Joe Montana on Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman: He brings “a different level of professionalism”

WE’RE LIVE!

Mike Golic and Mike Golic Jr. debuted their new live daily studio show on DraftKings Network on Monday. And what better way to kick things off than by welcoming one of the all-time gridiron greats, Joe Montana!

After a discussion about Dublin and Guinness, the guys got down to business and asked Joe about the state of Notre Dame football.

Joe said he loves what Marcus Freeman has been able to do at South Bend and sees a bright future ahead. He also appeared to make a distinction between Freeman and the previous head man for the Fighting Irish.

“I just think he brings a different understanding and a different level of professionalism to say that I don’t think was there before,” Montana said. “That person lasted a long time and we won a bunch of games but I think (Freeman) is going to do great things there. I just really like his demeanor, I like what he’s about. I like what I see in what he put on the field last year and was able to maintain where they were before.”

The only problem Joe sees is the tough schedule Notre Dame has ahead of them.

Mike Sr. asked Joe about new quarterback Sam Hartman and the difficulty in bringing in a new guy, having him learn a new system and getting him on the same page with the rest of the offense. Joe said the biggest issue won’t be learning the system, but rather getting some time with the wide receivers. He says that as a quarterback you’re looking at body language and making sure the other members of the offense know what you’re thinking and that takes a while. Joe cited an example from his own career when he went to Kansas City. He knew the offense since Paul Hackett was there, who had been with Joe in San Francisco, and that transition was easy, but it was a matter of getting receivers on the same page that he was on. In that instance, he knew the offense better than his receivers, but now for Hartman and Notre Dame, the receivers will be the ones who know more about the offense, so Hartman will have to work to get on the same page with everyone else and that’s the toughest part.

This is just the beginning for GoJo and Golic and the show will tackle the biggest storylines in sports and pop culture while interviewing some of the biggest names in the industry. Don’t forget that the Golics will be hosting a very special episode from the road for the NFL season opener, as GoJo and Golic: Kickoff in Kansas City will be broadcast live from Arrowhead Stadium from 4-7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sept 7!

SHOW BREAKDOWN

Hour 1: GoJo & Golic Debut, Falling for Sam Hartman, Cowboys trade for Trey Lance, and Mike’d Up Mondays

• DraftKings Network’s newest show: GoJo and Golic! The Golics and Jessie Coffield dive into (04:30) Notre Dame’s dominance over Navy on foreign soil and GoJo’s love for Sam Hartman. (13:30) They look at the biggest NFL news of the weekend—the 49ers trade Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys for a 4th-round pick, (20:10) the latest on the Jonathan Taylor situation with the Indianapolis Colts, and (30:12) a quick word from Joe Montana about year two for Notre Dame under Marcus Freeman. (40:08) We close out the first hour with Mike’d Up Mondays, brought to you by Wrangler, where GoJo and Golic react to the best sound from the NFL over the weekend.

Hour 2: Former GM Mike Mayock on Roster Cuts and Trey Lance + Giannis & NBA shade from Noah Lyles, USC is real, and RIP Bob Baker

• Part Deux of GoJo and Golic Debut!! (03:10) Former NFL executive and Raiders GM Mike Mayock stops by to talk about how NFL front offices prepare to cut their rosters from 90 to a 53-man roster. (20:08) Jessie, GoJo, and Golic spread pumpkin spice propaganda before discussing Giannis, the FIBA Basketball World Cup, and the shade Noah Lyles threw at the NBA for apparently no reason at all. (30:08) Coming off Week 0, Gojo and Golic can’t ignore USC wideout Zachariah Branch’s coming out party against San Jose State and (39:08) ASU’s self-imposed ban. (40:02) This, That, and the Third: NASCAR Driver Ryan Preece is released from the hospital after a horrific crash, RIP to the King of The Price is Right Bob Barker [Jessie has never seen the historic game show], and Super Producer Brandon Newman gets inducted into his high school’s Athletic Hall of Fame!

VIDEO:

Watch GoJo and Golic every weekday on Samsung TV Plus Channel 1168 and DraftKingsNetwork.com from 8 to 10 a.m. ET. The show will also be available via audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Mike Golic Sr. on X at @golic and Mike Golic Jr. on X at @mikegolicjr.

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