With the Baltimore Ravens on a four-game winning streak and looking the part of a Super Bowl contender with a two-time MVP quarterback that added a Hall of Fame running back, Luke Jones and Nestor discuss the fall purple optimism against many other troubled NFL franchises in mid October.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Ravens optimism, NFL franchises, four-game winning streak, franchise quarterbacks, Deshaun Watson, Trevor Lawrence, Joe Flacco, Lamar Jackson, playoff contenders, injury impact, coaching changes, team expectations, Super Bowl contenders, Baltimore positive, Phil Jackman
SPEAKERS
Luke Jones, Nestor Aparicio
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
8
Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T. Am 1570 Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore, positive. I am supporting my Cocos pub, established in 1985 I was established in 1968 it’s big birthday week around here, you’ll be hearing our birthday show from pizza John’s over in Essex with lots of friends. Lena Raskin joined us. Brett Steele joined us. My one of my best friends in the world, John Keller sat in for a segment the original phone caller at W, i, t, h, in 1992 with Marv Albert. And by the way, congratulations to Kenny Albert on number 500 with Fox. I shared some of that out on our Twitter over the weekend. I know none of you see our Twitter anymore because of the fascist creep that owns it. The Maryland lottery now puts us out on the road, and we’re going to be doing the Maryland crab cake tour. I have not chosen our mamas on the half shell in Owings Mills like that’s going to happen because I’m getting an oyster with Finn and we’re going to celebrate the life of scunny at some point later in the month. But we’re going to get back to Coco’s. I was at Coco’s on Friday night with my aforementioned John Keller eating. He had his first Coco’s crab cake on Friday night, and as I told him, the coconut shrimp there with the the raspberry jalapeno thing that that’s a whole game changer thing that I have to explain to people when they go over there. But we had a great experience of Cocos. We get back out there with Marcellus. So I’m doing my own little birthday tour. I’ve been to Costa yet, but I’ll get over there for some crab Imperial, because I want to feel like the king. Maybe I could take King Henry to Costas for some crab Imperial. Luke Jones joins us now. He is up Baltimore, Luke, he’s going to be around all week, doing sort of a disjointed week when you play Monday Night Football the Tampa thing. I guess the game’s going to be at Raymond James Stadium, where I had a very good night about 24 years ago as well. How are you I mean, I think it much better than this. Your birthday, my birthday. You got pizza John’s in the fridge right now. Baltimore, greater than Washington. Like all of the the good vital signs you want to see from the football team, I think with a four game winning streak, with good health, good health, good health. I’m not jinxing anybody, but I’m saying it because it is a part of all of this. We beat up the defense a little bit praise the offense a little bit. I like to think about where the ravens are in the greater scheme of all of it, which is their top five NFL team unquestioned at this point. And more than that dude, as I look around the league, and maybe this is me being an old guy, or maybe it’s just having seen a lot of seasons, a lot of bad teams. I mean, like the league’s not strong or equitable in a lot of ways. Yeah.
Luke Jones 02:34
I mean, I think six weeks into the season, you’re still trying to figure out some teams, I think some teams have presented themselves, like Cleveland. I think Dallas is a disaster right now, for example, a team that high expectations, but boy, they stink. I mean, the lines destroyed them on Sunday, but you’re still finding your way, and it’s still a reminder that it’s a week league. And look, parody is a thing when you have the salary cap and when you have some teams with franchise quarterbacks, other teams very clearly not having franchise quarterbacks, some teams having franchise quarterback in salary only, like Deshaun Watson, or I’ll even throw Trevor Lawrence in there. Yeah. I mean, it’s tua with the dolphins has been unavailable, obviously, with the the unfortunate latest concussion for him. So you have lots of teams, lots of problems. I
Nestor Aparicio 03:30
mean, look, yes, I mean, what? What a ish show that was last week to have Joe Douglas find out that his uh, coach was fired on the internet. Literally, yeah.
Luke Jones 03:39
I mean, you have that. I mean at this point, when you’re waking up Monday morning after how Dallas and Jacksonville played on Sunday, I’m holding my breath with those situations, with those head coaches, although Jerry Jones said that he’s not making a change because I don’t know, because he knows better than everyone else, there’s always
8Nestor Aparicio 03:56
a team that’s one in five after six weeks feeling bad about themselves, with a veteran quarterback, a veteran coach, everybody’s making a lot of money, let’s be honest, right? I mean, Sean Watson’s not the only guy making a lot of money. He’s just making the most. But as we get into this, it’s nice to be on the other side of that where, and you know, the people in Washington can feel like they have a good team and a good quarterback and some prosperity, but I don’t know, man, there’s like, five teams that can win the Super Bowl in my mind right now, five or six. And then there’s 15 teams that really kind of stink in my mind, like just, they’re not going to be playoff teams. They stink. And I can tell you what 15 they are. And then there’s five or six that are, to your point, completely on fire. You know? I mean, like on fire in a way, where they’re going to stink a year from now, a year from this week, they’re going to stink. And you know
Luke Jones 04:43
that? Yeah, I mean, it’s look It’s still tough to kind of figure it out. I mean, look at a team like San Francisco who still has high expectations, and I still think has the makings of being a really good team, but they’ve got to get healthy, right? I mean, Christian McCaffrey is that important, and who knows what’s going on with his Achilles? You know, which it’s so odd it went from week one where it sounded like he was going to play, and even national reporters were saying that, and he’s still out six weeks later. So what’s the deal? Right? I mean, so, so you have some of that. You have teams that have been injured, you’ve had teams that underperform. You have teams with new coaches that are inspiring. You have teams with coaches that are on the hot seat in the case of Robert Sala already gone, you know. And who knows what’s going to happen with Doug Peterson, you know, in the days, or even as someone’s listening to our conversation, because of how bad that’s looked. I mean,
Nestor Aparicio 05:30
I gotta fire him in London, right? Well,
Luke Jones 05:33
8I mean, maybe not in London, but, I mean, we, well, they’re
Nestor Aparicio 05:37
there all week, right? Because they played the back to back. So
Luke Jones 05:41
I understand. But I mean, Jacksonville, at Thanksgiving last year, Nestor, we were talking about the jack wars, maybe having a chance to be the number one seed in the AFC, and I think they’ve won like two games since then. I mean, that’s how bad it’s been for them. So look, as far as I do, I think 15 teams stink. I mean, I guess it depends what your definition of stinking. Hang on, 15 teams that can’t, that can’t make the playoffs well, but keep patriots, golf, jets, I
Nestor Aparicio 06:12
think there’s three. I’m not even editing AFC East, and I’ve already, I’m already at the Come on, browns
8Luke Jones 06:17
stink. You do realize 14 teams make the playoffs, though. Well,
Nestor Aparicio 06:22
I’m giving you the 15 that don’t. How about that? Um, Jaguar stink, Titans stink, colts stink. Sorry, Joe. Um, I don’t think they. Raiders stink, Broncos stink. Let’s go to the NFC, giant stink. So
Luke Jones 06:40
according to you, four teams are going to make the playoffs. Cowboys stink.
Nestor Aparicio 06:46
8I mean, all those teams in the NFC North, I guess, are okay. I mean, I think the bears probably stink, but I don’t I you know? I mean beating the Jaguars. What does that tell me? Panthers stink. Saints stink despite how they played in week one. Rams stink. Cardinals, they got a quarter, but they stink. So how many is that? Did you do the
Luke Jones 07:08
math? Like I said, you have a so four teams are making the playoffs total.
Nestor Aparicio 07:13
Maybe that’s only 13 or 14 that stink, but I think I got the 15.
Luke Jones 07:17
I don’t think all those teams think that you just maybe
8Nestor Aparicio 07:21
not the bear them stink. Make the case being a fan for any of
Luke Jones 07:25
those teams think Indianapolis stinks? I mean, they’re three and three. How does that stink? Okay, but I mean, again, it depends on what your definition of stink is like. I don’t want
Nestor Aparicio 07:33
to be insulting, but Joe Flacco is their quarterback, so maybe that, in my mind, they don’t have their act together. And I don’t, I do question whether Joe can win 11 games at this point in his career, 11 games. Joe’s done a lot of games. Joe’s done a lot of things, you know, right?
Luke Jones 07:49
8I mean, I just think your, your definition of stink is pretty expansive, whereas I’m saving stink for Cleveland.
Nestor Aparicio 07:56
Somebody out there is birthday listening and saying Nestor, Joe Flacco. He’s never done that before. I know, right, Joe, Joe Flacco will go down in my life and my history as being the greatest thing that ever happened to the football team here and fun and the city. And you can have Lamar, you can have Trent dolphin, you can have Johnny U but I saw Flacco come in and go out. I watched him be a winner, and I wrote the book on it, and I, what are you gonna do when Lamar Jackson wins the Super Bowl? Not write a book on it, but praise Him. You know,
Luke Jones 08:29
I got, I was, I was just, how about if we can do here’s the difference.
Nestor Aparicio 08:33
It’s, it’s a kid with Joe.
8Luke Jones 08:38
He did it once. I mean, if Lamar does it once, then Lamar
Nestor Aparicio 08:41
is already got a statue, and M won anything, and Joe wanted what won an MVP and is running around leading, wait, what? Joe Baltimore cult, but he is wearing this stolen logo on his hat. Yeah. Um, so, I So, look, I’m just saying I don’t think the culture would in the Super Bowl with Joe me? No, I don’t answer. I don’t think the team’s good enough. And I’m wondering, you know how long Joe can do this. And I love Joe. I love Joe. Sure. Well, and what the gold stink. So there, take that. Put put that in your saying, smoke it.
Luke Jones 09:16
I mean, I just your definition of stink, if, if you can’t win the Super Bowl, that if you stink, okay, that’s a pretty expansive
Nestor Aparicio 09:23
8you can’t win a playoff game. You stink. You gotta go back back home. That’s why the Orioles right now have to go back home. We’ll get into that later. The Orioles
Luke Jones 09:31
don’t stink.
Nestor Aparicio 09:33
They don’t anyway, you’re right, but they made the playoffs, but,
Luke Jones 09:38
but your overall point, I mean, yeah, you have some haves and you have some. And for me, I’m
8Nestor Aparicio 09:46
just thinking, if you ask any of the fans of any of the teams I just named, they’ll say their team stinks.
Luke Jones 09:50
I mean, I don’t three and three doesn’t stink to me. I mean, stink is so stink though. Stink is for New England’s stink is. For Cleveland, stink is for Jacksonville. Stink is for the Raiders.
Nestor Aparicio 10:04
You’re right. There’s only 10 teams that stink, not 15. But
Luke Jones 10:07
8I’m just saying let’s not put 500 teams in with teams that might win two games all year. I mean, Carolina is horrendous, but
Nestor Aparicio 10:15
there was always some team Ryan Tannehill or some Jared golf that you felt like, well, you know, maybe they could win 11. Gator, Sam, Donald, I’ll throw him out because he’s in there whether he can win or not. I’m Kirk. Cousins will be another guy, all of these guys that aren’t. Mahomes, Lamar, Aaron Rogers, when you pay yourself, can we win? Or do we stink? Or are we eight and eight? I know they can’t really be eight and eight. They can only be nine and eight or eight nine, but in my mind, I have not seen as many teams on my birthday six weeks into the season, where I’m like, man, there’s a lot of teams that stink more than I thought, because Deshaun Watson’s not getting paid to stink, right? Trevor Lawrence is not getting paid to stink, right? I mean, I’m just talking about teams that thought that they had a quarterback. The to a situation is what it is, and including the hot to a situation. Sam darnold, but you know, you draft these kids, whether it’s the kid in Arizona, they have a quarterback and they still have one win or two wins at this point. You know, you still might have a quarterback in Jacksonville and Trevor Lawrence. You’re trying to, you’re trying to fire the coach. In New York, last week, they fired the coach and the quarterbacks 100 years old. So like I’m just saying, for all of this billions of dollars, and all the management and all the hard knocks, and all of the, you know, National Hispanic Heritage Month, and all of the thing that they do to try to be good. You wake up on my birthday six weeks in, and a third of the league stinks. Stinks like, if the Ravens have any ravens play Cleveland two weeks now, they better not lose. You know, these teams are bad. That’s it, and that’s my red zone analysis. So I’m sorry, fair enough,
Luke Jones 11:59
but I almost feel like, what shouldn’t a third of the teams shouldn’t that isn’t that kind of how it works. A third of the teams are good. A third of the teams are really mediocre, and then a third of the teams stink. I mean, that’s kind of
Nestor Aparicio 12:11
sort of how should the mediocre work at this point.
8Luke Jones 12:14
I don’t know. I mean, maybe I don’t know. I i
Nestor Aparicio 12:18
like the 40 Niners in Seattle at three and three, somebody’s going to win there. That’s fine. All these stacked up in the NFC North, and now with the lions losing Hutch and cinema Bruce
Luke Jones 12:27
NFC North, I mean, even the bears, I think are decent. I mean, I’m not saying they’re winning the Super Bowl, but I think they’re decent. You know, I think their defense is good, or at least better. And I think you look at Caleb Williams. He’s really come on the last couple of weeks. So, I mean, I hear the point you’re making. The commanders aren’t going
Nestor Aparicio 12:45
8to Super Bowl because their defense stinks, right? I mean, like we watch that.
Luke Jones 12:49
I mean, but, but I think they’re the best team in that division right now. And look, I say this is someone who have has a very passionate Philadelphia, you know, sports fan in my life. You know, I don’t think the Eagles are very good at this point time. I don’t think Eagles fans with but that doesn’t mean the fans
Nestor Aparicio 13:06
yelling at the coach behind the bench when the coach was going into the stands in Philly after Pete and Cleveland but, but
Luke Jones 13:13
I want to go back to something you just said. I mean, I think some of this stems from, I mean, some teams, I think. And some owners and general managers and coaches are a little too eager to pay quarterbacks, right? I mean, Turner Lawrence, look what he got. You haven’t even mentioned Dallas? Dallas stinks. I mean, you want to talk about a team that for people well, but when you lose in the fashion that they’re losing at home, what are you hanging your hat on? I mean, okay, Dak Prescott’s the highest paid quarterback in the NFL. Big whoop. That guy’s very mediocre this year, very mediocre. Their defense, and now it’s injured, on top of not being very good, but their defense. I mean, Detroit embarrassed them on Detroit was they ran a trick play to their offensive tackle when they’re up by five touchdowns late in the game. I mean, that’s how much disrespect the lions had for the cowboys and good I’m all for it, because Jerry Jones and that, whatever that is there. I mean, talk about someone that’s living on the past. When you
8Nestor Aparicio 14:24
go and walk through that place, I’m like, they’re never going to win a championship here, it’s just no at least,
Luke Jones 14:30
at least with Jerry on in the team. I mean, it’s, to me, it’s so evident and obvious that that this is Pat look, business wise, what he’s done for the league in terms of maximizing profit and turning this into a multi billion dollar operation. He’s done as much as any of the owners in that way, right? So players don’t need to go to practice in art galleries like literally. And about the fact that he landed on the practice field in his helicopter. I mean, so. Uh, that you know, to me, that’s where I look at something and say, relative to expectations, boy, the Cowboys really stink. And I don’t I had my questions about them. Let’s be clear. I was they could have used Derek Henry. Oh, they know no question. And Derek Henry’s made it known. I mean, he lives there. He’s made it known. He’s He’s couched it in the proper way to say that, yes, the Ravens were always a good
Nestor Aparicio 15:21
fit. That’s what he thought. He was going he wanted, he wanted to wear that star in his helmet. I would
Luke Jones 15:26
8almost guarantee you, if all things being equal, he would have gone to Dallas if Dallas wanted him. Dallas didn’t want him, and the Ravens did. And said, hey, I’ll go play with Lamar Jackson. I’m cool with that, and it’s worked out beautifully for the ravens and Henry. But, but yeah, I mean, I think a lot of what you just described it, it’s, it comes back to such a basic concept, Nestor, do you have a franchise quarterback or not? And I don’t mean a high priced quarterback, right? Because there are high priced quarterbacks in this league, like Deshaun Watson, like Trevor Lawrence, like Dak Prescott, who, and, you know, I don’t want to put Prescott too much in that category, but he hasn’t. He hasn’t played very well. I know it. He’s on one of my fantasy football teams, and it’s he’s cost me a couple weeks. But you look at these, these teams that have a guy that they’ve drafted, or a guy that they thought was going to be their guy, in the case of Cleveland, and they spend all this money, and in some cases, they spend assets, and you see where it lands them. I mean, look at Carolina right now. I mean, Bryce Young was benched, benched for Andy Dalton. Andy Dalton, who is four years past his prime, and his prime was never all that special. I mean, he was a good, playoff caliber quarterback, but never for a second did anyone think Andy Dalton was going to was going to win you a Super Bowl. So How bad did Bryce young have to be for the Panthers to bench him in favor of Andy Dalton? And believe me, Bryce Young is really, really, really bad, because there’s some other signs about that Carolina roster that, okay, it’s, don’t get me wrong, they’re a long ways off, but he was playing so bad that, you know, made the rest of the roster just look completely inept. And Andy Dalton’s at least gotten some small level of functional play out
Nestor Aparicio 17:12
of that. Well, you mentioned Flacco with the Colts, and they have a chance to win now. They’re three and three, you don’t think they stink, right? And they have a quarterback, and I had Mike silver on this week, so I want to give a plug to my buddy Mike, and you can go listen to the piece. And he wrote a book on the the Shanahan tree. It’s called The why is everything? But Mike is the guy that, when I get him on and talk about Lamar, he’s like, the Colts could have had him for just pay him, or at least, you know, hold the knife to the Ravens throw to pay him and make it work a year ago, and instead they’re like, now we’ll take Anthony Richardson and look at where they are in their place that if they wanted to put the 50 million up and guarantee Lamar money, Carolina could have done it. New Orleans could have died. A lot of places could have made a run Tampa and this week, Miami. How much would Lamar have loved to have played for the dolphins, right? Like he would have done anything to play for the dolphins. They didn’t want him. So there is a little bit of it, W, b, a, l, didn’t want me. It’s my birthday. I’m allowed to say anything I want this week, but, but I would say I know that feeling, and I think for being passed over and all of those things. But the culture in a bit of a no man’s land, too. And you mentioned these washed up quarterbacks coming back. How about Sam darnold Making a second run at Hey, I was a lottery pick, while some of the other names on that ledger are just like long, long gone out of a league and never to be heard from again. Um, the quarterback thing you’re burying Bryce young right now, I don’t know how to bury a 23 year old quarterback that knows nothing but this function, you know? I mean, look at what this kid in Washington has found down there, just with a new owner and grown ups and Dan Snyder, not up certain cheerleaders down there, that they can actually look like a real program. Quickly, quickly,
Luke Jones 18:59
sure. And look, that’s a big part of this. I mean, your environment is a big part of this. You know, just to finish a point that you just made, yeah, Indianapolis, some of the teams you mentioned with Lamar, some of those teams, practically speaking, from a cap standpoint, asset standpoint, that would have, you know, they would have required to trade the ravens, premium picks, all of that weren’t practical. Indy was the team we talked about, though, and I think they’re in an interesting position, because they have it’s not exactly like the the Cleveland situation last year. Because, you know, Anthony Richardson’s done some nice things, but he’s wrong. I mean, he didn’t play a lot in college. I mean, that was the thing about him coming out. You know, he hadn’t played a whole lot of college football, so he was very raw. He was very green. So you’re in a position where Joe Flacco is winning you some football games. And look, Joe didn’t put up eye popping numbers on Sunday, let’s be clear about that, but he’s put up good numbers since taking over for Richardson with the hip issue, and
Nestor Aparicio 19:59
he. Had Derrick Henry there, he’d be okay. He’d be better off. You know, Derek Henry,
8Luke Jones 20:05
I know he’s banged up, right? Jonathan Taylor’s right, though. I mean, you’re still talking about one of the very best backs in the league, but,
Nestor Aparicio 20:11
but I hear what you’re saying, but he had his own last year, holding that right, yeah. But well, and
Luke Jones 20:16
you know, he’s been banged up at different points over the last couple of years. But you know, the point I’m making, though, is, if you’re Indianapolis, what, what do you do? Because you have this backup experience quarterback who’s playing well, and you’ve won some games here, you know? Look, I know three is not great night. Look, they’re not winning a Super Bowl with either guy this year, right? I mean, that’s that. That’s just where they are. Very, very few teams you know, any, any team that doesn’t have a proven franchise quarterback is not winning a Super Bowl in 2024 that’s just the truth. I think Nick Foles is going to end up being the last of that breed. I think, you know, unless I’m very wrong, and look, I’ve been very wrong before about things, so who knows. But you know, if you’re Indy, in a big picture sense, it still behooves you to develop Anthony Richardson and not give up on a guy who, frankly, just doesn’t have many starts under his belt. And he got hurt last year, of course, but at the same time, Joe’s giving you a better chance to win this week. And you’ve got a you know, you’ve got a GM there who six, seven years ago, Ballard was so highly regarded maybe five years ago. Let’s say, you know, I’m trying to think of the timing of when he took over there, but you know, things have been gone great for them over the last five years. When you
Nestor Aparicio 21:35
8kind of think Andrew Luck that showed everything right for that franchise well. And
Luke Jones 21:39
you know, obviously there was a previous regime there, but, but at the same time, like, at some point, it’s like you gotta win, you know, you fired coaches, you know, you you had cap space, and you drafted this quarterback, and you’ve augmented, augmented the roster. It’s like you gotta win. So well, that
Nestor Aparicio 21:56
would be your point to cap the whole thing off. Is all these places spent money on a coach, money on a quarterback, stunk, drafted somebody or positioned themselves. And now to your point, a third of the day, I said half. You say a third really stink, and they have a quarterback with a big salary, a coach with a big reputation and probably a really pissed off locker room. I can’t think Joel betonio is real pleased that Deshaun Watson is starting now. You know what I mean, and that they let Flacco walk out the door and just, just in a general sense, players know, and that’s where the revolt, like in New York, that thing’s so dysfunctional, the Jets, I’m talking about that I don’t know how anybody in there, if you’re an agent, you have a player in there, like, Dude, that’s just a pitch in this show. And that’s a third of the league right now because of the turmoil that happens when you’re two and four, one and five well,
Luke Jones 22:47
and see you made mention of teams that stink. I mean, I’d rather stink from the standpoint of at least I’m in position to potentially get my guy in the next year’s draft. What about these teams that are middle of the pack that? I mean, that was Washington’s issue for all these years, right? I mean, they they’d be in a position that they were rarely so, so, so bad that they were picking second or third or something like that, but they weren’t making the playoffs. So then you’re picking 12th,
8Nestor Aparicio 23:16
you’re picking a left tackle or, you know, you’re not getting a franchise
Luke Jones 23:19
quarter. I mean, now I say this with no disrespect to someone who tragically died a couple years ago, but Nestor, I had forgotten who Washington’s quarterback was the last time the Ravens had faced them. It was Dwayne Haskins. I mean, there’s a perfect example, like I literally had to look it up. And I say that with no disrespect. I mean tragic, and you know, you know, sad for a young person to lose his life in the fashion that he did, but, but it just speaks to where Washington’s been all these years in terms of, like, you know, you’re drafting someone, maybe in the middle of the first round, or, you know, you can, you can luck out like the Ravens did, like part luck and part vision, and you draft Lamar Jackson 32nd and, I mean, you’re what the Ravens have been. And look, I know they’re chasing Kansas City in January, and we’ll have plenty of time to talk about that as we get to December and January, but go look at what the ravens are doing with Lamar Jackson, who, yeah, is making a lot of money. But go look at the numbers. I mean, with Derek Henry and with zay flowers, and with a better supporting cast and an improving offensive line that’s easing the burden on on Lamar, he’s still putting up monster numbers. I mean, go, Look at what he’s doing right now as a passer and as a runner. I mean, even as a passer, you look at it Lamar, I think right now in passing yards. He ranks seventh in the National Football League. I mean, we’ve, we’ve talked about it for years, about the ravens, even when they’ve passed, it hasn’t been and passed effectively. It’s rarely been high volume, but they’re even producing through the air. Volume wise. At this point in time. And you know, I’ll throw a number, another number out there. Lamar Jackson has been sacked seven times in six games. Bryce Young’s been sacked that many times, and he got benched after week two. So I mean to Sean Watson right now. And one thing we know, from an analytics standpoint, sacks tend to be on quarterbacks more than we give them credit for. We tend to blame the offensive line too much. And of course, it’s, you know, it’s a give take relationship. There. You can’t have a bad offensive line, but sacks, from an analytics standpoint, has been proven to be a little bit more of a quarterback stat than we give it credit for. Deshaun Watson has been sacked somewhere in the neighborhood. I think it’s 30 I mean, I had it in front of me, and now I lost it. He’s up. He’s been sacked 31 times in six games. I mean, that’s incredible. Now their offensive line has really fallen off. That’s a big part of it, but a big part of it is Deshaun Watson has no conviction playing quarterback right now. He’s holding onto the ball and holding it too long, and he’s getting sacked. So I mean, it just speaks to what the Ravens have with their entire operation, but specifically beginning with number eight, with the command that he has with this offense in his second year with Todd monkin and getting them in and out of the right protections, and doing what he does with his feet. And those times where, yeah, there is pressure, and someone like Sam Hubbard bearing down on it, on him, like he was in Cincinnati last last week, and getting away and stiff arming him and throwing a touchdown. So yeah, of course, Lamar still does the Superman Lamar like things, but the entire operation across the board, it’s working, and it’s working at a high level. And then when you look around and you see all these other teams that you know beyond the I mean, how many established franchise quarterbacks are there in the league right now? I mean that you feel has a shot in any given year to win a Super Bowl,
Nestor Aparicio 27:02
eight, I was gonna say eight, and then he was taken away from them because their team stinks, right? And or other pieces get hurt, or they have no more defensive line. I mean, show me, Noro is in that eight. His team’s not.
Luke Jones 27:15
8His defense stinks. I
Nestor Aparicio 27:17
mean, Joe burrows having the best year of his career. He looks fantastic. His defense stinks. Now are the Bengals going to get off the mat to the point where they could still make the playoffs? Oh, dude, if they make the playoffs, sure, I want to play them, sure. But because, I mean, you don’t want them coming in here and on a 48 degree night, him tossing the ball around, and with this defense, and you miss a kick, or we missed the snap this time. Like, I don’t want to the Bengals are a problem. I mean, I I want them to not be in the playoffs. I’ve got to want to see they’re a problem because they have one of the eight quarterbacks. For me, they’re a problem if their defense gets better. I mean, it’s got to get better, though, dude, if you’re the ravens, and you can see Joe Flacco in the playoffs, and I don’t know name somebody else if you have to see mahomes borough and Allen, if those are the guys you have to see in January, and it’s Lamar, I don’t know. I don’t know I and you do it on the road, maybe I don’t know they’re coming back now. They’re gonna win some games. Maybe they really are gonna win 13 games. You know? Maybe they are. I’ve looked at the schedule and said, What weeks are they not the better team? I didn’t think Gardner Minshew was going to beat them. I mean, I certainly don’t think they’re going to lose to Cleveland. I think Tampa’s a tough game on Monday night. Tampa’s a real team. So they’re putting points. I mean, scoring points. So as much as much we’re feeling good, they could be four and three next Tuesday morning. I mean, like, and wouldn’t have to play poorly for that to happen. So, but there are, is, is and is not and are nots at this point. And I think this is the point we draw it out. Um, Luke, Johns can be found at Baltimore. Luke, we’ve been together at Pizza John’s. He has his pizza John’s hat now, so you’ll never take that hat off. I think you’re gonna be that. That’s gonna be when we’re sick. Draws the cartoon of you. It’s gonna be in a pizza John’s hat. Baltimore. Luke’s way to find him, you can find me. Nestor apariciomarpositive.com big birthday week around here, in fact, crab cakes. I’ve had pizza. I’ve had fun. I had Todd rungren on the show last week, which is a great birthday gift for me. Only be better is if Jim Palmer called in on his birthday on Tuesday, Jim, I love you, Jim. She love me back. I’m just making that up. If Jim ever wants to come on, he’s invited. The Maryland lottery gives me these Raven scratch offs to give away. I’ll be giving these away on the Maryland crab cake tour beginning soon. We’re going to be doing mama’s on the half shell out in Owings Mills. Very soon, I’m wearing my cocoa shirt. I went to dinner at Coco’s on Friday, took a big posse of my friends out from Dundalk, had some crab cakes and some cocoa shrimp. We’re going to get over to Costas. I was at Cooper’s North last week eating that delicious black and chicken sandwich they roll up there. So we got great sponsors doing great things. We back it down to fadelies again before the holidays as well. All of them shipped crab cakes. My boy hells was eating the crab cakes and Cocos. And like, you know, you can ship them, right? Just one click. Marcella gave them the stuff. And like all that learn, all that stuff, all. Line of Baltimore positive. Click on any of our ads, click on any of Luke’s great content. We have souped up our Baltimore positive.com experience, and it’s only going to get bigger and better as well. Big birthday celebration this week on the air, talking all sorts of things about Essex and pizza John’s and pizza. Old stories, baseball stories with John Keller as well as Luke in regard to the Orioles off season, but I do want to take a moment, if you do tune in on Tuesday or Wednesday, you will hear the dulcet tones of Phil Jackman. And we lost Phil last week at the age of 87 the tapes that I have mainly are from 2003 and four, but he also joined me in 2016 his last visit with me was when Muhammad Ali died. Phil traveled the world with boxing. Was a boxing insider, an Oriole historian, a Red Sox historian, in many, many ways, an NBA historian from the old guard. And I honestly knew Phil through hockey. I went to hockey games. Phil knew as much about hockey as anyone. His brother, Frank. His late brother, Frank was a 40 year season ticket holder with the caps from the beginning. I know they celebrated 50 years this weekend. I watched a little bit of that over the weekend as well, over Nacho mamas on Saturday night as the caps brought their greats at the Giants brought their greats out in football on Sunday as well. So anyway, we lost Phil. You’ll be hearing Phil, be hearing some Ali stories, some baseball Hall he’s a baseball Hall of Fame voted for 30 years. Luke, so we had a hell of a conversation about Jim rice and Andre Dawson and Bly Levin and all these guys that weren’t in the Hall of Fame in 2003 that are now. So MP, and we had a did a huge thing on Pete Rose. Um, so there’s a lot of stuff. And Phil was a real mentor to me. He was a real godfather for anybody my age or older who read the Baltimore Evening son. He was my colleague for six years from 1986 to 92 but I was reading Phil at my grandparents house in Reisterstown. My grandparents got the evening son. My dad never got the evening son. Jack Gibbons was very disappointed when he hired me the year that I never read his paper, but I was a news American guy, but I did read Phil Jackman, and yeah, say this to you, Luke, you are required listening and required reading for all who love you and all who follow your work. It’s not just your mother and your brother and your sister and your family. I’m lucky. I have real fans because my mom died, she can’t read it anymore, so, but Phil Jackman was like you. Was like me for the less than 10 people that are addicted to my work. Um, he was a must read. When Phil, when you would pick up the evening sun, I’ll tell you this, when Phil would write a column, and Phil would admit, if he were alive, as his daughters would admit, he wasn’t the cleanest writer. All the editors would say, Phil just throws that issue on a board and needs to be edited. And Phil would say, don’t touch my copy. Just same way I would say, don’t, don’t touch my copy. But Phil, when he would write and would send it in, to be the first thing I’d read. I would read Phil filed this story at 1030 at night, and I came in to work to do my scoreboard page at 11 o’clock between chasing girls, rock and roll, all of that, my hammer jacks, all that, all the high schools, for all the stuff that I was into with the oral statistics, I had to get together every night, Phil Jackson was the first thing I would read every night. I can’t say that about Steadman at the end, because steady was writing about, sort of he was sort of the old fart like me as part of us, like always whisting away for the old pining away for Trent Dilfer, the way I do around here every day, and Ray Lewis. But it is weird. Those things are 25 years old, and at that time in my life, I’m like, why steady? Right about the 50s, in the 80s, I’m like, because it was yesterday. Phil Jackman was required reading, and you had to read Phil and Luke. I will tell you this, as much of a prick as you might think I am on any given day about anything, any topic, as flippant and as caustic and as blunt as I can be, I got all that from my Uncle Phil. Uncle Phil wrote the TV repairman, and he wrote something called reading time two minutes, which was, you don’t know what it’s a godfather of your 12 thoughts. So he was one of the original guys, before Eisenberg did his thing, before Stedman did noteworthy days, Phil had two columns. He was the TV repairman, which is funny, and he was reading time two minutes, which is, I don’t have enough column. I’m gonna write a bunch of thoughts that we call that Twitter now. So Phil Jackman, the man, the myth, the legend, I loved Phil. Phil loved me. Phil didn’t love everybody, but if Phil loved you, he loved you a lot. And Phil and I spent a lot of time together driving down to capitals games, which I, you know, I talked about it two weeks ago in that capital center Richard. There’s no point where I talk about the capital center rental. Talk about Phil Jackman. He was a big, big part of that, not on the nights when we were like, getting blasted with girls and going down for concerts. But he did go to Neil Diamond with me one night, and it was one thing to see. He and maybe it’s because he grew up with that red sox thing that Jackman Jackman doing sweet. So I did that with Phil Jackman in the 20th road and Neil Diamond concert right there in Landover. It’s now a parking lot. He’s Luke. I’m Nestor. I’m talking about Jackman. So I laugh, so I don’t cry. But please listen to Phil on Tuesday and Wednesday. It will be the last time his wisdom will be available on am radio, but I’m making it available out on the web. All the audio will be out there. Yeah, his daughters will cry at some point. It was really good stuff I listened to a Tuesday morning or Sunday morning. So you’ll hear it on Tuesday. You’ll hear it on Wednesday. If you hear Phil Jackman around here, it’s because I loved him. We’re Baltimore positive. Stay with us.
