the podcast. And I’ll have deeper team stories on both the Jaguars and Buccaneers this August. How did the Jags escape the hellscape of Urban Meyer to become a contender so fast?
A hidden gem in Kansas City?
Perhaps. Jody Fortson is ready to join the party and has a very Buffalo story to share.
Bob McGinn’s 39th Annual Draft Series.
Nobody covers the draft quite like McGinn. He brought his entire series to our pages again. This might’ve been his best work yet, from the S2 scores to the Jalen Carter Question:
Isaiah McKenzie unveils what went wrong vs. Cincy.
The ex-Bills, current-Colts wide receiver drew the ire of Bengals players with his Happy Hour visit. McKenzie believes it would’ve been a completely different game if Buffalo played the Bengals in a dome. But those who listen to the episode in full will understand why this wasn’t a dig at Cincy, rather a detailed analysis of Buffalo’s offense. McKenzie also shares insight into the mind of Stefon Diggs.
In addition to McKenzie, Warren Moon, Rob Johnson, Jamal Lewis, T.J. Lang, Jamaal Williams and Bob McGinn have all hopped on the Happy Hour.