Miss a Q&A at Go Long? Catch up right here...
We want you to feel like you're right at the bar with the game's greats. Our conversations with Edgerrin James, Drew Bledsoe, Ronde Barber and others are linked inside.
Good morning, everyone! Hope everyone is off to a fantastic summer wherever you are.
We’ve entered the calm before the storm on the NFL calendar, the month before training camps begin. I’ve always loved this window. It’s a perfect time to catch up with players, so we’ll be making the rounds at Go Long for profiles and features. Just last night, we shared some wings at Elmo’s in Western New York with one Bills player who has an incredibly fascinating story.
And along the way, be on the lookout for more extended Q&A conversations with former players. This week, ex-Colts/Bears cornerback Tim Jennings will share some old war stories.
With so many new faces, this seems like a good time to put our best convos with former players in one spot. Catch up on anything you might’ve missed below, if you’d like.
As always, please let me know who you want to hear from as well. We’ll make it happen.
Thank you, everyone.
George Teague has lived the football dream
From "The Strip" at 'Bama to the 101-yard TD in Green Bay to blasting T.O. off the Star, it's been one hell of a ride for this NFL safety defined by iconic moments.
Concussions, Flutiemania, a 'Miracle.' Bills QB Rob Johnson relives it all...
Go Long chats with the quarterback handpicked as the post-Jim Kelly savior in Buffalo long ago and, as we find out, there was far more to the Rob Johnson Era than any of us realized.
Edgerrin James: 'I was made to play football'
We catch up with Hall-of-Fame running back Edgerrin James on playing at "The U," his love of basketball and why the game of football, for him, was such a damn "breeze."
Trent Dilfer: From 'terrible' teammate, to Super Bowl champ, to QB renaissance man
He can’t recognize the guy he was in Tampa today. He gritted through more pain than anyone realized in Baltimore's Super Bowl season. He sparked a QB TV revolution. Now, Dilfer wants to change kids' lives.
Why we should all put Ronde Barber's name right there with Charles Woodson (he explains)
The Buccaneers great looks back at his storied career, from the torn PCL to the pick-six in Philly to what made his game so special. He absolutely changed football itself.
The Impossible Life of LeRoy Butler
From the wheelchair to extreme poverty to Florida State to changing the NFL, the Green Bay Packers safety has lived it all. Canton should come calling soon, too. Butler doesn’t hold back on overcoming unreal odds throughout his life.
Don Beebe still gets letters on the "Leon Lett Play" every single day
The former Bills/Packers wide receiver talks perseverance, the emotion of finally winning the Super Bowl, his son's heart, coaching D-III football and his best Brett Favre story.
Drew Bledsoe, unfiltered
The former quarterback opens up on the hit that changed football, his thriving wine business, Tom Brady's 2020 motivation and why the Bills can win it all. (He'll smash through a table when they do, too.)
Mario Butler's father was murdered in the most unspeakable way. This is what Butler did next.
Maybe you've never heard of the former NFL cornerback. How he lives his life? After his father was found in pieces, in his own refrigerator? That's a lesson for us all into 2021.
Darren Woodson opens up on avoiding gangs, his wild Cowboys days, depression, finding purpose
Just how crazy were those Cowboys teams in the early 90s? We don't know half of it. Woodson also tells all on how tough it was to adjust to life after football. It’s never easy. He struggled — big time.
Bruce Smith is still seizing the day
Over two decades, the Hall-of-Fame defensive end cemented his status as one of the best players in NFL history. Nobody has more sacks in the history of the sport. Now? He's traveling the world, challenging his mind and hitting the deck on a loud "Boom!" in Iraq.
How Donte Whitner thrived in a 'scary place'
As a kid, Whitner was hit by a car and told he wouldn't walk again. Instead, he became one of the most feared "seek-and-destroy" safeties in football. Today? He's still thriving.
