Now that general manager Eric DeCosta has had a very full offseason with The Lamarathon, OBJ and the NFL draft, Dennis Koulatsos and Nestor give a full assessment of the Ravens summer hopes for Super Bowl appearance in Las Vegas next February.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
lamar, ravens, year, talk, orioles, point, offensive line, dobbins, game, people, quarterback, offense, win, thinking, play, football, good, odell beckham, part, baltimore
SPEAKERS
Dennis Koulatsos, Nestor Aparicio
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome back wn s t test a Baltimore, Baltimore positive we are hoping and recommending that you set a place on your dial right next to the BA ELLs and the 98 rocks and the clear channels and all those places set us a place on the am dial now made available by the Ford Motor Company. We’re gonna be out throw in the Maryland crab cake tour. We’re doing a dozen dates this summer, we’re doing the oyster tour in conjunction with our 25th anniversary 25 years on August the third we’re going to be getting over costs and drug city and it’s all brought to you by our friends at the Maryland lottery. I’ll be giving away these instant lottery scratch offs as well as the lucky sevens and our friends at weathernation 866 90 nation who put us on the road had a great time up in fallston. Last week at the local we’re getting to Shannon’s we’re getting spirits West. We’re going to be back at Costas we’re going all over the city. Hang out check it out at crabcake tour under the tab at Baltimore positive this guy made sure that am radio stays and vehicles here in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Of course you can get us on tune in there’s a million different ways but am 5070 Still the mothership for all things with our friend Dennis Colossus, who’s heard here each every Thursday from three to five and then on Sunday from eight until noon. Sometimes I’m on sometimes Luke’s on sometimes he brings Robbie in from that busy schedule with the golden auctions people and all that good to have you on Dennis. Welcome Welcome aboard i i know it’s baseball season but this football thing I’m getting my last sort of like each kick in before they shut everything down for eight weeks. And how are you feeling how summerhouse the fish bite and all right
Dennis Koulatsos 01:32
fish are biting I gotta share your story with you Saturday morning bright and early at 9:30am in wachsen a customer picking up his tags for his brand new F ford f 150 got his grandson with him grandson was probably about nine or 10 years old got a number three jersey on I was saying young man let me see what’s on the back of that jersey Odell Beckham Jr. So yes Nestor although the Orioles are doing real well when you
Nestor Aparicio 01:55
said a number three Jersey you didn’t say what Jersey and I think it was he wearing a bill Ripken? You know, I’m thinking now okay.
Dennis Koulatsos 02:02
No, this was a Ravens Jersey black, you know, with a purple trim. But here he is a young man under 10 years old, rockin and Odell Beckham Jr. Jersey already. So the Odell Beckham says Roger car, right? That’s exactly right, Roger. There you go. But right, let’s see Roger card. Yeah, he had some some injuries too. But he was a very fast, very speedy receiver with good hands, right. But so ravens fever is still alive. And well as we we gear up for the season, under 90 days until we kick it off Nestor. So it’s right around the corner.
Nestor Aparicio 02:35
Well, you know, I’ve talked baseball and Luke and I got into some football earlier this week, and it sort of wet my whistle a little bit. Because the Orioles have made it fun to talk about them. We had the Preakness Lord knows I’m doing all sorts of crabcake tours, political issues, the governor, the mayor, everybody’s coming on the show this summer, to catch up for crabcakes. So I’ll get to all of that. And I’m going to take a little downtime here at some point later in the month and take a breather, you may hear some Greatest Hits and whatnot, because it’s sort of that time of the year where I’m resetting crabcake toward the oyster tour and knowing like in eight weeks like John Harbaugh, and Eric, the cost and the job that I used to do professionally that I no longer do, thanks to Chad’s theme, which is covered the football team that I know. We’re getting up on the big run. And in the meantime, this baseball thing has been fun. Hey, the trips were fun for basketball, right? Like whether it’s lacrosse, whether it’s NBA Finals in the Stanley Cup or whatever you’re into the Orioles have been, I don’t know it’s made me very wistful in my 25th year it’s made me almost emotional to want to write about and I’ve been doing some writing and rerelease in the pewter principles, but it’s gotten me away for the first time in a long time and part of this is chance they’ll throw me out illicitly. It’s just my mind moving away from football this time of the year where that free agency draft my god we had a hot stove for football here with Lamar. That was literally a Lamar Athan, it was the biggest offseason of ravens is he isn’t he What are they what is he What are they what’s his instant like all of that went on in a way that it never did here for any Ray Lewis any Joe Flacco any people aware any John on any Cal Ripken note. There’s never been anything like it, then they then they come back and like, Oh, they’re not gonna play for four months, right? But I would evaluate the team a little bit and whether this is fool’s gold, or whether this is a playoff team and the things that have to go right and the things that have to go wrong for them to win a Super Bowl. I mean, I look Super Bowls February 11. It’s in Las Vegas. It’s a Vegas Super Bowl. Right? Crazy. But where are you with them? I mean, first thing do you have tickets this year you’re buying tickets you go into you’re doing a road trips going to London you do any of that stuff? Yeah, I’ve
Dennis Koulatsos 04:48
you know, I’ve had season tickets since 1996. And part of the prior to that of course that season ticket for the cult. But yeah, I I’m all in with the Ravens. I don’t know. I don’t think I want to make the London trip. but I plan to use my season tickets. But he might get a suite for the opener against Houston so I’m looking forward to that. But I think this is a roster with a lot of talent on it but health is always going to be the key. Can his team be healthy? Can they stay healthy? Can they get healthy? A lot of guys coming back from injury to Dell Beckham Jr. didn’t play a down a single down last year. So of course, he’s up there, Rashad Bateman. Another big story. He can be wide receiver one, if he’s healthy zaev Flowers how’s this rookie wide receiver going to pan out? JK Dobbins? Kind of brooding on Twitter. He doesn’t see another contract.
Nestor Aparicio 05:39
Let’s dive into that dive into that a little bit that Lamar didn’t have an agent, he had hanger ons giving him advice in his mother, right? Row Quan Smith, no agent gets himself dealt out of Chicago and I don’t know whether he forced that or pushed that or whether they just sort of knew they got their value he got he got his bag. He got put into a really good situation. Right. So a lot of these guys with agents are with Patrick queen, smart guy, first round draft pick LSU guy connect guy. You know a guy like Odell Beckham would say the Giants were so 14 years ago for me. They haven’t paid me in four years, but I’ve made $80 million since I left the Mara family and things worked out just fine. And Lamar looked like he was ready. Nobody wanted Lamar, you and I did months on no one wanting Lamar at that level at all. So like that’s a fact and whether he goes back to stuffing up my backside or anybody else that’s ever doubted him or doesn’t fully believe. But But I would say to you that that layers and their expectations much like your employees or my former employees, they had levels of expectation about salary, love awards, what they can do. I mean in the NFL, it’s very clear make money, winnings nice you make more when you win, but but it’s a it’s a it’s a business and Patrick queen is doing the things right now that if they win the Super Bowl, he’ll go get him some at Hartwell money or current day you’ll get a lot of money if they win this year. And I don’t think being up and he is his methodology to being a well paid Atlanta Falcon next year or a well paid Pittsburgh Steeler next year. Where’s the Dobbins thing? I thought Dude, are you a grown up? Like I mean it’s just it’s weird to me two guys same situation like in it they are hanging on at this point. And they can play for a contract but such as the state of the NFL, it’s not for long, right? They know this going in.
Dennis Koulatsos 07:38
I’ve said it for a long time. Nestor running backs get the short end of the stick right there. They there wheels have come off by the time it’s time to get a contract. JK Dobbins had a injuries, ACL tear in college. He’s head on with the pros. Now. Again, it’s just the worst position to play in the NFL. They’re like eagles, they come out of the nest ready to fly. They get a lot of yardage, a lot of baggage on them by the time their contract comes up and unlike Patrick queen, who’s Packer print, he’s only 23 years old, by the way, which is which is great for three he’s just a baby. Yeah, he was a very young player when he got drafted out of college. And that’s the thing with queen I don’t know
Nestor Aparicio 08:16
that. Despite what he acted immature on Twitter three years I thought he did. I don’t know these guys. I only know them from their persona. And Marlon Humphrey. I’ve gone up to him a dozen times. I only know him through Twitter. And I am always in a constant bitter beer face with all of these guys saying, This is what you’re putting out to the world. This is what you’re thinking about on a Tuesday afternoon when you’re not playing football, and you’ve got $80 million like, and again, I’m not a 25 year old rock star, right. I’m a 55 year old washed up rock star. So I view it differently. But it is fascinating to see. You know where ro Quan Smith was last year and now where he is this year where Lamar was last year where he is this year, where Ronnie Stanley was last year where he is this year. And then these other guys like I just thought it was very unbecoming for Dobbins. I, I just I I thought, man, little boy, please grow up. You know what I mean? Like, and I’m thinking that’s for the whole world to see. But I’m thinking you’re you’re a big enough guy, you went to Ohio State, you’re not off the boat here. Like you sort of know you rip your knee up. Somebody smart should have sat next to you and said, You’re gonna get better. You’re gonna run the football again, but this is gonna be a different path for you. Eric problem you said that to him, right?
Dennis Koulatsos 09:30
Look, he’s a fine young man. He works his butt off. He did a great job rehabbing last year. People talk about it breakaway speed JK Dobbins has never had breakaway speed. That was one of the knocks of him kind of coming out of college. Yes, he can go 3040 50 yards in chunks. But he’s not the kind of guy like Tony Dorsett back in the day that’s gonna rip off a 99 yard touchdown from his own one yard line. JK Dobbins was a very good player. Depend on high doses here. What is market that’s going to be next year. Same thing with Pat Queen. So the best thing they can do just like Patrick to show up and work hard and do your very best and put yourself in a position to get paid, just like Lamar Jackson, Lamar Jackson thought that’d be a bidding war for him. And he was shocked to find out that there are no takers, sometimes really
Nestor Aparicio 10:18
one of one, or organizations, you either can’t figure it out, or they don’t think they can win with him.
Dennis Koulatsos 10:27
We go back, we go back to CJ Mosley, and he did a Ravens wanted to sign him for 10 or $11 million a year. And the judge gave what 15 $16 million a year, that that goes both ways in terms of a player’s value and how teams perceive that value and also the fit with their team. So the season was a C don’t have to be played, and play it out just to see what kind of contract these guys earn. And they have to stay healthy. That’s the other piece of it. But I I also think the Ravens would love to keep Patrick queen. And if if they can fit him under the salary cap depending on what his market is. In 2020. For NASA, I think they will take a shot at keeping him
Nestor Aparicio 11:04
that’s a lot so says here he will be back here on Thursday from three to five talking about these kinds of things with me and Luke and others on Sunday Sports force, of course, hurdled Sunday mornings from eight until noon. If you’re not hitting the golf ball, maybe going too well. to church or, or just enjoying the good weather or maybe going fishing on a Sunday morning or getting ready for Oriole baseball, it’s gonna be on this weekend. Make sure you’re tuning Dennis and us in and of course getting over to quick Baltimore forward and finding out about all those new and pre loved Ford Motor Vehicles. So the football side of me is this time of the year. It’s a fascinating Twitter thing, right? Like we’re who’s the best this or who’s the best that or who’s got the best wide receiver room or all of that. I want to talk about the offensive line a little bit this week with you. Because I don’t think we’ve talked enough about it because it’s been a lot of oxygen for Lamar, a lot of oxygen that’s still gonna be breathed for your buddy and his nine year old boy for Odell Beckham who’s that jerseys gonna need a new one next year because Odell Beckham could be online saying I’m not going to be here next year, because he’s probably not going to be here next year, because I’ve looked at the salary cap. So for the offensive line and for this season, because and I’m gonna write about this as we get closer to the year because it certainly feels that way. Feels like there’s some years the ravens are good, very good young. This feels to me like a loaded up season against the salary cap that there’s going to come a deflation, at some point in their talent level, they’re going to have to draft way over their heads. If they play as good as you think they’re gonna play. They’re gonna be picking 28th or 32nd or 31st or something that, you know, makes us feel good and January makes us feel bad in April right but for me with the team and having Beckham ro Quan Smith prime, Marlon Humphrey prime, Patrick queen, Ryan and playing for a contract, Ronnie Stanley Andrews in the middle of all of it, right. He typed, they got a lot of I mean, I go back to what it was, well, how are we going to pay Ray and Suggs and not in Flacco and bold and how are we going to pay Ray right? How are we going to pay all of these good players that these guys have won one playoff game as like, you know, like as a as a unit and barely one that so I look at all of these, me ro Quan Smith. I mean, he was in hell until he got here, right? Odell Beckham’s got a ring and comes in with a bag and a ring. And all of these expectations. And then there’s the Todd Monken thing like that he I hear more about him. When I go out. People come to me they talk they don’t talk to you about Lamar, they talk to me about the the mad genius offensive coordinator. And I keep coming back to the offensive line. And thinking like when we start the season, how’s it going to look? How’s that going to be a bunch of 30 Somethings that, that if I’m concerned about anything with the team, it’s not whether Lamar is going to be upright or not in December, January, it’s always a concern. It’s not whether Todd Monken is going to draw them up right? Or how Beckham is going to come back. Like I’m okay with all of that. But the big picture for me is this thing goes is the offensive line goes and and I don’t know where the depth is. And I but I know they are. They’ve had guys that haven’t been injured a lot. They have another guy that’s been injured a ton. And they’re kept really counting on these guys. We’re not talking Zeitler Morgan, Moses and Ronnie Stanley, we talk about all the Dobbins poppin off and Odell Beckham will be popping off soon and Lamar will be driving too fast on Instagram, you know, it’d be all of that crap, but then they gotta go play on Sunday in your you’ll be up on your sweetener playing Houston. Boy, the offensive line to me is the thing I want to talk the most about. Because whatever monkey is trying to do this effectiveness of Jackson downhill and how they’re going to run the ball and how they’re going to throw the ball and how they’re going to protect for Lamar. The offensive line you needs to play better than 30 Somethings and more reliably than 30 somethings in regard to injury and in regard to how much time John’s gonna have to be given guys off Wednesday and Thursday, come November December because this is I don’t say grandfatherly. Groupers they play great last year they did and Stanley got better. But the offensive line needs to be focused we need to be talked about and I don’t know that a lot of people were talking about it.
Dennis Koulatsos 15:26
They were the number two ranked offensive line last year but pro football focus they managed to stay healthy for the most part for the entire year. But you’re right if Ronnie Stanley goes down with an injury that’s going to mess things up. They can certainly flip flop some guys around. You can put Morgan Moses at left tackle for instance, he can he can do a serviceable job there. Sloth Daniel Fellay Lee they’re huge mammoth the front of tackles blast your to right tackle. But
Nestor Aparicio 15:53
is that a presented job read or you know, or is that real? Or is that an Orlando Brown? That’s gonna play 10 years and let me see here I’m talking about
Dennis Koulatsos 16:01
we’re gonna find that we may find out. We may not find out but we’ll see what happens can can then Cleveland replace them powers properly at left guard. That’s that’s a big job there. Competitions he’d have with John Simpson, former Raider that they like a lot. So I think to your point, they’re going to go as far as the offensive line can take him. It always gets down to the trenches, offensive line, defensive line. And health is a big factor. But you’re right, there’s some there’s some age on that offensive line. And like you said, These guys may need some days off during the week.
Nestor Aparicio 16:31
Well, getting lender balm working with Jackson and the new offense, especially with handling the ball. Right. I mean, like so much of Lamar in the beginning. And I was wrong about this, right. I mean, I I gladly admit when when Lamar holds the parade coming down Pratt street, I will say, you know, I miss judge Lamar Lamar has won one playoff game in five years, hasn’t played a football game in December in three years, so and just got a bag of money, and nobody else wanted him. So that’s, that’s where we are with Lamar. So I will continue on that. And when they’re 11, and one, and people are making fun of me in November, because Lamar is so great. It’s still going to be about is he healthy? And Can he win games in January, this team will be judged in January. I’m sure they’re going to be fine. I think Lamar is a fine quarterback. I just don’t know that he’s going to beat the gauntlet. But all that being said, with Lamar and this offseason for everything that’s going on the center quarterback exchange part and the part where Lamar is sleight of hand with the football with Dobbins and Gus Edwards and go back to any of the running backs he ever handed the ball to right. I thought that the ball would hit the carpet more in this offense. I really did. And that’s a that’s a real testament to Lamar Jackson, and his ability to take care of the football and the communication of if the tackle bites in your taking, you know, whatever the keys are in the reads are that they’re seeing with their eyes, and up and down on that feel man again, moves faster, big man. It’s like, I thought the ball would hit the carpet more, and it hasn’t. And that changes games. I mean, had they fumbled five more times a year, in that exchange over 17 games. It wouldn’t be like an outrageous number, but it would cost them football games. That’s been the best part of the Lamar thing. And I think having his senator and Senator you drafted for him. And a guy that had a little health concerns, it subsides concerns and stuff. But they were loved with lender bumps so much so that, you know, dealing off a draft pick and like everything that happened to bring him in here. I am I’m that’s the part of this that if they win a Super Bowl that if I were writing a Purple Reign, three, I would go back and say, How did you get the Senator? Because I think he’s gonna be a huge part of this. And I think I don’t I don’t think I know the Ravens were never the same after Matt Burke left. It was never the same for Joe. It changed everything for Joe. And I think if I brought Joe in right now he’s played with 100 centers, he would probably tell you, we want a Super Bowl because we had Matt Burke and we didn’t have a guy just the guy they brought in from Tampa. That was just a guy.
Dennis Koulatsos 19:13
Well, at work. He was a bit undersized just like the inner bomb. And I’m glad that the Ravens did draft letter from an athletic center that God can get to the second and third level of versus a big 325 350 pound mauler who just wouldn’t have the feet to play in this offense. So I think Leonard Brom has the athleticism. He has the the feet to play center in Todd Monken offense. He has spent now one year one full year in NFL weight room. I expect him to him to be bigger, faster, stronger, the real deal. I saw him the other day and I mean his neck just
Nestor Aparicio 19:43
you know, the weight room in Iowa has to be better than the weight room in Owings Mills. Right? I’m not being mean, but like, I think that that’s probably true around the NFL. Right but higher state and Alabama probably have a better gym. They probably do. And a lot of guys probably say a better program given that the guy I did that got them all COVID They throw them out and then our ball hires he says like the the strength and conditioning program and keeping guys healthy. We don’t talk enough about that
Dennis Koulatsos 20:10
it’s very big I mean of course I moved away from Steve Saunders apparently the other player didn’t like they hated the guy and they have different different squat in there right different leadership but I’m very excited about Linda bomb leading the offensive line he is a leader by example. And you rate the the the exchange that between him and Lamar having very good we go back to Gainesville where the ball was snapped over Omar’s head we’ve seen Lamar make some acrobatic catches. He has very good hands, and I think has contributed in them not putting the ball on the ground. But again, it’s gonna it’s gonna it’s a work in process, right, this offense thief, which is much, much further ahead with Mike McDonald being there for the second year in a row. But the the offense is a work in progress. And let’s see what it looks like when you guys finally hit the field. I’m talking about Bateman, and Odell Beckham Jr. Let’s not forget the tight ends. You mentioned Mark Andrews, but Isaiah unlikely Charlie Kohler, I think they have a chance to be a very special group. They’re going to run a lot of two tight end formations to there’s only one football. So I’m curious to see how this offense is going to what it’s going to look like, once you get on the field.
Nestor Aparicio 21:15
Well, for me with the offense, how much are we really going to pass the football? I mean, what what is your expectation level as you’re going down to see the Houston game? They’re not gonna be very good. I mean, you would you would hope that this would still be a run first outfit. In regard to getting eight yards on first down or seven year I did that that was always the plan of the Dobbins Lamar thing. But that was always the sleight of hand that Lamar is going to put himself into the jelly and make a decision on the fly as to whether it’s go or hand it off. I mean, you could pass out of those forms. Yeah, that’s fine, you could pass out of those sets. But this is different than putting Pat Ricard on the field, going heavy, going to tight end, you know, wheeling your way into second into the way they didn’t, when we saw that 2019 And I mean, tick tock, tick tock that’s getting to be really ancient history at this point. But it was a thing of beauty. And it was a thing that everything else gets judged against, until defenses made adjustments to adjust because the Ravens didn’t do it by fumbling the ball and beaten themselves. They did it because Lamar was accurate hit passes. They ran the ball in the redzone. While the all of these things that have just dissipated over the last three years and all been blamed on Greg Roman, even though the quarterbacks gotten so broken into twice.
Dennis Koulatsos 22:36
Yeah, there’s no question about that. nestra think having I think first standard is the most important down in the NFL, you’re much better off having second and two or three versus second and long. Third, and long. That’s when the ravens and other teams get themselves in trouble. But I don’t think it matters, how they get there, whether it’s the other run or the past. Second is in short, whether it’s by the past or the run. And I think there’s gonna be a 5050 team. I think they’ll run the ball half the time they’ll pass the ball. The other half luck, they were they were number one in the NFL the last couple of years in terms of run first at 55 56%. Seahawks were I believe right behind them. But I think we’ll see more of a balanced offense. But the whole key is that first down how to spread the the field out. And that’s the other exciting part to watch the Morton space. I think he’s probably the best space quarterback in NFL history. And let’s see him out of the phone booth. And for all intents and purposes, Greg Roman did a great job with him back in 2019. But now let’s get him out in space let’s spread out the field. Let’s really make a difference defend every blade of grass which was Greg Romans intention, but it didn’t work out that way. So Todd Monken had the same philosophy make the defense to defend every blade of grass but I think that’s easier done when you can have geysers constructed a field such as Bateman, as a flowers, Devin DuVernay, and hopefully a healthy Odell Beckham Jr.
Nestor Aparicio 23:57
That is gone. So she’s here he will be back here on Thursday and again on Sunday I will be a part of his program. Of course Sunday Sports voice heard here on am 1570 from from the offseason part of this and the DRE had the draft feels like a long time ago. Right? It was like five, six weeks ago, but it feels like a long time ago. We’ve been talking about ze flowers. It feels like for three months. We’re about to go into this sort of quiet period. What else are you watching around the league? Like I you know, I been doing a little bit of traveling. And I was in New York last week and the Aaron Rodgers thing is fascinating in that and you were the first guy they’re a contender now right? And Josh Allen’s gonna be on the cover of the Madden thing. Right? And I all over my timeline. I don’t know whether that’s maybe the blue that I wear the coons Ford blue. They think I’m a chargers fan. I see Justin Herbert thrown passes on my timeline and the Joe burrow thing playing out and then how many people believe the Steelers think that they’re they’re going to be the last place team in the day. isn’t for the first time in Mike Tomlin his tenure. And then how many people are just somehow bullish on the Cleveland Browns and thinking that the Shawn Watson is an elite football player is is a top five quarterback who will laugh at Lamar when we talk about Deshaun Watson when it’s all over, because he’s going to make such a huge difference in Cleveland, and taking that moribund franchise, and somehow they’re gonna win 12 games, they’re not all gonna win 12 games. So everywhere you get some hope right now, but you also get some sort of sinking reality and some other places where the team’s gonna be bad. But like the lions think they’re gonna be good this year. You know, the Eagles are going to be good, right? So there’s places where there’s this quiet hope, where there hasn’t been a marathon. I mean, what happened here in the offseason is just, you better hope it doesn’t happen with Adley rutschman, right. I mean, like that, it gets to that point, where you have this premier player who just bang pots and pans until he got what he wanted. Now he’s got what he’s wanted. Now he’s gotta go win a Super Bowl. And I think the level of expectation here is going to change in other places. I mean, the Jets have six months to get this done. I mean, Joe name is offering his number. You know what I mean? And you think it’s it’s a big difference maker. There’s there’s a lot of that in the NFL right now city to city and franchise, the franchise this time of the year to look and evaluate, say, can we win? The beauty of the NFL? They’re 20 teams. I think they can win the Superbowl right now.
Dennis Koulatsos 26:29
And the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of them. You know, Mike Tomlin Well, I’m sure he’s got that up on his bulletin board and already people predicting they’re going to finish in last place. I their people aren’t paying attention. They don’t know football. They don’t know Mike Tomlin they haven’t seen how strong that Pittsburgh defenses they can run the ball. If this could pick and keep developing the the wide receiver Kenny pick up their quarterback takes another step. Pittsburgh there I see the right in the mix. I mean, I don’t think I don’t see the Ravens sweep on him. I don’t I don’t see the Bengals people and I sure as hell don’t see the brown sweep on them either. And the last thing Mike Tomlin needs is motivation to get his team going.
Nestor Aparicio 27:07
Well in this assumption that the Bengals will go back to being bungles or whatever and somehow they’re going to mess up the borough thing right? I I’m I’m giving the Bengals the hall pass and I’ve seen the white jerseys. I’ve seen the enthusiasm. I see where they are in the marketplace. I see where the quarterback is I see the leadership I see the other players around the quarterback there. And you know they’re in Is there not a might be to me and I think the ravens are in is to plows not so much. I’m not beating up the Steelers I don’t think there but the quarterback has to show me more in this division. But I still think the Bengals are the best team in the division and people talking about the browns in sort of that breath because Watson’s got like a full year behind them without a massage or whatever I doesn’t none of that even matters like him going out and playing for that franchise and doing it for 17 weeks and show me he can win 12 or 13 on the wall I bet against that. I don’t bet on sports but I bet against that.
Dennis Koulatsos 28:06
Yeah, I mean I bet on organizations just ravens the Steelers have been the class of that division for many many years the AFC north and it’s hard for me to bet to bet against them now. Like you said the quarterback for the Steelers has to take a step forward but it’ll be a dogfight I think between the ravens and the the Bengals let’s keep monitor ravens going up there to Cincinnati or playoff game well that Lamar Jackson, and had had the game, enter grasp except for that 14 point that awful 14 point guard around the difference showed up? Well, I think the defense will build on that on that performance. And if they could just get some consistency with the offense and a modern day offense at that in the attacking offense. They do have a chance to make a run a deep run into the playoffs. But your point is let’s just win the the first playoff game let’s get into the playoffs when the first one and then start stacking from then hopefully to get a second playoff win against the momentum. Heading into the conference championship.
Nestor Aparicio 28:59
I did a deep dive with Luke this week on Todd Monken. I was a Costas on Sunday night eat my first crabs of the year delicious. With my buddy David Katz from Formula Fox Sports Yahoo. We had a good time over there but we watched the Oreo game. And I had five people talk football with me at the bar and all of them were talking about Todd Monken Tom, so that’s really, really smart out and they’re, you know, they’re dark things out there. You know there, but but Monken is the new thing. So I want to talk to you about that and how much what we really can expect from a coordinator and the vilification of all coordinators in the end right like Chris Ciara was my dog until like Lamar gets hurt it was it right? Yeah, you know?
Dennis Koulatsos 29:44
No, I like Michael. I mean, look, you can’t ignore what he did the last two years at Georgia University of Georgia now they had the biggest, baddest defense anywhere, but what’s that’s an Bennett a quarterback. We saw how late he went in the draft. He ran a great dynamic Like offense he got guys he schemed guys open guys were running within 10 yards all by themselves. And to me, that’s the exciting part of mpwc veto scheme. The guys open and we’ll see his influence early, early on and that has to be excited for ravens nation, we haven’t had a modern passing off onto them in a long, long time. And the big question is kellen moore, Jackson executed.
Nestor Aparicio 30:24
That’s the question. That is a question that and that’s also, I’ll leave you with this because I really want to dive in. I mean, I go half an hour on this easy, and I’m happy to do that with you Thursday and Sunday on your show. But the notion that you’re mad at Greg Roman about things that they didn’t do in the offense, maybe he saw things for five years on the practice field and said, I don’t like Lamar doing that. I don’t want Lamar doing that. I don’t like our wide receivers, I don’t like our blocking scheme in order to do that. So even though they do that over there. We don’t do that. Well, we’re not going to do that. And I would see that there are limitations for all these football players to say, Mark Andrews is good at some things. Let’s not have him do what Pat records doing. Right? So the notion that she wrote didn’t love Lamar thrown the ball down the field all day. Maybe there was something to that. And maybe it’s all Greg Romans fault. If Todd Todd Monken comes in here, and in week six, we’re we had a five in one team and we’re winning games on the road. And by the way, I looked at that schedule, at Cleveland at Cincinnati at pitch all early, right, like they got to come out of the gate and play well on the road. Otherwise, they’re gonna be a three and three team and three and three in the division, right? Like they can’t be that they have to play well on the road against these division teams in the beginning of the season, and that’s a hard look. Harbaugh say this the Orioles are off to a good start and Earl Weaver they could never get off to a good start. And they bought themselves enough rope here. Hi, boss. He’s always going on. I mean, we’re always real happy with John Harbaugh on October around here, right? We are. Literally they always get off to a good start.
Dennis Koulatsos 31:59
But you know what, I think John’s got another two years left on his extension. And if the Ravens Don’t make noise this year, he could very well be on a hot seat at some point, right? Because look, do they get conservative at times? So John, say, hey, stop putting the ball up in the air. He doesn’t like turnovers.
Nestor Aparicio 32:16
Conservative, he goes on fourth and 635
Dennis Koulatsos 32:22
being conservative being stupid, okay.
Nestor Aparicio 32:25
I don’t know. But there was this when you’re running the ball like they were running it 19 cockiness begat 20 and 21 and 22 struggles, like in regard to yours, fourth, and three from your own 44 John, you’re gonna go to it, we’re going to take the ball away from you and ramp it up, you know, like, that’s the other side. That’s the X ray and defense, saying that’s disrespectful to say you’re gonna go on fourth and four against us.
Dennis Koulatsos 32:53
Now the problem is, once they got in a red zone, they didn’t score points in 2019, they came away with touchdown in the field goals in 2022. They came away with a
Nestor Aparicio 33:01
claim for that. And and the amazing part is out of the box in 19, Luke and I and you sat here for two years saying they’re never gonna get stopped in the red zone because especially inside the five they have they have a matchup advantage with a guy with a first step like nobody’s ever seen before. Like
Dennis Koulatsos 33:19
a team started stopping it right, the defensive coordinator aren’t stupid once they get stuff on tape, they do think to take it away from you. And that’s the hence the chess match and you use Zig when they zag etc. But like I said, there’s there’s a fine line between being stupid and conservative and everything else that goes along with it. But hopefully, they’ll get big leads and games and Nesta and then they’ll run the ball effectively to bleed the clock and we’ll see what that looks like. But defense wins championships and the Ravens do have enough of a defense to the bring a championship to Baltimore in 2023
Nestor Aparicio 33:49
Todd Monken and and a deep dive a conversation with Dennis in Nashville do that little later on this weekend. You can find Dennis over go to Baltimore Ford security Boulevard any time that he’s not fishing or enjoying little bits of summer or an Oreo game or time with his mother. Give me Give me the elevator pitch on my wife still is has not pulled the trigger on the vehicle. What’s going on with vehicles right now? What do you have in stock?
Dennis Koulatsos 34:15
Well, we got a lot of a lot of vehicles in stock. They’re arriving more frequently now and Ford Motor Credit. They’re supporting us was here for 36 for most models, so a lot of people that don’t have cash, they don’t want to pay or pay interest. Guess what? Put that money in a high yield savings account or in four to 5% on it and take advantage of zero for 36.9 for 48 months. So we have a lot of great deals on the hood. Lot of vehicles we have on the great American sale right now. That’s a Ford Ford’s pitch at this point first responders, military, you get an extra $1,000 Even in the household an extra so though if somebody hadn’t served in the first responder, but they have they’re married to a nurse or doctor or someone in the military active or retired, they get an extra $1,000 Which I think it’s fantastic
Nestor Aparicio 35:00
All right, well, let’s get her get her beat out. I’m wearing the coons logo here. You’re seeing the commercials in Orioles game see crystal doing Oreos out in Milwaukee and then of course, back home this weekend or home as we would say here in Baltimore. It is crab cake eating season we’re taking a crab cake tour out on the road cars your friends at the Maryland lottery I’ll be giving these away the schedules up at Baltimore positive it’s a summer long and about a dozen and then we’re going to have our big anniversary on August the third write that down 25 years Dennis I’m gonna have my Lamar Jackson moment you know what I mean? A lot of people bet against me bet against the program you’re one of the guys that bet on the program I’m gonna be writing about you on speaking with love this summer about everyone that’s kept this thing going for 25 years and I’m addressing my latest Facebook post Dennis and you know what? We will we will take this on on Thursday but a listener sent me a note and said Why don’t the Orioles and ravens let you in? I mean can you meet with someone and try to fix that? So I’m going to take that on on Thursday so
Dennis Koulatsos 36:03
that’s a great teaser can’t wait to talk about that. Well, I
Nestor Aparicio 36:06
I put it up so it is I put the note up and I said what do you think of this like it seems to make sense to you that I’m 55 and a grown up and I’ve done this professionally that they let Luke in and don’t let me in. Why did you ask them but I’m having fun with it. It’s summertime here and I am I’ll say this with the Orioles, this heartbeat of having the Orioles when they take a day off it kind of screws up the whole day. You know
Dennis Koulatsos 36:31
it does I mean like I got my big guy and the Orioles small island on the NBA Finals heat and the nuggets tied one to one to fun series to watch. So that’s what I’m watching right now. Watching Orioles baseball and NBA Finals.
Nestor Aparicio 36:43
I’ll talk later about how you can’t find the hockey finals. That’s a whole different apple plus Amazon Prime. Where’s Joe Buck Wednesday game on? Are the Oreos on TV this Friday? Or do I have to give my credit card to Apple? There’s all of that happening.
Dennis Koulatsos 36:57
I knew that was coming. I don’t know if you saw that have YouTube now has a Sunday NFL ticket. I didn’t see how much they’re asking for it. But they had $100 off special I saw on TV the other day,
Nestor Aparicio 37:07
if it’s $100 off, I bet it’s at least $100 on you know I mean at least
Dennis Koulatsos 37:11
and I’m breaking even I’m gonna say $200 right but uh so now you can watch the NFL taking on YouTube anytime you want to
Nestor Aparicio 37:18
look you and I we will take a deeper dive and I do want to do the monkey thing with you. But I have been talking a ton to business people, which is what I do. Marty Conway, Eric Fisher, Barry bloom was on last week talking about baseball, and just what the real model is going to be. And Barry blooms or Eric said this to me Eric Fisher said to me, well, baseball, they’re actually going to have to get their revenue from like their real fans. Now, instead of like just sucking cable television money, which they’ve done. As long as I’ve been on radio, honestly, they’ve just made all of this mystery money from cable people giving them four bucks a month without anybody realizing now they’re gonna have to get that directly from their customers. And I keep thinking about what is this model where I get the television package for being a season ticket holder, right? Like if I if I buy the 13 game plan, you’re gonna give me the other 150 on TV right? Like, like that has to be part of the bundle to get people to the ballpark. So the the paradigm and I spent all night eat crabs with David Casio today, just talking about gambling, money, life, fans at games and then his business which is television. He’s been Fox forever and just how the funnel begins with your nine year old friend being able to watch Odell Beckham play and not having to ask Dad, how do we get to watch him play the jerseys already on now make it easy for the kids to watch the game. Right. And to your point, the YouTube thing, DirecTV, I never had direct TV because I was like not going to put a satellite dish on the roof. Right. I live in a building downtown where I could physically couldn’t have DirecTV. So I would walk cross street to Hooters to watch a San Diego game if I you know, whatever I would do to get those games. Then the red zone happened. And I remember you didn’t even know what the red zone was. And then you’re like, red zone man. So the red zone is kind of devalued. The fact that you would want 15 games on and when I get those 15 games at once. And I’ve done this as a media member back when I was a real media member. They in every press box, they would have every game. It’s hard to watch five games it is so unless you’re out of market and you want the game, but the YouTube things interesting to me. But then you have to have Wi Fi that’s fast enough to support it all to where we’re Luke lives in Pennsylvania. It’s weird. I mean, we’re in a weird spot for live sports, tickets, pricing, beer pricing, once you get there parking, all the safety, all of those issues we have, but more than that, how are we going to consume games moving forward because it’s a broken model. I mean, the Padres went out of business last week for television, right? Like literally, their cable company just said take it back. So there’s just there’s a lot going on. Got a lot of changes in summer Dennis,
Dennis Koulatsos 40:01
a lot of changes. There’s only so much money to go around to. People can only spend so much for their entertainment. There’s a point where they say enough, I’m not going to pay. I’m not going to pay to watch this. I’m not going to pay as much to watch this.
Nestor Aparicio 40:12
JT the brick was at Dodger Stadium the other day, and I follow him on Twitter. He’s a Yankee fan. He’s from New York. So he’s the Dodgers Yankees out in LA, and he’s enjoying himself. He put a drink up, it was a michelada. You know, it’s like a Bloody Mary sort of thing with a red. I don’t know what the hell it is. I’ve never had one. Like a Bloody Mary with beer, I think I don’t even know. It’s like, he put it off. He put the picture and he said, I’m at Dodger Stadium. How much is this drink?
Dennis Koulatsos 40:37
25 bucks.
8Nestor Aparicio 40:39
I said 23. Okay, my wife said 21. Everybody on the internet guessed it was Bob Barker. Dude, it was 29 Everybody came in underneath. Nobody said 2932 35. Everybody came in at 1921 2324 $29 for a drink. And you know, I wrote back to him on Twitter. I’m like, we’re getting to the point where all of our life, we’ve gone to the movie theater. And we’ve paid too much for popcorn, right? I mean, we’re just like, the popcorn was eight bucks when it should have been three, it’s 12 bucks when it should be six. We’ve always done that and just said, we’re at the movie, we’re getting extra butter, 50 cents, dollar, whatever. butter all over our fingers watching Star Wars. Right? And we were like, it’s what it’s expected. You get premium charge gouge ripped off, whatever you would call it. When it’s $29 for drink at the game, all of a sudden, you’re ripping me off. You know what I mean? Like, like I like there’s a point where you’re getting ripped, literally ripped off. And once you feel that way, it’s really hard if you feel like you’ve been ripped off to ever, like, roll back on that and say, charge me $29 For a 12 ounce drink like what?
Dennis Koulatsos 41:59
Well, I mean, it’s all I mean, what’s the bottle of water now the stadium is five bucks. See? I
Nestor Aparicio 42:04
mean, and that’s an amazing thing. I went into the lyric the other night to see Mellencamp and I don’t drink as much beer like at a show. And a lot of times they don’t have the beer I want no offense. I just like I’m there. And they have five beers, and it’s not what I want. And I’m like, Just give me the water. I’m fine. I’m not going to drink a beer I don’t want. So especially not a 14 bucks. I got three waters. The bill came with a tip. It was you know, 18 box, right? And I’m thinking to myself, and this isn’t like I love the lyric. And it was $4.50 Right? Cash this gift number $2 $3 Tip whatever was 18 bucks on my credit card. And I’m thinking to myself, in what universe? Would I be walking in the woods thirsty? Or anywhere in life? That’s not a concert. A ballgame, right? I mean, even on a plane. When I when I fly the drinks are seven or eight bucks and you feel a little ripped off because you don’t have a free ticket right? Or whatever. But like if they brought you to keep on the plane and offered me a $15 drink on the plane, I’d say 12 What you people but you go to Mary whether you don’t you don’t have a problem. You go to an Oreo game you go I’m going to Bryan Adams, like at CFG bank. I mean, if there’s a different we’ve lost our minds, we get to the bottom when we walk into these places with our credit card for what food is a really it’s amazing, right? Like if you did that it Koons Ford there’d be a line out the door saying it just rips people off and charges people $5 For water in his lobby
Dennis Koulatsos 43:26
Here you go I Googled case of water 4040 16.9 ounce bottles of water on Amazon $25.49 4040 Nestor
Nestor Aparicio 43:43
it’s the cost of going and John Mellencamp the other night what you know whether it’s the 150 for the ticket, whether I don’t
Dennis Koulatsos 43:52
and you’re thirsty you have something you want southern drink, right so you opt for water versus an alcoholic beverage or non alcoholic for that matter. And it cost you an arm and a leg. It’s insane.
Nestor Aparicio 44:02
I paid $7 apiece for water at seal in New York two weeks ago. So I’m gonna complain about the lyric I bought three waters there was 25 bucks. So like I bought the option was three drinks would have been 80 I hear you loud and clear. You know loud and clear. That is enjoying yourself this week. I’m enjoying you on Thursday. We will get in I want to do the Todd Monken thing we’ll do that we’ll talk about pricing in the business sports. I meandered it’s what I do around here. I I ramble on just like
Dennis Koulatsos 44:28
nice Nestor Aparicio. Maybe that’s that’s the ticket now going forward. Nice Nestor.
Nestor Aparicio 44:33
Well, that’ll never catch on. You know, that’ll never catch on. People say why you call yourself nasty. I’m like I call myself nice. You wouldn’t listen. So there you go. I am Nestor. We are wn St. Denis is off selling cars. Pick appreciation when the nation our friends at the Maryland lottery send us out on the road, the Maryland crabcake tour. The schedule is up. Go check it out of Baltimore positive make sure check this out on Thursday to back for more right after this. wn SDA and 1570 where we never stop talking Baltimore positive
