Episode 3: Franco Harris

On the third episode of “Great Dane Nation,” Morten is joined by his Pro Football Hall of Fame brother and Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris (07:41 – 39:26). But first, he checks in with TommyFreezePops (Tom Carroll) to talk about week 2 of the NFL season (01:06). Before they dive into the storylines from week 2, Morten explains why he’s now calling Tom by his new nickname, “Tommy Corporate” (01:10). The guys then dive into the Saints losing to the Raiders in their Las Vegas debut, and why the demise of Drew Brees is almost certainly being overstated by the media (03:06). Morten then tells us why he thinks there have been so many ACL injuries in the early going of this NFL season (05:40).We then move to our interview with Franco, where he discusses a wide array of topics: why he was so upset when he was drafted by the Steelers in the 1972 NFL Draft (10:36); why he never thought about attending college growing up, let alone playing college football (13:08); his humble beginnings growing up on Fort Dix in New Jersey, and why that diverse community was so important in shaping the man he would become (14:01); why he credits his community’s great school system for teaching him how to read (17:02); how baseball and basketball were his first loves, and why he never played football as a young kid (18:56); how he settled on Penn State as his college of choice, and why his Italian heritage was an enormous factor (20:28); why he never thought about playing in the NFL, even when he was one of the best college football players in the country for the Nittany Lions (24:13); what the biggest contributor was to the 1970s Steelers’ success (28:30); the origins of the “Franco Harris Italian Army,” and how Frank Sinatra became an official member of the army at a practice in 1972 (29:37); the piece of coaching advice from Joe Paterno that he credits for the “Immaculate Reception” (34:09); his unceremonious exit from Pittsburgh, and his one season with the Seattle Seahawks (35:40); the amazing coaching legacy of the Steelers, and what that says about the organization (37:19); and why he feels like the Steelers should do more in free agency, as opposed to just working with players they’ve drafted (38:06).Then, TommyFreezePops is joined by Paul Bovi for his weekly check-in with the experts from VegasInsider.com (40:50 – 50:44). They talk about the 2-0 start for the Steelers, and whether or not they feel Pittsburgh is a legit threat to win the AFC this season (41:35). They also talk about the showcase on Monday Night Football between Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes (43:55), a battle between Canton-bound quarterbacks on Sunday Night Football as the Packers head to New Orleans (46:02), and a possible high-scoring affair between the Cowboys and Seahawks (48:12).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 Franco Harris, and how his unique path has turned him into a role model for all of us (50:44).