In the aftermath of an awful loss to end the season, the final numbers for Lamar Jackson and the offense were puzzling, especially the running game. Luke Jones and Nestor discuss what went wrong with the Ravens’ offense and the play calls of Todd Monken in the AFC Championship Game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
running, game, ravens, lamar, week, sunday, football, point, talk, football game, felt, kansas city, play, john harbaugh, quan, day, lamar jackson, locker room, year, roman
SPEAKERS
Luke Jones, Nestor J. Aparicio
Nestor J. Aparicio 00:01
Welcome home we are wn St. Am 1570 TAs in Baltimore and Baltimore positive yes I’m wearing my Costas in Sure Here we will be a cost this next Tuesday we’re gonna be doing live radio for the first time of 10 years all week from nine until five to promote 100 charity community organizations here. We’re calling it crabcake row in lieu of radio row. I don’t know if you heard or not Chad steel will not allow wn St. to broadcast from Las Vegas. We’re gonna broadcast from Dundalk and laurelville and Timonium and downtown the party begins on Monday at the new Lexington market at the new faintly seafood and the new Lexington market. First time in under 50 years. I’m gonna have a crab cake and shrimp salad somewhere else that will begin at 9am Monday. It’s all brought to you by the Maryland lottery we have lottery scratch offs to give away all week. We’re donation our friends at Jiffy Lube and here’s the cool part. We’re doing all of this for the Maryland Food Bank during the coldest week of the year. We’re calling it a cup of Super Bowl. I know it’s clever. I’m a clever guy. I’ve been charged with that in the past. You get a free cup or bowl of soup Maryland crab creamy crab at any of our five stops Monday through Friday, Monday. We start the party likes in the market if at least Tuesday we’re Costas and Dundalk. It’s a short drive for me. I like that Wednesday. We’re Coco’s down and Laura Ville where I’m going to be having some coconut shrimp. I assure you that and then on Thursday, we’re going to be moving over to State Fair in Catonsville. And then Friday at Pappas in Cockeysville. All day nine to five, bring something for the Maryland Food Bank, we’ll give you a cup of soup or bowl. It’s a crabcake row. That’s all brought to you by the Maryland lottery conjunction window nation, and Jiffy Lube. Luke Jones was in the losing clubhouse after the AFC Championship Game. Look, I look, I’m not gonna go inside poker, but I want people to understand which adds deals done to me to our company to the fan. You can only be in one place at one time. You’re one reporter you’re in the press room. Lots of players move out the back door. I try to explain this to people. If you’ve ever been in a locker room where I’ve spent 39 years of my life. You did not talk to say flowers. But you did talk to some players. You were there for the Lamar thing. I I want to begin this with the whole notion of what that looks like because I’ve been in that locker room where Lee Evans is in one corner and Billy kind of set the podium in Foxborough. I was also there a year 52 weeks to the day later, as were you seeing them in jubilation and hugging the AFC trophy the way Travis Kelce was on Sunday. It’s a dark, dark day when you lose a playoff game. And you’re there as a reporter because you’re on the inside.
Luke Jones 02:38
Yeah, I mean, it’s it’s about what you’d expect Nestor and for anyone who’s listening, I mean, it’s it’s certainly different than what the Kansas City locker room was. I can assure you of that. But a couple things. I mean, it clears out quickly. I think I didn’t time it. But John Harbaugh did take a long amount of time for him to go to the podium. It was really
Nestor J. Aparicio 02:59
long. I sit here and wait, and it’s on video. And it’s been waiting through the AFC Championship presentation. Yeah. Yeah. Start the presser till that was over I, from what I could tell.
Luke Jones 03:10
Right. So look, did I Can I sit here and say I have a checklist of what players waited around and what players were gone. By the time the podium, you know, by the time the interview room had broken up, which in the interview room, it was horrible Lamar and Ro Quan Smith, which is fairly typical after a loss you head coach quarterback, and usually one other notable player, ze flowers, my did talk, you know, there are quotes, I’ll be brief ones that the Ravens put out there. And I do know, reporters who did not stay for the entire interview room session with a three, three individuals that I mentioned, were in there. But by the way, it’s
Nestor J. Aparicio 03:49
garbage. We don’t have to press but I just want to, I want to let everybody know how garbage it is that we didn’t have someone in the locker room and in the press room, it’s trash. And if you see Chad’s deal, tell him it’s trash on my behalf. I’ll be writing him a letter, but it’s trash. I just want to point that out. As as the guy who’s done this my whole life. It’s true. Sure it’s garbage. But below the bar, as they would say John Harbaugh knows that Eric Koston knows that Steve shot he knows that.
Luke Jones 04:20
To illustrate what we’re talking about, though, with, with the disappointment, I think the the most glaring example for me to kind of set it all was as Lamar Jackson was speaking row Quan Smith was sitting in the chair to the side of the podium. You know, if you look at the interview room to Lamar Jackson’s left to our right, there’s usually a couple chairs set up for whichever players are going to talk next. And row Quan is just staring into the abyss. I mean, it was a deep, emotionless stare into the bit the abyss and I mean, he was fighting back tears as he was talking. You could tell just how disappointed he was. Isn’t it? You know, he’s someone who wears his emotions on his sleeve. I think that’s become evident in his year and a half as a Baltimore Raven. And we know how important he’s become, you know, not just for the defense, but the entire team. I mean, he’s the one who, you know, in recent years, really, since I guess Suggs had had departed. It had kind of been a by committee, you know, pregame huddle, when they glaze Campbell was the grown up. That’s what he was. But he didn’t do it every week, though, is my point. I mean, it was kind of a rotating cast of veteran players, that would offer a few words, but as the 2023 season had progressed, I mean, it’s been ro Quan doing that. And that’s not to say they don’t have other leaders on their team. But he’s been the Ray Lewis for, for lack of a better term. I mean, he’s as close as they’ve had to that figure on the defensive side of the ball. So to see that stare into nothing, you know, that stare into the abyss, so to speak, that kind of told it all. And it’s why I said in our previous conversation, why I’m working on it at Baltimore, positive.com that, how do you beat these guys? I mean, again, you look at it, you gave up 17 points, as much as the ravens, and we can get into some of the play calling and lack of runs and all that, which has certainly been a hot button topic after the game, gave up 17 points, you know, it felt like it was going to be a shootout early on. But that never manifested it ended up being much more of a defensive struggle. So but but I think it for row, Quan Smith, and this defense as well, as they played after those first two drives, I mean, think back to the strip sack, I mean, the ravens are down there, at that point, Kansas City is on the short field, they get the stop there. I mean, that felt massive at that point in time. And if you tell me, from that point on, the ravens are only going to give up three points the rest of the game, even then, even at that point, when they were trailing 17 Seven, I’m saying it’s got a heck of a chance to win this football game. In fact, at that point, I probably would have said they better win this football game, if they’re going to shut out Patrick mahomes The rest of the way the way they did. So. No, it’s not a pointing fingers or scenario or anything like that. But, boy, that defense had to be frustrated. I mean, that’s just human nature for them to feel that way. So to see ro Quan Smith, staring off into space, the way he was to see how upset he was. I mean, not to say he was the only one. I mean, there were plenty of upset individuals, but by the time you know, the rest of the media got into the locker room. Other than Patrick Queen back home a few other guys. I mean, it cleared out pretty quickly. And that’s Look, it’s going to clear out pretty quickly. I mean, that’s just human nature. I mean, especially guys that no one is really going to want to talk to you anyway, you know, role players and backups and whatnot. But very quiet, very somber, very frustrated, very upset, as you would absolutely expect, just like how fans felt exiting what had been such a raucous environment at the stadium downtown. I mean, it’s why I said for me, and this is the best I have to go off of because it previously had been the biggest home game in the history of the franchise. You know, it just felt very 2006 playoff loss to Indy like I mean, that’s really what it felt like to me and yeah, I wasn’t in that 2006 locker room. I wasn’t in that I saw
Nestor J. Aparicio 08:21
Ray Lewis sobbing in the in the trainer’s room, they couldn’t get ready to come out and talk to the media, because he couldn’t clear himself. He couldn’t literally, he couldn’t compose himself to come out. And like, and that was very unrealistic. I mean, I’ll say that like I covered every football game Ray Lewis ever played and I was thinking about that when he’s out there with with Reed Suggs all you know, I’m like, I heard Ray Lewis his voice, and I’m like it a little while since I’ve heard you know, great talk. He was on the field before the game on the pregame show and and I thought there were Ray always stood up Ray always some famously after the Foxborough loss, famously after the Billy Cundiff game, I remember being there the video is still up at YouTube and me holding the little Canon camera had back in you know, 1314 years ago, and if st go out and do something good for the world, and I honestly was inspired by that. It’s one of the reasons I’m doing crabcake ro like literally I hear His voice. I remember what he was wearing that day the whole deal that he said go out and do something good for the world. You know, we lost a football game, but there’s bigger thing I didn’t hear that common losing the football games everything the row Quan Smith and obviously to Lamar and the reality of this sets in Luke Jones is here. You’ll be in Owings Mills. Clean lat lockers, you can obviously find them at Baltimore, Luke, you can find both of us Baltimore positive. We’re doing this amazing promotion beginning next week for the Maryland Food Bank. We do hope you come out participate. One of the five days come out get a crab cake gets a free soup. Enjoy yourself. Say hello do something good for somebody else. Glad to see have the code for the world. Alaska change, and it’s going to happen quick here this week. And I don’t think monkey is getting the job right away. He’s pretty good. But McDonald might be gone by Thursday, Wednesday, right middle of the week, we can talk about the roster and all the other parts. But let’s talk about this offense running the ball decisions made. And more than that, the game plan and the effectiveness or lack of effectiveness of what the Ravens were trying to do on Sunday, what they were trying to do from the beginning. They didn’t get it done. Yeah,
Luke Jones 10:34
they didn’t. And, you know, it’s interesting NESARA whenever the season comes to an end, you think back to different discussions that you and I have had, and, you know, fans have had times where things are going well, for this football team, which was most of the season, after the first month where they you know, they got off to a three and to start and then really last one game of consequence the rest of the year. I mean, that’s how good it was until Sunday, of course. But I keep coming back to conversations that you and I had at different points. And frankly, debates, if not healthy, good natured arguments about this week, we talked about the running game a lot at various points over the course of the season. And there were times where you would talk about looking at where this offense was. And again, this was at given different points in time, not just talking at the end of the regular season. But I remember vividly remember a few different points you talking about not having the same level of competence and their ability to run the football. And when I say that, I don’t mean Lamar taking off and scrambling meaning your traditional between the tackles, handed off to the running back kind of running game. And I would fire back at times and say, well, they’re number one in the league, or they’re number three in the league, or whatever they were at that moment in time. And there were also some times where I can remember you would talk about the running game. And I would say, Well, if you really look at how it played out, their running game kind of spawned off of what they did with the passing game. And yeah, they didn’t run the ball a whole lot in the first half, and then they’d run it in the second half. So I guess the point I’m trying to make is, yes, they finished first in the league and rushing and you look at all their efficiency numbers and all that it looked great on paper, statistically. But there were definitely times over the course of the year where they didn’t do it as effectively as they had in the previous Greg Roman offensive. And there were definitely times where they didn’t do it as frequently as they did under Greg Roman. And what’s so ironic. I mean, even this past week, you know, Todd Monken, had a moment at the podium that kind of went viral this week, because he was asked about halftime adjustments. And he ended up goes innocent enough, but made a comment that his wife always tells him that why don’t you just use the plays at work? And he said, You’re right. How do you you always are that kind of went viral? Right. And even then I had people on Twitter taking shots at Greg Roman over that just because that’s what that’s what any fan base does. They beat up the guy that got fired, right? It was all his fault. The irony, Sunday, Nestor, they couldn’t use a little more Greg Roman on Sunday. I mean, they absolutely could have. And I think there are a lot of times that were guilty of looking at the box score, and just saying, Okay, well, they threw this many times. And they ran this many times. And we and we completely ignore context of two minute drives and playing from behind and all those different things. And there are times, I think, where that narrative ends up being overblown, but I do think if you go back and look at this football game, there were a number of times where they could have tried to get into the running game, and they just didn’t really do it. I mean, look at the final numbers. Gus Edwards had three carries. Justice Hill had three carries.
Nestor J. Aparicio 13:47
That’s it. That’s unbelievable. That’s it in a game that so unbelievable. And I understand.
Luke Jones 13:54
They were down 10 points for most of the second half. I get that. But 10 points is a drive. Right. Right. Right. Well, but I guess but here’s the thing. I made mention to this early on when the when cat when Kansas City went down the field on their first drive and scored ravens came back then on their second drive and scored at that point in time. You were starting to think okay, maybe this is going to be a higher scoring shootout kind of game. That didn’t materialize, though. I mean, after Kansas City scored its second touchdown on its second drive. It was a defensive struggle the rest of the rest of the way. Right. So it really felt like Monken and John Harbaugh because ultimately that’s, that’s, you know, he’s the head coach. He’s responsible for having a feel for how the football games going. They just never got into it. And Harbaugh was asked about it after the game and he gave up. You know, his answer was It was that kind of game I’d say. That’s the way it worked out the way the game went. You know, he’ll be asked about it again this week and rightfully so, because I want to hear okay, what did you mean? Well,
Nestor J. Aparicio 14:57
I don’t think there’s any question they’re doing some some they’ll do some research on what happened. Yeah. But
Luke Jones 15:04
But yeah, I mean it just but but I go back to conversations you and I had as much as, look, they had the number one running game in the NFL. I’m not gonna sit here and say they couldn’t run the football but it just felt odd at different points over the year were other than Lamar, I mean, you could count on Lamar running and when Keith Mitchell got going before the unfortunate knee injury in Jacksonville, they just they didn’t get their running game.
Nestor J. Aparicio 15:31
They didn’t have a feature back on the trading deadline. If they had dealt for Derek Emery, they would at least have a guy you know, and maybe in this offseason, because of the depress market, Josh Jacobs, so they’re, you know, a running back a big truss, a Mark Ingram like legitimate running back somebody that’s not a rookie us fast, or a fourth year player who’s just okay, and fumbles, and Gus Edwards who feels like he’s never great back. He was a he was the worst quarterback to round you. And but he was never the feature back. You knew he wasn’t carrying the ball 21 times for 148 yards the way Earl Campbell did, you know? So I would just say this. And I’ll go back to 19. And I, you know, man, I’ve written a couple of books on football. I’ve been doing this a long time, but I learned a lot. And you said something about stats. I remember Jim Schwartz. But he was the defensive assistant back in 9697. Me him and Marvin would go over to Purdue cheese, Owings Mills Mall and talk football with crayons. And they used to have the white paper there, and Marvin withdrawl players and crayons. Here’s Bo, where here’s McCrary he would do all of that with me. But shorts would always talk about statistics and say it a box was worthless and football because he was a big baseball boxscore guy. Jimmy still has his notebook from 1979 where he kept score. In the same Notebook For Every Orioles game, he was a box score guy. And he said box scores and football I mean, a stats, you know, it’s all game circumstance. It’s all down a distance over your head, are we behind? Who’s playing who’s in what package? What’s down and distance? And I would say this, this is what I’ve learned since 2019. It’s what you learn after you know everything that really counselor, but yeah, I’ve written two books on football, watch them win championships, but right around Greg Roman when it came in here, and that running game, and you and I did radio every day in 2019, after every one of those beat downs. After I was drinking wine in the press box, they served beer and wine in the press box at the LA Coliseum in 2019. I had a classic Cabernet Sauvignon, overlooking the LA lights and looking at the scoreboard is 52 to seven or whatever the hell it was. So that year you and I would talk every day. And I said I have never seen a team that’s eating on second in one second and two and second. And third. They’re rarely in second and three felt like they were second in one second and two, they were consistently getting eight, nine yards. Every play running the football behind yonder behind a young Stanley with Lamar, razzle dazzle in the phone booth, they had to worry about him. That whole big trust thing and I’ve told you and I know you and I have different vibes on Mark Ingram. You’re you’re in the locker room. I’m not anymore. So I will defer to your your point of view on that. I feel like they miss Mark Ingram. I feel like they miss that guy who could run the football a big boy, a grown up a guy that Lamar liked. Apparently the team liked him. I thought they liked them. They jettisoned him he was older, whatever expensive when he was here,
Luke Jones 18:36
it wasn’t good anymore.
Nestor J. Aparicio 18:37
I mean, he wasn’t good to the second year. Fair enough. Fair enough. And but that has never really been replaced. And when I talk about Brown, Roman, and the effectiveness of what made them great in 2019, the thing that made them great was first down, first down, first down efficient, they didn’t throw the ball. Well, they, I mean, you would say they threw the ball really well. And they had all these, they didn’t throw the ball, the way other teams threw the ball and
Luke Jones 19:09
lead the league and touchdown passes. But go
Nestor J. Aparicio 19:10
ahead. They weren’t second in to all right, but they were they were, they were guaranteed a first down every time they touch the ball, because you could not stop them from going 10 yards and four plays. Like if you gave them four chances to run the ball. And this is where I sit this year now that they’re limited. And I’ll say this out loud, because they said it sort of flippantly to you every three or four weeks during the season. If they have to get a fourth in one do you feel good about it or not? I’ve asked that question a couple of times. And that’s a running game. To me a running game is we can get a yard when we need one we can get to when we need it and we can get six or seven on first down consistently to put you in a really bad second down situation or just be dressed and take 12 yards with Lamar off the edge, and we get a fresh set of sticks and the fresh set of sticks fresh out of sticks, fresh set of sticks. That’s how Kansas City played the game. They went forward. With every play in the first half, they went fo mahomes was 11 for 11, or whatever. I mean, they went forward with every play. And that was something that bill it when he brought Scott Mitchell linear talked about Barry Sanders, they went backwards a lot. You know, Barry Sanders could run backwards and put you in second and 16th. You know what I mean? That’s a sack. Right. So moving around Second down, and where they are in second down. Romans philosophy change that. When they had different personnel. Do they need a running back not named Lamar, their best running play can’t be putting their quarterback at peril. And that should be an overwhelming thought for the offseason that they need a better running back.
Luke Jones 20:56
Yeah, I don’t know if of that. I don’t know if I agree with you that the veteran is the guy to go get I think it could be a second or third round pick, quite frankly. I mean, it’s a young man. That’s a young man’s position. I mean, I’ll hear you on Derrick Henry. But those Derrick Henry’s the exception to the rule, right. I mean, Adrian Peterson was the exception in his era. But look, I’m not gonna sit here and disagree with you on that. But I think what’s so frustrating what’s so mystifying is that the Ravens quite simply just they didn’t really even trying to run the ball against a bad run. defenseman Kansas City strength was their past defense, their secondary their pass rush. They had been vulnerable. I mean, look at last week, go look at how many yards the bills ran for and I get it. Okay. Noted. I agree with you, James Cook’s a better running back than anything the Ravens had healthy and upright on Sunday, from Gus Edwards and Justice Hill to Dalvin Cook, which by the way, I forgot even was active on Sunday. I mean, it just kind of shows you what the Ravens thought there and
Nestor J. Aparicio 22:00
I had no plan to run the ball. Clearly, and no plan to
Luke Jones 22:04
run with him specifically. I mean, I and this is why I said at the time, it’s like, okay, the standard is he’s better than Melvin Gordon. They didn’t have any interest in running Melvin Gordon all year. So
Nestor J. Aparicio 22:12
you didn’t think Joe Flacco was ever gonna put on a Browns helmet either. But that turned out Yeah.
Luke Jones 22:17
I’m wrong all the time. Let’s. But no, but I think you’re right. And, look, I think Keaton Mitchell can be part of the conversation. But he’s coming back from a serious knee injury. Is he going to be available week one, is he gonna be available? week eight, if he is available? week eight? Is he going to be the same effective guy? Because my goodness, look at the numbers. I mean, that kid was a home run hitter for them. You know, in hindsight, and I don’t even know if it’s hindsight, I think everyone recognized that at the time. That was an element that they were missing, with their running game that at the end of the season where Justice Hill did an admirable job. And you know, I mean, I had a nice, nice performance against Houston, for example, but they didn’t have a home run hitter there anymore. You know, they lost JK Dobbins in week one, who was supposed to be the feature guy. And then they got Keaton Mitchell going close to halfway to you know, what, week six, week seven, week eight is right around when when he kind of busted out, arrived on the scene and was healthy and started playing. But they missed that now. This Keith Mitchell make a difference on Sunday? Well, you have to hand on the football. Right. And I mean, the Ravens just, they didn’t show much interest there. And that’s why I said the running game for me was just complicated over the course of the season, I get it statistically, it looked great. And so much of that is Lamar Jackson is the greatest rushing quarterback in NFL history. Yeah, better than Michael Vick, too, because the Falcons kept trying to take that away from him over the course of his career, whereas the Ravens have largely embraced it. So but but there are definitely some opportunities for them to run the football and try to get that going over the course of the game that they just didn’t do it. And look, it’s just, it’s overly to your point about Jim Schwartz. It is overly simplistic just to look at the box score. But there you go by the play by play and look at times where they picked up a first or times where it would have made sense to run on first down. They didn’t do it. And I mean, they just showed very little interest in doing it. And even Lamar, there were some times where the field was open for him to take off. And he didn’t do it. And it just felt like
Nestor J. Aparicio 24:25
they Oh, I tweeted, why didn’t he run to the sticks? It felt kind of crazy, because that was his instinct, right? I mean, we thought like second half of your mind, he’s just going to take off and run and get into foam. And he started that. And one point he had a first and I was like, All right, you know, he’s gonna risk life and limb here to get them to the end zone to get them back within three point, you know, I mean, yeah, that was the the thought that I had was, this is going to be a Lamar drive. And usually you can’t stop that. You know, if I would say to you, can they get a fourth and one when they need to? Wait, does Lamar have the ball? If they do that they can do that? has always been their mindset that was their mindset early in the game when they went off for the ball you know so yeah yeah right so I’m not just speaking into the wind here I’m not I’m not losing my mind they were eliminated their to feature running backs ran the ball combined six times and their best running back who happens to be their quarterback was started chopping around yeah when the sticks were sitting there but they’re just they’re gonna go back and break that film down and they’re gonna they’re gonna be as I brought up the Eminem song and by the way the poor Lions fans can we just take a moment of silence for them? You know the Eminem song lose yourself, you know what I mean? Like, sometimes you choke on the words you know, sometimes you know, the vomit of Mom’s spaghetti is you know, hanging off you, and it’s gonna hang off for them for 51 weeks until they get back to a championship game. And if they get back to a championship game, because here comes Herbert with Harbaugh’s brother Burrows is going to be coming back right. Aaron Rodgers is going to lead. Well, he’s not going to get a vaccine and he’s not going to be the Jets quarterback, but there’ll be something else. I mean, CJ Stroud is going to have heat in the offseason and Trevor Lawrence is going to get help and lead, lead, lead lead and ravens are going to be diminished in the offseason. I don’t think we’re gonna sit here in September and talk about the roster being better than the roster was on Sunday.
Luke Jones 26:14
I mean, it all you can say that about every team though. I mean, it’s your, you’re gonna have roster attrition, you’re gonna have guys that get hurt, you’re gonna have guys that lead, but you also bring in Guys and you’re gonna draft guys. And the ravens are really good at drafting football players. So
Nestor J. Aparicio 26:27
they’re really good at finding FANBOYS.
Luke Jones 26:31
But your point is well taken in the sense that it’s not going to get any easier. And oh, by the way, if you get back to the AFC Championship, guess what? The last six years? I’ll tell you what, who are you going to be playing at the Kansas City Chiefs? And that’s, again, what the most sobering part of this discussion is, but you said something, and I’m not going to belabor the point, because we’ve talked about we’ve given this time, and I look, I think Todd Monken probably be the first to tell you that we kind of we kind of miss judge what kind of football game this is going to be. I think the Ravens went into this game thinking it was going to be more of a shootout which it looked at way through the first 20 minutes or so. But then it morphed into much more of a defensive struggle, and if you want to shoot they didn’t adjust well. And that’s and I guess that’s the part of it that I don’t want to give let Lamar and the passing game in general the passing operation in general off the hook entirely because you have the MVP quarterback, even if you should have run the ball more, it’s really disheartening that you could only muster 10 points right I mean, that it’s really disheartening even even if you didn’t love the game plan that that’s all you can manage, especially playing at home. So but you made you made the point. You said there to feature backs, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill. That’s the problem right there and look how they’re going to go about doing it. We’ll have to see I again, I am I am vehemently against going out and paying a running back big money. I just I don’t think especially now with having a $260 million quarterback and oh yeah, you have a Pro Bowl defensive tackle that who’s probably going to get the franchise tag the way it’s looking. So I don’t know if that’s going to be in the cards. But yeah, they’ve got to they’ve got to spend some resources on a running back and like I said, that could be a third round pick. I I haven’t looked at the draft yet. You know, I I’ve been in season mode because the Ravens we thought we’re going to go to the Super Bowl.
Nestor J. Aparicio 28:22
Take all the money we saved from Las Vegas. If you really want to go to Indianapolis. Oh, yeah, I was gonna nice now to seeing your bowls. Okay. I mean, you get good seafood down there. It’s a little warmer, don’t beat up the Senior Bowl. If you get to Senior Bowl or to combine take the Senior Bowl.
Luke Jones 28:39
I was gonna say I probably would if it wasn’t such short notice for southern girls and waffle
Nestor J. Aparicio 28:43
houses and grits and stuff. It’s okay. But But yeah,
Luke Jones 28:46
I mean, just and just to finish the point. And like I said, I mean, it’s so ironic because I think most people whether you were Greg rope, Greg Romans biggest detractor or a Greg Roman supporter, I mean, I said this over and over. Greg Roman did a lot of good here despite what the narrative is from 80% of the fan base. But it was time for a change. It was time for them. Their offense had gotten gotten as far as they could with Greg Roman as the coordinator, and Todd Monken worked out great this year. This is not me saying Todd Monken should be fired or he stinks or anything like that far
Nestor J. Aparicio 29:18
from it. But
Luke Jones 29:21
from from a running game standpoint, it did feel complicated at times over the course of the year and certainly I mean, that came to a head on Sunday. And you know, they didn’t have a feature back they didn’t have that home run back in the absence of losing JK Dobbins in week one and then keep Mitchell and mid December you know, and that Jacksonville game so that was part of it. But you know, it just Monken just, he didn’t he didn’t have a feel at all on Sunday. I mean, just nothing they did. Got them in a rhythm. Whether it was a play call a breakdown and protection them or not seeing the field right and making a bad throw penalties. I mean, they just as, man, that offense was humming down the stretch, even with the Keith Mitchell injury. And they just they did not get going on Sunday. I mean, even look at their touchdown drive, which take nothing away. But they needed to convert that fourth and one to your point. Oh, my goodness, if they didn’t get that, and that game, they lose. We’re talking about that play all offseason, but they got it. And then Lamar makes just an unbelievable play. I mean, he adds a flower on the touchdown. He had say flowers open underneath where I said in real time, like, throw Tuesday’s wide open, almost gets sacked, gets away, and then throws a deep ball on the scramble drill. Tuesday flowers, I mean, just an unbelievable football play. But there wasn’t nearly enough of that. And there were times this year. And this is still it’s a feature, but it can also be a bug for them. Where they’re bad. They’re at their best still when they asked Lamar to go in the phone booth and look, that’s Patrick mahomes wetting the phone booth a few times over the course of Sunday’s game, including the final pass, by the way, which was you know, as great as the defense was in the second half. They put the exclamation point on it right there. It was over. But it just the structure of their offense was just and whatever they were trying to accomplish was just lacking. And credit Steve Spagnola credited a Kansas City defense that was underrated throughout the year. Let’s give them the proper do. But boy, that was disappointing for the offense to perform the way that it did with the season on the line. And like I said, everyone, Todd Monken Lamar, Jackson, ze flowers on down, they’ve got to own it, because they weren’t nearly good enough on Sunday. And now they just the biggest reason why they’re going home, you can’t fault the defense at the end of the day giving up 17 points to Patrick mahomes. Like I said, previously, you told me that before the game, I’m signing up for it and blood. And I’m telling you the ravens are going to the Super Bowl then and if
Nestor J. Aparicio 32:01
the Chiefs aren’t gonna score in the second half, you’ll know you should feel like you can say. Absolutely,
Luke Jones 32:05
absolutely. So I mean, back to the drawing board, but, boy, just a frustrating, frustrating way for the season to come to an end. There’s no doubt about it. We will be
Nestor J. Aparicio 32:15
discussing all this stuff all week long. We’re doing the crabcake row promotion next week. We we’d love to have you come out if you haven’t seen me in a while or having said hello. Bring something good for the Maryland Food Bank. Well, I’ll tell you what, I’ll give you a free cup of Super Bowl. If you come out on Monday to fade Lee’s Tuesday to cost this Wednesday. To Coco’s Thursday to state fair or Friday at Pappas, all of that information about the Baltimore positive.com Your this week, as we thought Luke was going to be heading to Las Vegas, a lot of folks thought they’d be heading to Las Vegas thought we’d be hosting purple pep rallies in real time all next week. Instead, it’s just it’s just another Super Bowl. We’re not involved in watching from the outside with our noses pressed up to the glass. I’m gonna have Maryland lottery scratch offs to give away all next week as we do live radio from nine until five first time he’s done live radio ran here a long time. I’m looking forward to it. I don’t know how I’m gonna get to the bathroom. I’m just going to drink less fluids during the day next week. But we are gonna go live as I get older to do a live radio when you get old and you gotta pee more tough. I mean, I’m telling you what, 3032 years into doing this. I’m I’m taking on something here. But it is certainly been a wild weekend for football and 40, Niners and chiefs and I’m not out in Las Vegas, watching it all happen in front of me. We’re going to be watching it happen right here in Baltimore, and promoting 100 different charities next week. And having guests celebrities, cool people for a great cause and to to raise some awareness about hunger. During a cold cold week, a cup of Super Bowl. It’s crabcake row. It’s all brought to you by the Maryland lottery when donation and our friends at Jiffy Lube. Luke will be out of Owings Mills on those baseball season pitchers and catchers report in a couple of days. So, Luke and I will have that to discuss as well. But we have plenty more football ahead. I have great great guests coming up this week. Brian billings joining us, Tom each coming on. Whole bunch folks will be here to Ron Edwards is coming on trying to think of who else so anyway, lots of former ravens I had really believed that the team was going to Las Vegas I’ve even canceled Luke’s flight. I told Luke I’m not canceling until Wednesday in case the Sony puts a protest and they play the game again. I am Nestor we are wn S T am 5070 Towson Baltimore. We never stop talking Baltimore positive
