The praise for the offense of the Baltimore Ravens is universal but they’re still not playing football into late January. Pro Football Hall of Fame voter and Houston legend John McClain joins Nestor to discuss “next year” for Lamar and C.J. Stroud in chasing Super Bowl rings and why Derrick Henry is still the key to the short-term future and the local possibilities of another purple parade.
Nestor Aparicio and John McClain discuss the Houston Oilers, Baltimore Ravens, and the NFL playoffs. McClain criticizes Aparicio for wearing a Derrick Henry Titans jersey, highlighting the historical rivalry between the Oilers and Titans. They analyze the Ravens’ season, praising Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, and predict the Ravens’ potential for next year. McClain also discusses the Texans’ recent success under Nick Caserio and Lovie Smith, noting their defensive improvements. They touch on Hall of Fame voting, predicting Marshall Yanda’s induction, and discuss the Astros’ and Orioles’ offseasons, emphasizing the need for pitching improvements for the Orioles.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Houston Oilers, Baltimore Ravens, Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson, Super Bowl, Hall of Fame, Texans rebuild, AFC South, NFL officiating, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, NFL playoffs, football season
SPEAKERS
Nestor Aparicio, John McClain
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome all. We are W, N, S T am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We are Baltimore, positive. Check us out on the internet. Make sure you’re setting a spot on your radio dial. Make sure you’re checking us out two weeks from now, as we do our big Charity Week, a cup of soup or bowl begins, and that happens at Costas. We’re going to kick it off at noon on Costas on Monday, the third of February. I’ve gotten to know this guy at the real Super Bowl during my 27 years of going in and out of Super Bowl, I am wearing the old school Houston Oiler jersey, very disputed at this point. I feel a little dirty in it because I don’t think they should be wearing it. And Dan pastorini and John McClane and I have gotten together and talked about this, but when Derek Henry came to town and this thing was on sale McLean $45.75 in my size tags on $175 retail price, and I bought it for the playoffs, and I wish we would have run a little harder, a little faster in it, but it doesn’t there’s nothing better than this jersey, right? I mean, well,
John McClain 00:59
it’s sacrilegious for you to wear a titan on an Oilers jersey. I know, I know players would have been very like Dan pastorini would have been very upset for you to wear Derrick Henry’s oiler jersey, because bowl jerseys, I know
Nestor Aparicio 01:16
it just looks good. And I I’m sorry. I’m apologizing on the front end for anybody in Houston. I love the Oilers. I buy oil I buy all sorts of old like NFL, weird stuff, because my childhood is all I have left. And you were a part of that. And all these years later, you covered the Texans. You’re now at Houston texans.com providing criticism from within. I hope I know I watch you on the internet. They run a little different down there than they run here. Your team came close, and there’s a disappointment. And then this team here, much was expected here, and I can’t begin to tell you the thud of this for the modern era. Now we’ve had, unfortunately, in Houston, the Oilers and the Texas having that Super Bowl. They had a Super Bowl in Houston, but not the parade. We’ve had a couple of parades here, but for the younger generation, and certainly for every Lamar, every mark Andrews, every Marlin Humphrey, this is a new thing, and there’s a there’s palpable disappointment here, because this team felt like it was good enough. I think the Texans feel like they’re getting ready to be good
John McClain 02:17
enough. Well, we had a parade. Was the Martin Luther King parade on Monday before it started snowing like crazy here, and we had a parade before Christmas. You know, you guys in Baltimore, y’all have been spoiled. You had the Colts, you won championships. You’ve had the ravens, you’ve won two Super Bowls. Houston has not had a team in the AFC Championship game since the 1979 Oilers, the Texans, every time they’ve won the AFC South they have, let’s see, there’s seven to two, and they’ve lost every divisional game on the road, including to the Ravens. And what disappointed me about the ravens, I picked them to win the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year. I thought getting Derek Henry would put them over the hump, that awesome one two punch. And I felt, boy, did I feel terrible. Everybody did for Andrews first to fumble and then that drop pass, and I would he didn’t talk after the game, did he?
Nestor Aparicio 03:18
He did not. And I wrote him a letter about why that’s a bad idea. Yeah, I
John McClain 03:22
thought he should have stepped up and taken to blame, like so many others do. But, you know, he’s a great tight end, Lamar Jackson’s favorite receiver, and I know people are disappointed there, but I didn’t see anything from Derek Henry that made me think he would slow down next season. And one of the things people don’t seem to realize when I talk, when I listen and read people talking about the workload that Derek Henry shoulder. He didn’t shoulder a load early in his career. He didn’t go from a lot of carries to Alabama stepping right in as a second round pick of the Titans, and then carry the load. You know, he didn’t. He didn’t start right away. So that’s one reason, I think besides, he works his tail off, and he’s huge and stays incredible shape. But I think Derek Henry’s got another season or two in him. I may pick the Ravens again, and hope the third time is the charm. But from afar, you know, after that, oh, two start when they were adjusting to Derrick Henry, it’s amazing to me they ever lost the game, and I felt bad for them, but I don’t feel bad for Buffalo because of the fan base. I feel bad for Detroit. I wanted Detroit to get the Super Bowl because of their fans. Been since the 50s, and now Buffalo’s fans have been devastated four times in the Super Bowl they got a chance, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.
Nestor Aparicio 04:43
John McClane is our guest. He is politely known as the general. He has been a Hall of Fame voter for many, many years, covering first the Houston Oilers and now the Houston Texans in the great snowing city this week, and I will get to the cheating in the baseball in a minute. I was going to say they’ve won World Series there, but. You
John McClain 05:00
know, it’s got Moz on it. It has
Nestor Aparicio 05:03
an asterisk of some kind in it, in the same way that Pete Rose’s Hall of Fame credentials there, speaking of Hall of Fame credentials, you’ve been a Hall of Fame voter, and you can speak to all of this, and I will hit you up on yonder and Smith, and we’ll get to you know whether Suggs is a first battle all of that, but from what this offense is and the Derrick Henry thing, and for me, I keep patting myself on the back because the last two trading deadlines, I wrote out loud that if they had Derrick Henry, they would be my word was unstoppable. That’s the word I used because of what Lamar stresses defenses in regard to speed, I always felt like what they wanted Dobbins to be, what they drafted him to be, and he got injured and couldn’t be. They needed this other running back in the way that stallback had door said Brad Shaw had frank. Just go through the list of, I mean, oh, wait, and Wendy Lee at real Dave. So having that, that batman with that, you know that, that with the Robin and the peanut butter with the with the jelly, and like the whole this year, what we’ve seen has been historic in so many ways. And I’ve said a few times that if art modell called me and David from the grave and they said, Nestor, Nestor. Tell me about the tell me about the Ravens. I hear. They got a young quarterback who’s good, you know? And I’d say, Yeah, 41 touchdowns, four interceptions, ran for 900 yards, threw for 4100 yards, and oh, by the way, the running back, the only comparable in the history of the game art is Jim Brown.
John McClain 06:31
One of the things keep in mind, there will be no adjustment period for Derek Henry next season. I think the record will be even better. I don’t see how Lamar can play better. You know, he’s the MVP for the third time. There’s no way, like I keep people saying he’s a candidate. The committee that voted in First Team All Pro over Josh Allen, they’re the ones that vote on the MVP. So why would they vote in first team, all Pro and not the MVP? So I think it’s a lock that Lamar is winning his thirst third most valuable player award. And no, that’s not enough for him or his team coaches, fans, and I think they’ll be right there next year, and it’ll be from the get go. It won’t be after a slow start, I’m still amazed they lost as many games as they did. Sure they’ll make some moves in the off season to improve whatever they believe needs to be improved. But thing is, Nestor, they have, see, got so many good young quarterbacks, and some of them are not so much young anymore, but it’s so competitive now. You look at Cincinnati, I don’t feel sorry for the Bengals. It’s their own fault. They always get off to a slow start. You want to be there at the end. Quit getting off the slow starts and having to overcome them and rely on Joe burrow to be a miracle worker. And Cleveland, of course, is terrible. Pittsburgh’s going to need another quarterback. So to me, the Ravens not going to say they’re going to run away with the vision, because if Baltimore, I mean, if Cincinnati fixes its defense, they made a big mistake trading Joe Mixon to the Texans for seventh round pick. He had a great season, and if they get their running game going, you know, they could be competitive with the ravens, but I still think the ravens are in competition next season to have the number one seed along with the chiefs and the bills, good chance they’ll get it. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of the chiefs like I used to be. Tired of the Patriots. I want to see somebody else, and that somebody else would be buffalo, but I don’t see the bills beating the Chiefs two times in one season, especially the second one at Arrowhead Stadium. I
Nestor Aparicio 08:39
got tired of the Steelers and the Cowboys 4550 years ago, and I’m still tired of them. John McClane is here. He’s down in Houston, Texas. That’s why I’m wearing my Houston oil jersey, if you see it. I mean, I know I’m breaking all sorts of codes, but it was inexpensive. It’s delightful. And he’s, I said to my wife, he’s going to the Hall of Fame. I got to get a Hall of Fame jersey, so I figured that would be the piece for me. Um, Buffalo and what they’re doing, and we’re Kansas City. We all want to hate Kansas City this week. We all want to see buffalo. Give me some odds on that. A little bit. John talk. Talk to me a little bit about that this week, because what I saw buffalo do, and what I’ve seen Kansas City do all year. Spagnolo, fourth quarter, three point game, four point game. Whatever it’s going to be, it’s going to be a hell of a football game. On Sunday night.
John McClain 09:24
It should be. And the one thing I’m sure of is the bills will be called for roughing Patrick mahomes, going back to 2022 officials have called Five roughing penalties on teams playing mahomes. You know, maybe they’ve caused called on the cheese zero. So it’s like the Texans knew going in, you’re going and then that’s not why they lost. They got lost because they weren’t as good and they had no business winning, and they made too many mistakes. But boy, the officiating on two plays in particular was terrible. So at some point the bills go. To get call for roughing Patrick mahomes, I don’t think the bills they gave, remember, they gave the Chiefs their only legitimate laws. They were 15 and one till they arrested everybody and lost the last game. I don’t think that the bills can beat them twice. Josh Allen’s going to have to be have another Herculean performance. You know, they’ve got to run the ball. They’ve got to try to keep mahomes on the bench if they can. It’s amazing to me, Nestor, that if you look at the chiefs, they don’t have a lot of stars. They got mahomes. They got and I say Kelsey. Kelsey just had the best game of the season. I didn’t know he was capable of doing what he did at 35 but he did, and you know the bills, they’re going to go to great pains not to leave him wide open like the Texans did when they had some brain dead mistakes, miscommunication in coverage, and then missed tackles like they did. And I think that you know their running game, it’s okay. Texans shut down there run totally 50 yards, and, and mahomes made just enough plays, and I don’t think Josh Allen’s going to be sacked eight times, because they have a good offensive line, not a great one, but a good one. And, but somehow they win. They win because my homes is a miracle worker, because they take advantage of mistakes by the opponents. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. But, and I think they’re going to win. I think we’re going to see him in the Super Bowl trying to be the first team to repeat. And think, you know, I’m not sure whether I’m thinking Washington or Philly, probably Philly, because they’re playing at home, even though Jalen Hurts has been hurt, has a knee issue from that last game. But right now, I think it’s going to be Kansas City. I’d love to see buffalo win this game. Not all Josh Allen seems like such a class act, and a lot of people, you know, he’s taking a beating through the years. And I just like to see buffalo. I think there’d be a magical ring to it buffalo Super Bowl. Because what do we think about buffalo Super Bowl losers? And I’m hoping that’s the way it is. But I’m not taking against the Chiefs at home.
Nestor Aparicio 12:12
Well, I was in the Metrodome, and I know you were the last time when Thurman Thomas left his helmet, I didn’t realize I’d be sitting four rows behind the two time reigning President of the United States of America that that game, but I was John McClane. Is here. He is in Houston. He votes for all things Pro Football Hall of Fame. I’m about to take the conversation in that way, but before I do that, I do want to talk about your team in the Texans. Even though I’m wearing an oil is jersey, they don’t exist anymore, so I feel like it’s okay and you got your own team, and by the way, what’s up with them wearing their Bucha? Wearing their pajamas? They had the best kits in the league when the Texans were born, and they’re wearing these other things. But for the team on the field, quarterback, I think you believe they have one that they can win with, and CJ Stroud, but Tamika Ryan’s and what’s happened defensively there? You’ve known him since the day he came into the building, now running the building, not dissimilar to Zach, or running the defense here, and really coming through the system. Um, this, the success that they’ve had there has been kind of fast all of a sudden, because I follow you online, John, and you and I get together from time to time. In Houston, it was kind of rock bottom there for a little while, right? I mean, um, the Texans bottomed out in a Browns kind of awful way, and have really risen rather quickly, lot quicker than the Jaguars or the Colts or a couple of these other teams that feel like they fall in and they can’t get up.
John McClain 13:31
When I see Zach Gore, I think of D’Amico Ryans. I see Zach gore and I watch him on the sideline, and I think of D’Amico when he was two time defensive coordinator for the 40 Niners after Robert Salo left to go become the Jets head coach. And amico had a lot of offers, and I guarantee you it is amazing to me. Nestor, how many coaches John Harbaugh, not only him, but the cost to lose his personnel people, how many people they lose to other teams, and they still stay on top every year. It’s the best run organization year to year. I know they do a better job of compensatory picks than any team in the league. That’s why they’re always there. And you know who don’t like? John Harbaugh, it’s like everybody likes Dan Campbell. Everybody likes Andy Reid. Everybody likes and respects John Harbaugh. You pull for you pull for him. And I look at the Texans. They were. They. They went from winning four games in 2020 when Deshaun Watson played great and they fired Bill O’Brien after an oh four start, after they’d gone into divisional round and lost to Kansas City, and then it bottomed out with all the lawsuits against Deshaun Watson, and they went through David Cully wanted done. Love you. Smith, wanted done. And then they hired amico, gave him a six year contract. Nick casario, GMs, six year contract. Contract, and those two have done a great job. Serio tore this team down and started at at the foundation, and he was the browns, helped him big time. I don’t have the list in front of me, but it’s amazing what casario turned into three number one picks and three other pigs for Watson, they got like six starters, including will Anderson Junior, was the highest, third overall, last in 2023 and so that helped them rebuild quicker. They had cap money. They made sure. And owners of McNair family is very understanding. They give them money. They stay out of the way. They want to know what’s going on, but casario has it. He has final say, so they don’t tell him what to do. They wanted to make Orions, and they hoped that casario would want him. And when they interviewed him first time by zoom, after they turned off the zoom, casario turned to Cal McNair and his wife, Hannah, and said, We got to get him in here, and we can’t let him leave. And that’s exactly what happens. So they immediately go 10 and seven. They win the AFC South. Three teams had a winning record. Three teams had a shot at the division. It was a Texan that won it. And then this year, the division was terrible, worst in football, and they won it again. Each year they won a playoff game here, they beat Cleveland when they were two point underdogs last season. This season, they were three point underdogs to the chargers, and they blew both of them out. Their problem is they’re not good enough to beat a good team on the road, especially when they’re playing in the playoffs. And it doesn’t matter if it’s Kansas City or Baltimore, they’re just not as good as those franchises. Now, they didn’t have a number one pick last year because they traded to move up for Anderson right after CJ Stroud, they got Kamari Lassiter in the second round, who was a day one starter, and it’s been tremendous in their corners, Derek Stingley Junior, who is outstanding, and Kamari Lasser, they don’t have to worry about that for a while. They have other needs, of course, and I think casario and Ryan’s make a good tandem. Casario doesn’t make him take players he doesn’t want, and one of the things that impresses me the most about Ryan’s as the defensive play call is that he knows what he wants, position specific, and they had a great game against the chiefs. And defensively, you take away the Travis Kelsey 49 yard completion in which they left him open and then missed him on the 35 and the 30 they had 164 yards and and so you couldn’t play better defensively. Domingo Ryan’s the head coach. If I were doing report cards again, like I did at the Houston Chronicle, I was giving him an F because he made a couple of really bad decisions as a head coach, kicking a 55 yard field goal when the win was 17 miles an hour, giving the Ravens the ball at the Texans 45 boom. Touchdown later, down by 810, 47, left, and you go for fourth and 10, and they didn’t make it. Fortunately, their defense bailed them out, but it was not a good game for him as a decision maker, and that’s first time I’ve seen him have issues like that. But they should. They’ll be favored again. AFC South. You know that you want to win your division, but boy, until they get a home playoff game here or shock the world by winning against a good team on the road, whether it’s Kansas City, Baltimore, buffalo, you know, they’re just going to be spinning their wheels. Well,
Nestor Aparicio 18:34
taking care of business in their own division feels to be like they have six winnable games in their own division, which is a little bit different than some of the other divisions. John McClane is here. He’s down at Houston, representing down there in the midst of the snowstorm in a playoff week that could have involved the Houston Texans. Could have involved the Baltimore Ravens. It does not. I will involve his Hall of Fame vote. Last thing for you, because I had to think like you went right down to the Sean Watson thing. And I swear to God, I’m 15 minutes into a conversation. I want to beat you up at the Astros and do all this other I haven’t thought about the Sean Watson in Houston, but my God, three years ago right now, if you and I were talking, that franchise was on freaking fire, in a way that like we had Ray Rice here, and we had things and bad things happen, and whatever, we lost our franchise. So did you at Houston? We’ve had really bad things happen, but pretty rock bottom to the Sean Watson thing, and he said Cleveland did him a favor. It is amazing that they could find anybody to take him, and that it could be, from your perspective, as a journalist in Houston, as a citizen, as somebody vested in the team, that I got deodorized pretty quickly there, much like Washington got deodorized once they got rid of that clown down there.
John McClain 19:36
Yeah, it was very interesting. What happened with Watson? I’ll never forget it was March, and he had said after the season he wanted to be traded. And I know he wanted to be traded for the same reason. JJ White wanted out. They were afraid that Jack Easterby, who had wormed his way up into being interim General Manager, was going to convince the McNair family to make him GM now that. Ever happened, but that’s what lot of them were worried about. And I always thought it was interesting. Of the teams that were seriously interested in Watson, Cleveland, Atlanta, New Orleans and Miami, the first one he eliminated was Cleveland, and the reason was, and you know, you know, this is the wind, not just the weather in the winter, but the wind even in August, in September, playing right there on Lake Erie is terrible, and the Texans had played a game that season in Cleveland when the wind was as bad as I’ve ever seen and and so he eliminated it. Well, Cleveland gets back together and they say, okay, what can we do to get back in the running. So they called his agent, David mulled and said, Well, what if we guarantee, you fully guarantee a contract? And so that got their interest. So he went to Cleveland because of money two 30 million guaranteed it looks like his art was never in it. A friend of mine who’s covered them forever said he looks like he just forgotten how to play quarterback, and in 2020 he was magnificent, and for a losing team that won four games. But I’m still shocked at what happened up with the browns. It looks like they need to just have him on the bench next year. They look like they’re setting the stage Nestor for well, he’s had a second surgery on his Achilles. Maybe we’ll just have to put him on injured reserve for the year. They owe him another 92 million and then cut him and take their cap in 20 cap hit in 2026 but it’s, it’s, that’s Herschel Walker is still the worst trait in history, because the Cowboys parlayed that into three Super Bowl victories, and and the Texans are not going to parlay this treat into three Super Bowl victories. And so Walker will always be the worst, but this will be the second worst. And by the way, when I keep looking at you wearing that jersey, all these great Oilers flash before my eyes, and it’s a huge controversy here, about you,
Nestor Aparicio 22:04
talk about it. Imma change jerseys, because I don’t want to offend you anymore. You keep going,
John McClain 22:08
go. You already offended me. No, no, no, I’m not going to fix things. So the Oilers, except for Bruce Matthews, the Hall of Fame guard, all those Oilers, love to see Columbia blue, and I do too, and I tell you a beating when I’m on the radio here, because since the Texans can’t wear it, I like to see the Titans wear it. They’ve worn Columbia blue two times in a row against the Texans in Nashville. The Texans have beating them every both times. So all the disgraceful
Nestor Aparicio 22:37
that they wear it, by the way, like I am fully on board as a lifer oiler fan, like life or crazy, and you know this, I don’t think they should wear it. I found this on the internet. It has Henry name on the back. And I’m not wearing Raven stuff because they took my credentials, threw me out of my seats all the stuff he said about John Harbaugh, I disagree, but I didn’t feel like doing that in the middle of it, so I just wanted to wear something that was supportive of the team. I have a closet full of purple stuff. I’ve spent millions of dollars on the ravens, right? But the Oilers were my passion as a child. And when I find kits like this, Earl Campbell, look at look at how beautiful. That’s nice, isn’t this? This is, this is what I this is what I really wear when I’m really wearing stuff. But somehow this jersey wound up on the back of a raven player with my favorite childhood team, and it was 45 bucks. Don’t, don’t put me in purgatory over this. I’m a good oiler guy. John remember
John McClain 23:34
pastor Rainey. Every oiler I know, other than Bruce Matthews, likes to see the colors worn by the by the Titans, because that’s the only place they’re ever going to see it. I like to see the Titans wear it, because I love those uniforms. They bring out a lot of great memories. I started covering the Oilers 1977 worked all the way through the love you blue era. By the way, I’m working on documentaries with the filmmaker, and one of them we’re working on right now. The working title is Phillips, three generations of coaching excellence. Bum Phillips and love you blue Wade Phillips, his son, and now Wes Phillips, the offensive coordinator in Minnesota who I believe will be a head coach. So here, the Oilers are always part of the fabric of our city. They’re never going to go away, and I’m glad Amy Adams drunk, but Adam’s dollar has him wearing because nothing’s happened Nestor between these two teams that make it a big rivalry. They never played for anything like the Astros and the Rangers, and they hate each other because they gonna
Nestor Aparicio 24:32
wear it every year. This is here to stay, right? Well, if they want to
John McClain 24:36
win beat the Texans, they better stop because the Texans have rubbed their noses in it two years in a row.
Nestor Aparicio 24:41
I shocked how many people in in Tennessee wear it like, you know, like they got
John McClain 24:46
into it because they they have reunions every year. OLIO Oilers come up there and talk about how much they love it. They put it in the stores. They put it in their shop at the stadium. So people wear it like crazy on oiler day, it’s been. Three times the last two years, falcons, Texans, and this year, the Texans, and they’re one and two wearing those jerseys. Well, it’s
Nestor Aparicio 25:07
damn good looking jersey. And real historian here, John, it looks good on you. Thank you. Well, that my wife, she saw, she’s like, Hey, that fits you. You look good in that. And I thought, I hope he stays here a couple years and they win a Super Bowl, because I, you know, I mean, where else am I going to find they’re not making any more of these. You know the oiler, Derrick Henry. Nobody wanted it. That’s why I got it for 45 bucks. So John, I know Derek, Henry’s going to the Hall of Fame. You already called him a first ballot Hall of Famer began here. You have a vote. We have Marshall yonda. Steve Smith, I can’t believe Heinz Ward fell off the ballot. The Art modell thing is eternal, and you and I and Clark judge and our ball, we’ve all gone through that. But of this class, Suggs, I’m assuming Suggs is going to get in the Hall of Fame. I just don’t know, at what speed or velocity can you express the folks in an elevator speech? What the Hall of Fame balloting is about these days, because it’s not me running into you and you and Peter King all running out to pee and get coffee during breaks during the Super Christmas, um, you know, I’ve always looked at it as if you all invited me to be a part of the club, it’d be the highest honor of my life. But I’ve said to you and everybody else, I think I’m qualified to be in your club. I do humbly, but I also think, like, it’s an incredible amount of work you all do with very little love. Pay scrutiny. You know, lots of scrutiny, not a lot of love. It’s tough. But then a guy like me comes on and says, Well, I think yonder will get in. I hope Steve Smith gets in. I hope, you know, I think he’s a Hall of Famer, and I’m pretty sure Suggs is, but I never know until you guys get in the room. And I don’t think you do
John McClain 26:37
either. We, there’s 49 of us, I think, and there’s two sub three sub committees, seniors, contributors and coaches. And we talk all year round. And when we finally get around to voting, not getting it down from like 125, people nominated, anybody can nominate. You can nominate, fans can nominate. Then we get it 25 semi finalists. The hall announces it. Then we get it down to the 15 finalists. They changed the rules this year to make it a lot harder to get in. I’m so glad. On my third time last year, Andre Johnson made it. I was a presenter because he and Tory Holt and Reggie Wayne had kind of canceled each other out. Now Steve Smith steps up, and he’s in that group with Tory Holt and Reggie Wayne, and it’s hard, it’s hard to get in anyway. And now you can’t get in unless you get 80% of the boat, minimum three, maximum five of the three seniors, one contributor and one veteran. Only three of those total can get in. So the contributor could be left out the scene. The two could seniors, one senior, and they’ve just made it harder to get in, which a lot of people think is good. I like their old system. I think that of the guys that you mentioned, the guy who’ll get in first, is Marshall yonder, Marshall yonda. You know, he’s got all the credentials you want in a guard. I think he now, I don’t know that he’s going to make it on the first ballot, but to me, he’s the first one that goes in. Some point, Suggs will go in, because Suggs was a late pass rusher and Steve Smith, I’m just not sure. I don’t know if they put like Tory Holton first, Reggie Wayne second. We never go. We never I heard people in that don’t have a clue about what we do, and we have access to information that the public doesn’t have. We have access quotes from people that the public doesn’t know about. And I’ve learned through the years, and I do think at some point, eins Ward will get in, and wide receiver, to me is like guards, there’s so many, and the receivers have such gaudy stats, and it’s hard for the offensive lineman. But if you’ve been on the Super Bowl champion and Pro Bowls, when Pro Bowls were legitimate, and the thing that really is impressed, you’re on all decade team or all Pro. First team, all Pro. Second Team, all Pro. To me, the more of those you got, the better it is. So I would tell Ravens fans, at some point I believe Marshall yanda will be the first Raven of this group that will be voted into the Hall of Fame. I just don’t have any clue when it is.
Nestor Aparicio 29:18
Well, that’s a fascinating take on it. I take that to heart. You’ve just changed my what, how I’m going to couch it for other folks. Because I would have said the order would have been Suggs, Smith, yonda, is what I would have said, not based on their ability, just based on the fact that it’s harder to get a guard in. It’s really hard to get a wide receiver. And you’re telling me it’s hard to get a pass rusher in at this point,
John McClain 29:38
hard to get pass rushers, hard to get receivers. You know, you want people that can tell you, does that pass rusher? How did he do against the run? How did he do in pressure situations? What did his team do? What did his defense do? What one of the things we have access to when a guy’s off the field? What happens if he’s missed a couple of games? How do they play? Without him. What
Nestor Aparicio 30:00
about if he sprained bleach on his girlfriend? You don’t consider any of that, right? No,
John McClain 30:04
you don’t consider anything off the field. And this year, one of the seniors is Jim tire, great offensive tackle for the chiefs, has the credentials to be in the Hall of Fame. But after his career, he shot his wife and shot himself, and his kids have forgiven him, and they wish that he would get in based on our bylaws, which say you cannot take into account things that happen off the field. And when they say off the field, Nestor, they’re not talking about in the locker room, the sideline, you gotta be good in that as well, but we’re talking about away from football. That was away from football today. Lot of people step up and think he had CTE, but that’s just, you know, people are just guessing about that. It had all the signs of it, but you don’t know for sure, but he certainly has a credentials. But I’m sure some people vote their heart won’t do it. So I have no clue if he’s going to get in there, but I think if you if Marshall yanda, who I remember as a and I remember other teams talking about him, how dominant he was, how physical, nasty he was, he played the position the way you want it played. And I think that just my opinion. I think the next Raven to go in will be Marshall Yan.
Nestor Aparicio 31:27
I hope so. I like Marshall. I like Steve and Suggs. Bring me in on that one. I’ll have a conversation about that as well. John McClane is here. He covered the National Football League as well as anyone still does down in Houston, watching it snow down there. His team’s eliminated. Our team’s eliminated. We’re all trying to eliminate Kansas City around here. We’re probably trying to eliminate Washington too, before it’s all over. But the Philadelphia things a mess. Rivalries in baseball, you know, for years and years and years, I sat with my nose pressed up to the glass while y’all were cheating and winning championships with my Venezuelan brethren. Championship, not two, one. Well, it’s tainted, whatever it is, and we can get into that, but it’s ancient history. It’s not here to talk about the past. Um man, the Orioles are coming, but, you know, new ownership and money. And I did an hour with Luke here, literally, earlier today, and we were just talking about, you know, the off season has been less than spectacular. When you lose burns, you lose on there. You know, he signed the kid from the Red Sox. Maybe with the bad you sign a 35 year old Japanese pitcher, a 41 year old Charlie Moore, like, I don’t know, but Vegas still has the Orioles at 89 and a half to make you laugh over under, which says to me, the world thinks the Orioles are a playoff team.
John McClain 32:38
They got so much young talent, especially hitters there. It’s amazing rebuilding the same way the Astros rebuilt. Be terrible. Stockpile them and then watch it. Day off. You know, buy some pitching, right? You bought some pitching. I’m surprised that they have not used some of those young guys to get pictures. Surprised, they would lose a starting pitcher when you’ve got new ownership, and I was really pushing Anthony Santander to come to Houston as a right field to replace Kyle Tucker, Jim crane, the owner here, and you can’t argue with his success. They’ve dominated the division, and he he just won’t spend big money for more than six years. They made ALEX BREGMAN an offer six year, 150 6 million. He’s not taking it. So they moved on, and they made it. They they made the trade for Kyle Tucker because they knew at 28 he’s going to get a long term deal for over 300 million. The way the money’s going up today, it might be 400 million. So they trade him to cubs. They got Alex bregman’s replacement, he sock paradise, who is number two in baseball as a right handed pull hitter, and they ran graphics at the Crawford boxes at what is now dikin field. Not Minute Maid park might be dykin Park, I can’t remember and how many more home runs he would hit into the Crawford boxes, how many more doubles he would hit. So he’s not Bregman as a fielder. So they got that. They signed Christian Walker from Arizona to play first base, but they still don’t have a right fielder. And no matter how much me, I and others in the media kept saying, at least show some interest in Santander. 44 home runs hit some big ones against the Astros, but they never even seemed to. I’m sure they talked to his agent, but that was it. So I hated it when he went to Toronto, but Astros right now, Nestor they’re outfield. It’s not going to stay this. Jake Myers, center field. Can’t hit. Chaz McCormick, right? Phil can’t hit. Lead fill a rotation with yard out. Alvarez can hit. And Mauricio Dubon, who’s a good fill in player. And for people here, it makes you just want to throw up, you know? But they still got a lot of pitching starters and bullpen and. They should be favored to beat the rangers and the mariners again, but at some point it winds down. That’s why the Orioles have to maximize it to take advantage of it, while they have all this young pallet talent they’ve stockpiled. Well, we
Nestor Aparicio 35:13
came close to maybe the Texans winning last week and the Ravens winning in the game would have been here, and you and I would have been talking Houston and Baltimore. Here instead, we’re going to have to table this until mid August the training camp John McClane, because the Astros and the Orioles only get together twice this year in the New Balance schedule, and both meetings are at in late August. So whoever our our July 31 edition will be, you will have to deal with him on the mound on the mound on the 15th, 16th and 17th of August. Maybe I’ll come down here, run around, eat some Mexican food with you, and then the weekend at Camden Yards is a four day weekend beginning August 21 so we see the Astros seven out of nine games beginning August 15. So you know baseball schedules different this this way around. We don’t see the Yankees so much, Red Sox, wherever, but we’re going to get together. And I know how much. Why didn’t you cover baseball for a living? How in the world you ever get stuck over the Oilers?
John McClain 36:09
1977 I was covering the original Houston arrows started in 1976 arrows hockey team, the hockey team’s hockey team with Gordy and Marty and Mark. How I didn’t
Nestor Aparicio 36:20
even know you knew a puck from a truck. Yep,
John McClain 36:22
I covered them, and they asked me if I would go do a story on bum Phillips. And off season, I did. They liked it. Eventually, they put me on as a backup, and then they made me the top guy. So it’s my 48th year. I’ve just completed covering the NFL in Houston.
Nestor Aparicio 36:39
Well, I love you. I miss you. You know, I miss those early mornings at what see the breakers or the Biltmore and all the the Super Bowls and the radio all of that stuff. It’s ancient history, but these relationships that we keep, and the love of sports and the love of the Houston Oilers, and look out football here we could Houston.
John McClain 37:02
I love that song.
Nestor Aparicio 37:03
I’ll wear the Dan, you know, so what year did that song call me? Did it come to Miami first? I need to know this. I knew you would have the answer
John McClain 37:10
the I do have the answer. The guy that wrote it offered it to every AFL team, and Houston and Miami both wanted at the same time. So he sold it to both of them, and they do today, every time I hear it, Miami Dolphins, number one makes me want to projectile vomit, right? I
Nestor Aparicio 37:31
want the oil or cannonball. I want to hear all those old songs. I will. I’ll chase pastorini around some point here, where his jersey as we get up into football season here ending, and baseball season beginning. Was nice little bridge as well, as well as Hall of Fame voting coming up next week as well. John McClane is here. Who knows? Maybe Marshall, yeah, they’ll get the knock on the door out on the farm in Iowa here before it’s all over with. We have a football game this week, Lucas and Owings Mills. We have baseball. We had locker clean out. We’ve had all sorts of things here, lots of Hall of Fame voters, as we lament the end of a long season for the Ravens. I am Nestor. We are wnst. Am 1570 Towson, Baltimore COP of Super Bowl coming up for charity two weeks from now. We never stop talking Baltimore positive.