Live on Saturday: Full AFC and NFC Championship Preview Coverage
Learn how 'villains' like Eli Apple, Mike Hilton and Vonn Bell are bringing life to the Bengals defense. Also, get a George Kittle "Blood and Guts" excerpt, game predictions and an insightful Q&A.
First, let’s get to some serious business.
Nick Sirianni is from Western New York. That’s the good news. His father was the head coach at Southwestern High School. The bad news? We are getting an extreme amount of pizza-chain references. Pizza Hut?! Little Caesars?! Nick, Nick, it’s January Football. The more specific, the more obscure the better.
Pizza Hut is doing OK with Aaron Donald shilling. Same for Little Caesars with Matthew Stafford.
We need to hear about the most random Philly Cheesesteak spot in all of Philadelphia.
Better yet, maybe Sirianni has a call-back to childhood? As everyone in Salamanca knows, nothing beat a triple cheeseburger at The Plaza a.k.a. “The Greasy Spoon.” Myers Steakhouse? Eddy’s Restaurant on his pass through Great Valley. I have to think there’s a memory tucked somewhere in the back of Sirianni’s mind he’s saving for Super Bowl Week. Let’s hope.
OK, a quick note here that we’ll have full conference championship preview coverage live at GoLongTD.com Saturday AM…
“Villains.” Disrespect fuels these Cincinnati Bengals — real disrespect — especially these fast-talking corners and safeties. They’ve been dumped from other teams. They play angry. They bring life to the X’s and O’s. Go Long chatted with several players this week in Cincinnati to learn how powerful this effect is within a Bengals defense shutting down elite quarterbacks. And, yes, Eli Apple is well aware he is not welcomed in Buffalo, NY any time soon.
Q&A with Bengals CB coach Charles Burks. Loved this conversation. Burks is the assistant coach who works with these corners. He knows which buttons to push and details exactly why it’s different in Cincinnati.
George Kittle “Blood and Guts” excerpt. We’ll share part of this chapter. Kittle’s destruction on a football field is no coincidence with roots in a very specific turning point at Iowa.
Predictions. Staff picks on both conference championship games.
Podcast Preview. I’ll chat at length with co-host Jim Monos about both matchups… with some more Buffalo Bills fallout. Download “Go Long with Dunne and Monos” on Apple or Spotify if you’d like.
Where's the Packers season wrap up with Bob McGinn. By the way, will Bob be with you throughout 2023 and if yes, what will his role be? I miss his detailed review of Packer games.
I know the Bengals are playing with a lot of confidence, and I understand why they are. But they seem a little.. overconfident, to me? They've been doing a lot of trash talking. I know they have a good shot to win especially considering Mahomes's ankle, but even so, it's still the Chiefs at Arrowhead and I would not want to fire them up. Especially for Eli Apple to be the one doing the trash talking. I guarantee you if they lose he will have screwed up on some big play (yes I'm a Giants fan so I'm biased).