Episode 63: Michael Vick
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).