Episode 65: Jim Mora Jr.

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).