As the Baltimore Ravens disappear for the next six weeks, Dennis Koulatsos and Nestor do a summer check up on the Super Bowl strategy for the fall for head coach John Harbaugh and his mighty men.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
ronnie stanley, preseason games, dobbins, field, concerns, injury, jk, year, feel, week, ravens, great, beginning, stay, team, play, nestor, thursday, win, vehicles
SPEAKERS
Nestor Aparicio, Dennis Koulatsos
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
wn st Towson, Baltimore. And Baltimore positive. We’re positively into the fun summertime, where the football team’s gone away for a couple of weeks. And Luke was monitoring all those things last week and the baseball team bringing yourself into full focus but we had golf on parade on Sunday night golf making political news. We’ve got hockey over with now and basketball over with now and the fishing season has just begun for this guy, Happy Father’s Day or post Father’s Day. That is colosso some crews Baltimore 40 will be here on Thursday, driving you home and we got active baseball active fish out and all these reservoir for you. You’re for the whole summer. How are you? How was your weekend as Father’s Day,
8
Dennis Koulatsos 00:43
man, it was fantastic. Thank you for asking. Nestor had a fantastic Father’s Day weekend. Hopefully you did as well my started Friday night when the kids surprised me with my my pregnancy early because they know that I finished on Sunday. So it was just a weekend long celebration that with friends family, just very of just feeling very warm and fuzzy very blessed. So phenomenal weekend, watch some golf, you know, especially a lot.
Nestor Aparicio 01:06
I watched golf too. They make it easy. We put it on at nine o’clock at night, right? Yeah, they do. It was me all day to wait for it.
Dennis Koulatsos 01:13
Right. I mean, I watched bits and pieces throughout the week but I was able to catch the back in line and it was kept waiting for McIlroy to make a run that never materialized. But nevertheless it was a fantastic tournament.
Nestor Aparicio 01:24
8Some long putts it maybe could have should have
Dennis Koulatsos 01:28
been cold. And you know what, what do they say you drive for show when you putt for dough.
Nestor Aparicio 01:33
Oh, I mean, certainly it was a great tournament. And I would say this for me what the television thing I’ve lamented about the peacock and the Orioles and whatnot. And not watching baseball and Sunday afternoon open up the whole evening to watch golf and I don’t watch a lot of golf. So when I do invest in it, I invest in it when it’s good. I said to my wife early in the morning, I’m like, hey, you know Fowler’s in this thing. And you know McElroy is in his thing. And there’s three guys tied to 10 under the start today. Yeah, you know this can be an interesting and it’s gonna happen late in the afternoon. So my wife got a three mile hike in I got bitten in the eye by a bug and my I blew up I looked like I had a cut meat MC moment uh, you know, on Sunday at the patient first center in the morning, so I you know, I had all that going on. But the fact that sports is so vibrant again and out there and that we would be angry that we can’t get an Oreo game because we don’t have peacock.
Dennis Koulatsos 02:26
Yeah, that’s something else that we took in the game last week. Watch the Orioles, the game that we went to watch them play the Blue Jays. So right now we’re games that have a tenant Nestor, we’re one of the three for the seasons, you’re
8Nestor Aparicio 02:37
not allowed to go anymore.
Dennis Koulatsos 02:38
I’m not going to games. I don’t believe in Jesus. But it’d be nice for us to go to a game where they actually win, but it’s a nice vibe at the park. It’s a great feeling. The team is young, it’s enthusiastic. They’re hanging in there. Still trying to walk down does no good. The Tampa Bay Rays.
Nestor Aparicio 02:55
Well, this, this is an interesting week. We have real you know, a real series. It’s only two games on the road or whatever. But I mean, it smells like a little bit of a break from football, which you and I talk a lot of football and we haven’t talked football and a couple of weeks. The Dobbins thing is I we always wonder with these young men what’s going on in their minds, where their agents are where their good advice is the kind of people they surround themselves with. For any of us, the five people we surround ourselves with this will be become right? The Dobbins thing is I’m very quizzical about it. And I and I guess I shouldn’t be with young men who believe one thing or belief struck, but I don’t know what that was about last week. What do you color? How do you paint it?
Dennis Koulatsos 03:42
8Well, I think our running backs are feeling a certain kind of way. These days. They’re just the position has been devalued. They seldom get that first big contract after their rookie contract expires. And I think he’s feeling some kind of a way. And I think he has every right to I don’t know what the NFL can do about it. I think if the NFLPA was smart, at the last one he did the last CBA they would have, you know, maybe with the running backs, you have their rights for three years, maybe you can’t franchise them, because they do they get hurt early their career, they carry the load. And the teams all they do just draft another one or two, they’ve divided the position. So I think that’s the conundrum that JK Dobbins faces Nestor. And when you see a guy like Josh Jacobs, a guy like Austin ekeler, big can’t get a big deal and they’ve been on the field a lot more than than young JK Dobbins has, if they can’t get a big deal, I can’t see him getting a big deal.
Nestor Aparicio 04:35
Why I wrote to Chad weaseling, who represents Josh Jacobs and Josh has been on the show coming out of Alabama and whatnot. Chad lives here in Canton, you know, local guy, it’s his big star player. We talked about that a couple months ago when Lamar was around just about that. But when you’re coming off the injury, you haven’t really proven it. He hasn’t proven anything. JK Dobbins like I that’s the part that I just I don’t understand. And, like I don’t understand the chip Enos and I don’t understand what he thinks he’s doing, or what the negotiating What’s your outcome? That’s Tony Robbins principle no your outcome. What’s your outcome? No
Dennis Koulatsos 05:10
love Tony Robbins, he should. I suggest that’s great reading for young JK Dobbins and all the other youngsters out there. But you’re right, he needs to come into camp in shape, he needs to have a heck of a year and put himself in position to earn a big contract, which I think is gonna even if he has, let’s say he rushes for 1500 yards and scores 17 touchdowns, he’s still not going to get more than let’s call it 8 million a year, which is a lot of money to you and I but income measure turned with what the other players, positional players are earning gets a lot less. So my advice to him would be would be come in, get healthy, stay healthy, have a heck of a year, and then the market will determine his value. No different than Lamar Jackson hit his mark. It’s his value. And he was surprised that the only team and aggressiveness services at the end of the day what the Baltimore Ravens not think that’s the case with with Dobbins I think if he has a good season and he stays healthy, he’ll get a maybe a three year old year the year out of the Ravens that’s going to be appropriate market value for for running back.
Nestor Aparicio 06:09
That is Colossus is my guest I will be his guest on Thursday from three into five. He’s over coons Baltimore for security Boulevard still got 0% financing on some models. So I want to point that out as well. And so this summer of waiting with the ravens and I talked to Luke at length about this. The fact that we’re sitting here a week after mini camp talking about a disgruntled running back who may or may not be in is and we’re talking about there’s been one football and they they gave the quarterback $52 million a year to, to play with it and throw the ball around and they they didn’t rent obj to be a decoy, you know, so there’s there’s all of that going on. But the team as a whole, and the organization as a whole for what they set out to do. And to be prepared to play football against Houston, I guess 10 weeks from now 12 weeks from now that they’ve done a great job this offseason to putting this thing together mean, they are built to win and to win now. And for fans to be excited about that. And they’re excited in a lot of places. And I can hose off that Lamar hasn’t won playoff games, neither is Marlon Humphrey or Ronnie Stanley or any of these guys. But there, there is true hope here. And I feel like they really maximize their offseason, like for all the things they could have done and what the outcome could be as they break for mini camp, and they haven’t had any goofy injuries. They haven’t had a linebacker Have you find yourself that a drug house yet? I mean, all these things that have happened in previous offseasons, right? It’s quiet. And I hope it stays that way for their sake. Because they feel like they’ve built up a little bit of hope here for people that even if the Orioles don’t get there in October, that there’s a perception here that the ravens are gonna give everybody a chance for thrill in December, January.
8Dennis Koulatsos 07:52
1 and foremost, not that anyone would expect it because the unexpected does happen, oftentimes, but during mini camp, but no one got hurt, right? Everybody came out of mini camp unscathed. A couple of soft tissue injuries that are to be expected. But Ronnie Stanley was running around and rope once Smith was there, Marlon Humphrey who’s becoming a leader on that defense, and he put on himself, he said, Look, it’s time that we that we progress, it’s time that that we showed the world what we could do, because the potential is there. But to your point about them winning one playoff game next year in recent years. The I think the player the veteran players are feeling the heat to put heat on themselves. And also all the newcomers and challenging everyone to elevate her the level of play because this is a team that needs to win more than one playoff game this season, not just get into the playoffs, I need to progress I need to get there and make a deep run into the playoffs.
Nestor Aparicio 08:44
Well, you know, when they pull up in their their coons Ford vehicle, and you know, freemium ride in the offseason, down in Florida or home wherever home is, and people come see ads, you know, that’s nice. You got jewelry, you got a house, mom’s taking care of you got 50 But You wrecked the agency plane in January, you know, like these guys. That’s part of the prior to going home when you win when you win your voice, the Stanley Cup, when it comes to your hometown, when a guy from Loyola cuts down the nets as an NBA champion and a head coach that, you know, that’s that’s the goal for all these guys. And especially for the guys that have already been paid. They already drive a nice car, they already have to have they’ve had all of that. And they’ve also had bad injuries like Marlon Humphrey and Ronnie Stanley had to rehab themselves. Or even the disappointment that Lamar has had the last two years of not of watching the playoffs, watching the big games on television. That’s been their experience.
Dennis Koulatsos 09:38
And we also have the excitement of a new offense and what that brings with it and we’ll see more of it. When training camp starts for real and they put on the pads and start hitting for real and then you got 707 Then you got full team scrimmages. That’s when we’ll see what this team is made of. And hopefully the offense can start clicking. It’s gonna take time because they do have a new system as we all know what Todd Monken which is the other end Mike? I love one can he doesn’t hold back any punches when they asked him about Da Vinci so it would have been nice had he been here it would have been nice to see him just go out for a pass and I think that’s where these young men were there’s JK Dobbins or Patrick queen or or just a matter BK it served them well to show up it serves them well but to put in the time the effort and they get on the field and that’s when you earn your money Patrick queen had a really good season last year if he had to really consider this year guess what he’s gonna get paid either by the Baltimore Ravens or somebody else so I love the fact that you have a great mixture of veterans who have their bag and also the guys who are trying to get the bag I think it’s a fantastic combination
Nestor Aparicio 10:42
8well I mean the matter BK saying and you’re talking about the D line I I don’t know where my concerns are my concerns are how do you replace glaze Campbell My concerns are definitely on the back end of the secondary that that the least amount of depth there but I talked at length with Luke about the offensive line and that having to be great if that’s not great, they got big problems. And they have veteran guys there they have older guys they’re young center left guard they’re trying to figure that position out. But what are your if you’re listening concerns right now as we go into this summer, you know, other than the fact that stay out of jail, stay out of the bladder, stay in shape. You don’t eat your face off, you know, come back ready to play football and five weeks but what are your concerns about the team on the field?
Dennis Koulatsos 11:27
My concern are still at the wide receiver position that’s true. Wow. Starting off with Rashad Bateman can he get on the field
Nestor Aparicio 11:34
better not be a concern for all all the resources they put into it?
Dennis Koulatsos 11:39
But you know what? I can make a case to keep him out. No, maybe the first aid came to the seat just if there’s no need to put them in there. Let that foot heal that list. Frank injury significant although the medical profession has come a long way, in repairing the you know, the foot, it’s still a big time injury. It used to be a career ending injuries to be a death sentence for four player. So Batemans health is number one. Odell Beckham Jr. is health as number two ze flowers, can he come in progress be the real deal with his size for the Ravens? And can this team embrace this Monken offense but to meet wide receiver, it’s still the biggest concern. Then my second concern is a secondary rakia seen. Can he be the real deal? Can he be available, as he also has saved some significant injury history? And what’s the depth behind him look like? So to me, it’s wide receiver, it’s the backfield, the offensive backfield. And the defensive of the offensive line is my third biggest concern. I would say
8Nestor Aparicio 12:38
for a Super Bowl contender, we have a lot of concerns.
Dennis Koulatsos 12:43
Well, we but I think even the Kansas City Chiefs have a lot of concerns. I mean, you look at their wide receiver room a year ago, and you know, big time players there. I mean, they have a world class tight end. And Kelsey, who was on the south side of his career, but aside from that, I mean, I still can’t name all the starting receivers for the chiefs. And they lost Juju Smith Schuster to the to the patriot, let’s not forget about
Nestor Aparicio 13:04
that. So I had to show their rings to the people that don’t know them. Exactly right.
Dennis Koulatsos 13:08
8But my point is, even even a Super Bowl champion, defending champion has concerns. And the Ravens have that exponentially, right? Because they do have a lot guys that needs to stay on the field are under contract make a difference. And they have a lot to play for. But it should be an exciting season for the ravens and I can’t wait for it to start.
Nestor Aparicio 13:27
Well, it’s the wide receiver thing still, I’m gonna, I’m duly noted, I put that down. I’m more concerned about the offensive line just in a continuity standpoint, and the learning part of what they’re trying to do with Monken. And the fact that they do stay together and stay healthy. I’m not concerned that they won’t play well. I’m concerned that if there’s a breakdown in age, which does concern me, Ronnie Stanley, which always concerns me, right? I mean, I’ll be concerned about Ronnie Stanley until he’s not here anymore. And what that looks like because none of this happens without that. functioning at a very, very high level.
Dennis Koulatsos 14:01
It’s you’re 100% Correct. And history starts up front with the big uglies. This team is a is a playoff team with Ronnie Stanley. They’re not a playoff team without him. We know he said that a year ago, two years ago. He’s that big of a difference maker. He’s not what he was. But he also had plenty to lose as an All Pro perennial pro left tackle. But if he’s on the field, the Ravens have a good chance of winning, not so much if Ronnie Stanley isn’t on the field, because if he goes down, who plays left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens?
Nestor Aparicio 14:29
Well, they got to figure out the guard situation. The depth is an issue everywhere. And I guess the reason we’re so paranoid here is because there has been you know, and I think John and Eric, if you had three drinks with them, and they were really being honest with you, they feel like the injury part is the thing that has kept them away from being a championship team or championship or thought to be that way in January. Certainly it begins with Lamar, but two years ago, you go through Stanley and Humphrey and all their money not being out on the field. Hold. You know, that’s been as problematic as anything because I don’t there hasn’t been a June here, where I haven’t felt like they don’t have the talent to win.
8Dennis Koulatsos 15:09
My look, there’s always exceptions to every rule or theory, but injured players tend to stay injured. We’ve seen that through the decades of watching sports, no matter the sport guy that are hardy guys that are available. They show up and guys, you know, they get hurt no matter what happens and sometimes their freak injuries that are unavoidable, but it just seemed a certain guy that just can’t, can’t stay on the field. And that’s and we have we have a few of those that are getting in that territory.
Nestor Aparicio 15:40
Well, that’d be the biggest concern this summer is keeping guys healthy. And certainly these goofy preseason games you talk about Dobbins being, you know, whatever he is obstinate, mouthy, outspoken, mad, whatever it is. He ripped his knee up, then in that initial in Landover five minutes into the most meaningless of meaningless preseason games, I would think there’s a palpable. I mean, I’m angry that, that these franchises have come to try to take my career away. And people say, Oh, you seem like your best. Yeah, yeah, I’m kind of pissed. I am kind of pissed that billionaires would try to take my career away. I would think that if you ripped your knee up in a preseason game, and you may never get paid because of that, that you probably would carry a little little fire. And and look, everybody should tell him bring it to the field. But there wasn’t a good look for him last week. And I understand he is the he is the test tube for what’s wrong with these preseason games. And what’s wrong with the contract structure in the game, and what’s wrong with how they pay running backs. And what’s wrong with how they’re used as, as you know, Bell cows and like all of that and not to mention college. You know how much Todd Monken put his running backs through data Georgia right, ripping these guys bodies up. But you know, there is a point for all of this where like he holding out of practice did not do him any help. Who’s given advice. I’ll go back to this original
Dennis Koulatsos 17:07
well, and let me just make this clear. I’m a huge JK Dobbins fan. I think he works extremely hard. I think it’s going to come in and have been a fantastic shape. And I’m in his corner because of all the reasons you just stayed at the top and in the game. Theoretically he shouldn’t have been playing and I don’t I think they should abolish please preseason games altogether. And as I mean, college teams figure it out. They play their games 10 1011 games, they’re no preseason, they they kick it off right away. They’re playing right away in meaningful games and whether it’s JK Dobbins tearing up in the unit preseason game, or Jamal Lewis tearing up as needed practice right then that was there when he Leon Sirsi went down within minutes of each other.
Nestor Aparicio 17:45
8We saw spent his career ended this time of the year and a goofy frequent
Dennis Koulatsos 17:50
kid him and how about Gus Edwards said Marcus Peters gone down on back to back noncontact place things happen but I understand how JK Dobbins fields I mean I feel bad for him and I feel bad for the organization then ultimately, if he gets on the field if he can stay on the field and its production on the field that’s going to determine his market value for 2024 and beyond. That is go
Nestor Aparicio 18:14
out searches here he’ll bring some wisdom on Thursday from three to five and again on Sunday morning beginning at 8am until noon with his guest in the Dennis Culatta show you can follow him at D colosso. Show out on Twitter as well as at Dennis Colossus but the easiest way to find it is just go over security Boulevard jump off the beltway you can walk from the beltway up up the road to say hello when they started the construction of cross street at the security I know that’s a I’m gonna have Johnny Owens soon but that’s a big project coming your way
Dennis Koulatsos 18:41
it’s a big project we have a beautiful brand new Chick fil A which is fantastic it’s always busy over there and we have a brand new wise market across the street from this brand new Burger King all the way that
8Nestor Aparicio 18:51
wise markets like the biggest one in the it’s huge
Dennis Koulatsos 18:54
whoever runs out it’s a very well run market it’s clean. You go in there the staff they’re very friendly The shelves are stocked that is my go to market price they’re always very good selections outstanding. So here’s the commercial and the plug for why yeah we might wasn’t true I would say it you know I don’t put my name behind things that unbelieving but I’m there two or three times a week I mean that’s that’s and then they take care of all my needs. I go there for lunch sometimes and like I said plenty of parking they have a gas station there it’s it’s a one stop shop for for groceries and gas needs.
Nestor Aparicio 19:28
Well I’m gonna talk to my friends up in this Sunbury PA and say hey, go watermelon need to go watermelon over security but what does that come in? can’t come soon enough. I’ll tell you we got I got fresh tomatoes. I got fresh corn going on. Some some stuff I even said to words and I love to say more nothing. I said peach cake to my wife this weekend. So I know you probably ate a lot on Father’s Day weekend. Settle it down get back on your fish diet. Because beginning July 1 It’s peach cake season and July 1 Already If I indulge, I indulge I do. Well, hey, we’ll see you on Thursday. See again on Sunday, anybody any deals I need to know about the vehicles you got out there right now, hey,
Dennis Koulatsos 20:09
8we need to make them all go away. And again, great financing and the biggest thing and this is because we sell a ton of new vehicles, we get a ton of late model pre owned cherry use vehicles. If somebody’s looking to save money, it’s just not about the new vehicle. We got some fantastic vehicles that you can we can find at auction that are creating sin. When you sell 4050 vehicles on a weekend. You’ll get 2530 Nice trades out of it.
Nestor Aparicio 20:33
Well, that is selling them up and go buy them. That’s all I can say. I mean, it’s said finance he can’t get through better than that. My wife is still sensitive and I’m trying to you know, figure it out, but we’re gonna get over there. You got it. I am gonna be on your side of town. Am I gonna be on Wilkins Avenue? On Thursday at spirits West doing the Maryland crab cake Tour presented by our friends the Maryland lottery will be giving away scratch offs. It’s been a really lucky batch of Scratch. I’ll say a lot more winners. somehow some way maybe it’s the 50th anniversary or friends with the nation. 866 90 nation also offering two years 0% financing 866 90 nation. Go check them out. Then I will see you on Thursday hopefully on the other end of this crazy raise two game series here. But it’s nice to have like pennant race baseball while the football team goes away for a couple of weeks.
Dennis Koulatsos 21:20
It’s fantastic. It’s a great distraction for me and thanks to guys like you. You’ve really made it my passion for what a Baltimore Orioles baseball. It’s fun going down to the park once again and it’s more intimate than the football game and it’s a lot less noisy. food’s great. Parking is great. And I’ve been enjoying my trips down there at the Camden Yards.
Nestor Aparicio 21:40
Well, you’ve been bad luck so well you know, bad luck. I’m gonna Jinx you need to take me with you next time. That’s what you need to do. Take me with you. We’ll fix everything. You got it. rutschman three bombs and I go you want Dennis’s around I am around the mariners around Lucas around at least for another week. We are talking sports here as well as getting back out on the circuit of business, politics, community life charity doing all that as part of the Maryland crab cake tour, which we will start again on Thursday. 25 years. We’ve been doing it here at wn St. beginning August 3, we’re going to celebrate our 25th anniversary, beginning a Costas on the third and then a drug study on the fourth beginning where it all began in Dundalk. I am Nestor we are wn st am 1570, Towson Baltimore, and we never stop talking Baltimore positive
