Go Long Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

GREEN BAY, Wisc. — Christmas decorations are going up in House Clark and just know that the Green Bay Packers’ hulking defensive tackle goes hard for the holidays. This family is getting into the spirit… and then some.

Head downstairs, into the man cave, and you’ll see massive action shots of Kenny Clark in the trenches.

One features Clark nose up on the ball, staring through the soul of a Carolina Panthers center. There are two game balls atop a fireplace mantle — one from a 10-3 win over the Bears in 2019, another from a 38-20 win over the Bears in 2023. That second ball holds a special place in his heart.

In a back corner are Normatec compression leg sleeves. He’s always seeking an edge. After all, those collisions at the line of scrimmage take a physical toll on a 6-foot-3, 314-pound man.

And in comfy sweatpants, the Packers’ grizzled nine-year stalwart in the middle takes a seat on a plush sectional sofa to chat again with Go Long.

Readers may remember our profile from the 2021 season. That’s when Clark opened up about his incarcerated father. Kenny Jr. was only 9 years old when Kenny Sr. was locked up for a murder he insisted he did not commit. (“My Dad did nothing wrong,” son said then.) Clark truly had no idea if his Dad would ever get to see him play — he was sentenced to a minimum of 55 years. To his shock, that moment finally arrived in Week 1 of the ‘23 season at Chicago. It was an emotional afternoon for Kenny Jr., for his mother, for everyone. After more appeals, court proceedings and heartache than he could ever recall, Kenny Clark finally has his father back.

Life is good.

His daughter, Kenaii, is growing fast and he’s got another baby girl on the way.

He inked a three-year, $64 million extension last July.

As for this year’s team? Clark hasn’t felt this hopeful in a long time. The three-time Pro Bowler who’s been on this team since 2016 has suffered plenty of crushing postseason over the years. Now, he’s the elder statesman on the youngest team in the league.

It only made sense to catch up with Clark on our recent reporting trip to Wisconsin.

Audio of our conversation is above for our latest edition of “How the NFL Works,” and the written transcript is here:

Right here is how one of the best of the best on the defensive line balances life and football in the heat of a playoff run.

Full episodes, as always, are available to Go Long subscribers.

Bring in that Christmas cheer!

Previous episodes of “How the NFL Works:”

* S1 E4: 'Get a Quarterback' with Super Bowl champ and ex-NFL exec Jim Monos

* S1 E3: Resurrecting a Franchise with Ron Wolf

* S1 E2: Life After Football with Ryan Leaf

* S1 E1: Building the 2024 Quarterback with Quincy Avery

Greetings from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport!

Always love flying back to the Badger State where the Spotted Cow tastes just as good as I remember and team president Mark Murphy essentially built an entirely new town around Lambeau Field. (Great work, Mark.) It was a very busy week of reporting for future stories at Go Long in Green Bay, Wisc. — make sure you’re subscribed to read ‘em all. But before heading to the airport to fly back to Western New York, I recorded this Substack Live with Peter Bukowski of “The Leap” and the Locked On Packers podcast.

We try to make a little more sense of the mess in Chicago and what the Bears could do to make Caleb Williams’ life easier.

Also, will we witness another second-half surge out of Jordan Love? The Packers sure hope so.

This was fun.

As a reminder, you can download the Substack app here to catch these impromptu videos with fellow Substackers live:

Miss our feature today? I caught up again with Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. He’s come a long way from nobody recognizing him at Elmo’s for chicken wings as a rookie. Hamlin opens up more on the night he died and came back to life.

His comeback represents the beauty of the sport.

Thank you for reading, subscribing and sharing, everyone.

We figured the NFC North would be a bare-knuckle brawl. That’s why we built a podcast around the division this 2024 season.

Six weeks in, there’s no debate. Minnesota (5-0), Detroit (4-1), Green Bay (4-2) and Chicago (4-2) occupy the best division in football.

So, let’s dive in.

A loaded episode for you this week with co-host Bob McGinn.

The Lions went full Tony Soprano on the Dallas Cowboys, but it came at a steep cost. We begin the show with a ton of Aidan Hutchinson talk. How will Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell replace the sole source of their pass rush? McGinn offers a few realistic trade options. Expect Detroit to be aggressive. It’s Super Bowl or Bust for this team.

How did the Lions dismantle the Cowboys, 47-9? McGinn dissects the film as only he can. The offensive line left a trail of bodies in its wake. Carlton Davis is starting to prove why he’s a perfect fit in Campbell’s defense, too… cleat to the face ‘n all.

At the 48-minute mark, we shift to the Packers’ blowout win over the Arizona Cardinals.

More specifically, wide receiver Romeo Doubs.

We got to know the wide receiver with a two-part feature:

There’s a lot to unpack.

Is Doubs pissed?

Where do the two sides go from here?

Here’s thinking the two parties are best together. Doubs is exactly what the Packers need on offense.

McGinn uncovers a lot on film, too. Rookies Edgerrin Cooper and Evan Williams are heating up in a big way. Zach Tom’s been excellent. Jaire Alexander is forever a topic of conversation.

As for the Chicago Bears? Caleb Williams is getting better every single week. Across the pond, the No. 1 overall pick torched Jacksonville for four touchdown passes. We both like what OC Shane Waldron’s dialing up on offense. Bears talk starts at the 1:20 mark.

This week’s “McGinn Memory” is a classic, too. Bob brings us back to his quarterback days in the U.P., when a future NFL pro lined up on the other side of the ball.

Full episodes of the Ty & Bob Pod are always available to our paid subscribers.

Audio is above. Video is below.

Thank you for fueling everything at Go Long.

These are bizarre times in Green Bay. After three decades of sublime quarterback play and perennial contention, the future is a total unknown.

The 2023 Packers are 2-5 and, now, Jordan Love has 10 games to prove he’s the quarterback of the future. Pressure’s heating up for all involved: GM Brian Gutekunst, head coach Matt LaFleur, Love and a green-as-grass offense.

So, let’s check back in with the player who revitalized the franchise itself.

On Episode 4 of “FAVRE,” three-time MVP Brett Favre examines the state of the organization, and a lot more:

* The problems in Green Bay run deep. What does he see?

* How is Love performing? Favre knows seeing an element of “razzle dazzle” is important… even if the deck’s stacked against the QB.

* The challenge of trying to win with so much youth. Favre knows he was lucky to have Sterling Sharpe at wide receiver to begin his Packers career. Frank Winters, too. Any vet at any position can go a very long way.

* Why the 54-year-old Favre has more desire to train than he ever has in his life. (But, no, he isn’t mounting a comeback.)

* How Favre knew Doug Pederson would be a great NFL head coach.

* His relationship with his father. He never heard “I love you” or “I’m proud of you” from his Dad. What effect did this tough love have on Favre as a kid? Today?

* His relationship with his daughters. He’s been open to both about his addiction to alcohol and pain pills.

* Connecting with the fans on a deeper level and why this meant more to Favre than any statistic, any accolade.

VIP members at Go Long can join our recordings to ask Favre questions. Upgrade here to our founding tier for this access, a Go Long sweatshirt and a copy of “The Blood and Guts: How Tight Ends Save Football.”

Audio of “FAVRE is above with video below.

Go Long is completely independent, and strives to cover pro football through a longform lens. Subscribers can access all stories and all podcasts.

Thanks to all for joining our community.

Previous episodes of “FAVRE” below:

Ep 1: Reliving an unforgettable moment in NFL history

Ep 2: Bar fights, throat-slashes and the car crash that could've killed him

Ep 3: The unique attrition of football

By the end of this week’s “Ty & Bob Pod” podcast episode, our longtime scribe had the 1988 newspapers out. It’s been that long since the Green Bay Packers offense was this anemic in the first half of games.

That cold stretch under Lindy Infante sure mirrors this one under Matt LaFleur.

Now, there’s a Halloween scare.

You may start to see empty…

One and a half seasons in, the Las Vegas Raiders have only gotten worse.

Out is GM Dave Ziegler. Out is head coach Josh McDaniels.

Obviously, the Raiders franchise has been a joke for a while now. But as we delve into this episode of the Go Long Show, change was needed. A flawed quarterback plan, an abomination of a defense and losses like the one we all saw on Monday night against the Detroit Lions demand accountability.

Also, what does the addition of Leonard Fournette mean in Buffalo? Co-host Jim Monos recalls scouting Fournette out of LSU.

And what does the opposite of everything Raiders resemble? It’s the Detroit Lions, where the head coach and GM have made a series of correct decisions.

Brian Daboll sure would love that fourth and 1 back vs. the Jets. We’ve seen many coaching mistakes halfway through the season.

Monos also explains why Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata is Victor Wembanyama.

Audio is embedded above and the video is below.

Thanks, all.

Miss our column Tuesday? This is a defining moment for Mike Tomlin’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

Go Long is completely powered by our readers. We cover pro football through a longform lens.

Also, join our Deadline Chat discussion inside the Substack App…

There is too much happening in the NFC North to jam our weekly discussion into one post.

Miss Part I? Here’s a lengthy chat on the state of the stammering Green Bay Packers.

For Part II, we begin with the Baltimore Ravens’ throttling of the Detroit Lions. One week ago, we were crowning the Lions as contenders. Dan Campbell’s crew, as co-host Bob McGinn eloquently puts it, had their brains handed to them by the Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.

Was this a one-week fluke? A bad omen? It’s complicated. We discuss.

And, holy, did the Minnesota Vikings make an NFC statement by upsetting the mighty San Francisco 49ers, 22-17. Without his star receiver, Justin Jefferson, quarterback Kirk Cousins was exceptional in a primetime spot. Jordan Addison introduced himself to the country. And blitz-happy Brian Flores hinted that this is a new day for the Vikings defense.

Go Long spent time around the Vikings in training camp. They were optimistic about 2023 — eager to prove that was substance to all those one-score wins a year ago. The life-saving K.J. Osborn is one player who brings this team’s spirit to life, too.

After a 1-4 start, the Vikes are now 3-4 and should be thinking about contending. This season. With Cousins.

Finally, we wrap with Eagles-Dolphins talk and another “McGinn Memory.”

Thanks, everyone.

No win on the road is a gimmie. But, for the Green Bay Packers, this was supposed to be the breezy lull in the schedule.

Jimmy Garoppolo’s Raiders? Russell Wilson’s Broncos? They couldn’t have gotten these two clubs at a better time.

Both wins were the Packers’ grasp and they let ‘em slip away. Instead of heading into their NFC North matchup vs. the Min…

Mac Jones and Mike Gesicki doing The Griddy at the end of a game-winning drive certainly was not on the bingo card of even the most tortured Buffalo Bills fans.

An alleged “get-right game” was anything but for the 4-3 Bills.

Could this simply be an average team with an average defensive mind? There’s much to be written on this 2023 season, but the pressure’s building on head coach Sean McDermott. Injuries aren’t an excuse, especially when Bill Belichick managed to pressure Josh Allen on 41 percent of downs without key starters. (Including Matthew Judon.)

We try to make sense of it all here on the Go Long Show with co-host and longtime NFL exec Jim Monos.

Also, some thoughts on the horrendous officiating staining pro football games, those Pittsburgh Steelers finding ways to win in the fourth quarter and a thought on offensive line play in light of Tyrod Taylor and Tyson Bagent earning wins.

Of course, the main focus is on the Bills and that precarious Super Bowl window.

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Subscribers can access all three podcasts at Go Long, in addition to all stories.

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Few remember the level of ugly to a victory in the NFL. Few will be able to recall just how close the Buffalo Bills were to near-disaster against the New York Giants.

But right now, this is a team lost in the woods.

The good news? It’s mid-October. Week 7. There’s plenty of time for the Bills to dust off a compass and find their way out. We examine the state of the team on this episode of the Go Long Show. Co-host Jim Monos, the team’s former director of personnel, offers his unique perspective as always.

Also…

* Lyft/Uber etiquette. Some stunts don’t warrant the tip.

* Rookie QBs. The start of Bryce Young’s career has been a nightmare, but how much is his fault?

* Why a hearty rushing game is exactly what the doctor ordered in Buffalo.

* Defensively, Monos pinpoints the areas of concern. Expect teams to take the fight to Sean McDermot’s team on the ground.

Thank you for subscribing, everyone. Go Long is powered by you.

The “Go Long Show” is accessible right here at GoLongTD.com and wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple, Spotify and YouTube.

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