Episode 12: Mark Schlereth

On the twelfth episode of “Great Dane Nation,” Morten is joined by three-time Super Bowl Champion and FOX Sports game analyst Mark Schlereth (05:14 – 37:24). But first, he checks in with TommyFreezePops (Tom Carroll), where the guys talk all things Thanksgiving. Does Denmark address the Thanksgiving holiday in anyway (02:44)? Plus, Morten talks about why he hated playing on Thanksgiving while with the Atlanta Falcons (03:58).We then move to our interview with Mark, where he discusses a wide array of topics: how a kid from Alaska ended up having a 12-year, Super Bowl-winning career (06:31); how he ended up playing college football at the University of Idaho under Dennis Erickson (08:30); the challenge of calling a football game vs. breaking down film for a studio show (10:47); how playing at Idaho uniquely prepared him to join the second wave of “The Hogs” in Washington (14:09); the mentorship he received from “The Hogs” during his first six years in the league (15:25); when Russ Grimm taught him the concept of being an expert at holding, and how he carried that skill late into his career (15:42); how less practices in today’s NFL has led to a lack of nuance in the game (18:00); how “The Hogs” were the unquestioned leaders in the locker room in Washington (20:42); why the biggest reason Washington Football Team hasn’t been successful in many years is ownership’s influence on the locker room and coaching decisions (21:18); his relationship with Mike Shanahan, and how he’s helping Mark get better as a broadcaster (22:31); the difficulty of preparing for Patrick Mahomes (23:53); why the rookie wage scale has changed the way quarterbacks are drafted and developed in the NFL (26:27); explaining the inconsistent play of Drew Lock in his second season (28:05); how he became a soap opera star while working at ESPN (33:42); the origin of his nickname, “Stink” (35:39); and his foray into the food industry, “Stinkin’ Good Green Chile” (36:23).Then, TommyFreezePops is joined by Kevin Rogers for his weekly check-in with the experts from VegasInsider.com (40:35 – 48:07). It’s all Thanksgiving this week, as Tom asks Kevin what he is most thankful for from the 2020 NFL season from a gambling perspective – his answer may surprise you (41:46). Plus, we preview both games from the Thanksgiving slate, as the Texans head to Detroit (44:06), and Washington heads to Dallas (45:52).Finally, we close things out with Morten’s “Game Winner” – a weekly segment where Morten monologues his biggest takeaway of the week. This week, he talks about his love and appreciation for Thanksgiving (48:07).