00:00:10
Speaker 1: Hello everyone and welcome to Gold Sessions presented by Rouse's Markets. As you can tell, I'm not Kalia Butler. I'm Gus Kattengill filling in for her, but I'm pleased to be doing so because I get to sit down with a member of your Black and Gold and it's Mr. Kicker, Daniel Carlson, who I don't know, I think we've got a lot to talk about here, especially after a nice win in week number two. First off, man, thank you for your time. I'm excited to get to know you a little bit better. So what Gold Sessions is, we sit down for about a half hour and You know, get to know who Daniel Carlson is.
00:00:39
Speaker 2: Love it. Thanks for having me. Good to be here. And hopefully I can do a good job of explaining a little bit about myself. I hear you.
00:00:45
Speaker 1: It's been a bit of a whirlwind. I mean, it's crazy. I mean, you got here August 24, which is late in the world of training camp. And obviously teams trying to figure out their rosters. And, you know, you just didn't show up and have some beignets. You showed up into a kicking battle.
00:00:58
Speaker 2: Yes.
00:00:59
Speaker 1: And that's interesting. How... I know. Is it awkward? Is it, is it, you know, what is it like when, you know, you come in and you're battling for a job and you know, there's battling for a job, but y'all in a small community, right?
00:01:09
Speaker 2: It is a small community. So yeah, I was familiar with both kickers at the time and, you know, and out of a lot of respect for who they are as people and kickers. And so it was a little bit interesting, but it just, the way it worked out, it made a lot of sense at the time and I'm very excited to just hop into the competition and see what, happened and obviously we had the last preseason game that went well and you know that some things went in my favor. So very blessed to be here now, obviously a couple weeks down the road here, but yeah, super excited for where we're headed now.
00:01:42
Speaker 1: Yeah, the position the job that you have is it's pretty interesting. Yeah, there's no margin forever really and then when you think of that position that you come in to see if you can get that job you have to perform and here it is 53 yarder to win the game. In preseason and, you know, you nailed it. But is that a different mindset as opposed to like if you were starting training camp, just kind of doing that? Because, you know, you have to come in and you only have the opportunities. Yeah.
00:02:07
Speaker 2: I mean, I think obviously for most guys, training camp is a build up to the season. And, you know, in some ways it's training for the season. And that's kind of but for other guys, it's very much like now or never. You're trying to win a job or compete for a job or whatever it may be. And so the timeline can be a little shifted where, yeah, you have to compete and perform right away versus maybe it's like, hey, I want to get ready for week one. So obviously that changes different situations, different times in your career. And I've been on both ends of that. But, you know, kicking is pretty black and white a lot of times. You either make the career or you miss it. And so obviously you want to make those, whether it is a little bit more of a practice or training experience, or more of a competitive environment, and you're trying to make the team.
00:02:57
Speaker 1: So it's not like Cam Jordan says, a sunbathing time over there, hanging out during training camp, getting some sun and relaxing.
00:03:03
Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe that many years into it, maybe it's a little more relaxing. It's not, because I.
00:03:07
Speaker 1: Actually want to ask you a little bit about that, because obviously we have great fans, and you saw them out here for the open practices, and we look at the different periods. There's offense, there's defense, and special teams. What do you guys do? What does a kicker do during camp when there's a lot of different sessions, and And practices and stuff. But what do you specifically do during those weeks? Yeah. To get ready to perform?
00:03:30
Speaker 2: 100%. Yeah. I think it's a very different position than a lot of other positions where you can't necessarily go every single day, twice a day. You can't just kick over and over because it is, you know, it's the same motion. And so if you do that too much, you're eventually going to get hurt. And, you know, there's an overuse aspect of it. So you have to be smart about your reps and you're there with your special teams group and your specialist group a lot. And you're kind of the only guys, it's almost like being three golfers out on the football field where you're kind of on the driving range a lot on your own during practice. And then maybe you're working on some chips and some putts and whatever that analogy works out to, but you're trying to get quality reps when you can. And then yeah, you have to spread them out with your own routine and with the, with the coach's routine for you and stuff and make sure you're staying healthy as well to just get ready for whatever the game day may be, whether it's a preseason game or regular season now. That's interesting.
00:04:29
Speaker 1: You brought up golf because I almost thought of tennis. Sometimes I played that in high school too. It's, where it's such a mental aspect. You have to motivate yourself, talk to yourself and then not overthink it too. I guess kicking is sort of like that.
00:04:40
Speaker 2: Oh yeah. There's a lot of crossover with other sports, just like, you know, other, um, positions as well. I mean, there's so many mental facets to other positions, but it's a lot less reactionary maybe of a sport and a lot more mental, um, where, you know, you kind of know what, what you're going to expect each and every rep, uh, and a lot of the controls in your court, which is nice. Um, But obviously then the results have to match that as well.
00:05:05
Speaker 1: I like that. So a little overview as to what it takes to get ready to perform.
00:05:09
Speaker 2: And you did, man.
00:05:09
Speaker 1: In week number two, three field goals, 10 points total with the extra point, 23-47 and 51. And, you know, it's interesting. I don't know if you ever think of which one is bigger or not, but the one before halftime doesn't seem like it on the scoreboard. But without those three points, maybe you're not in a position to get that win. So each one sort of matters. What was it like for you in week two, getting three opportunities and coming through?
00:05:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was great. I mean, anytime you get an opportunity, you know, obviously it's a team game and defense and offense and special teams, we all have to set each other up. And anytime you get an opportunity, you know, you just want to capitalize because you don't know in the NFL, all these games are so close so often. And so every point adds up, whether it's an extra point or a 47 yard or before halftime where, you know, we got set up on a great return and, you feel like you're almost stealing some points there really quickly before halftime. So it's great when, you know, the snap hold, operation, protection, everything goes well and you're able to knock through a kick and, you know, help out a team in that way. And so hopefully we can continue to do that through the season.
00:06:13
Speaker 1: Interesting. Visiting with two-time All-Pro kicker Daniel Carlson here of the Black and Gold. You've been around for a little bit, and I mean that in a good way, in that You know, obviously a couple of years ago, the NFL wanted to make the extra point a little more spicy. So they made it basically a mid-range field goal there. Is it different or is it the same mentality that you maybe had back in the day with a field goal? Or an extra point?
00:06:37
Speaker 2: It does change. I mean, I would say a 20-yard field goal, I mean, what they're still doing in college, it is pretty hard to miss at a certain skill level. And so, you know, now it's a 33-yard field goal essentially. And, you know, some guys put it on the hash, some guys put it in the middle, whatever you want to do. But it becomes more of a field goal. But there are still sudden changes where, you know, if it's a pick six, you just got to run out there and you might not be as warm as you usually are. So there are certain situations where, you know, you have to trick yourself in to make sure you focus in the right way. Because, yeah, it is a I wouldn't say, you know, easy to miss kick, but it is a missable kick now. And, you know, you see a lot of NFL games that that one point can change the dynamics of how that game is played out, whether now you're a team trailing or. Now you're ahead by only six points instead of seven points, and so a lot of times it becomes a crucial point every time.
00:07:32
Speaker 1: Yeah, now I have to wait just that extra second to go refill my nachos or soft drinks.
00:07:36
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, exactly. Go to the restaurant or anything. No, it matters.
00:07:39
Speaker 1: Before we get to an interesting member of your family that also kicks, we'll touch on here. When I think of the way special teams perform, and we had a chance to speak with Phil Galliano earlier this week here as well, how amazing was that group, man, to be such a part of, the victory.
00:07:53
Speaker 2: In special teams. No, I think, I think just on all, all facets, they were flying around and coverage was great.
00:08:00
Speaker 1: Return.
00:08:00
Speaker 2: Great game was great. And obviously bunting and kicking, you know, all, all areas. I think it was super great to just have a wholesome, you know, a performance so that, you know, we can help the offense and defense. And, you know, I think that's good. Teams are always going to be good in all three areas. And so hopefully we can, carry our own in that area.
00:08:21
Speaker 1: I love that. All right. Say carry your own. Who, who carries the weight kicking wise in your family? You got a brother that did not only the NFL, but also followed you at Auburn too.
00:08:29
Speaker 2: Yeah. Little brother, Anders, he followed me to Auburn and we actually got the crossover. He redshirted my last year and that was really special, fun to get to be teammates for a year. And then, yeah, he went to Green Bay Packers and then I had some time with San Francisco and the New York Jets. So he's a, He's had a career of his own and he's actually recently retired. So he's enjoying moving on to the next part of his life. But it's just really cool that we got, you know, a unique bond of obviously we're brothers, but we get to bond and, you know, just the, it's a unique job. And, you know, so there's only so many people that do it. So like you said, there's a small community of kickers and you, you kind of all relate through what you're going through, but obviously getting to do that with your brother is pretty special.
00:09:14
Speaker 1: Obviously around here, we've seen those, Home movie videos of the Mannings, you know, throwing one another, Cooper going out for a pass, Eli and Peyton doing that. Did you guys have kicking battles in the backyard?
00:09:23
Speaker 2: It was a lot of soccer early on.
00:09:25
Speaker 1: Soccer, okay.
00:09:25
Speaker 2: Yeah, and then we fell into kicking late. I didn't start doing it until basically halfway through high school. And so he started a little earlier because once, yeah, Big Brother started doing it, he might as well tag along every once in a while and stuff. So, yeah, it worked out really great. And it's just cool how God, you know, moved that and, you know, put that in our journey. I've been stuck doing it for a while now. It's not a bad gig, man. No, it's been a blast, and it's been great to our family. So we're big fans of kicking footballs these days.
00:09:55
Speaker 1: Okay, well, obviously you know where you are in SEC country.
00:09:58
Speaker 2: You played there. What was it like?
00:10:00
Speaker 1: To play at Auburn?
00:10:01
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was incredible. I really enjoyed. Those are some of my favorite memories of my life, of just my time at Auburn. Such a great school, such a great place. We actually call that home for now when we're in the off season and stuff. Just very unique to be I actually grew up an Alabama fan. So for a long time, I did not like Auburn. And then it came around and saw the light and You know, I really enjoyed it and still just cherish our time there and the people there. It's a special place.
00:10:31
Speaker 1: That's so interesting because, look, I still remember seeing that 30 for 30. And I've grown up, obviously, in this area and seeing sports. And we know what rivalries are. But that's a different level of rivalry. It is. I mean, there's legit different level rivalries there.
00:10:44
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah. My grandpa played baseball there. My grandma was a cheerleader.
00:10:49
Speaker 1: Wow.
00:10:50
Speaker 2: My dad, he's Swedish. He came over to play tennis to Alabama. So that's how he came to the USA. And then my mom recruited for Bear Bryant, and that's how they met, was through athletics and stuff. And so, yeah, I had a lot of family legacy that was pointing me to Alabama, but ended up going to Auburn. I'm very, very grateful for that. So you were still invited to Thanksgiving and all that stuff? I was, but there was trash talk because it was right before the Iron Bowl. So there was a lot of trash talk every Thanksgiving of, you know, who was going to win.
00:11:19
Speaker 1: Okay, you brought it up. I mean, and we're going to get into it. There's a lot of fan questions that are asking, you know, what's it like when you're kicking a game winner from distance? But the Iron Bowl, when you look back at it, is that a nerve-wracking game? Do you feel that that weekend? How does that compare to anything you've experienced in the NFL?
00:11:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I would say, obviously, there's a little more weight on the fans of, you know, they take a bit more pride in that. But I would say as a player, you know, you try and kind of remove that external factor from, you know, what you're trying to do at the position. And, you know, I think that's still to this day is great to experience some of those moments because it gives you a lot of the feel of, you know, maybe some of these big rivalry games and the pressure of playoff games, whatever it may be. But yeah, you try and remove all those externals and whether it's a, you know, kick at practice on my own or whether it's a kick to win a playoff game, whatever it may be. At the end of the day, it's the same kick. And so you try and remove those externals as much as possible and just stay even keel through those.
00:12:23
Speaker 1: That's what I was going to ask you. It's the interesting thing to me. You have the bands going. And I was a sideline reporter for Tulane once, and we played a game in Tulane. at UL and Lafayette and I heard language. I'm a sideline guy.
00:12:37
Speaker 2: I'm not even a player.
00:12:40
Speaker 1: I can only imagine what Brian Denny felt like, you know, all those things. But in all honesty, I think that has to prepare you right for the NFL. Cause I'm not saying NFL fan bases aren't like that, but it's not like that.
00:12:51
Speaker 2: No, it is a little bit different, and yeah, there's obviously a lot of stories there of the rivalry of people taking it over the top a little bit, but yeah, I mean, it's part of the fun, and I think just the excitement and getting to put on a show for the fans, you know, that's at the end of the day, we are a bit of reality TV for everybody of just like they're getting to watch, you know, something exciting happen, and luckily I was there on some of the good years where we actually, yeah, 2013 we had the kick six, and I was a red shirt that year. So that was my first year at college. And it was, you know, it was hard to match that.
00:13:25
Speaker 1: The kick six.
00:13:26
Speaker 2: It was just one of the craziest football innings of all time. How loud was that? Oh, it was deafening. Yeah, it was incredible. It was crazy. So, yeah, we got to beat Alabama a couple times, too. Some of my family dismay, but we had a great time doing it. Well, there you go, man.
00:13:42
Speaker 1: Well, look, I'm looking forward to this because I've got a lot of questions for you. So let's start with Austin, if you don't mind.
00:13:47
Speaker 2: All right.
00:13:48
Speaker 1: Does your kicking technique change when you're attempting a 60-yard field goal compared to a 40-yard field goal?
00:13:53
Speaker 2: That's a good question. The answer is no, unless it was ever something where I felt like it was way outside my range. You want to try and kick every kick the same. Usually that's how you get the most consistent results. Okay.
00:14:07
Speaker 1: Kind of along the lines where we're talking about pressure-wise, Fox Force Sports Talk here says, is there always pressure to make field goals, but when you're sitting out there from 60 or plus, do you let it fly or do you think, Hey, you know, we can go to overtime. I think he's kind of referring to, you know, week one where either going to go to overtime or not. So along the same mindset or you're just like, Hey, I'm going to wing it and do a little extra.
00:14:29
Speaker 2: No, I think, I think every kick, you know, as a competitor, you want to do well. And regardless of, you know, if it's a pickup basketball game, we're the NBA championship. I think as a competitor, you know, you want to, you want to compete and make those shots. And in the same way, you know, I, every kick, whether it's an extra point, whether it's a game winner, whether it's a, you know, to tie it, whatever it may be. Um, I think, you know, trying to treat those the same. And at the end of the day, you know, I care about the results on all of those. So when I just, you know, be very process oriented through that though. And, uh, you know, hopefully the process will more, more often than not take care of the result as well.
00:15:05
Speaker 1: Right. He says he's a super saints fan, super saints fan 15 says, um, clutch situations, nervous situations.
00:15:11
Speaker 2: How do you, Yeah.
00:15:13
Speaker 1: How do you bring it in?
00:15:14
Speaker 2: I think years of experience has helped. I think, you know, just knowing kind of my routine and having the same pre-shot routine kind of. And so kind of saying the same things to myself and making sure once again, it's a lot more process oriented so that as long as the process is the same every time, Lord willing, the results will be the same just about every time as well.
00:15:37
Speaker 1: See, kids, if you're listening, it's exactly what I tell my nine-year-olds to play football. Trust your mechanics. Exactly.
00:15:42
Speaker 2: That's what it.
00:15:43
Speaker 1: Comes down to.
00:15:43
Speaker 2: It's muscle memory. Yeah, there's not a lot of secrets there of any magic, unfortunately. A lot of it is just hard work and trusting that muscle memory and falling back on that.
00:15:54
Speaker 1: This is an interesting one. Daniel, in your own life outside of football, have you ever outkicked your coverage?
00:16:00
Speaker 2: Yes, I have. I'm married and I've got three kids and another on the way. So I've definitely outkicked my coverage in that regard.
00:16:09
Speaker 1: I like that.
00:16:09
Speaker 2: We're very blessed.
00:16:10
Speaker 1: I think all husbands are supposed to say that.
00:16:12
Speaker 2: Yes, absolutely. No, but it's true.
00:16:13
Speaker 1: We all actually do. Believe me. Favorite food so far since you've been in New Orleans? It's been a short time, but have you had.
00:16:18
Speaker 2: Something where you're like, man, I got to go back? No, we have, the kids and my wife have all moved down here. So, I mean, we went to Cafe Du Monde basically the night they got here and stuff. You had the most powdered sugar on them. My youngest, the two-year-old. Yeah, he didn't stand a chance. So, no, it's been a blast. Just, I mean, we've been slowly checking off. restaurants, and we went on a carriage ride last night, actually, with my daughter. So it was a blast to just feel the culture of New Orleans and the food as well.
00:16:49
Speaker 1: I promise you it eventually won't be hot and humid. Yeah.
00:16:51
Speaker 2: It just feels like that.
00:16:52
Speaker 1: I know. Actually, I'm lying to you. It's about eight months out of 12. But if it makes you feel any better, there's a low humidity front coming this weekend.
00:16:58
Speaker 2: There we go.
00:16:58
Speaker 1: A cold front down south, as you know, down here with Auburn and Alabama. Scott wants to know, what's the longest field goal you've ever made from, and what distance do you feel comfortable kicking from?
00:17:09
Speaker 2: So this was several years ago coming out of college. I made a 77 yarder. Now this was 77 at altitude in Air Force Academy where I'm from Colorado Springs. And so it's had a good bit of altitude, but it was indoors. So there was no wind. But one thing I will say is that I think these days I've learned that distance is great, but making kicks is much more important a lot of times. And so You know, I've definitely refined my technique over the last, what is that, nine years almost now. And so maybe not quite as much leg. But, yeah, I think anything from inside 65 is, you know, green light. But obviously it depends on game situation. How the offense and defense and the game's going.
00:17:59
Speaker 1: Neil, that's an interesting question. I guess it's true, too, because it goes back to the mental aspect of it. We want to make kicks. Obviously, you want to make throws and catch them. So a miss happens. Do you think about it going into the next one? I mean, his question is, does it motivate you? But I mean, obviously, how do you use that? Is it just kind of learning? What did I do wrong mechanics-wise? Is it the weather or what? What do you, I guess, compute? A miss happens. Okay, what happened?
00:18:27
Speaker 2: No, I think you can give yourself a few seconds to be emotional. I think that's natural. We're human. But I think at a certain point, you want to just take the information without the emotion and then take the feedback of what can I learn from that and maybe carry forward to the next one. But also each one, I think, whether it was a good one or a bad one last time, I think each one is a separate one and you want to be fully present for that one and not dwelling on whatever good or bad happened or whatever good or bad might happen in the future, you know, you want to be in the present.
00:19:03
Speaker 1: It's a nice segue to our final fan question here. And it's true. I think a lot of times we ask it of other players in other position groups, but you're facing, I don't know if you know this, the Raiders this weekend. And you had some success there. You played there for a while. You said the word just now, you're human. I mean, do you think about it for a sec? Do you not? Or again, when you're out there in the field, you hear your number called, you go and kick. Or is it more the thinking during the week?
00:19:25
Speaker 2: No, I think it's during the week. And, you know, like I'm excited to see some of my old friends and, you know, friends in the building and teammates and stuff like that. So, I mean, it's obviously a bit unique and personal and emotional in that regard. But I do think, obviously, I've done this long enough now where I know when it comes to game time and the individual kicks, I've been pretty good at blocking out the noise.
00:19:47
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:19:47
Speaker 2: And, you know, I can remove that kind of emotional side and, once again, get process-oriented. And, you know, then each kick is the same as any other kick, which is nice.
00:19:59
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:19:59
Speaker 2: Got it. All right.
00:20:00
Speaker 1: Ready for a little lightning round? Ready. It should be fun. Yeah. Toss in a couple, you know, topics here.
00:20:04
Speaker 2: Just the first thing that pops to your head to do it.
00:20:06
Speaker 1: It's called Quick Sip presented by Community Coffee.
00:20:08
Speaker 2: Get it.
00:20:08
Speaker 1: Quick Sip.
00:20:09
Speaker 2: Quick Sip. Q and A, right?
00:20:13
Speaker 1: I guess you're trying to start your own football team here. You got a handful of kids, right? Is there anybody on that team you'd be comfortable with, you know, leaving them with or? Dinner, going up front.
00:20:23
Speaker 2: Yeah, on our team at the Saints. Yes, there's a lot of stand-up guys, absolutely. There's a lot of other dads in the building. So I'll give Zach Wood a shout-out. They're about to have a baby again any second now. He's a dad. He knows what he's doing. He knows how to change a diaper and all that stuff.
00:20:44
Speaker 1: What do you think is the most challenging thing when it comes to babysitting?
00:20:47
Speaker 2: Babysitters?
00:20:48
Speaker 1: Yeah, just like watching kids in general.
00:20:51
Speaker 2: Uh, I think it's a marathon. I think the stamina, I, I, uh, I like to run and sprint those times. And so I'm playing nonstop. And then, you know, after a couple of hours, I'm like, Oh, I still got a whole day where my wife is much better at the marathon.
00:21:07
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:21:07
Speaker 2: I got you.
00:21:08
Speaker 1: No, I'm the same way. You know exactly what I'm talking about here, where you're like, they have a little energy.
00:21:12
Speaker 2: Oh yeah. They don't run out of energy. I love that.
00:21:17
Speaker 1: Um, obviously. Being in New Orleans, it's a culinary kind of place. Do you cook?
00:21:23
Speaker 2: I do not cook.
00:21:23
Speaker 1: You do not cook.
00:21:24
Speaker 2: Pancakes and cereal and eggs. That's about it. I mean, it's food, right? Yeah.
00:21:29
Speaker 1: I got you. Who do you think is the best cook on the team? Do you all talk about cooking and feeding? Is there somebody that always wants you to come over to their place?
00:21:36
Speaker 2: Once again, still getting familiar with a lot of guys. I would say you got to look at the D line or O line when you're looking at that. I mean, I.
00:21:47
Speaker 2: I don't want to single out anybody necessarily, but I would say maybe David. He's a vet. He's been doing it for a while. He's got a family. you know, offensive line. Yeah.
00:22:01
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:22:01
Speaker 2: Maybe that's part of it too. I don't know.
00:22:03
Speaker 1: It's cold up there a little bit, you know, I mean, I'm saying there's not a lot.
00:22:06
Speaker 2: I'm just saying those, those, those big guys, a lot of times, those are the right guys to ask for recommendations for restaurants. But it's true though, right?
00:22:13
Speaker 1: With your, y'all schedule and obviously anybody that covers or works in the world of sports, you have very few weekends or evenings. Yeah. Family meals are kind of a big thing or teammate meals too. We've heard in the past, the legendary reason. And we're here. the old line coming on a certain day of the week and stuff. So meals can kind of be a big thing. Yeah.
00:22:31
Speaker 2: Breaking bread together and O-line. I think O-line's notorious for just having kind of community meals and you know, that's, that's a way they like to bond. So, um, yeah, I think that's always a good place to look for, uh, recommendations or, you know, probably some good cooks in there too.
00:22:46
Speaker 1: So her favorite dish, your wife cooks.
00:22:49
Speaker 2: Um, she makes, see, I don't even know what you would call it. It's, uh, It's like a rice with chicken and this cheese sauce, but then it's got this special ham that she puts on it. There you go. I don't even know what she calls it. It's her secret recipe.
00:23:05
Speaker 1: The kids are running around, and we need to eat.
00:23:07
Speaker 2: It's delicious, though. Yeah, that's a go-to in the Carlson household. It makes sense.
00:23:11
Speaker 1: They've got a little protein in there, some grains, got some cheese in there. Anything with cheese is solid.
00:23:15
Speaker 2: Yes, cheese, always good.
00:23:17
Speaker 1: What's your favorite cheese?
00:23:18
Speaker 2: Any cheese.
00:23:19
Speaker 1: Any cheese.
00:23:19
Speaker 2: Yeah, whichever one they're making.
00:23:21
Speaker 1: Yeah. I'm good for like Gouda, you know, pepper jack.
00:23:23
Speaker 2: I'm definitely, uh, got some.
00:23:25
Speaker 1: I promise when I make sandwiches, I'm like, which cheese to use. And I just grab them.
00:23:28
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly. Whichever one. All right.
00:23:31
Speaker 1: Road trips, man. Um, what teammates you think would be fun on the road trips?
00:23:36
Speaker 2: Um, man, I think Charlie would be a great answer because obviously he hasn't seen probably most of the USA. And so, uh, that's probably one. And obviously I'm getting to hang out a lot with him in the specialist room. And, uh, Like you said, we've been familiar. I think that would be interesting because he's probably not seen most of the USA. That is kind of interesting.
00:23:59
Speaker 1: You kind of see it through his.
00:24:00
Speaker 2: Eyes a little bit. Yeah, it would be fun to show him around maybe a little bit.
00:24:03
Speaker 1: Which city do you think he would really eye open? I know he just came from Vegas.
00:24:07
Speaker 2: Yeah, Vegas is unique. Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of, I mean, my family and I, we like going to national parks and stuff. So there's a lot of just, I mean, this country is beautiful.
00:24:18
Speaker 1: I was going to say, when you said Colorado, it's one of my favorite places. I was just there in May.
00:24:21
Speaker 2: Hiking around there, the mountains. The Snoopy Rock. Have you seen the Snoopy Rock? No, I haven't.
00:24:27
Speaker 1: In Colorado Springs?
00:24:28
Speaker 2: Snoopy Rock.
00:24:28
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's a rock formation that looks like Snoopy.
00:24:30
Speaker 2: At Red Rocks?
00:24:31
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:24:32
Speaker 2: Not Red Rocks. Grand Canyon.
00:24:34
Speaker 1: Yeah. No, no.
00:24:34
Speaker 2: It's in Colorado Springs.
00:24:36
Speaker 1: You'll see. Just look it up. It's a Snoopy rock. It's literally the Beagle, like from Peanuts. A little white dog.
00:24:41
Speaker 2: I haven't seen that.
00:24:41
Speaker 1: White black dog. Yeah, he's laying on his back.
00:24:43
Speaker 2: Is that Garden of the Gods, maybe? I don't know where.
00:24:46
Speaker 1: It's by there. I promise you. I'm going to look it up after this. It's pretty cool. Yeah. Favorite sport outside of football. You mentioned soccer. Is that your sport?
00:24:53
Speaker 2: Soccer, yeah. Yeah, I grew up soccer. My dad's actually a tennis coach, so I played a little tennis growing up as well. But, yeah, soccer. This last World Cup, we got to go to Sweden. Did you really?
00:25:05
Speaker 1: Nice.
00:25:06
Speaker 2: They got beat by France, but we knew that. France is a good team, but just got to experience it, and it was incredible to just be a part of that.
00:25:14
Speaker 1: I wanted to go to a World Cup game as well. amazing to kind of see that's the highest level too right i mean.
00:25:20
Speaker 2: That yeah you want to talk about like a mindset of the mentality a hundred percent and so um yeah i mean it's just fun to watch other sports and you know get to see other competitors and their their arenas um and get to you know cheer them on and also be a fan it's fun to be on the other side of things and uh some days you know on game day you're kind of envious of some of the fans are they're gonna have a lot of fun and you know it's fun to be able to put on a show for them but Sometimes it's fun to change roles as well.
00:25:47
Speaker 1: I love it. Got about five more here for you real quick. But growing up at a very sophisticated tennis court, it was the street and the line crack and the cement. That was my net. But I was Andre Gussesee. Okay. All my other friends, you know.
00:26:00
Speaker 2: That's good.
00:26:00
Speaker 1: You know, Chang and all that. I grew up in that era. Did you have a famous tennis player that you followed?
00:26:06
Speaker 2: So my little brother's middle name is Bjorn for Bjorn Borg. Yeah. So obviously the Swedish tennis players, my dad was always partial to them. But yeah. Yeah, I got to see Andre Agassi out in Vegas in person, and my little son, Jones, when he was, I guess he was two at the time, got to go out onto the court with Sal Blanca and Osaka. They were playing a little exhibition thing, and he got to hit a little backhand for the whole crowd and stuff. So that was a pretty.
00:26:36
Speaker 1: Cool tennis moment. Have you been to a Grand Slam court?
00:26:38
Speaker 2: I have not. No, no, not at all.
00:26:41
Speaker 1: I was in New York last week and landed in LaGuardia, and it was right over the U.S. Open, and that just finished the week in port. My bucket list almost got to go when the Saints played the Chargers way back when before they started doing it almost every other year, but Wimbledon. Wimbledon would probably be my bucket list. Center court, I would love that.
00:26:56
Speaker 2: There's a time and place for that, yeah. I think after football's all done, definitely make some more fan time.
00:27:02
Speaker 1: You're going to act like you're tying the shoe and grab a little grass, put it in your pocket.
00:27:04
Speaker 2: Exactly. Exactly right.
00:27:06
Speaker 1: It would be awesome. All right, favorite TV show. Do you have one?
00:27:09
Speaker 2: I mean, it's probably cliche to say, like, The Office. I mean, that's always a go-to. Yeah, it's hard to beat that.
00:27:17
Speaker 1: It's so real.
00:27:18
Speaker 2: It's very relatable.
00:27:19
Speaker 1: We've all been in an environment where I'm like, that is absolutely pretty accurate. Do you have a favorite movie?
00:27:27
Speaker 2: I really like Good Will Hunting. It's a, you know, I think it's just a great movie, great acting.
00:27:34
Speaker 1: Have you ever used, how do you like them apples after a game-winning game?
00:27:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I haven't. But maybe that's something I think about. They're under my routine here.
00:27:42
Speaker 1: Remember, look for the camera.
00:27:43
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:27:44
Speaker 1: Nice. We can get that on social. Would love that. Is there a dream vacation spot for you?
00:27:49
Speaker 2: Oh, I love travel. My mom's a flight attendant. So we've gotten very fortunate to get a lot of free flights and standby flights. I think Greece is on my list. I've been to Paris before. So obviously, you know, we're with the French tourists. culture, and we're headed out there this year. I've been fortunate to go over to Europe a lot, but I think Greece is on my next list. Greece sounds fun.
00:28:15
Speaker 1: They're redoing a Pantheon, by the way. There we go.
00:28:19
Speaker 2: It's old, so I need that.
00:28:20
Speaker 1: Three really quick ones. First off, you're 6'5. Have you been across the street to the Pelicans? I mean, you should be like me, 5'7, right?
00:28:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, I am not a basketball player.
00:28:29
Speaker 1: No? You never tried it?
00:28:30
Speaker 2: No, never tried it, never played on a team. Only in the backyard with brothers.
00:28:34
Speaker 1: All right, here we go. Should be fun. Just finish this. Ready?
00:28:39
Speaker 2: Who?
00:28:40
Speaker 1: Dat.
00:28:41
Speaker 2: Who dat?
00:28:44
Speaker 1: War. Eagle.
00:28:45
Speaker 2: There we go.
00:28:46
Speaker 1: Roll. Tumor corners. Tumor's corners.
00:28:49
Speaker 2: That's where I was going. That's how I wanted to finish up.
00:28:52
Speaker 1: I would never have you say roll.
00:28:53
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was about to say.
00:28:55
Speaker 1: Tumor's corners, man. Have you ever done it? Did you ever roll it?
00:28:57
Speaker 2: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. After a couple big wins, we went out there with the teammates and friends and stuff. It was awesome.
00:29:03
Speaker 1: All right, so in your honor, if the Saints get to the playoffs, win a playoff game, do you want people to roll the trees out here?
00:29:09
Speaker 2: I mean, I'll allow it. I'll allow it, please.
00:29:11
Speaker 1: You'll do it. Cool. So if you get in trouble, go see Daniel Carlson, kicker of your New Orleans Saints. Man, I appreciate the time, man.
00:29:16
Speaker 2: Awesome. Thanks for having me. Yeah, I appreciate it.
00:29:18
Speaker 1: And thank you for watching Gold Sessions. Kalia Butler will be back with you next week. I'm Gus Kattengill. Thank you, as always.
Speaker 1: Hello everyone and welcome to Gold Sessions presented by Rouse's Markets. As you can tell, I'm not Kalia Butler. I'm Gus Kattengill filling in for her, but I'm pleased to be doing so because I get to sit down with a member of your Black and Gold and it's Mr. Kicker, Daniel Carlson, who I don't know, I think we've got a lot to talk about here, especially after a nice win in week number two. First off, man, thank you for your time. I'm excited to get to know you a little bit better. So what Gold Sessions is, we sit down for about a half hour and You know, get to know who Daniel Carlson is.
00:00:39
Speaker 2: Love it. Thanks for having me. Good to be here. And hopefully I can do a good job of explaining a little bit about myself. I hear you.
00:00:45
Speaker 1: It's been a bit of a whirlwind. I mean, it's crazy. I mean, you got here August 24, which is late in the world of training camp. And obviously teams trying to figure out their rosters. And, you know, you just didn't show up and have some beignets. You showed up into a kicking battle.
00:00:58
Speaker 2: Yes.
00:00:59
Speaker 1: And that's interesting. How... I know. Is it awkward? Is it, is it, you know, what is it like when, you know, you come in and you're battling for a job and you know, there's battling for a job, but y'all in a small community, right?
00:01:09
Speaker 2: It is a small community. So yeah, I was familiar with both kickers at the time and, you know, and out of a lot of respect for who they are as people and kickers. And so it was a little bit interesting, but it just, the way it worked out, it made a lot of sense at the time and I'm very excited to just hop into the competition and see what, happened and obviously we had the last preseason game that went well and you know that some things went in my favor. So very blessed to be here now, obviously a couple weeks down the road here, but yeah, super excited for where we're headed now.
00:01:42
Speaker 1: Yeah, the position the job that you have is it's pretty interesting. Yeah, there's no margin forever really and then when you think of that position that you come in to see if you can get that job you have to perform and here it is 53 yarder to win the game. In preseason and, you know, you nailed it. But is that a different mindset as opposed to like if you were starting training camp, just kind of doing that? Because, you know, you have to come in and you only have the opportunities. Yeah.
00:02:07
Speaker 2: I mean, I think obviously for most guys, training camp is a build up to the season. And, you know, in some ways it's training for the season. And that's kind of but for other guys, it's very much like now or never. You're trying to win a job or compete for a job or whatever it may be. And so the timeline can be a little shifted where, yeah, you have to compete and perform right away versus maybe it's like, hey, I want to get ready for week one. So obviously that changes different situations, different times in your career. And I've been on both ends of that. But, you know, kicking is pretty black and white a lot of times. You either make the career or you miss it. And so obviously you want to make those, whether it is a little bit more of a practice or training experience, or more of a competitive environment, and you're trying to make the team.
00:02:57
Speaker 1: So it's not like Cam Jordan says, a sunbathing time over there, hanging out during training camp, getting some sun and relaxing.
00:03:03
Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe that many years into it, maybe it's a little more relaxing. It's not, because I.
00:03:07
Speaker 1: Actually want to ask you a little bit about that, because obviously we have great fans, and you saw them out here for the open practices, and we look at the different periods. There's offense, there's defense, and special teams. What do you guys do? What does a kicker do during camp when there's a lot of different sessions, and And practices and stuff. But what do you specifically do during those weeks? Yeah. To get ready to perform?
00:03:30
Speaker 2: 100%. Yeah. I think it's a very different position than a lot of other positions where you can't necessarily go every single day, twice a day. You can't just kick over and over because it is, you know, it's the same motion. And so if you do that too much, you're eventually going to get hurt. And, you know, there's an overuse aspect of it. So you have to be smart about your reps and you're there with your special teams group and your specialist group a lot. And you're kind of the only guys, it's almost like being three golfers out on the football field where you're kind of on the driving range a lot on your own during practice. And then maybe you're working on some chips and some putts and whatever that analogy works out to, but you're trying to get quality reps when you can. And then yeah, you have to spread them out with your own routine and with the, with the coach's routine for you and stuff and make sure you're staying healthy as well to just get ready for whatever the game day may be, whether it's a preseason game or regular season now. That's interesting.
00:04:29
Speaker 1: You brought up golf because I almost thought of tennis. Sometimes I played that in high school too. It's, where it's such a mental aspect. You have to motivate yourself, talk to yourself and then not overthink it too. I guess kicking is sort of like that.
00:04:40
Speaker 2: Oh yeah. There's a lot of crossover with other sports, just like, you know, other, um, positions as well. I mean, there's so many mental facets to other positions, but it's a lot less reactionary maybe of a sport and a lot more mental, um, where, you know, you kind of know what, what you're going to expect each and every rep, uh, and a lot of the controls in your court, which is nice. Um, But obviously then the results have to match that as well.
00:05:05
Speaker 1: I like that. So a little overview as to what it takes to get ready to perform.
00:05:09
Speaker 2: And you did, man.
00:05:09
Speaker 1: In week number two, three field goals, 10 points total with the extra point, 23-47 and 51. And, you know, it's interesting. I don't know if you ever think of which one is bigger or not, but the one before halftime doesn't seem like it on the scoreboard. But without those three points, maybe you're not in a position to get that win. So each one sort of matters. What was it like for you in week two, getting three opportunities and coming through?
00:05:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was great. I mean, anytime you get an opportunity, you know, obviously it's a team game and defense and offense and special teams, we all have to set each other up. And anytime you get an opportunity, you know, you just want to capitalize because you don't know in the NFL, all these games are so close so often. And so every point adds up, whether it's an extra point or a 47 yard or before halftime where, you know, we got set up on a great return and, you feel like you're almost stealing some points there really quickly before halftime. So it's great when, you know, the snap hold, operation, protection, everything goes well and you're able to knock through a kick and, you know, help out a team in that way. And so hopefully we can continue to do that through the season.
00:06:13
Speaker 1: Interesting. Visiting with two-time All-Pro kicker Daniel Carlson here of the Black and Gold. You've been around for a little bit, and I mean that in a good way, in that You know, obviously a couple of years ago, the NFL wanted to make the extra point a little more spicy. So they made it basically a mid-range field goal there. Is it different or is it the same mentality that you maybe had back in the day with a field goal? Or an extra point?
00:06:37
Speaker 2: It does change. I mean, I would say a 20-yard field goal, I mean, what they're still doing in college, it is pretty hard to miss at a certain skill level. And so, you know, now it's a 33-yard field goal essentially. And, you know, some guys put it on the hash, some guys put it in the middle, whatever you want to do. But it becomes more of a field goal. But there are still sudden changes where, you know, if it's a pick six, you just got to run out there and you might not be as warm as you usually are. So there are certain situations where, you know, you have to trick yourself in to make sure you focus in the right way. Because, yeah, it is a I wouldn't say, you know, easy to miss kick, but it is a missable kick now. And, you know, you see a lot of NFL games that that one point can change the dynamics of how that game is played out, whether now you're a team trailing or. Now you're ahead by only six points instead of seven points, and so a lot of times it becomes a crucial point every time.
00:07:32
Speaker 1: Yeah, now I have to wait just that extra second to go refill my nachos or soft drinks.
00:07:36
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, exactly. Go to the restaurant or anything. No, it matters.
00:07:39
Speaker 1: Before we get to an interesting member of your family that also kicks, we'll touch on here. When I think of the way special teams perform, and we had a chance to speak with Phil Galliano earlier this week here as well, how amazing was that group, man, to be such a part of, the victory.
00:07:53
Speaker 2: In special teams. No, I think, I think just on all, all facets, they were flying around and coverage was great.
00:08:00
Speaker 1: Return.
00:08:00
Speaker 2: Great game was great. And obviously bunting and kicking, you know, all, all areas. I think it was super great to just have a wholesome, you know, a performance so that, you know, we can help the offense and defense. And, you know, I think that's good. Teams are always going to be good in all three areas. And so hopefully we can, carry our own in that area.
00:08:21
Speaker 1: I love that. All right. Say carry your own. Who, who carries the weight kicking wise in your family? You got a brother that did not only the NFL, but also followed you at Auburn too.
00:08:29
Speaker 2: Yeah. Little brother, Anders, he followed me to Auburn and we actually got the crossover. He redshirted my last year and that was really special, fun to get to be teammates for a year. And then, yeah, he went to Green Bay Packers and then I had some time with San Francisco and the New York Jets. So he's a, He's had a career of his own and he's actually recently retired. So he's enjoying moving on to the next part of his life. But it's just really cool that we got, you know, a unique bond of obviously we're brothers, but we get to bond and, you know, just the, it's a unique job. And, you know, so there's only so many people that do it. So like you said, there's a small community of kickers and you, you kind of all relate through what you're going through, but obviously getting to do that with your brother is pretty special.
00:09:14
Speaker 1: Obviously around here, we've seen those, Home movie videos of the Mannings, you know, throwing one another, Cooper going out for a pass, Eli and Peyton doing that. Did you guys have kicking battles in the backyard?
00:09:23
Speaker 2: It was a lot of soccer early on.
00:09:25
Speaker 1: Soccer, okay.
00:09:25
Speaker 2: Yeah, and then we fell into kicking late. I didn't start doing it until basically halfway through high school. And so he started a little earlier because once, yeah, Big Brother started doing it, he might as well tag along every once in a while and stuff. So, yeah, it worked out really great. And it's just cool how God, you know, moved that and, you know, put that in our journey. I've been stuck doing it for a while now. It's not a bad gig, man. No, it's been a blast, and it's been great to our family. So we're big fans of kicking footballs these days.
00:09:55
Speaker 1: Okay, well, obviously you know where you are in SEC country.
00:09:58
Speaker 2: You played there. What was it like?
00:10:00
Speaker 1: To play at Auburn?
00:10:01
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was incredible. I really enjoyed. Those are some of my favorite memories of my life, of just my time at Auburn. Such a great school, such a great place. We actually call that home for now when we're in the off season and stuff. Just very unique to be I actually grew up an Alabama fan. So for a long time, I did not like Auburn. And then it came around and saw the light and You know, I really enjoyed it and still just cherish our time there and the people there. It's a special place.
00:10:31
Speaker 1: That's so interesting because, look, I still remember seeing that 30 for 30. And I've grown up, obviously, in this area and seeing sports. And we know what rivalries are. But that's a different level of rivalry. It is. I mean, there's legit different level rivalries there.
00:10:44
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah. My grandpa played baseball there. My grandma was a cheerleader.
00:10:49
Speaker 1: Wow.
00:10:50
Speaker 2: My dad, he's Swedish. He came over to play tennis to Alabama. So that's how he came to the USA. And then my mom recruited for Bear Bryant, and that's how they met, was through athletics and stuff. And so, yeah, I had a lot of family legacy that was pointing me to Alabama, but ended up going to Auburn. I'm very, very grateful for that. So you were still invited to Thanksgiving and all that stuff? I was, but there was trash talk because it was right before the Iron Bowl. So there was a lot of trash talk every Thanksgiving of, you know, who was going to win.
00:11:19
Speaker 1: Okay, you brought it up. I mean, and we're going to get into it. There's a lot of fan questions that are asking, you know, what's it like when you're kicking a game winner from distance? But the Iron Bowl, when you look back at it, is that a nerve-wracking game? Do you feel that that weekend? How does that compare to anything you've experienced in the NFL?
00:11:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I would say, obviously, there's a little more weight on the fans of, you know, they take a bit more pride in that. But I would say as a player, you know, you try and kind of remove that external factor from, you know, what you're trying to do at the position. And, you know, I think that's still to this day is great to experience some of those moments because it gives you a lot of the feel of, you know, maybe some of these big rivalry games and the pressure of playoff games, whatever it may be. But yeah, you try and remove all those externals and whether it's a, you know, kick at practice on my own or whether it's a kick to win a playoff game, whatever it may be. At the end of the day, it's the same kick. And so you try and remove those externals as much as possible and just stay even keel through those.
00:12:23
Speaker 1: That's what I was going to ask you. It's the interesting thing to me. You have the bands going. And I was a sideline reporter for Tulane once, and we played a game in Tulane. at UL and Lafayette and I heard language. I'm a sideline guy.
00:12:37
Speaker 2: I'm not even a player.
00:12:40
Speaker 1: I can only imagine what Brian Denny felt like, you know, all those things. But in all honesty, I think that has to prepare you right for the NFL. Cause I'm not saying NFL fan bases aren't like that, but it's not like that.
00:12:51
Speaker 2: No, it is a little bit different, and yeah, there's obviously a lot of stories there of the rivalry of people taking it over the top a little bit, but yeah, I mean, it's part of the fun, and I think just the excitement and getting to put on a show for the fans, you know, that's at the end of the day, we are a bit of reality TV for everybody of just like they're getting to watch, you know, something exciting happen, and luckily I was there on some of the good years where we actually, yeah, 2013 we had the kick six, and I was a red shirt that year. So that was my first year at college. And it was, you know, it was hard to match that.
00:13:25
Speaker 1: The kick six.
00:13:26
Speaker 2: It was just one of the craziest football innings of all time. How loud was that? Oh, it was deafening. Yeah, it was incredible. It was crazy. So, yeah, we got to beat Alabama a couple times, too. Some of my family dismay, but we had a great time doing it. Well, there you go, man.
00:13:42
Speaker 1: Well, look, I'm looking forward to this because I've got a lot of questions for you. So let's start with Austin, if you don't mind.
00:13:47
Speaker 2: All right.
00:13:48
Speaker 1: Does your kicking technique change when you're attempting a 60-yard field goal compared to a 40-yard field goal?
00:13:53
Speaker 2: That's a good question. The answer is no, unless it was ever something where I felt like it was way outside my range. You want to try and kick every kick the same. Usually that's how you get the most consistent results. Okay.
00:14:07
Speaker 1: Kind of along the lines where we're talking about pressure-wise, Fox Force Sports Talk here says, is there always pressure to make field goals, but when you're sitting out there from 60 or plus, do you let it fly or do you think, Hey, you know, we can go to overtime. I think he's kind of referring to, you know, week one where either going to go to overtime or not. So along the same mindset or you're just like, Hey, I'm going to wing it and do a little extra.
00:14:29
Speaker 2: No, I think, I think every kick, you know, as a competitor, you want to do well. And regardless of, you know, if it's a pickup basketball game, we're the NBA championship. I think as a competitor, you know, you want to, you want to compete and make those shots. And in the same way, you know, I, every kick, whether it's an extra point, whether it's a game winner, whether it's a, you know, to tie it, whatever it may be. Um, I think, you know, trying to treat those the same. And at the end of the day, you know, I care about the results on all of those. So when I just, you know, be very process oriented through that though. And, uh, you know, hopefully the process will more, more often than not take care of the result as well.
00:15:05
Speaker 1: Right. He says he's a super saints fan, super saints fan 15 says, um, clutch situations, nervous situations.
00:15:11
Speaker 2: How do you, Yeah.
00:15:13
Speaker 1: How do you bring it in?
00:15:14
Speaker 2: I think years of experience has helped. I think, you know, just knowing kind of my routine and having the same pre-shot routine kind of. And so kind of saying the same things to myself and making sure once again, it's a lot more process oriented so that as long as the process is the same every time, Lord willing, the results will be the same just about every time as well.
00:15:37
Speaker 1: See, kids, if you're listening, it's exactly what I tell my nine-year-olds to play football. Trust your mechanics. Exactly.
00:15:42
Speaker 2: That's what it.
00:15:43
Speaker 1: Comes down to.
00:15:43
Speaker 2: It's muscle memory. Yeah, there's not a lot of secrets there of any magic, unfortunately. A lot of it is just hard work and trusting that muscle memory and falling back on that.
00:15:54
Speaker 1: This is an interesting one. Daniel, in your own life outside of football, have you ever outkicked your coverage?
00:16:00
Speaker 2: Yes, I have. I'm married and I've got three kids and another on the way. So I've definitely outkicked my coverage in that regard.
00:16:09
Speaker 1: I like that.
00:16:09
Speaker 2: We're very blessed.
00:16:10
Speaker 1: I think all husbands are supposed to say that.
00:16:12
Speaker 2: Yes, absolutely. No, but it's true.
00:16:13
Speaker 1: We all actually do. Believe me. Favorite food so far since you've been in New Orleans? It's been a short time, but have you had.
00:16:18
Speaker 2: Something where you're like, man, I got to go back? No, we have, the kids and my wife have all moved down here. So, I mean, we went to Cafe Du Monde basically the night they got here and stuff. You had the most powdered sugar on them. My youngest, the two-year-old. Yeah, he didn't stand a chance. So, no, it's been a blast. Just, I mean, we've been slowly checking off. restaurants, and we went on a carriage ride last night, actually, with my daughter. So it was a blast to just feel the culture of New Orleans and the food as well.
00:16:49
Speaker 1: I promise you it eventually won't be hot and humid. Yeah.
00:16:51
Speaker 2: It just feels like that.
00:16:52
Speaker 1: I know. Actually, I'm lying to you. It's about eight months out of 12. But if it makes you feel any better, there's a low humidity front coming this weekend.
00:16:58
Speaker 2: There we go.
00:16:58
Speaker 1: A cold front down south, as you know, down here with Auburn and Alabama. Scott wants to know, what's the longest field goal you've ever made from, and what distance do you feel comfortable kicking from?
00:17:09
Speaker 2: So this was several years ago coming out of college. I made a 77 yarder. Now this was 77 at altitude in Air Force Academy where I'm from Colorado Springs. And so it's had a good bit of altitude, but it was indoors. So there was no wind. But one thing I will say is that I think these days I've learned that distance is great, but making kicks is much more important a lot of times. And so You know, I've definitely refined my technique over the last, what is that, nine years almost now. And so maybe not quite as much leg. But, yeah, I think anything from inside 65 is, you know, green light. But obviously it depends on game situation. How the offense and defense and the game's going.
00:17:59
Speaker 1: Neil, that's an interesting question. I guess it's true, too, because it goes back to the mental aspect of it. We want to make kicks. Obviously, you want to make throws and catch them. So a miss happens. Do you think about it going into the next one? I mean, his question is, does it motivate you? But I mean, obviously, how do you use that? Is it just kind of learning? What did I do wrong mechanics-wise? Is it the weather or what? What do you, I guess, compute? A miss happens. Okay, what happened?
00:18:27
Speaker 2: No, I think you can give yourself a few seconds to be emotional. I think that's natural. We're human. But I think at a certain point, you want to just take the information without the emotion and then take the feedback of what can I learn from that and maybe carry forward to the next one. But also each one, I think, whether it was a good one or a bad one last time, I think each one is a separate one and you want to be fully present for that one and not dwelling on whatever good or bad happened or whatever good or bad might happen in the future, you know, you want to be in the present.
00:19:03
Speaker 1: It's a nice segue to our final fan question here. And it's true. I think a lot of times we ask it of other players in other position groups, but you're facing, I don't know if you know this, the Raiders this weekend. And you had some success there. You played there for a while. You said the word just now, you're human. I mean, do you think about it for a sec? Do you not? Or again, when you're out there in the field, you hear your number called, you go and kick. Or is it more the thinking during the week?
00:19:25
Speaker 2: No, I think it's during the week. And, you know, like I'm excited to see some of my old friends and, you know, friends in the building and teammates and stuff like that. So, I mean, it's obviously a bit unique and personal and emotional in that regard. But I do think, obviously, I've done this long enough now where I know when it comes to game time and the individual kicks, I've been pretty good at blocking out the noise.
00:19:47
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:19:47
Speaker 2: And, you know, I can remove that kind of emotional side and, once again, get process-oriented. And, you know, then each kick is the same as any other kick, which is nice.
00:19:59
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:19:59
Speaker 2: Got it. All right.
00:20:00
Speaker 1: Ready for a little lightning round? Ready. It should be fun. Yeah. Toss in a couple, you know, topics here.
00:20:04
Speaker 2: Just the first thing that pops to your head to do it.
00:20:06
Speaker 1: It's called Quick Sip presented by Community Coffee.
00:20:08
Speaker 2: Get it.
00:20:08
Speaker 1: Quick Sip.
00:20:09
Speaker 2: Quick Sip. Q and A, right?
00:20:13
Speaker 1: I guess you're trying to start your own football team here. You got a handful of kids, right? Is there anybody on that team you'd be comfortable with, you know, leaving them with or? Dinner, going up front.
00:20:23
Speaker 2: Yeah, on our team at the Saints. Yes, there's a lot of stand-up guys, absolutely. There's a lot of other dads in the building. So I'll give Zach Wood a shout-out. They're about to have a baby again any second now. He's a dad. He knows what he's doing. He knows how to change a diaper and all that stuff.
00:20:44
Speaker 1: What do you think is the most challenging thing when it comes to babysitting?
00:20:47
Speaker 2: Babysitters?
00:20:48
Speaker 1: Yeah, just like watching kids in general.
00:20:51
Speaker 2: Uh, I think it's a marathon. I think the stamina, I, I, uh, I like to run and sprint those times. And so I'm playing nonstop. And then, you know, after a couple of hours, I'm like, Oh, I still got a whole day where my wife is much better at the marathon.
00:21:07
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:21:07
Speaker 2: I got you.
00:21:08
Speaker 1: No, I'm the same way. You know exactly what I'm talking about here, where you're like, they have a little energy.
00:21:12
Speaker 2: Oh yeah. They don't run out of energy. I love that.
00:21:17
Speaker 1: Um, obviously. Being in New Orleans, it's a culinary kind of place. Do you cook?
00:21:23
Speaker 2: I do not cook.
00:21:23
Speaker 1: You do not cook.
00:21:24
Speaker 2: Pancakes and cereal and eggs. That's about it. I mean, it's food, right? Yeah.
00:21:29
Speaker 1: I got you. Who do you think is the best cook on the team? Do you all talk about cooking and feeding? Is there somebody that always wants you to come over to their place?
00:21:36
Speaker 2: Once again, still getting familiar with a lot of guys. I would say you got to look at the D line or O line when you're looking at that. I mean, I.
00:21:47
Speaker 2: I don't want to single out anybody necessarily, but I would say maybe David. He's a vet. He's been doing it for a while. He's got a family. you know, offensive line. Yeah.
00:22:01
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:22:01
Speaker 2: Maybe that's part of it too. I don't know.
00:22:03
Speaker 1: It's cold up there a little bit, you know, I mean, I'm saying there's not a lot.
00:22:06
Speaker 2: I'm just saying those, those, those big guys, a lot of times, those are the right guys to ask for recommendations for restaurants. But it's true though, right?
00:22:13
Speaker 1: With your, y'all schedule and obviously anybody that covers or works in the world of sports, you have very few weekends or evenings. Yeah. Family meals are kind of a big thing or teammate meals too. We've heard in the past, the legendary reason. And we're here. the old line coming on a certain day of the week and stuff. So meals can kind of be a big thing. Yeah.
00:22:31
Speaker 2: Breaking bread together and O-line. I think O-line's notorious for just having kind of community meals and you know, that's, that's a way they like to bond. So, um, yeah, I think that's always a good place to look for, uh, recommendations or, you know, probably some good cooks in there too.
00:22:46
Speaker 1: So her favorite dish, your wife cooks.
00:22:49
Speaker 2: Um, she makes, see, I don't even know what you would call it. It's, uh, It's like a rice with chicken and this cheese sauce, but then it's got this special ham that she puts on it. There you go. I don't even know what she calls it. It's her secret recipe.
00:23:05
Speaker 1: The kids are running around, and we need to eat.
00:23:07
Speaker 2: It's delicious, though. Yeah, that's a go-to in the Carlson household. It makes sense.
00:23:11
Speaker 1: They've got a little protein in there, some grains, got some cheese in there. Anything with cheese is solid.
00:23:15
Speaker 2: Yes, cheese, always good.
00:23:17
Speaker 1: What's your favorite cheese?
00:23:18
Speaker 2: Any cheese.
00:23:19
Speaker 1: Any cheese.
00:23:19
Speaker 2: Yeah, whichever one they're making.
00:23:21
Speaker 1: Yeah. I'm good for like Gouda, you know, pepper jack.
00:23:23
Speaker 2: I'm definitely, uh, got some.
00:23:25
Speaker 1: I promise when I make sandwiches, I'm like, which cheese to use. And I just grab them.
00:23:28
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly. Whichever one. All right.
00:23:31
Speaker 1: Road trips, man. Um, what teammates you think would be fun on the road trips?
00:23:36
Speaker 2: Um, man, I think Charlie would be a great answer because obviously he hasn't seen probably most of the USA. And so, uh, that's probably one. And obviously I'm getting to hang out a lot with him in the specialist room. And, uh, Like you said, we've been familiar. I think that would be interesting because he's probably not seen most of the USA. That is kind of interesting.
00:23:59
Speaker 1: You kind of see it through his.
00:24:00
Speaker 2: Eyes a little bit. Yeah, it would be fun to show him around maybe a little bit.
00:24:03
Speaker 1: Which city do you think he would really eye open? I know he just came from Vegas.
00:24:07
Speaker 2: Yeah, Vegas is unique. Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of, I mean, my family and I, we like going to national parks and stuff. So there's a lot of just, I mean, this country is beautiful.
00:24:18
Speaker 1: I was going to say, when you said Colorado, it's one of my favorite places. I was just there in May.
00:24:21
Speaker 2: Hiking around there, the mountains. The Snoopy Rock. Have you seen the Snoopy Rock? No, I haven't.
00:24:27
Speaker 1: In Colorado Springs?
00:24:28
Speaker 2: Snoopy Rock.
00:24:28
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's a rock formation that looks like Snoopy.
00:24:30
Speaker 2: At Red Rocks?
00:24:31
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:24:32
Speaker 2: Not Red Rocks. Grand Canyon.
00:24:34
Speaker 1: Yeah. No, no.
00:24:34
Speaker 2: It's in Colorado Springs.
00:24:36
Speaker 1: You'll see. Just look it up. It's a Snoopy rock. It's literally the Beagle, like from Peanuts. A little white dog.
00:24:41
Speaker 2: I haven't seen that.
00:24:41
Speaker 1: White black dog. Yeah, he's laying on his back.
00:24:43
Speaker 2: Is that Garden of the Gods, maybe? I don't know where.
00:24:46
Speaker 1: It's by there. I promise you. I'm going to look it up after this. It's pretty cool. Yeah. Favorite sport outside of football. You mentioned soccer. Is that your sport?
00:24:53
Speaker 2: Soccer, yeah. Yeah, I grew up soccer. My dad's actually a tennis coach, so I played a little tennis growing up as well. But, yeah, soccer. This last World Cup, we got to go to Sweden. Did you really?
00:25:05
Speaker 1: Nice.
00:25:06
Speaker 2: They got beat by France, but we knew that. France is a good team, but just got to experience it, and it was incredible to just be a part of that.
00:25:14
Speaker 1: I wanted to go to a World Cup game as well. amazing to kind of see that's the highest level too right i mean.
00:25:20
Speaker 2: That yeah you want to talk about like a mindset of the mentality a hundred percent and so um yeah i mean it's just fun to watch other sports and you know get to see other competitors and their their arenas um and get to you know cheer them on and also be a fan it's fun to be on the other side of things and uh some days you know on game day you're kind of envious of some of the fans are they're gonna have a lot of fun and you know it's fun to be able to put on a show for them but Sometimes it's fun to change roles as well.
00:25:47
Speaker 1: I love it. Got about five more here for you real quick. But growing up at a very sophisticated tennis court, it was the street and the line crack and the cement. That was my net. But I was Andre Gussesee. Okay. All my other friends, you know.
00:26:00
Speaker 2: That's good.
00:26:00
Speaker 1: You know, Chang and all that. I grew up in that era. Did you have a famous tennis player that you followed?
00:26:06
Speaker 2: So my little brother's middle name is Bjorn for Bjorn Borg. Yeah. So obviously the Swedish tennis players, my dad was always partial to them. But yeah. Yeah, I got to see Andre Agassi out in Vegas in person, and my little son, Jones, when he was, I guess he was two at the time, got to go out onto the court with Sal Blanca and Osaka. They were playing a little exhibition thing, and he got to hit a little backhand for the whole crowd and stuff. So that was a pretty.
00:26:36
Speaker 1: Cool tennis moment. Have you been to a Grand Slam court?
00:26:38
Speaker 2: I have not. No, no, not at all.
00:26:41
Speaker 1: I was in New York last week and landed in LaGuardia, and it was right over the U.S. Open, and that just finished the week in port. My bucket list almost got to go when the Saints played the Chargers way back when before they started doing it almost every other year, but Wimbledon. Wimbledon would probably be my bucket list. Center court, I would love that.
00:26:56
Speaker 2: There's a time and place for that, yeah. I think after football's all done, definitely make some more fan time.
00:27:02
Speaker 1: You're going to act like you're tying the shoe and grab a little grass, put it in your pocket.
00:27:04
Speaker 2: Exactly. Exactly right.
00:27:06
Speaker 1: It would be awesome. All right, favorite TV show. Do you have one?
00:27:09
Speaker 2: I mean, it's probably cliche to say, like, The Office. I mean, that's always a go-to. Yeah, it's hard to beat that.
00:27:17
Speaker 1: It's so real.
00:27:18
Speaker 2: It's very relatable.
00:27:19
Speaker 1: We've all been in an environment where I'm like, that is absolutely pretty accurate. Do you have a favorite movie?
00:27:27
Speaker 2: I really like Good Will Hunting. It's a, you know, I think it's just a great movie, great acting.
00:27:34
Speaker 1: Have you ever used, how do you like them apples after a game-winning game?
00:27:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I haven't. But maybe that's something I think about. They're under my routine here.
00:27:42
Speaker 1: Remember, look for the camera.
00:27:43
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:27:44
Speaker 1: Nice. We can get that on social. Would love that. Is there a dream vacation spot for you?
00:27:49
Speaker 2: Oh, I love travel. My mom's a flight attendant. So we've gotten very fortunate to get a lot of free flights and standby flights. I think Greece is on my list. I've been to Paris before. So obviously, you know, we're with the French tourists. culture, and we're headed out there this year. I've been fortunate to go over to Europe a lot, but I think Greece is on my next list. Greece sounds fun.
00:28:15
Speaker 1: They're redoing a Pantheon, by the way. There we go.
00:28:19
Speaker 2: It's old, so I need that.
00:28:20
Speaker 1: Three really quick ones. First off, you're 6'5. Have you been across the street to the Pelicans? I mean, you should be like me, 5'7, right?
00:28:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, I am not a basketball player.
00:28:29
Speaker 1: No? You never tried it?
00:28:30
Speaker 2: No, never tried it, never played on a team. Only in the backyard with brothers.
00:28:34
Speaker 1: All right, here we go. Should be fun. Just finish this. Ready?
00:28:39
Speaker 2: Who?
00:28:40
Speaker 1: Dat.
00:28:41
Speaker 2: Who dat?
00:28:44
Speaker 1: War. Eagle.
00:28:45
Speaker 2: There we go.
00:28:46
Speaker 1: Roll. Tumor corners. Tumor's corners.
00:28:49
Speaker 2: That's where I was going. That's how I wanted to finish up.
00:28:52
Speaker 1: I would never have you say roll.
00:28:53
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was about to say.
00:28:55
Speaker 1: Tumor's corners, man. Have you ever done it? Did you ever roll it?
00:28:57
Speaker 2: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. After a couple big wins, we went out there with the teammates and friends and stuff. It was awesome.
00:29:03
Speaker 1: All right, so in your honor, if the Saints get to the playoffs, win a playoff game, do you want people to roll the trees out here?
00:29:09
Speaker 2: I mean, I'll allow it. I'll allow it, please.
00:29:11
Speaker 1: You'll do it. Cool. So if you get in trouble, go see Daniel Carlson, kicker of your New Orleans Saints. Man, I appreciate the time, man.
00:29:16
Speaker 2: Awesome. Thanks for having me. Yeah, I appreciate it.
00:29:18
Speaker 1: And thank you for watching Gold Sessions. Kalia Butler will be back with you next week. I'm Gus Kattengill. Thank you, as always.
