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Hello! Welcome to our latest mailbag.
Bravo to all. The inbox was overflowing with burning questions this month.
I’ll break up our February Mailbag into three parts so we can dive into everything.
Also: I definitely want to get into the habit of recommending some books to read this offseason. Finishing up Chuck Klosterman’s “Football” right now and it is exceptional. Looking forward to welcoming Chuck onto the pod soon to discuss. A non-football book? Check out “Breath,” by James Nestor. After Jordan Poyer blew all of our minds with his insight into breathwork, my wife got this one for me for Christmas. This, too, just may blow your mind.
Let’s get to your inquiries. A ton on the docket.
Brandon Beane minced no words in our sitdown. It was refreshing.
Lions big splash? It is time.
Raiders rebuild plans. We’re on Maxx Crosby Watch and one team makes perfect sense.
Is Justin Jefferson a realistic Bills target? If not, then who?
J-E-T-S, stink, stink, stink! But why is that smell so unbelievably rancid? We dish out some more F-minuses for Woody Johnson.
Which players get traded? Which players stay put? A few thoughts.
Can Will Campbell bounce back? How bad was Drake Maye’s shoulder?
As always, our mailbags are accessible to paid subscribers.
Thank you for growing out community into Year 6 of Go Long. No ads, no sponsors, no gambling BS here. We’re fueled by you and your willingness to share with a friend.
Hey Ty,
Your story on the Bills hiring Joe Brady made some waves nationally, notably the GM’s “fuck the outside” quote. You sat down with Beane. You saw how he said it. What did you make of his comments?
Rick
Greetings, Rick. First, some context. This marks my 16th season covering the NFL full time. From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to the Buffalo News to Bleacher Report to our world here at Go Long, I’ve repeatedly seen the same old sequence play out whenever a subject’s honesty in a longform story is slapped across headlines nationwide. Almost immediately, the subject turtles up and claims to be taken out of context.
To recap, Brandon Beane did not hold back when I noted how his Joe Brady hire was perceived locally.
He knew there would be backlash. His quote in full:
“And to me? Fuck the outside. It’s about the right selection for this team. And if we win, they’ll love it. It’s the same thing I said when I took Josh Allen. If I’m wrong, the moving company will be at my house. So, I understand. And I’m not going to have regret of choosing someone to appease the outside if I thought it should have been something different. If I’m wrong, I’ll fucking take my job and fucking go home.
“I don’t want to be wrong — see him go somewhere else — when my gut told me it was Joe Brady. I’m never going to do that.
“I would love for everyone to cheer every move, but it’s not about winning the press conference. It’s about winning games over there.
“If we do that, everyone will cheer. If I selected who they want me to select or the outside noise — whatever those ratings were — and we don’t win? Guess who’s going to fucking hear about it? Me. So if I’m going to get yelled at, I’m going to get yelled at for choosing the guy that I believe can do this.”
A day later, both Beane and Brady conducted several remote interviews during Super Bowl Week. One of those spots was “The Schrager Hour” with ESPN’s Peter Schrager. “I saw the quote,” Schrager says. “It said, ‘F the outside.’ Maybe that was taken out of context.” At this exact point, Beane could’ve taken the bait. It’s easy to blame some nameless, faceless writer amid a media firestorm. Bury the messenger and move on.
Instead? Beane did not sprint 100 MPH the opposite direction. He owned his words.
Gotta say, it was refreshing.
Right or wrong, we don’t censor or sanitize anybody at Go Long. My goal is to bring you the sport in its realest ‘n rawest form, be it an F-bomb or an anecdote gleaned in our reporting. And fresh off one of the biggest decisions of his football life, Beane kept it real. I can promise you that Beane’s passionate “fuck the outside” answer was not haphazard. He maintained eye contact the entire time. He was himself. One longtime NFL scout who swears like a sailor himself once told me that he couldn’t believe how many times Beane dropped the F-word in conversation.
Give me authenticity. Give me honesty amid a tidal wave of nonsense.
Most GMs and head coaches go 10, 20, 30 years sharpening the fine art of filibustering bullshit. A third of the league hired new coaches and I’d wager most of the hours and hours of press-conference coverage from those hires could double as a lullaby for a mid-winter’s nap. Beane understands what’s on the line — everyone’s job — and isn’t afraid to say it out loud. After spending an hour detailing why Brady was the man for the job, he simply verbalized the stakes: “If I’m wrong, I’ll fucking take my job and fucking go home.”
He is squarely putting all pressure on himself.
Football is a violent sport. Emotional sensitivities should be left at the door.
If this is all too bombastic for people, please by all means here’s two teaspoons of soccer.
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Hi Tyler,
Q: How does it feel to have the rest of the world catch up with your point of view after four years of blind criticism? I remember reading your longform “13 Seconds” article a couple of months after it happened and saying to myself … finally someone has dived into this fiasco and unpacked the litany of errors made by an overmatched HC.