Luke Jones and Nestor discuss Ravens schedule and Rio and Team Minter on the road

There are some twists and turns in the Baltimore Ravens 2026 schedule and Luke Jones and Nestor discuss a unique mix with Brazil, four nationally televised games and plenty of chances to play their way into some flex games later in the season. Make your Sunday plans now…

Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discussed the Baltimore Ravens’ 2026 NFL schedule, highlighting key games and challenges. The Ravens open against Indianapolis, followed by games against New Orleans, Dallas, Tennessee, and Atlanta. The schedule includes a notable game in Rio de Janeiro against Dallas. Luke noted the first four games are forgiving, with potential for a strong start. However, November and December feature tough matchups, including four straight AFC North games. The conversation also touched on the impact of new head coach Jesse Minter and the team’s offseason preparations, emphasizing the importance of a good start to the season.

• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Organize and run the Maryland crab cake tour next week at the Fishmonger’s Daughter (promote on the show and coordinate event logistics for next week).
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Bring and distribute Maryland Treasure scratch-off tickets as part of the Maryland crab cake tour promotion next week.
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Publish breaking news first on the WNST tech service (ensure station breaks news first via that channel).
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Develop and coordinate potential fan travel packages to Ravens away games (explore interest and logistics for Rio, Wildwood, and other trips).

Ravens Schedule Release and Initial Reactions

• Nestor Aparicio discusses the NFL schedule release, mentioning various football games throughout the week.
• Nestor shares personal anecdotes about his nicknames in school and his love for pizza.
• Nestor talks about his plans for Ocean City and the all-star games in Philadelphia.
• Nestor and Luke Jones discuss the excitement around the Ravens schedule release and the anticipation among fans.

Initial Thoughts on the Ravens Schedule

• Luke Jones comments on the spectacle and fanfare surrounding the schedule release.
• Luke notes the delay in schedule release compared to previous years and the gradual reveal of details.
• Luke highlights the forgiving nature of the Ravens’ schedule for the first five to six weeks, despite the game in Rio.
• Luke mentions the logistics of the Ravens’ home game coinciding with an Orioles night game at Camden Yards.

Detailed Breakdown of the First Four Games

• Luke Jones discusses the first four games of the Ravens’ schedule, emphasizing the importance of a strong start.
• Luke points out the challenges of the Rio game and the lack of a significant advantage for Dallas.
• Luke highlights the potential for a good start with games against Indianapolis, New Orleans, and the Titans.
• Luke mentions the importance of the Week 7 and Week 8 games against Cincinnati and Buffalo, noting the extra rest for the opponents.

Challenges and Opportunities in the Later Part of the Schedule

• Luke Jones discusses the challenges of November, with five straight games against playoff teams from the previous year.
• Luke notes the importance of the last four games of the season, all against AFC North opponents.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the potential for the Ravens to be playing for seeding or a number one seed in the AFC.
• Luke mentions the potential for flex scheduling in later games, especially against Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh.

Impact of New Coaching Staff and Player Adjustments

• Nestor and Luke discuss the impact of the new coaching staff, led by Jesse Minter, on the team’s performance.
• Luke highlights the challenges of a new offensive coordinator and the need for players to adjust to new strategies.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the importance of veteran leadership in setting the tone for the new coaching staff.
• Luke mentions the potential for the Ravens to have a successful season if they can get off to a good start.

Offseason Program and Player Participation

• Nestor and Luke discuss the offseason program, including OTAs and mandatory mini-camp.
• Luke notes the importance of veteran players participating in the offseason program to set a positive tone.
• Luke mentions the upcoming open OTA sessions and the media’s ability to observe practice.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the importance of the offseason program in preparing for the upcoming season.

Final Thoughts on the Ravens Schedule and Team Outlook

• Nestor and Luke discuss the overall forgiving nature of the Ravens’ schedule and the potential for a strong start.
• Luke highlights the importance of the first four games in setting the tone for the season.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the potential challenges of the later part of the schedule, especially in November and December.
• Luke mentions the importance of the last four games in determining the Ravens’ playoff seeding and potential success.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Ravens schedule, Rio de Janeiro, Jesse Minter, NFL games, Baltimore Ravens, John Harbaugh, Lamar Jackson, AFC North, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills.

SPEAKERS

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Luke Jones, Nestor Aparicio

Nestor Aparicio  00:02

Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T AM, 1570 to Baltimore. We’re Baltimore positive, positively getting into Preakness weekend here into Monday Night Football, Sunday night football, Thursday night football, Wednesday night football, Friday afternoon football. The National Football League schedule is out. We will be doing the Maryland crab cake tour next week at the fishmonger’s daughter, I will have the Maryland treasure scratch offs. I’m more I see this boardwalk when the more I’m like, yeah, yeah, I need 90 degrees. I’m wearing my farn in a derma sweatshirt here this morning, because I’m chilly. It will not be chilly on Monday or Tuesday around here, as we’ll get the get the super soakers out and all need all of that. And if you need plumbing, and if your air conditioning is a mess, you need our friends at Farnham and Derma, they’re the comfort guys, 410, 367777, as well as our friends at GBMC that gave me a real education. I talked there, Dr Shauna castanet on on the GLP one shot and obesity and weight loss and Luke, I bet you didn’t know that my seventh grade nickname at hollybird Junior High and and several people in my life who confirmed this was meatball, and then after that, it was Dough Boy. So no wonder that. You know, I like pizza so much. And maybe think of the dough roller down on Ocean City on the boardwalk. You are making your Ocean City your excuse me, ocean plans for Wildwood in July. And a lot of folks don’t know the all star games right up in Philadelphia, right? I mean, we had this PGA tournament this weekend up right outside of Wayne, Pennsylvania, outside of Philly. My wife saw it, and I swear to you, dude. I mean this, we were sitting out having dinner on on Thursday night, and I almost went to a golf tournament on Friday, because it’s a major, and my wife’s never been to a golf tournament. I kind of promised her I’d take her to one, and the weather’s nice, and it’s she’s like, but I have an 8am all in meeting, and I’m like, Darn, can’t go to that golf tournament. So and I know you and I are plotting a little summer adventure with the the Red Sox and Fenway pack. Maybe have some Fenway Franks and maybe get some of that special banana bread french toast that you remember that I don’t near Fenway Park, but lots of folks Wait, and I’m one of them, when the Ravens schedule comes out to think, are we going to go somewhere exotic this year, like Indianapolis, Atlanta, Rio de Janeiro, so the Ravens fans who do travel, Leonard Raskin and I talked about Rio, it forced me to find my old pictures from 20 years ago atop Corcovado, flying High above Ipanema and Copacabana beach that lots folks wait for this to happen to plan weddings, bar mitzvahs, baptisms, New Year’s Eve, they’re playing on Christmas. They’re not Thanksgiving, if you’re in Buffalo, make plans for the game. So, you know they milk this thing, dude. And used to be one of my all time favorite days, because I’ve really pissed Dick Cass off every year when I scoop the schedule out from underneath of the Ravens people. But that’s so 20 years ago and so long ago, back when I was had a press credential and you didn’t, but the schedule’s out, and let’s stretch that’s what they do on the television. Stretches into a three hour extravaganza about how the ravens are going to begin in Indianapolis, and I can break my cold spell, buckles out and all that stuff, but schedules a little bit of a yawn. Or this year, don’t you think?

Luke Jones  03:51

Yeah, it is. I mean, it absolutely is. I mean, it’s funny, you just mentioned the fanfare, the spectacle that it’s become. I mean, it’s one thing to talk about the special on Thursday night or whatever night they ultimately release it in any given year. I mean, they pushed it back. Remember, it used to be much more of an April thing, and now it’s become a mid May thing. But they bread crumb it, right? I mean, all the international games, they leak out, okay, which Week One games are going to be in prime time, all that, which it’s fine, but you do get to a point where it’s just like, just release the thing, right? Just Just release it. But we, you and I didn’t talk about this a whole lot, because there was so much else going on right? As soon as the season end, we ended. We weren’t talking about the 2026 opponents. We were talking about fired head coach and a new head coach and a new coaching staff, and go down the list, but all along, and this is one of the big reasons why the ravens are still at or near the top. When you look at the win, loss totals for 2026 you look at the schedule and look, we know it’s a different season. We know there’ll be surprises, we know there’ll be disappointments, but you look at the schedule on paper for the Baltimore Ravens with a new head coach. Position with all the transition that they’ve undergone this year, it’s a pretty forgiving schedule overall, right? I think you look at the first five, six weeks fully, acknowledging the game in Rio, but Dallas has to travel to Rio as well, right? It’s not as though the Cowboys play in Brazil and have this home field advantage, but acknowledging that, you kind of look at these first few weeks, the first five, six weeks of the schedule, it should set up for the ravens to hopefully get off to a pretty nice start, right? And we’ve talked a lot at the last couple years about slow starts. This is a year at Indianapolis home against New Orleans, which, by the way, coincides with an Orioles night game at Camden Yards. So that’s going to be very interesting. That has not happened very often, as you know. So the logistics of that, we’ll see. But then Dallas home against Tennessee, Sunday night game in Atlanta against the Falcons team, that what the what is the quarterback picture going to look like? You know? Is it pennix coming back? Is it Tula? We’ll see, but certainly not a team that you view as a juggernaut. And then they go to Cleveland the week after that. From that point on, the schedule picks up, and November’s pretty daunting. And then, of course, they finish with four straight AFC North games. But you look at this schedule and fully acknowledging, hey, the ravens are coming off of an eight, nine season, right? They were not very good last year. The injuries were a big part of it, but they just weren’t very good. That’s why John Harbaugh isn’t the coach anymore. But I think you look at the schedule on paper, it should, and I emphasize should, set up for them to be in a position to have a pretty good season, right? And put get back to where they had been in previous years. So it’s not terribly exciting. It’s not terribly difficult. Again, fully understanding 2026 is not the same as 2025 but you look at the schedule, there’s nothing that really jumps out that is, quote, unfair. The one note that I would make, and I put this out on social media that week seven and week eight, where they play the Bengals at home, and then they go to Buffalo, both Cincinnati and the bills are coming off their bye week. And when you’re talking about extra rest and matchups like that, that is something that not crying the blues for the ravens, but that’s you know, that that’s a little less than ideal when you’re talking about how important those two matchups could be. But other than that, man, I mean, you look at the schedule and say, if this team’s good, like, if this team ends up being one of the better teams in the AFC, this is the kind of schedule that, on paper, you would say that if they’re legit, they should be playing for not just the division and not just the playoffs, but they should be a team that should be jockeying for a pretty high seed in the AFC, if they’re that legit, because the schedule on paper, again, doesn’t look all that daunting. November’s tough, but beyond that like this, there’s no stretch of like six or seven games where you say, oh my gosh, five of them are on the road, and they’re playing this team and that team, and they’re so they look so tough. I mean this, this sets up for what you hope will be quite a rebound season and quite a good season to kick off the Jesse Minter era.

Nestor Aparicio  08:17

You know, I was thinking about this because I was out and about when the text arrived on the wnst tech service. It kind of came a little earlier than I thought, at 730 then eight o’clock it did, yeah, so, like, it just happened at 737 and I’m like, Oh, here they come. And I literally was in my car. My wife was in the grocery store, literally, and I’m watching them happen, and I’m reading the tea leaves, and I swear to God, I got to the third one, brought to you by cold roofing and Gordian energy, before I realized John Harbaugh’s gone. Because I, you know, for 20 years, it was, what does har ball think? What I always put myself in that mindset of, because maybe my relationship with Brian was, you know, Brian was always there screwing us. I think that came from David more than Brian, probably in a general sense. But I always think, like week to week. And Brian would always talk about quartiles, like, a month at a time. Let’s eat the whale one bite at a time here. Just how is this going to work if we get an injury, if we you know, we’re going to be fatigued, right?

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Nestor Aparicio  09:31

How are

Nestor Aparicio  09:31

we going to have to have shorter practices? Weird travel Rio, weird game times. Monday night always sucked, right? Monday night through everything off for two weeks because you sit around all day. Monday, you sit around all day. Sunday, you fly on Sunday night like it’s just funky playing Monday Night Football. Always funky for me as a media member, funky for you. Three, three o’clock in the morning. So 422, standing in front of the Providence airport. Wait. For them to let me in after being up all night sideways in a snowstorm in Foxborough. So yeah, I mean, I one o’clock Sunday, my dude, Brian Baldinger, who I give a shout out to baldies breakdowns, and I saw him because he was breaking out his passport. I shared it on Facebook. He’s been to 70 countries. It forced me to see how many I’ve been to. It’s like something I don’t even know, but it’s like nothing, like 70. But baldy’s been like Johnny Cash, been everywhere. And he would always say, life for the football players, the fruit fly, seven day life cycle every seven days you want to play at one o’clock on Sunday, you feel that, Well, I certainly have a little bit of that start the season, and that speaks to the mediocrity of their eight and nine and their fire coach and all of that. And I did think about this like, what does Jesse Minter make of this? And it’s probably still drinking from whatever fire hose a new head coach will be drinking from at this point, even though he knows his way around the building and doesn’t have a center amongst other things. You know, everybody wants to trade the quarterback off now because datum signed him long term. So this is the time of the year where it’s like, what will the giants do to protect Jackson Dart? You know, when I’m rummaging around New York, seeing Springsteen on Monday night, this is what these are the headlines I’m seeing around. I actually saw that one at Lexington market going to the bathroom the other day. Big television there Lexington market. It’s deep thoughts about the chief secondary in May, and I guess till the schedule comes out. Now we’re gonna have deep thoughts about going to Brazil. But I do think there’s a point for new head coach to look at this. What does Jesse Minter think of this? I don’t know. Like same thing you and I think about it like that sort of bills, Jacksonville, Cincinnati stretch is like a little thing. I looked at it from the Nestor schedule point of, oh, I don’t go to any of these games anymore, so it doesn’t matter to me anymore. Had a little bit of that after for 30 years. It mattering a lot where I went to the ends of the earth and Marvin Lewis and Rex, Ryan and Mike Patton and all over the league, to get schedules from everybody everywhere that I could to be the guy who broke news, because I was obsessed with that stuff back in the day, unhealthily obsessed with it in some ways, and also because I did trips, it was a huge night for me to find out when they were playing in Atlanta on a Sunday night, and that the fact that They can flex all these games and dates and stuff like good luck to Brian and all the people that you know book these trips and run around doing that now, and digital tickets, and I haven’t even gotten into the fact that I had to show my passport four times to get into an ACDC concert In Santiago, that these transferable licenses that are going on with tickets and how many tour operators Thursday night becomes the biggest thing in the world trying to get people to Brazil. But Jesse Minter sees this, looks at it, and just sees a schedule and a breakdown of travel and an availability issue for what players are going to be sore and tired after a Sunday game when they have to play on Thursday night. And also, sort of the late buy and sort of the mini buys that are built into this around the first of the year, because they do play that weird Thursday night game in Cincinnati on New Year’s Eve and, yeah, I don’t know. There’s no There’s no bus travel here. There’s no the Buffalo game being played at one o’clock. I mean, that feels like it’s gonna get flexed out if they’re both 11 and one. So I don’t know you. You tell me how we stretch this into a three hour program today, other than, can you do the samba, and do you have a passport and you need a visa to go to Brazil? And, yeah, I don’t know, and I’m not running a trip unless I get inspired that enough people hit me really want to go to Machu Picchu that I’ll take them, but we’re stopping them. Mendoza for some Malbec, yeah,

Luke Jones  14:21

I think you look at the schedule. I mean, you go back to what you mentioned about Brian Billick, how you’d kind of look at orders of the season, right, core tiles of the season. And obviously it was easier than when you had 16, and now it’s 17. It’s going to go to 18 at some point here in the near future. But you do look at those first four games. And as I said, Rio is a challenge, there’s no doubt, but it is for Dallas also, right? Dallas doesn’t have any distinct advantage, even though

Nestor Aparicio  14:46

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I’m kind of stunned that they’re not giving them an extra day on both sides of it. You know that they didn’t play that like I’m stunned that that that it’s normal,

Luke Jones  14:54

what it’s only but it is only an hour difference, right? Times are now time travel wise, of course. Course, it’s more travel, but time zone wise, it’s not crazy different. But yeah, it’s, it’s that’s a challenge. But I will say this, if you’re having to play a week later without an extra day or anything like that, you’re playing at home, and the Tennessee Titans are coming in, and let’s face it, that used to mean something in this town, but whatever that rivalry once was, and it was a good, underrated, ferocious kind of rivalry, I mean, it’s unrecognizable at this point. It’s as unrecognizable as the Titans are wearing Houston Oilers knockoffs at this point in time as their regular uniform. By the

Nestor Aparicio  15:36

way, the flight time from Dulles to Rio is 10 hours.

Luke Jones  15:42

I was gonna guess,

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Nestor Aparicio  15:44

yeah, I mean, and I’ve, I’ve made this flight, made this flight recently the South America, you don’t go through what you go through changing time zones. I mean, there’s, you know, there is no doubt about that. But like, 10 hours you’re losing overnight, I woke up in Montevideo other than this nice seat that I have that I sit on now this cushion, I can’t say that I was completely refreshed in Montevideo after sleeping upside down on a plane. Nor would I want to play a football game in 12 or 14 or 24 hours and then have to return back and be a practice on Wednesday. So like, I don’t that that’s just strange to me. I thought a 10 hour flight would be more like, I don’t even know, like from LA or San Francisco to to Sydney’s 14, probably 16 hour flight. I mean, you and they’re doing that early and giving themselves three days on the other end, I would bet against the Ravens the following week. How about that? Add a couple points to their points? Brett,

Luke Jones  16:47

I mean, I was just gonna say, I mean, I can see maybe not liking them as much, but, I mean, it’s the Tennessee Titans are playing, right? I mean, if the bills were coming in, if the chiefs were coming in, like, even if it was a Division team, but, but yeah, but you look at those first four games in general, and again, acknowledging Rio long travel all that, but you look at those first four games before they go down to Atlanta for Sunday Night Football against the Falcons team that look Bijon Robinson is a phenomenal football player. They’ve got some talented players, but until they have that quarterback situation figured out, like, what are the Falcons? Right? So, but you look at those first four games prior to that, I don’t know about you, I look at that those first four like they better be three and one at a minimum. I would say, right? Like, if they’re two and two or then I’m because I’m not a big believer in Indianapolis. I’m not a big, you know, New Orleans. I mean, Chuck the quarterback is interesting, but I don’t know if that defense is good enough that they’re going to amount to much this year. Like I said, the Cowboys game, fine. You know that that’s a toss up, right? I’ll fully acknowledge that. But then coming home and playing the titans like those first four games should set up unlike last year, where we talked at length about how much of a bear the early schedule was, this should set up for them to get off to a decent start. And I think the other thing when you’re talking about Jesse Minter and a new coaching staff and the attention on them, it probably doesn’t get much better than going to Indianapolis and playing Week One on the Road at one o’clock. And I don’t mean that

Nestor Aparicio  18:18

playing the saints and the Titans early stink, sort of, you know,

Luke Jones  18:24

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Cowboys game that’s in the late afternoon window, so there’ll be more attention toward that. But those first four games,

Nestor Aparicio  18:31

they can win all four of those games.

Luke Jones  18:32

But it’s also just, you know, it’s out of the spotlight other than Rio, right? And even that. I mean, that’s not Sunday Night Football. That’s not a standalone, pure national television game. So it kind of sets up for a new, first time head coach, to be able to fly under the radar for a few weeks. Get get your sea legs, get your coaching legs, you know, iron out whatever kinks you might have in terms of challenging plays and managing, you know, game day operations, all that. And then from that point on, after they go to Atlanta, things will start to pick up. You’ll go to Cleveland for your first division game. The Bengals will come here, as I mentioned, Cincinnati will be coming off their by I’m with you. The biggest shock of the entire schedule, you know, the Ravens entire schedule was playing in Buffalo at one o’clock on a Sunday afternoon. You’re right. It could get flexed, but November 1, that’s still relatively early for flexing, right? I mean, you can do it, but unless the team has a loses their quarterback to a season ending injury the first couple weeks of the season, you generally don’t see that many games flex that early in the schedule,

Nestor Aparicio  19:42

that Texans games also another game that’s sort of like a big quarterbacks game, you know. And part of it is just how good is this team going to be, then it’s got their coach fire, their eight and nine schedule maker looked at it that way, like, you know, I don’t say they got pushed around. I. Okay, yeah.

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Luke Jones  20:00

I mean, it’s, you know, are they getting top of the league kind of love, no, but they still have four primetime games, I mean, and again, you look at some of those later in the season games. I mean, Houston, sure. I mean that that’s one that could be flexed if, if, depending on how whatever the national TV games are that week Tampa Bay. I mean, Tampa Bay coming to Baltimore mid December. What are the Bucks going to be? They absolutely collapsed last year. I mean, is bowls still going to be their head coach, or is he going to get fired in week five, if they look like they did the second half of last year in Pittsburgh on December 20, that could always be flexed, right? I mean, the the week 18 game is TBD. That could be Sunday Night Football, if, if it matters, right? So there’s plenty of flexible

Nestor Aparicio  20:48

that last month is also maybe we skipped a lead about how easy the beginning is the end division games, yeah. I mean, like the

Luke Jones  20:56

division, yeah,

Nestor Aparicio  20:57

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yeah. I have no idea what Cincinnati and Pittsburgh are. But if they are in R and the Ravens R and R, if the ravens are a joke anyway, because Lamar, something happens him in week seven, and they’re seven and eight by the time they get there, doesn’t matter. But, like I would think, that of the teams, I believe more in the Ravens than the rest of them, but I don’t not believe in Cincinnati. You always defecate upon them. I always mentioned Joe burrow and their defense, right? And then Pittsburgh, I, you know, we always say no, no bueno, and we’ll find out what kind of coach Mike Tomlin was. You know, he’s gone now, and let’s see if McCarthy can make them eight and eight by the time that you know something relevant to where that game would be relevant, like it was last year. Was very relevant last year you and I got in the car, yeah, which is more than you were willing to do to go to Yankee Stadium. Last week. You weren’t willing to do that. So, big game. You’re big game, Luke, but, but I don’t know those feel like big games to me, no matter what, they’re big games because somebody’s got to win a division, and ain’t gonna be Cleveland. You Cleveland. So whether it’s Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, whatever the Ohio Bo triangle is, those games are going to be massive at the end of the year. So for somebody, even if they’re eight and eight versus eight and eight, they’re big games.

Luke Jones  22:18

Or even if, even if the best case scenario that that the ravens are well on their way to winning the division, are they playing for seeding, right? Or are they playing for a number one seed? Are they playing for the number two seed, like, whatever it might be, yeah. I mean, you look at the last four games. I mean, it’s the first time in franchise history, they finish the regular season with four straight division games. That includes a Thursday night game in Cincinnati. No Ravens fans. We should not be complaining about that, because the Ravens hosted Cincinnati for Thursday night football three years in a row.

Nestor Aparicio  22:49

You also don’t get a dome game for Lamar and you don’t get a nice weather game. Probably out of those four weeks, you might get one that’s decent, the other two will stink and one will be awful in some way, because they’re all outdoor, just sort of a general 34 degrees and rain and sideways or something awful happening. But, you know, I like when they play in Atlanta or Indianapolis at that time of year, or someplace where, hey, well, Lamar gets a week down Houston in a dome, you know, like that. That always in this offense with the way this team play. I didn’t feel that way necessarily about Flacco or the Jamal Lewis era, the Ray Lewis era. I definitely feel that way about the Lamar Jackson era. For

Nestor Aparicio  23:26

me.

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Luke Jones  23:26

Yeah. I mean, even though you have Derrick Henry, if you’re going to have some rough elements, obviously, but yeah, I mean, it’s we saw what happened on Christmas two years ago when they went to Houston and they were playing inside on Christmas Day, you know, Christmas afternoon. And they absolutely embarrassed the Texans so but, yeah, you look at those last four games, I mean, it’s AFC North football, you know, whether they’re going to be grinding it out just to make the playoffs, or they’re grinding it out trying to win the division, or if things go spectacularly well and they’re playing for their number one seed, you would think that those games are going to matter unless something’s really gone wrong. So, yeah, at Pittsburgh, home against Cleveland, like that’s the one where you say you better, better take care of business in that one, right? I mean, I think we’re all assuming nothing against Todd moncken, nothing even against the Cleveland defense that, you know, miles, Garrett is a first ballot Hall of Famer, unbelievable, etc, etc. But until they figure out the quarterback, you kind of look at them and say, Well, what are they going to be? Are they going to be worst in the league, or are they going to be, you know, six, six and 11, right? I mean, it’s doesn’t,

Nestor Aparicio  24:37

how

Nestor Aparicio  24:37

about bills and ravens getting together? And no idea like, have we said last year both of the coaches would have been fired?

Nestor Aparicio  24:45

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Yeah.

Nestor Aparicio  24:45

I mean that just would have not even it would have been unthinkable a year ago today to be thinking about and how much the league will change by December, and how we perceive whatever the charger. Errs or the Jaguars or the Texans to be based on their quarterbacks, right? Like all three of those teams have lottery pick quarterbacks, Billboard quarterbacks, put buffalo in there too, that, you know, they play all of those teams with those quarterbacks later, let alone Aaron Rodgers, Joe burrow, you know, whatever the browns, whatever that outfit is, but where do you find those teams? I have no idea what he’s going to find with his brother when the Chargers play, right? I mean, that’s always a weird thing. They’ll be milking before Thanksgiving or whatever, but I’m with you. It’s a quiet schedule in the one o’clock game part of it. And I think from that perspective,

Luke Jones  25:45

coaches love that.

Nestor Aparicio  25:46

Jesse mentor will

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Nestor Aparicio  25:47

love

Luke Jones  25:47

veteran players. Veteran players love that younger players. You know, there’s still some allure for prime time. And look, I mean, Prime Time games are fun. I’m not gonna but for the older generations of the fan base, I think you find more and more they’re like, I’m fine with one o’clock games. I mean, that’s but, yeah, you never know. I mean, look at Jacksonville, right? I mean, the Ravens host Jacksonville on a Thursday night game. Liam Cohen, what he did with the Jaguars last year. I mean, if you’re Jesse Minter, you’d love to have a Liam Cohen kind of season as a first year head coach. I mean, they they won their division, they lost, albeit in the first round in to Buffalo. But, you know, they had a great first season, so it

Speaker 1  26:27

doesn’t

Nestor Aparicio  26:27

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feel like a pushover game on the calendar to me the way it once did.

Luke Jones  26:31

Yeah. I mean, a year ago, you’re saying, oh, oh, they’re playing the Jaguars and they have a first year head coach, and number

Nestor Aparicio  26:38

nine

Nestor Aparicio  26:38

years ago, we’re like, oh, they’re playing the Jaguars and Wembley, that’ll be an easy game.

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Luke Jones  26:43

I mean, you

Nestor Aparicio  26:43

wasn’t

Luke Jones  26:44

then either. Which games? Which games are the sleeper games in that way? You know, as much as I a few minutes ago, was just talking them down the Tennessee Titans cam wards in his second year. Robert Sala is the head coach. You know, he’s respected around the league. You know, they they were active this offseason. That could be a different team.

Nestor Aparicio  27:04

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We’re wearing their jerseys here with foreign right now, right? They’re going to come in here wearing the Oilers jerseys, you

Luke Jones  27:10

know. And let me be clear, that’s not me saying that. I think they’re going to upset the Ravens. No, I don’t think that at all. But if you’re trying to look at this and say, Okay, who are the teams that are on a path to be better than expected. You know, that’s a team you could try to make an argument for Carolina. I mean,

Nestor Aparicio  27:26

my question is, are the Ravens one of those teams? You know?

Luke Jones  27:29

Well, I think they’re certainly counting on that. I mean, if we’ve said it every time Lamar Jackson’s stayed healthy in a season, they’re right there, right? I mean, they’re right there, not just right there, but looking like a team that can be one of the best in the AFC, so that that’s such a big part of it. But you look at it, you know, at Carolina, that, to me, is a little bit of a sneaky potential trap game. Not that the Panthers were all that impressive last year. I mean, they won a terrible division last year. They were at what eight and nine. Bryce young, still lots to prove there. However, that’s the ravens are coming off of a Monday night home game. So short week could be a physical game against the chargers, right? It’s not the HAR ball bowl anymore, but it’s Jesse Minter against his former mentor and Jim Harbaugh, Michigan and the Chargers. So I could see why that game had a little bit of national appeal, in addition to just the teams looking good on paper. So that Carolina game could be one of those where you better come ready to play. You know that that feels like, if you’re trying to sell me on that being a little bit of a trap game, I could absolutely see that, you know, they go to Houston the following week. But you know, they’ve got a they’ve got a week 13 by and we know all things being equal. Yes, you’d rather your buy be late than early. However, when it’s that late and you’ve had to navigate 12 regular season games, you know you better hope that you’re not dealing with a ton of injuries. Week Seven, week eight, because then that buy feels like it’s way too late for you. So, but when you have an early December buy, when you have a buy that’s right around Thanksgiving, somewhere in that sweet spot, you know that’s where you look at it and say, All right, a chance to recharge and then finish the season strong, and hopefully take that momentum into January, if, if you’re playing at that kind of level. So, so you do look at it that way. I mean, it is funny to me. You know, not that this is anything crazy, but they have a Thursday night game against Jacksonville, and then they play a Monday night home game. So they have an extended break there where, you know, you get a mini buy and you’re home on the other side of that also. So as as as challenging as that, the back to back games could be, because you’re talking about two playoff teams there. They’re both at home, and it does come with a little bit of a rest in between. So I thought that was interesting. But again, we kind of go back to what we said at the top. I mean, this is not nothing about this. Schedule that screams, oh my gosh. That is, that is a murderer’s row of games. But, but on the flip side, there’s also enough there to say that you’re not just going to roll the ball out and go 14 and three like you’ve got to play well, right? They November. They’re playing Five straight playoff teams from a year ago. So hopefully at that point, Jesse Minter fully has his sea legs. Declan Doyle is humming as a play caller, right? I mean, we’ve talked about it. He’s never called plays at any level, so that’s going to be an adjustment for him. You’re hoping that this defense is, you know, fully acclimated to the changes that Minter and Anthony Weaver are going to implement to to get back to where they were a couple years ago, more like how they played under Mike McDonald and how it went under Zach Gore the last couple years so but again, you look at the schedule, I mean, it’s more forgive forgiving overall early on, November is challenging, and then December, It’s you’re kind of at the mercy of, okay, how good is the division, right? Because there are question marks. I mean, my goodness, you have two brand new head coaches for the two teams that were the best last year. Cincinnati has made some changes. Has it been enough? I mean, they’ve added Dexter Lawrence. I mean, is that defense better? But

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Nestor Aparicio  31:21

that becomes a measuring stick in the middle of December. I mean, really at this point, like, it’ll be an attrition battle by then, right? For all of these teams, it always is, right. Like, name the quarterbacks and tell me which ones are standing and I’ll tell you what their records are by then, right?

Luke Jones  31:36

Sure. I mean, no question so. And it’s funny to say it’s December, but it’s really late December into early January. I mean, the last game of the season is January, 9 or 10th, depending on, you know, whether they put the Raven Steelers in prime time or Saturday night or something. That

Nestor Aparicio  31:52

New Year’s Eve thing in Cincinnati is nice. I’ve done a New Year’s Eve in Cincinnati. It’s hard to get sleep in the downtown Weston when the fireworks are blowing up outside of your window. So Luke Jones is here. Do you have anything else on the schedule? Because I was going to lead you into who’s going to be their center and just sort of a little football centering on the OTAs, because I don’t even know which week is what for my own calendar. They’re going to go out and slap it around here for a couple of weeks and play some fake football, a little bit for you and and for each other, but, my God, it’s Memorial days next week, and then we slap them on the button, send them home pretty soon, right? So it feels like the offseason program has been pretty quiet thus far.

Luke Jones  32:34

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Yeah, and you want it, you want it to be, I mean, it. It seems like Lamar Jackson has been there, right? We’ve seen enough social media evidence that he’s been there, even if not every day, that he’s been there a lot, right? And that’s, you know, I never look at Veterans and say you must be there every single day of the voluntary program, from April, 4 through June, 15. But want your vets to be there on the regular, right? I mean, guys might take a vacation or something like that. But you want guys there. It feels like it’s been that. But OTAs officially start next week. They’ll have one open per week to the media.

Nestor Aparicio  33:10

Well, can’t feel like a different coach, in a different leadership, in a different team, unless you’re in with the you know, in with them a little bit. You know what I mean? Like, you don’t want to walk in there next week and not know anybody, and they certainly have made great strides to make sure that that would not happen, even with the rookies who came a couple weeks ago,

Nestor Aparicio  33:28

right?

Luke Jones  33:28

Yeah, yeah. So, so business starts to pick up at this point, and so you have three weeks of OTAs and and then mandatory, or mandatory mini camp will be mid June, and to your point. Then you go on break and with, with the season starting a little bit later this year, obviously they don’t kick off till September 13. You know, that’s the first Sunday of the regular season. A training camp will probably be a little I haven’t heard an official date just yet, but it probably will be more towards the last week of July, rather than, you know, July 20, or something like that. So, but we’ll hear from that. We’ll hear that officially here in the near future. But you look at the schedule and and if, if Jesse Minter ends up being a great head coach and has the kind of success that his predecessor had in year one, you go back to 2008 and consider what the expectations were for that team going into the season, and then what they ended up being. If Jesse Minter can have that kind of impact as a first year head coach, you look at the schedule, it, it could set up for the ravens to be there, contending for the number one seed, right? I mean, I’m not going to sit here and say they couldn’t do that, but that said, there are very much questions on this team, like center right, like how a first year offensive coordinator, first year play calling offensive coordinator, is going to do, how this team is going to take to this kind of change for the first time in the careers of many of these guys. I mean, even someone like Ronnie. Stanley, who’s been added a decade now, decade plus, he’s got a different head coach for the first time. You know, he’s experiencing that for the first time. That’s different. And for as much as fans want to do this thing, where all this this looks so much better, and this is going to be so much better under Jesse Manor and that, yada yada yada. And every team does that about a new head coach, replacing someone that was fired because of a bad season, right? At the same time, what about the players? Right? You know, you can’t complain about John Harbaugh anymore, right? You can’t complain about Todd moncken anymore. You can’t complain about Zach Orr anymore. So you look at veteran leadership, you know the players on this team, and say, All right, guys, the slate has been wiped clean. Don’t let what happened last year happen again, right? So there is some of that in terms of urgency from the Veterans to lead right, to set the tone when you have a new head coach and new coordinators and a new coaching staff. So, but all of that being said in the same, same things going on in Pittsburgh right now, right same thing’s going on in Buffalo right now. I mean, it’s a it’s very strange territory when you’re talking about teams with that kind of profile, just sticking with the A, F, C that have new head coaches. I mean, Buffalo was in the playoffs last year, Pittsburgh was in the playoffs. I mean, the Ravens were a Tyler loop Miss away from being in the playoffs. You typically don’t see those kind of teams changing coaches, but that’s where we stand in 2026 and well, that’s

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Nestor Aparicio  36:33

what made this job so attractive to Jesse Minter, question, if it’s so attractive and you have an MVP quarterback,

Nestor Aparicio  36:39

then

Nestor Aparicio  36:40

go win,

Luke Jones  36:40

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there should be an opportunity to be playing football into late January, and we’ll see what happens after that. But you’ve got to get off to a good start. And that’s that, to me, is the big thing. One in five last year, oh, and two the year before that, which they overcame, but that cost them think, think about it, that, oh and to start, that was the difference between them going up to Orchard Park for the divisional round and losing compared to the bills having to come to Baltimore, right? I mean that right, there could have been the difference. So getting off to a good start is paramount. I think it’s critical for this team psyche. However, you do have a new head coach and end up a first time play calling offensive coordinator and who is going to be the center, right? I mean, you do have some of those factors where you’re going to look at that and say things could be choppy, just being practical about it, things could be choppy if it’s going to be choppy with from an operational standpoint, this September schedule is pretty forgiving. Rio aside that first month of the season, it should set up for this team to get off to a good start if they’re one in three going into week five. Man, I’m really asking what happened in terms of like, Man, did Lamar get hurt? Or have they lost three starters on defense or something like that? Because you just look at this, not trying to diss Indy, not trying to diss New Orleans or the Titans, you know, cowboys are the Cowboys, right? But that, that’s, that’s the kind of first month that you’d like to think this team can be three in one at, you know, kind of at a minimum, going into then the second quarter of this, of the season. But they’ve got a lot to prove. They have a new head coach for a reason. They were disappointing last year. They were not very good last year. So yeah, it’s on everyone to come out of the gate fast and get off to a good start. And then, yeah, people will start paying attention, even if it will be kind of a an understated start under Jesse Minter with three, uh, three of those first four games being one o’clock CBS games.

Nestor Aparicio  38:45

Sick of talking football already ready for baseball. You ready to get back to the nationals and the Orioles? Or no? Yeah,

Luke Jones  38:51

hopefully, hopefully it’s good stuff to talk about, right? Series win over the Yankees. Great. Got to build on it. Just have to build on it. Or all it is, then is a series win against

Nestor Aparicio  39:00

the Yankees. But you’re still not very like we said. You get Bradish and rushman right now. Can you get Henderson and Alonso in and Bassett and some of the rest of these veteran guys? He is Luke. He is Baltimore. Luke. Any breaking news will happen first on the wnsd tech service, brought to you by cold roofing and Gordian energy. We now know when we’re going to Rio, when we’re going to Houston, what time we’re playing in Atlanta, what date we’re playing in Cincinnati? It’s New Year’s Eve, so all the schedule, all that stuff’s out of Baltimore, positive and probably anywhere that you travel, if you are traveling, we’re trying to put some travel together here. I will be spotted somewhere near the strip or off the strip at some point in the next couple of days, and then Don’s down on the strip as well before I get back here next week as well. And all of our coverage and all of our Maryland crab cake tour stuff, brought to you by our friends at the Maryland lottery and farnand Durham with the comfort guys, as it gets a little more uncomfortable next week with the hot. Weather. If you break down Jerome fault, because I told you to call him last month, but you can still call him, 410-367-7777, they are the comfort guys. And GBMC keeping me comfortable as well. Schedules out. Baseball’s happening. They’re going to run a meaningless race down in Laurel. We are W and st, am 1570 tasks in Baltimore, and we never stop talking Baltimore positive. Stay with us.