We love having NFL alums on the show who can tell us what it’s like on the field. Former Ravens defensive tackle Dwan Edwards talks about tough losses and near misses with Nestor after the AFC Championship Game loss to Chiefs.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
super bowl, year, team, montana, ravens, game, lost, win, played, thought, coach, week, happen, duan, bozeman, quarterback, baltimore, charlotte, yellowstone, long
SPEAKERS
Nestor J. Aparicio, Dwan Edwards
Nestor J. Aparicio 00:02
Welcome home we are W N S T A and 5070, Towson Baltimore and Baltimore positive.com. We’re trying to be positive here. This week we’re doing something that’s positive and extraordinary. Next week we are in lieu of radio row and going out to Las Vegas. we’ve dreamed up a new promotion here that I’m hoping to be the first of many years we’re calling a crabcake row, a cup of soup or bowl of soup. We’ll be giving you a cup of Super Bowl soup of Maryland crab, cream, crab, and all of our locations. We live radio from nine until five next week, all day long stop. I see us are doing it for the Maryland Food Bank, free cup or bowl of soup. If you bring something good for the Maryland Food Bank, we’re gonna be featuring 100 different charities next week. A lot of our friends a lot of people coming by I thought the Ravens would be in the Super Bowl. I have my fingers crossed to think that on Monday, we kick things off at fayed these Tuesday we’re going to be a cost. It’s Wednesday. Coco’s Thursday at State Fair and beautiful Catonsville and Frederick road I have my state fair shirt on. And then on Friday up at Pappas in cockys Ville and I you know, I thought some like guys be coming back to town and alums. We have people running around all weekend. I was inviting alums on last week we had I don’t know we have Brian Billick, we had Brandon Stokely, we had more of a Lewis come by Joe Flacco came by last week. And then this week, I’m like, Ollie, I’ll chase down guys I couldn’t find last week, Duan Edwards and I tried to make this. The streams connect last week and didn’t happen. Of course, you remember Duan is a former second round draft pick, you went on to Buffalo and Carolina played a Super Bowl. But did you about to get on our bus to the Super Bowl five years ago to Miami? Because I don’t the people don’t know when you guys disappeared? You make babies and stuff. And you might turn your kids in the Ravens fans wherever they are, right?
Dwan Edwards 01:47
Yes, of course. Of course, I a lot of heartbroken kids yesterday sending the pictures of the games and just very fond memories of the Ravens hoping they would have kept it going and riding all all the way to the Super Bowl. And with the Lombardi Trophy, unfortunately didn’t happen Sunday.
Nestor J. Aparicio 02:03
Well, you know, I booked you on last week for Monday to be here for celebratory Radia, you know that. Give me a breakdown of the game as you see it. I mean, I we talked a lot about losing composure. I think you were you were on the team in Detroit, when everybody lost their mind. And yeah, you’re nodding your head. Yes, you had some games where you’re like, and I remember being in that locker room, and Brian and I were famously close. He didn’t even want the part of me after that. And I don’t want any part of him. I was like, oh my god, I never seen Brian like that. And the coach was losing his composure. I mean, like, literally, it breaks down quickly. Because y’all are emotional, y’all. Dude, y’all want to win. It’s competitive.
02:46
No doubt everything on the line. And yeah, unfortunately, you’re probably going to look back at the coach, you know, when you see those unforced on discipline, type of penalties and games, and they end up costing, you know, unfortunately, as they flowers young guy, a rookie, obviously, tremendously emotional, big playmaker for them. And, you know, in those big moments, you know, he just hadn’t been there before. And it’s unfortunate that those situations happen. But they’re all learning experiences. And, you know, unfortunately, it seemed like that cost some, but for me, I would definitely say that the rushing attempts and just not, you know, a lack of trying to run the ball just seemed a little bit crazy. And I gotta give a shout out to Kansas City defense, at the end of the day, because they they played tremendous, I think, exactly what everyone didn’t want to happen was the Chiefs got up a lead on on us. And, you know, kind of put us you know, up against the ropes and it was tough to watch our team not be able to handle you know, that type of adversity.
Nestor J. Aparicio 03:50
That the hardest thing is me you play in a league decade trying to be on a team this good, right? You mean, you drink you were? You were on a couple of really good teams, right? I mean, around here and had opportunities. And I was out in Santa Clara last week and thinking about your game and one time I went to a game out there just I thought of the Eminem song because they’ve been playing a lot with Detroit, you know, you get one chance in a lifetime, right? Like, you might not get another opportunity, you know, and that is the hardest hardest part in the Baltimore circumstances. We didn’t have an AFC champion game since 1971. I’m 55 You’d have to tell me how hard it is to get a home AFC Championship game how hard it is to be number one. See, I’ve been waiting forever through every Peyton Manning Tom Brady Ben Roethlisberger, even the Flacco era here. It’s hard to be the best team and they were the best team this year and to come up empty in that case, that’s when you’re expected to win. And I we haven’t had a lot of that around your Diwan. You know that we’re there. We’re expected the win.
04:55
Yeah, exactly. I felt like we were the best team all year long. Oh, that’s unfortunate and coming from experience 2015 2016 Carolina Panthers. You know, I felt like we were the best team all season. And unfortunately, you know, that’s why you play the games and the games have to be decided on the field. And you brought up names like Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger. In 12 seasons, you know, four of probably the best teams that I’ve been on, you know, one year, getting shocked as the one seed with Steve McNair, obviously 13 In three end up losing with the Colts at home after a by Peyton Manning again.
Nestor J. Aparicio 05:36
That’s one of the worst nights of my life. My wife has video of me blubbering that night, because she thought she was being creative. And I would say something at midnight after the game that would be after being in the locker room with you guys. When I’ve expressed to people about Ray Lewis sobbing that night, like, like, literally Ray was unavailable to the media because he just couldn’t compose himself. Like literally, it was. It was an awful, awful night. And people here this week, it brought that up and saying that was the darkest night and we lost championship games, we had to contest the efforts we lost, but losing a home game where your fans walk out thinking all year, this is our year, this is our year, the year we won, we got our ass kicked in December and Flacco was planking, you didn’t think you’re the best, you felt the Mile High miracle, you know, all those things that happen along the way. But when you’re the best team and you don’t, when there’s just something, it happens often, it happens a lot in hockey, it happens to baseball, it happens in every sport.
06:34
And that’s why you play the game. And that’s why the game of football is so great. And, you know, that’s why the people in Vegas make so much money in sports betting is what it is. Because you never know. And like I said, I gotta give a hats off to the Chiefs defense. And obviously, at Patrick mahomes They had amazing game plan ball control and a moving football obviously scored early in the game and you know, put the pressure on the ravens and it just, like I said, just kind of loss of composure and, you know, penalties all the part of it. But you know, like you said when you feel like it’s it’s your it’s your time, it’s your team, you’ve got all the pieces in place, and every year is different. And you can’t you can’t really build much on that year and take that into next year. I mean, there’s going to be some fuel, obviously, to the fire for guys to get back. But the team’s gonna be different injury situation, salary cap coaching moves, like it’ll never be the same team again. And that opportunity, you know, is gone. And that’s what makes it so great and so hard to deal with. All
Nestor J. Aparicio 07:41
you guys I get mixed up after 28 years of knowing every one of you until I was thrown out about two years ago, after 28 years of doing it. It all blends together as to when you came and when you were here and what you were part of and what you weren’t. I mean, you were part of the early Flacco era and AFC Championship, I think you weren’t available that year. But in oh nine, you talk about getting eliminated by Roethlisberger by Peyton Manning, the fans got eliminated too and watched all that and would say, what was our quarterback good enough? Are we in a good enough situation? How much money do we have invested once they they we won and had Flacco it’s the other players when it’s a very sophisticated thing from a salary cap standpoint that the Ravens were this good this year, and that they were this healthy this year, and the Vanoise and the clown ease and just getting incredible value out of Kyle Hamilton on a rookie deal and Tyler Lindenbaum and ze flowers like all of that is there. And this was the year to make that happen. And I expressed that all along. And now it’s like all right, your guy mad at BK who is you know, reach the ceiling of the ceiling of your position in the world is gonna get paid either by them and franchise, but it’s gonna affect the whole roster if they want to keep the band together.
08:58
No doubt, and that’s the interesting part of football. And luckily, the ravens are a first class organization they do do well in the draft and, you know, feeling like what they do best for the team to keep it together and keep it competitive. But yeah, it does feel like a missed opportunity. And there’s always so many moving parts and yeah, I just kind of put my you know, I went there oh four right after Kyle bowler was drafted so I had Kyle bowler for a few years went into Steve McNair and draft and Joe Flacco and you know for a minute we thought Troy Smith was going to be the guy. Yeah, the whole the whole just quarterback trying to find a guy and Flacco obviously comes in and Steven their tires and just you know, Joe Flacco took took off from there but yeah, for the Ravens just, you know, to consistently be in the playoffs and have opportunities and just, man feel like this was our year. It’s disappointing. And, you know, it’d be a learning lesson for Lamar hopefully going forward to hopefully that will make him better and he’ll uh, he’ll have an opportunity Ready to, to redeem himself. John
Nestor J. Aparicio 10:02
Edwards is here. He was a longtime Raven went off to Buffalo and then played the Super Bowl of Carolina. You lived out of Carolina, right? You’re not a native at all. It’s everybody where
10:12
you grow up. Where’d you grow up? I’m from Montana. I never you are. Big Sky Country got God’s country. And I hope to get back there at some point at least, to have me a vacation place or place to get away in case we have another, another COVID or some. But I need some land up there to get away because it’s definitely a beautiful place to grow up.
Nestor J. Aparicio 10:32
Well, I you know, I’ll say this since the last time I think I told you my buddy moved to Great Falls Montana in 1992. And I went visited him in February of 1990. Call Oh,
10:43
well bless you. Well, the
Nestor J. Aparicio 10:44
What the what it was, it was like 70 degrees that day, I landed it was like one of those sort of weird days. And it was 20 below when I left like what it was 100 degree different in that six days. I was there. But we went to see Pearl Jam. They were like a new cool happened in red van and Missoula. Yes. This is at the at the Harry Adams Field House under the big M in Missoula. Yeah, and I did that as a very young Were you even alive in 93 Because you young guys, I don’t even know 9293. So this is a long time ago. About five years ago, right after my wife. My wife had cancer 1415 She got better. He was about 16 or 17. It was a summertime. Pearl Jam played the stadium the grizzly Stadium in Montana. And they were doing like stadium tours. Seattle was place I said to my wife. All right, this is the Yellowstone trip. This is one we’re gonna do. And we flew into Boise and we drove east into Idaho Falls through this this crazy Craters of the Moon Park in Idaho that everybody in the world should see because it’s wild. And then we went up into Yellowstone man like we did Bozeman. We did Big Sky. There were forest I saw a legitimate fire like not a little fire on a hill. I’m talking about wildfire out of control couldn’t breathe, soot coming out of the sky. You know, I thought about that goof that ran the country talking about raking leaves and how stupid that is to say because you go out and see all of this stuff. But I went to Spokane I went how you leave Montana when you’re in Montana Duan, Edward, how do you not go back? I don’t even know where to hell Columbus, Montana is I’m googling it right now. Where is it?
12:23
It is about 40 miles west of Billings, Montana should be the largest city probably 100 miles west of Bozeman. Actually, probably about an hour and a half Western.
Nestor J. Aparicio 12:33
I’m looking at you like your East east of Bozeman. You’re in the middle of nowhere where I mean, south
12:39
south central Montana.
Nestor J. Aparicio 12:41
But you’re not far at all from Yellowstone though. Like all that really cool stuff. No. All right. Well, you get you get take your family on a little, little now. TV shows and all that you did that? Yeah,
12:53
I did that took my kids up to up through Yellowstone did bear to the highway. It’s beautiful. Yeah, I recommend that to anybody.
Nestor J. Aparicio 13:04
I recommend that to anybody to and um, I spent my life in cities, I didn’t even know how beautiful the rest of the world could be. I want to talk to you about I was out in Santa Clara near the stadium and I thought about the one day I was there, and you were there and Lady Gaga crushing that national anthem is the best national anthem I’ve ever in my life. Do you think about that, you know, when the opportunity and the loss and I would think more than that Cam Newton at that point, at that point, that season that you witnessed from the sideline of him going up down the field. He was about as good as it gets. And it reminds me a little bit of how different Lamar is and weird it is and like all of that he was just great. And that window closed and I and I look I was an eagle season ticket holder. Randall Cunningham was a quarterback. You know, I’ve been through every Kyle bowl and all the quarterbacks you’ve talked about it’s so hard to win that you have to capture it when you have it. And I did think about you when I booked you on and thinking about King clubs man I mean you know you had your day right literally. Yeah,
14:05
yeah. No doubt and I think about it daily it’s hard not to especially around Super Bowl time. And it’s so hard to get there let alone You know to win and only one team gets to do it and like I said Cam Newton was great all year and they’re special different quarterbacks and you worry about the Maurice health and you know how hits will affect him you know going forward and how long you’ll have him available how long as athleticism will be able to care I mean, you hope he’s able to progress you know and get better and you know, not necessarily need to take off and run like he does but um yeah, the window closes and obviously after you pay a quarterback, the depth goes a little about the window and you know, you’re not allowed to put as many pieces in that quarterbacks got to be great. And, you know, we’re kind of finding that out. How many quarterbacks are are worth the money to overcome what a team We’ll be able to put around him seems like a lot of teams are going, you know, younger trying to get that young quarterback and, you know, put a great team around him, you know, kind of like the 40 Niners. But uh, then you got special guys like Patrick mahomes that just seem to find ways to win and are really special. And we underestimated
Nestor J. Aparicio 15:17
him around here last week sort of forgot a little bit about him. Right? Yeah.
15:21
And like his resume doesn’t give them enough credit. But yeah, for sure. Super Bowls. He’s
Nestor J. Aparicio 15:29
28.
15:31
And I gotta, I gotta think about that to plan at the age of Brady and Manning Roethlisberger, where these guys go, one of these guys is going in there. And you know, and there might be one field good story where a team you know, really bands together and they have a special season that Bond’s them together. And it’s just a special run. But man, these these, you know, elite quarterbacks find their way in the game somehow, some way that we saw that again, fortunately, the Ravens were on the losing end.
Nestor J. Aparicio 16:00
Anything Well, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, you got anything to say about the Chiefs at all? I mean, well coached. I mean, I’ll just say that like Agnolo and the way they knew John and the way they I will continue to go back to composure. DWANE. You know, you were always a really level headed guy. And as I pointed out, you’re around the day that Barton Suggs and coach, everybody lost their mind. You were on that team, you were in that huddle. That’s not that’s that this can’t happen. You can’t win that way. Right, literally.
16:30
Yeah. And yeah, coaching. They’ve been there before. They have Patrick, they believe they believe they can do it. They know what it takes. And yeah, Travis Kelce. And the whole swift thing. It’s screaming scripted. Money Making for the NFL. I don’t know how they do it. But um, oh, man, it’s it’s tough that it was my former team. Obviously, a lot of the people still work there that are still there from when I played and I root for the ravens and the people there so you want them to win, and especially for the city of Baltimore have the fans are great. You want it for him so bad. It almost hurts. And it makes me feel the same way when I lost the Super Bowl, saying the same kind of sick feeling. Because those opportunities just don’t come and you know, you just hope that you get another one. But I will say San Francisco same thing. Obviously lost a tough Superbowl. And here they are back again. That hopefully, you know they’re able to redeem themselves and get that win.
Nestor J. Aparicio 17:33
Talked about guy staying cool party, right? I mean, down 17 points. I mean, doesn’t have the pedigree for any of this, but he has ice in his veins and that there’s something to be said for that.
17:46
And people are going to talk about you tell you to do it. You know, and I tell Brock party and tell them are Jackson get over that hump and actually do it. They’re going to continue to question you know, what you’re able to do. And I I feel sick for Lamar, because, you know, those questions are going to continue to be answered until you know he proves it. But yeah, Brock parties talk about poise and you know, just coming up big when he needed to and making plays for his team. You know, I gotta I gotta salute them. I was looking real crazy for my guy Steve Wilkes. He was he was a Carolina Panther guy here so happy for him to come back and make adjustments and happy for him and McCaffrey to get a chance to win a Super Bowl
Nestor J. Aparicio 18:26
get some Raven Alonzo use check some other guys that are there that have a little piece of what happened here a decade ago as well. Duan Edwards is our guest you know, I was a young man I heard James Taylor saying that in my mind I’m going to Carolina and you know my my mom was from South Carolina and Abby Ville you made a life down there. It gave me a little insight on the Carolina life and also you talk about teams that are having little problem ownership a little problem with stability and a little problem with figuring it out. I mean, our problems here are how do we win a Super Bowl their problem there is how do we get any sort of stability right?
19:01
Oh my goodness Yeah, Carolinas obviously was blessed to have a good run here obviously finished out well didn’t didn’t win the Super Bowl but you know what a great place got a great weather here obviously a little different than Bobby Smith
Nestor J. Aparicio 19:15
never left either. Which the you know, Steve? Yeah, you know your guys once they go there and it’ll leave so I’m saying to James Taylor song, you know, yeah. Thomas
19:23
Davis and another great Panther I played with his kids go to the same school my kids did I got to the graduated from Weddington high school down here. I coached football there they actually won the state championship there didn’t get a chance to coach us here. But man they got they got a great program so that kind of kept me kept me down here and you know, we’re three hours from the beach three hours from the mountains and yeah, Carolina is in trouble right now. You know, I do like to hire I hear is very high energy. They’re gonna need it. They’re gonna need to hit so hard in the draft and free agency and find bonuses. kind of climb out of this hole, obviously no draft picks. I don’t know about about the owner, obviously, he’s got a short leash with anybody coming here.
Nestor J. Aparicio 20:08
I was gonna say, Man, I met you, you were a young kid from Montana, just your wet behind the ears. And I was like, I had already lost my franchise had to fight to get it back and all that lived through the baseball owner here. I was gonna say, Come on, you’re 42 now. Yeah, it’s always the owner. We know that right? You know, but maybe you didn’t know that when you’re 21. But you know that when you’re 42?
20:27
No doubt. You know, you move around a few franchises you realize all the owners aren’t the same. They’re not built the same. They’re not in for the same reasons. And, you know, it’s gonna be tough for the Carolina Panthers like, Man, I don’t know where
Nestor J. Aparicio 20:42
it’s really hard to tell billionaires to change. Trust me, it’s hard to tell any of my cat to change, let alone tell a billionaire to change.
20:49
I feel bad for Bryce young. You know, you I don’t know if you’ll get a good evaluation on him that almost feels like they set the kid up for failure.
Nestor J. Aparicio 20:58
Kids eat coach or something. It’s crazy.
21:02
I don’t know how you do it. And just putting people around and like you said, you want to you know, you either get a pay for a great quarterback or you go young and you put pieces around him and I don’t know what kind of pieces they have around that kid and I hope they do something to help him flourish and get better so he can kind of show the world what he can do because it’s going to be tough for the Panthers for awhile. I think Charlotte
Nestor J. Aparicio 21:24
a couple years ago for the Ravens game and I think going there you know, most of my life I took a busty there was a young boy like man police grown up a little bit you know, Charlotte seemed like a good life in Charlotte. I’ll be honest with you. I had a former intern of mine and made a radio career down there and I’m like, that’s it you know, I just think was a little bit of a hick town what we lost expansion to Charlotte Jacksonville. And I’m like, I don’t know anything about Charlotte but and He’s great. He’s Baltimore and maybe you know, you can’t say that cuz you live there and all that but Charlotte’s come a long way. It really is. I mean, you’ve picked an emerging town.
21:54
Oh, no doubt it’s growing. There’s business down here that they’re still building houses. And it’s a little a little big city. You know, so it gives me everything I want. I don’t have major league baseball. But we do we do have a minor league team, which is for sale. But it is nice. You know to get to go watch football games basketball game I hope I hope our Hornets get a little bit better and more consistent. But you know they’re not Charlotte is such a great place great food. You know, people are friendly. And you know, it’s not Baltimore but it’s not it’s not that’s not Buffalo and it’s not Montana but gives me a good mixture of everything I need here for sure.
Nestor J. Aparicio 22:36
Next time I come through we’ll get some Carolina Q come down and for a concert or do something crazy Duan Edwards is here, dude, it’s been too long. Thanks for all you did as a player and coming out and visiting with us at the barn and South balls and other pimps pub. I have a bunch of old pictures of you and me when we were was clearly old because I was younger, my hair was shorter all that was going on, but I was bigger. I was probably bigger. You look great, man. And I you know, for all the guys that take care of themselves, who have families they love they’re gonna live a nice, long, healthy life. I’m glad you look good. I’m glad you made a little time to come on with us. Great visiting with you, man.
23:09
Thank you for having me. I’m glad you’re still going Nestor always good to catch up
Nestor J. Aparicio 23:13
32 years 25 wn st we’re not going anywhere. I’m just getting started brother. All right. That’s what I’m talking about. You got it. Whatever is joining us here former second round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens played here. Dirt some fun years for sure. And some years that had some tragic endings as we remember that we I didn’t do this on purpose. I thought we were going to the Super Bowl and I booked all the guests this week. Next week we’re doing a cup of Super Bowl is crabcake row it begins on Monday and phasing. Check out Baltimore positive.com to get all the information on that. It’s brought to you by the Maryland lottery win donation and our friends at Jiffy Lube, multi care. Big week around here. Tough times doing a lot of purple therapy trying to work through all of this. There’ll be long all season but baseball pitchers and catchers report in two weeks. I am Nestor we are wn st am 57, Towson Baltimore. And we never stop talking Baltimore positive
