Welcome to Between The Hashmarks
Home of National NFL Reporter Matt Lombardo
When I covered the Philadelphia Eagles as a beat reporter for NJ.com, I was working on a feature about how Nick Foles, offensive coordinator Frank Reich, and members of the coaching staff kept the quarterback room together over the season’s final month and a playoff run to the Super Bowl after Carson Wentz’s MVP caliber season came to an end when he shredded his knee in a victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
During Super Bowl Opening Night, I was interviewing a member of the Eagles’ offensive coaching staff for the story, and he insisted on trading cell phone numbers so that I could share the feature once it was published.
An hour later, on the shuttle back to the media hotel, my phone buzzed. It was that coach with a simple message; “Matt, you do great work. I appreciate all the time you spend to get your insight.”It’s that time, effort, and the relationships built over a career spanning more than 15 years covering the NFL that I now pour into every piece of reporting here at Between The Hashmarks.
That career includes time as the Eagles’ beat reporter for NJ.com, three seasons covering the New York Giants for the Star-Ledger, serving as Senior NFL Insider for Heavy Sports and eventually the now-defunct FanBuzz, and the preparation and work I poured into the shows I hosted at 97.5 FM The Fanatic, Philadelphia’s ESPN Radio Affiliate are the same that power me through each day and each piece of content.
Whether it’s speaking to former New England Patriots players, sources across the league, and top analysts on how Mike Vrabel orchestrated such a rapid turnaround amid a Super Bowl run, folks who know Caleb Williams best, on how Ben Johnson jumpstarted the former No. 1 overall pick’s development, or the coaches and teammates who have known Saquon Barkley from high school, his time at Penn State, and in the NFL on what makes the Eagles’ running back special, it’s my mission to give you a peek behind the curtain on the NFL’s biggest stories, and how the folks inside the league feel about them.
Likewise, I’ll never forget standing in the middle of the Indiana Convention Center, waiting for a round of NFL Combine press conferences to get underway, when a colleague tapped me on the shoulder, we exchanged pleasantries, and he told me; “What I admire about your work is that you might not “get” every transaction or be the first to report it, but you’re always one of the first, if not the first to have a quote from a scout or a coach about what that move means, there’s real value there.”
That commitment to context … to explaining not just what happened, but why it matters and what the people inside the game think about it, is the foundation every piece of reporting here is built on.
When Kenneth Walker III signed a market-setting contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, we spoke to former Cleveland Browns CEO Joe Banner, NFL Network Analyst Brian Baldinger, and executives across the NFL on what the signing means for Kansas City, and how teams now have to adjust the way they defend Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid’s offense, after adding Walker’s shifty explosiveness.
Hours after the New York Jets traded cornerback “Sauce” Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts, we had reaction from a handful of NFL scouts and coaches on what the trade meant for both teams.
Since launching Between The Hashmarks, originally with the intent of it merely being a clearinghouse for the links to my work as an NFL insider at FanBuzz, or my reporting at Heavy, this project has evolved into a destination for NFL fans who want to level up their coverage of the sport they love, with the insight from general managers, coaches, agents, as well as current and former players, who explain why the big moves matter, how the big play happened, and which team to watch to make a big leap in the season ahead.
If you're ready to level up your NFL coverage and be part of something bigger than football, we'd love to have you in the huddle.
If you’re already one of the over 3,000 subscribers who have propelled Between The Hashmarks to become not only one of the best-selling publications on Substack, but also consistently one of the fastest growing across the platform, words can’t adequately express my appreciation and genuine gratitude for your continued support.You can share Between The Hashmarks, and earn some cool rewards along the way, as well.
- Matt Lombardo