Great Dane Nation

On the 70th episode of “Great Dane Nation,” Morten is joined by former Saints teammate Mark Pattison, as he talks about his journey of becoming the second NFL player ever to climb the Seven Summits (07:12 – 46:48). But first, he checks in with TommyFreezePops (Tom Carroll) for this week’s edition of the “Opening Kick” (01:20 – 06:27). This week, the guys talk about the bizarre situation with Antonio Brown and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What’s really happening here?

We then move to our interview with Mark Pattison where he discusses a wide range of topics: the difficulty of finding the right thing to channel his competitive energy after his NFL career came to an abrupt end (08:28); his success in business, and why he believes his work at Sports Illustrated will push them past ESPN in digital traffic within the next three years (15:25); how his NFL Films documentary “Searching for the Summit” came about, and how he turned his mountaineering goal into a charitable opportunity (20:27); how he almost died while summiting Denali in Alaska (25:44); a special edition of “The Name Game,” featuring some of the mountains from Mark’s Seven Summit journey – Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Elbrus, Mount Kosciuszko, Aconcagua, Denali and the Vinson Massif (26:24); his journey with Mount Everest, and how death was a real possibility on his way down the mountain (34:00); and why Mark is choosing to climb yet another enormous mountain to celebrate his 60th birthday (43:03).

Morten spends some time on today’s episode honoring the life and legacy of the late Dan Reeves, who we lost on New Year’s Day at the age of 77. Morten played for Coach Reeves for four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons (47:01 – 49:38).

Then we move to this week’s edition of “Morten’s Fast 5,” where our Hall of Famer makes picks for the five biggest games of the football weekend (50:52 – 57:43). Morten gives his picks for Chiefs at Broncos (51:40), Cowboys at Eagles (52:56), Chargers at Raiders (54:07), Patriots at Dolphins (55:00) and Saints at Falcons (55:44).

Finally, we close things out with “Morten’s Game Winner” – a weekly monologue from The Great Dane on his biggest takeaway of the week. This week, Morten talks about Mark Pattison, and why he’s the embodiment of a modern-day renaissance man (57:43).

On the 69th episode of “Great Dane Nation,” Morten is joined by new Pro Football Hall of Fame president Jim Porter, as this week brings us the final 15 candidates for the PFHOF Class of 2022 (10:44 – 40:13). But first, Morten remembers the late John Madden, as the news of his passing came down on Tuesday evening. Morten reminisces about his Pro Football Hall of Fame brother, and puts his legacy in perspective (00:00 – 10:01).

We then move to our interview with Jim Porter where he discusses a wide range of topics: taking over the job previously held by David Baker, and why he will be a different type of leader for the Hall of Fame (11:36); his background of growing up in the Canton region, working for the local newspaper, and why he wants to get the Hall of Fame more connected to the local community (14:29); some of Morten’s ideas to get the local population more involved with the PFHOF (16:58); his love for the bronze bust room (21:17); why we will see a different version of “the knock” moving forward (23:21); on the topic of more specialists being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Jim talks about why the PFHOF needs to include more members that represent all aspects of the game (25:43); on bringing back the tradition of honoring anniversary classes on induction weekend every year (30:17); the great group of 26 players in the mix for the 15 finalist spots this year, and why Jim is happy he doesn’t have to make the tough decisions on who to elect (31:57); the balance between the non-profit and for-profit parts of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (34:15); and Morten’s idea for the world’s largest flag football tournament to be played in Canton (37:05).

Then we move to this week’s edition of “Morten’s Fast 5,” where our Hall of Famer makes picks for the five biggest games of the football weekend (41:43 – 50:36)). Morten gives his picks for Chiefs at Bengals (44:35), Dolphins at Titans (46:16), Rams at Ravens (47:02), Cardinals at Cowboys (47:55) and Vikings at Packers (48:43).

Finally, we close things out with “Morten’s Game Winner” – a weekly monologue from The Great Dane on his biggest takeaway of the week. This week, Morten talks about the grueling process of being a candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame (50:36).

On the 68th episode of “Great Dane Nation,” Morten is joined by his Pro Football Hall of Fame brother, former teammate, and Kansas City Chiefs legend Will Shields (05:15 – 50:39). But first, he checks in with TommyFreezePops (Tom Carroll) for this week’s edition of the “Opening Kick” (01:17 – 04:29). Morten gives us his biggest takeaways from around the NFL as we head into Christmas, and let’s just say Urban Meyer is going to be on the “naughty list.”

We then move to our interview with Will Shields, where he discusses a wide range of topics: his connection to Denmark, and his love for Danish hot dogs (05:51); his thoughts on the up and down season of the 2021 Kansas City Chiefs (08:49); his thoughts on Joe Thuney’s first season in Kansas City, and how he thinks their offensive line has looked generally (12:45); why he thinks he hasn’t been asked to come speak to the Chiefs offensive linemen (16:01); what he thinks might be contributing to the decline in offensive line play at the pro level (16:59); who he thinks is the best guard in the NFL today, and discussing his iron man record with the Chiefs (18:53); the “non-negotiables” for a great guard (21:30); why he thinks the 2021 Chiefs are capable of repeating as AFC Champions (25:31); how his relationship with Dick Vermeil grew over the years (29:24); the iconic offensive line he was a part of with the Chiefs (32:55); what’s wrong with Nebraska, and why the transfer portal is specifically bad for the Cornhuskers (35:09); background on his “Will to Succeed Foundation” (39:37); “The Name Game,” featuring Lamar Hunt, Joe Montana, Marcus Allen, Derrick Thomas, Trent Green, Tony Gonzalez, Priest Holmes and Marty Schottenheimer (41:33); and why falling to the 3rd round of the NFL Draft, even after winning the Outland Trophy, was the best thing that ever happened to him (49:30).

Then we move to this week’s edition of “Morten’s Fast 5,” where our Hall of Famer makes picks for the five biggest games of the football weekend (52:08 – 59:32). Morten gives his picks for 49ers at Titans (53:28), Browns at Packers (54:55), Colts at Cardinals (55:57), Bills at Patriots (56:57), and Dolphins at Saints (57:55).

Finally, we close things out with “Morten’s Game Winner” – a weekly monologue from The Great Dane on his biggest takeaway of the week. This week, Morten talks about his friend Will Shields, and the many characteristics that make him one of the greatest players of all-time, both on and off the field (59:32).

On the 67th episode of “Great Dane Nation,” Morten is joined by David Baker, the recently retired president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (04:33 – 45:28). But first, he checks in with TommyFreezePops (Tom Carroll) for this week’s edition of the “Opening Kick” (01:01 – 03:43). With the league seeing a crazy amount of onside kick recoveries on Sunday, Morten uses his pulpit to preach the gospel of old onside kick rules, and why they must return to the game.

We then move to our interview with David Baker, where he discusses a wide range of topics: reliving the moment he delivered the Hall of Fame induction news to Morten and his wife back in 2017 (05:27); his trip with Morten back to Denmark to celebrate his Hall of Fame induction with his homeland (07:43); why he believes NFL Films should make an episode of “A Football Life” about Morten and Jan Stenerud’s journeys, from European immigrants to Hall of Fame kickers (12:09); why David believes Morten’s comeback story is inspiring to anyone trying to pursue something later in life, and how he thinks Tom Brady might be drawing inspiration from him (14:31); why now is the right time for him to retire from his post as president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (15:51); hints at the type of project he will be pursuing in this next chapter of his life (20:08); a life-changing conversation he had with Jim Brown in Israel (21:47); what he’s most proud of from his tenure in Canton, OH (24:00); what the next 10-15 years looks like for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a tradition he’d love to see started among Gold Jackets during times of crisis in this country (29:54); his favorite speeches from induction nights during his tenure (36:47); his favorite bronze busts from his tenure (38:48); and his favorite “Hall of Fame knocks” from his tenure (40:21).

Then we move to this week’s edition of “Morten’s Fast 5,” where our Hall of Famer makes picks for the five biggest games of the football weekend (46:56 – 55:33). Morten gives his picks for Chiefs at Chargers (48:41), Patriots at Colts (49:38), Saints at Buccaneers (51:09), Titans at Steelers (52:20), and Packers at Ravens (53:15).

Finally, we close things out with “Morten’s Game Winner” – a weekly monologue from The Great Dane on his biggest takeaway of the week. This week, Morten talks about his friend David Baker, and how your character as a man is what truly defines you as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (55:33).

On the 66th episode of “Great Dane Nation,” Morten is joined by his Pro Football Hall of Fame brother and Cincinnati Bengals legend Anthony Muñoz (06:03 – 39:01). But first, he checks in with TommyFreezePops (Tom Carroll) for this week’s edition of the “Opening Kick” (01:02 – 05:12). Morten talks about the Detroit Lions getting their first win of the season, and how his old friend Dan Campbell reminded all of us postgame what really matters in life.

We then move to our interview with Anthony Muñoz, where he discusses a wide range of topics: why a gold jacket is required for an invite to Anthony’s golf tournament (06:56); why he waited to start his foundation until well-after his playing days, and what his foundation focuses on within the greater Cincinnati region (07:53); the influence of his grandparents on his upbringing, and growing up without a father (12:11); why he’s so high on the 2021 Bengals, and what he loves about Joe Burrow (13:52); why we’ll be talking about Joe Burrow as a top 5 QB in the NFL sooner rather than later (16:00); a call for Kenny Anderson to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (16:38); why he wouldn’t have drafted Ja'Marr Chase that high this past spring, but absolutely respects the pro he has been in his rookie season (17:19); offensive line play in today’s game, and why it’s not at the level it used to be (18:14); Anthony’s “non-negotiable” traits all young offensive linemen should work on (21:44); who he thinks is the best offensive tackle in today’s NFL (24:50); why Quenton Nelson is the best guard in the NFL (25:19); why Dwight Stephenson is the greatest center he has ever seen (26:09); why Bruce Smith was the toughest person to block in his career (26:49); the players in today’s game that he would’ve loved to go up against (27:30); sharing memories of one of Morten’s favorite coaches ever, Frank Gansz Sr. (28:20); and this week’s edition of “The Name Game,” featuring Paul Brown, Cris Collinsworth, Archie Griffin, Ickey Woods and Sam Wyche (29:52).

Then we move to this week’s edition of “Morten’s Fast 5,” where our Hall of Famer makes picks for the five biggest games of the football weekend (40:28 – 47:39). Morten gives his picks for Rams at Cardinals (41:32), Bills at Buccaneers (42:45), Ravens at Browns (43:46), Cowboys at Washington (44:53), and Raiders at Chiefs (46:04).

Finally, we close things out with “Morten’s Game Winner” – a weekly monologue from The Great Dane on his biggest takeaway of the week. This week, Morten talks about his friend Anthony Muñoz, and how his character off the field has led him to being a pillar in the community (47:41).

On the 65th episode of “Great Dane Nation,” Morten is joined by his longtime friend and UConn’s new head football coach Jim Mora Jr. (07:44 – 37:04). But first, he checks in with TommyFreezePops (Tom Carroll) for this week’s edition of the “Opening Kick” (01:06 – 06:53). Morten tells what he learned from this long holiday weekend of NFL football, with thoughts on the Saints, Colts, Cowboys, Packers, Jaguars, Patriots and much more!

We then move to our interview with Jim Mora Jr., where he discusses a wide range of topics: how his dad, Jim Mora Sr., has changed over the years (08:18); a great story about Morten knowing his kicking range better than any other kicker ever (09:00); why he regrets not being harder on Michael Vick when he coached him in Atlanta (10:59); the futility of UConn’s football program, and why Jim believes the Huskies can one day win a College Football Playoff National Championship (13:09); the quick turnarounds he’s had in the past, and why he isn’t ruling out a quick turnaround for his new UConn program (17:39); why he didn’t coach with his dad right away, and how working under Don Coryell set him up for success (19:16); how Morten was able to help some of Jim’s kickers at UCLA with their approach to preparation (20:56); the first thing Jim is going to talk with his new team about, and a suggestion from Morten for Jim to add to his first address to the team (22:41); this week’s edition of “The Name Game,” featuring Jim Mora Sr., Steve Mariucci and The Dome Patrol (28:36); and the story behind the radio interview that ended his coaching career in Atlanta, and why it’s still the biggest regret of his life (30:23).

Then we move to this week’s edition of “Morten’s Fast 5,” where our Hall of Famer makes picks for the five biggest games of the football weekend (38:31 – 45:33). Morten gives his picks for Cowboys at Saints (39:25), Patriots at Bills (41:13), Colts at Texans (42:30), Buccaneers at Falcons (43:18), and Broncos at Chiefs (44:30).

Finally, we close things out with “Morten’s Game Winner” – a weekly monologue from The Great Dane on his biggest takeaway of the week. This week, Morten talks about the amazing story that led to Jim Mora Jr. revitalizing his career in Atlanta, eventually becoming the NFL’s all-time scoring leader (45:33).

On the 64th episode of “Great Dane Nation,” Morten is joined by his Pro Football Hall of Fame brother and Seattle Seahawks legend Steve Largent (06:41 – 48:34). But first, he checks in with TommyFreezePops (Tom Carroll) for this week’s edition of the “Opening Kick” (01:08 – 05:46). Morten talks about his excitement for Thanksgiving football, and he and FreezePops debate how long is too long to hang on to Turkey Day leftovers.

We then move to our interview with Steve Largent, where he discusses a wide range of topics: growing up without his father, and the men in his life that filled that void (07:39); using sports as an escape while growing up (11:24); being the back-up holder, and why it was the hardest thing he had to do in his football career (13:09); why never wore gloves in his career, but definitely would wear gloves if he was playing today (15:45); his philosophy when it came to catching the football (17:02); the most important steps a wide receiver should take to be successful in the NFL (19:55); why receivers prefer to play against man-coverage as opposed to zone (22:10); having the ability to improv on-the-fly if a play goes poorly (24:09); why he chose to go to Tulsa to play college football (25:56); being cut by the Houston Oilers during his first NFL training camp, and how that led him to signing with the brand-new Seattle Seahawks (28:02); the excitement around being a part of a new franchise, both from the fan and player perspective (31:57); what he thinks when he sees a wideout the size of DK Metcalf (34:44); why he thinks Russell Wilson will be a Seattle Seahawk “as long as he wants to be” (25:23); why he went into politics after retiring from football (36:32); why he won’t be running for president in 2024 (38:37); why losing a political race hurts harder than losing a big football game (39:39); the parallels between football and politics (40:28); meeting multiple presidents while he served in congress (41:11); and this week’s edition of “The Name Game,” featuring Kenny Easley, Jim Mora, Carl Eller, Joe Nash, Franco Harris, Brian Bosworth, Tom Flores, Mike Tice, Dave Krieg and Jim Zorn (41:49).

Then we move to this week’s edition of “Morten’s Fast 5,” where our Hall of Famer makes picks for the five biggest games of the football weekend (50:04 – 57;14). Morten gives his picks for Bears at Lions (51:45), Raiders at Cowboys (53:08), Bills at Saints (53:52), Buccaneers at Colts (54:43), and Titans at Patriots (55:47).

Finally, we close things out with “Morten’s Game Winner” – a weekly monologue from The Great Dane on his biggest takeaway of the week. This week, Morten shares a special monologue in honor of Thanksgiving, as he brings us inside the mind of a turkey (57:14).

On the 63rd episode of “Great Dane Nation,” Morten is joined by his former teammate and Atlanta Falcons legend Michael Vick (06:38 – 46:59). But first, he checks in with TommyFreezePops (Tom Carroll) for this week’s edition of the “Opening Kick” (01:04 – 05:49). Morten talks about that pesky tie-game-rule that still remains in the NFL after all these years, as we saw the Lions and Steelers end in an ugly 16-16 tie this past weekend in Pittsburgh.

We then move to our interview with Michael Vick, where he discusses a wide range of topics: the devastation of going to prison, learning from his unforgivable mistakes, and coming out of it as a better man than he was before (08:10); his first impressions of Morten as a teammate, as the two of them have a 20-year age difference (12:31); why he wishes he had the same work ethic at the beginning of his career with the Falcons as he did at the end of his career with the Eagles (14:23); revolutionizing the game of football as the first truly dominant rushing quarterback in NFL history (17:34); growing up in the projects, moving his family out of the projects, and how his love for fishing helped save his life growing up (19:15); why he chose Virginia Tech over Syracuse, and how Frank Beamer’s coaching staff got him to the next level as a football player (25:08); embarking on the most dominant freshman season in college football history (28:53); his emotions surrounding being selected #1 overall in the 2001 NFL Draft (30:33); how his personal goals were always with team goals in mind (32:36); why Morten wishes he would’ve been more present in Mike’s life back in 2006 (34:10); his thoughts on the 2021 Atlanta Falcons and why he thinks Matt Ryan still has gas left in the tank (38:09); his current relationship with Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank (39:43); his advice for Aaron Rodgers in the wake of his COVID-19 controversy in Green Bay (40:12); his thoughts on DeSean Jackson landing on yet another team (41:25); why he probably talks to Lamar Jackson’s coaches more than he actually talks to Lamar Jackson (42:00); how Tom Brady is three years older than him, yet is still playing at an MVP-level (42:32); and this week’s edition of “The Name Game,” featuring Keith Brooking, DeAngelo Hall, Roddy White, Andy Reid, Rex Ryan, Mike Tomlin, Antonio Brown, Brian Finneran, Jason Kelce and Warrick Dunn (43:24).

Then we move to this week’s edition of “Morten’s Fast 5,” where our Hall of Famer makes picks for the five biggest games of the football weekend (48:27 – 55:07). Morten gives his picks for Patriots at Falcons (49:12), Cowboys at Chiefs (50:40), Colts at Bills (51:32), Giants at Buccaneers (52:34), and Saints at Eagles (53:28).

Finally, we close things out with “Morten’s Game Winner” – a weekly monologue from The Great Dane on his biggest takeaway of the week. This week, Morten talks about Michael Vick, and why the comeback is always greater than the setback (55:08).

On the 62nd episode of “Great Dane Nation,” Morten is joined by Baltimore Ravens legend Justin Tucker (05:47 – 30:08). But first, he checks in with TommyFreezePops (Tom Carroll) for this week’s edition of the “Opening Kick” (01:01 – 04:54). Morten talks about an insane weekend of upset football, as well as his disappointment with Aaron Rodgers in his handling of COVID-19 protocols in Green Bay.

We then move to our interview with Justin Tucker, where he discusses a wide range of topics: why kickers seem to get even better as they age, and recognizing that he needed to change some things to get to a dominant level of consistency (08:10); the factors that led to him getting to “unconscious competence” when it comes to kicking, including a deep study into free agent NFL kicker Stephen Gostkowski’s approach to the position (10:18); why becoming a dad focused him in a way that he never realized it could (14:07); the importance of being present in the less-than-2-seconds-process of snap-hold-kick (17:40); a cameo appearance from longtime Ravens punter Sam Koch (19:21); the beginning, middle, and end of his record-breaking 66-yard field goal from earlier this season in Detroit (20:18); and this week’s edition of “The Name Game,” featuring Mack Brown, John Harbaugh, Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Nick Foles and Joe Flacco (27:50).

Then we move to this week’s edition of “Morten’s Fast 5,” where our Hall of Famer makes picks for the five biggest games of the football weekend (31:33 – 38:24). Morten gives his picks for Browns at Patriots (32:54), Buccaneers at Washington (34:09), Falcons at Cowboys (35:12), Bills at Jets (36:07), and Saints at Titans (36:59).

Finally, we close things out with “Morten’s Game Winner” – a weekly monologue from The Great Dane on his biggest takeaway of the week. This week, Morten talks about the dominance of Justin Tucker, and why he thinks the Ravens’ MVP should be their legendary kicker (38:24).

On the 61st episode of “Great Dane Nation,” Morten is joined by Dodgers, Tigers and Michigan State legend Kirk Gibson (06:55 – 01:10:01). But first, he checks in with TommyFreezePops (Tom Carroll) for this week’s edition of the “Opening Kick” (01:06 – 06:03). Morten talks about his amazing sports weekend – watching his Spartans in-person as they took down their arch rivals to remain undefeated, followed by attending World Series Game 5 between the Braves and Astros.

We then move to our interview with Kirk Gibson, where he discusses a wide range of topics: his first impressions of Morten, and why he had big shoes to fill (09:19); his journey at Michigan State, going from a program on probation to winning the Big Ten in his senior season (10:24); why the Tigers were the only team Kirk was willing to be drafted by in baseball, and it’s not because he’s a local boy from Michigan (13:36); some of Morten’s favorite memories from his time as teammates with Kirk at Michigan State (15:54); how they feel about the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry, and why Kirk loves Mel Tucker with the Spartans (17:29); the importance of positive self-talk (20:22); why he took losses harder than anyone else, and how that attitude wasn’t accepted right away when he arrived in Los Angeles (24:01); why his iconic home run in game 1 of the 1988 World Series was only a small part of the reason that team won the title (29:21); the amazing backstory of his iconic home run against the Athletics (32:12); his thoughts on the 2021 Dodgers falling short of the World Series (39:32); the Tigers hiring A.J. Hinch after his controversy in Houston, and what constitutes “cheating” in competition (40:51); what he would do to make the game of baseball more enjoyable to watch (44:47); what his “moment of truth” was when he was at the plate (49:16); why positive visualization was important to him as a player, and remains important to him as he fights Parkinson’s disease (52:25); his battle with Parkinson’s disease, and the keys to why he’s doing so well (54:59); and this week’s edition of “The Name Game,” featuring Sparky Anderson, Alan Trammell, Fernando Valenzuela and Phil Hickey (59:49).

Then we move to this week’s edition of “Morten’s Fast 5,” where our Hall of Famer makes picks for the five biggest games of the football weekend (01:12:03 – 01:19:24). Morten gives his picks for Falcons at Saints (01:13:02), Packers at Chiefs (01:14:27), Browns at Bengals (01:15:23), Titans at Rams (01:16:04), and Bills at Jaguars (01:17:23).

Finally, we close things out with “Morten’s Game Winner” – a weekly monologue from The Great Dane on his biggest takeaway of the week. This week, Morten talks about his buddy Gibby, and how his toughness both on the field and in life should be an inspiration for all of us (01:19:24).