Inside The Pocket #003: 'Iron' Mike Ditka
By Sam Akroyd
Beginning in 2018 and running through 2021, the Collapsing Pocket launched a new series of podcasts looking back at the iconic characters and biggest moments in the NFL, and what makes football the most beautiful – and sometimes the ugliest – sport that we all know & love.
Known as the ‘Inside The Pocket’ series, The Touchdown will be relaunching these twenty episodes as part of the buildup to the 2023 season. The original creators Sam Akroyd, Simon Carroll and Rob Ward look back and offer their thoughts on how these legends and eras shaped the league we see today.
ITP #001: 'Iron' Mike Ditka
First Aired: 20th July 2018
There can be few people who have better personified the idea of the NFL throughout its history than Iron Mike Ditka. From revolutionising the tight end position as a player to creating one of the meanest teams the league has seen in Chicago, Ditka’s influence on the gridiron has been large and long lasting.
But NFL stories are never simple and you don’t earn the sobriquet ‘Iron’ by having a friendly and cheerful demeanour. Ditka’s aggressive braggadocia formed a brand that he has been happy to sell as a broadcaster and businessman. Was Ditka’s anger and confrontational bravado a key aspect in his successes, and could a Ditka 2.0 thrive in today’s NFL?
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SAM AKROYD
NFL/CFB ANALYST
AVID NEW ORLEANS SAINTS FAN SAM IS CO-FOUNDER AND RESIDENT FUNNY MAN ON THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST. BE SURE TO HIT HIM UP ON TWITTER @SAMJUSTSAMYEAH FOR ALL THINGS BLACK AND GOLD, SERVED WITH A HEALTHY DOSE OF SARCASM