Picking a winner – on and off the field

As the games wind down on the field and the head coaching search heats up in Owings Mills, Luke Jones and Nestor discuss the four-team chase for the Super Bowl and all of the coaching involved who are apparently coveted by Steve Bisciotti and Eric DeCosta in this job search.

Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discussed the NFL Divisional Playoffs and the Ravens’ head coach search. They highlighted the 15-year streak of the Kansas City Chiefs or New England Patriots reaching the AFC title game. Luke noted the Patriots’ potential with Jared Stidham as quarterback. Nestor criticized the NFL season’s lack of greatness and expressed frustration with the Ravens’ performance. They debated the importance of the new coach’s ability to connect with Lamar Jackson and the team’s dynamics. Nestor emphasized the need for a coach who can handle Lamar’s practice attendance and overall team management.

• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Schedule and host the ‘cup of soup or bowl’ event beginning in two weeks at Fay Lee’s and promote the kickoff on the show
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Distribute Maryland Lottery ‘candy cane cash’ giveaways during the upcoming cup of soup events and mention them on-air
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Prepare and air archival radio segments (Brian Billick, Tony Siragusa, Jim Fassel, Tiki Barber, Rod Woodson, Shannon Sharpe, etc.) for the 25th anniversary and Super Bowl week programming
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Post David Modell’s profile article to the show’s Facebook page and promote it on-air
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Provide breaking Ravens hiring and related breaking-news updates first via the WNST tech service and alert listeners if purple plumes or other developments occur

NFL Divisional Playoffs and Ravens Head Coach Search

• Nestor Aparicio discusses the upcoming NFL Divisional Playoffs and the Ravens head coach search.
• Nestor mentions the polar vortex and the purple plumes of smoke from the warehouse in Owings Mills.
• Nestor talks about the upcoming “A Cup of Soup or Bowl” event at Fay Lee’s and other activities.
• Nestor mentions his doctor’s appointment and his visit to Coppin to watch Dawn Staley.

Patriots and Chiefs Domination in AFC

• Luke Jones and Nestor discuss the dominance of the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots in the AFC title game for 15 straight years.
• Nestor recalls the involvement of the Ravens and other teams in the past with the Patriots.
• Luke mentions the last time Pittsburgh was in the AFC Championship Game in 2011.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the potential of Jared Stidham as the Patriots’ quarterback.

NFL Season and Broadcast Commentary

• Nestor criticizes the broadcast commentary, calling it state-run and overly positive.
• Nestor expresses frustration with the season, mentioning the end of the Tomlin era and the struggles of other teams.
• Nestor shares his dislike for Tom Brady and his commercials.
• Nestor expresses his readiness for the season to end and the crowning of the champion.

Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots

• Nestor and Luke discuss the Seattle Seahawks as the best team in the NFC.
• Nestor mentions the Seahawks’ impressive win over the 49ers and the potential matchup with the Rams.
• Luke talks about the Rams-Bears game and the excitement of the playoffs.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the potential of the Patriots and the Seahawks in the championship games.

Ravens Coaching Search and Candidate Profiles

• Nestor and Luke discuss the Ravens coaching search and the profiles of potential candidates.
• Nestor mentions the importance of the coach’s ability to connect with Lamar Jackson.
• Luke talks about the different coaching styles and the need for a head coach who can command a room.
• Nestor shares his thoughts on the importance of the coach’s relationship with Lamar and the team.

Steve Bisciotti and Coaching Decision

• Nestor and Luke discuss Steve Bisciotti’s role in the coaching decision and his relationship with John Harbaugh.
• Nestor mentions the importance of the coach’s ability to get the best out of Lamar Jackson.
• Luke talks about the need for the coach to be involved in the offseason and training camp.
• Nestor shares his thoughts on the importance of the coach’s ability to handle Lamar’s practice attendance.

Player Input and Coaching Interviews

• Nestor and Luke discuss the importance of player input in the coaching decision.
• Nestor mentions the potential for Lamar Jackson to sit in on coaching interviews.
• Luke talks about the need for the coach to connect with players and build trust.
• Nestor shares his thoughts on the importance of the coach’s ability to handle the team’s dynamics.

Ravens Team Dynamics and Coaching Impact

• Nestor and Luke discuss the dynamics of the Ravens team and the impact of the coach on the team.
• Nestor mentions the importance of the coach’s ability to handle the team’s practice attendance.
• Luke talks about the need for the coach to build trust and connect with players.
• Nestor shares his thoughts on the importance of the coach’s ability to handle the team’s dynamics.

Ravens Coaching Search Process

• Nestor and Luke discuss the process of the Ravens coaching search and the importance of the final decision.
• Nestor mentions the importance of the coach’s ability to handle the team’s practice attendance.
• Luke talks about the need for the coach to build trust and connect with players.
• Nestor shares his thoughts on the importance of the coach’s ability to handle the team’s dynamics.

Ravens Coaching Search and Future Plans

• Nestor and Luke discuss the future plans for the Ravens coaching search and the importance of the final decision.
• Nestor mentions the importance of the coach’s ability to handle the team’s practice attendance.
• Luke talks about the need for the coach to build trust and connect with players.
• Nestor shares his thoughts on the importance of the coach’s ability to handle the team’s dynamics.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

NFL Divisional Playoffs, Ravens head coach search, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, AFC title game, Lamar Jackson, coaching search, player input, Steve Bisciotti, Eric DeCosta, John Harbaugh, offensive coordinator, player trust, coaching hire, Super Bowl.

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SPEAKERS

Nestor Aparicio, Luke Jones

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T, am 1570 to house of Baltimore. We are Baltimore, positive, positively, taking you through the winter weeks and the polar vortex that’s on its way, as well as the purple plumes of smoke that will be emanating over the warehouse at some point. Well, not the warehouse, the dungeon, sorry, formerly the castle in Owings Mills warehouse. It’s almost like baseball season, but it doesn’t feel that way around here. We’re going to be doing a cup of soup or bowl beginning in two weeks. We’re going to be beginning that journey at Fay Lee’s on Monday. We’ll have the candy cane cash to give away from the Maryland lottery. We’ll also be praising our friends at GBMC for keeping me alive. And well, here into 2026 I actually have, like, a doctor’s appointment coming up next month, so I’ll be talking about that. Amongst other things, I was at Coppin on Sunday, and Dawn Staley, who, you know, the strangest things I’m watching her, and people are saying like, she might be the first women’s NBA coach. And I’m like, Hmm, coach, Coach, South Carolina, gamecock’s Coppin. We have a coaching search going on here. Luke Jones is going to join me now to I don’t know, dude, we do you want sort of interesting football games and an interesting tournament, but not really in New England, in the Super Bowl again? Well, you know, What door do you want behind? You want Stefanski as a Falcons head coach or the hardball coronation on the Jersey Turnpike. I mean, it’s, it’s, Dude, I got a lot on my mind, and we watched a lot of football here. And, geez, dude, there’s only three football games left, huh?

Luke Jones  01:33

Yeah, I have to start with this, because I was just blown away by it. It’s not that I didn’t know it, but it hadn’t sunk in as of Sunday, this will now be the 15th straight year that either the Kansas City Chiefs or the New England Patriots are playing in the AFC title game. I had forgotten all about the that streak, and when Kansas City lost, you know, at the time, it’s like, okay, well, New England may or may not be there. We’ll see what happens.

Nestor Aparicio  02:03

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The Raven Steelers was oh nine. I’m thinking, like, Okay, so the Colts were involved then, like, we’re going, 15 is, well, we were involved with the Patriots in 12 and 13. So I’m thinking like, Miss Koco’s Back at Black oh and Peyton Manning and like Ben Roethlisberger, were kind of sort of in that era, right? Roethlisberger was 11, right?

Luke Jones  02:24

Well, 2010 the AFC Championship Game January. 2011 it was Pittsburgh against the Jets, if you recall. So it was Rex Ryan involved with that one. So that was the last time, which, again, if, if you had asked me about it, I would have thought about it and said, okay, but it dawned on me, and I hadn’t seen it until Sunday night. I think it was Adam Schefter, one of many people who tweeted about it, and just speaks to how crazy that is. I mean, 15 straight years that one of two teams has been involved, and now in the Patriots case, now two different quarterbacks involved with that, and Jared Stidham is the only thing that stands in the way of New England going back to a Super Bowl after their long suffering? Fans have dealt with it for what six

Nestor Aparicio  03:09

who, by the way, was drafted by the Patriots. So like that makes it even more interesting, right?

Luke Jones  03:13

Yeah, as interesting as it can be, right? Until he goes out there and plays and you see why he’s a backup quarterback. I mean, who knows? Stranger things have happened. I saw Nick Foles. Had a had a cute tweet.

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Nestor Aparicio  03:25

Wasn’t that I’m sharing that the Nick Foles tweet was great? Yeah.

Luke Jones  03:29

I mean, you know, basically the the gist of it, for anyone who didn’t see is Rumor has it that the New England Patriots struggle against backup quarterbacks and championship game like settings so but yeah, I mean, for Jared Stitt, it’s a chance to be the next Nick Foles, the next Jeff Hostetler, you know, we don’t see it too often. There’s a reason why we don’t see it too often. But just a strange Final Four, yeah,

Nestor Aparicio  03:54

and I’ll say that, man, like for all of this I heard, and man, the broadcast have really become state run too, right? Like Jim Nance, this is the greatest season in the history of the NFL. I’m like, this has been, like, really kind of a crappy season, not just because the Ravens haven’t been good, but the end of the Tomlin era in Pittsburgh, the Andy Reid mahomes thing hit the wall. Lamar didn’t make the playoffs. Burr didn’t make the playoffs. Guys have gotten hurt along the way. Even the sort of Baker mayfields of the world have gone by the wayside. So like, I don’t know, dude, I mean weather games, snow blown Sunday. I mean, I’ll give you all that. But like, I don’t see anything that reminds me of greatness right now. You know what I mean? Like, for me, and I don’t need everything to be a Michael Jordan moment. And certainly, yeah, I don’t need to hear Tom Brady call another. I mean, I’m just sick of Tom Brady. I mean, the TV commercial, it’s just sort of like I’m I preferred Mike and Carol Brady and Bobby Brady and Peter Brady. And certainly, certainly Marsha Brady over Tom Brady at this point. But, um. Um, you know, I’m ready for the season to be over, and I’m ready to crown whatever champion it is. And if it’s Seattle, and they go out and win 41 to six again, and they do it with, you know, Sam darnold, right? Who, I guess, feels like yesterday’s trash, but he’s sort of that yesterday’s trash. That’s Joe Flacco, which is franchise quarterback, you know. I mean, he was a top five pick, so, you know, I mean top 10 picks, so like, I’m not looking at him as, let’s say, Brock Purdy, or even Tom Brady, who was a six round draft pick. But I don’t know, man, I don’t feel like this is that we’re gonna get a great team out of this. Now, if New England could change my mind moving forward. I hope they don’t, because I don’t like just the notion that we’re not going to Santa Clara because of Chad steel blackballing me in the NFL, and I’m doing this charity turn instead and having a good time, but we really want to be in Santa Clara doing another patriots week, you and me. I mean, seriously, does a patriot fan even want to be in Santa Clara doing Patriot week at this point. I mean,

Luke Jones  06:01

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I think Patriots fans do because it’s new, right? I mean, it’s the new guy, the new MVP and Drake may although, although you know Matthew Stafford to have something to say about that, as far as whatever the voting ends up being. But I think Seattle’s looked like the great team, right? I mean, what they did Saturday night was very impressive. In fact, my my cousin, who lives in North Carolina, her husband who, you know, they’ve been married for 30 plus years. They were actually in town visiting, and they were at my house Saturday night. He’s a San Francisco fan, you know. So that was not fun for him.

Nestor Aparicio  06:34

I have Seahawks fans in my life who like this whole Russell Wilson Part Two thing, I mean, and all of this is a 2.0 I mean, New England’s got a 2.0 Seattle, there’s no Pete, there’s no legion of boom. There’s no march on Lynch, although they’ll come back and, you know, ring the bell and do all that stuff. I saw Baldwin doing that. Hey. I mean, we had that with Lamar. We had a championship game here two years ago this week, right? Like, so, like, we had that Mojo going on for the second turn around, and next thing you know, hardball is wearing a Giants hat. We’re looking for a coach and and we’re on the outside looking in, but I’m looking in, saying there’s nothing great about this. And watching the bills go out kind of stunk for me, too, and Denver with the backup quarterback. And to your point, like, is anybody really looking forward to the AFC Championship game this year. Maybe, maybe there’s a miracle to your point, but it does feel like, man, there’s nothing great going on here for me.

Luke Jones  07:29

Um, I’ll disagree a little. I agree in the AFC. Totally agree in the AFC. I mean, the Patriots are going to are favored. They should be favored at this point. I feel horribly for Bo Nix. I mean, that’s a bummer, because, I mean, he made some big plays say what you want about

Nestor Aparicio  07:47

the Broncos. Often, he earned the right to play in an AFC champion game at home, right?

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Luke Jones  07:53

And to lose at the end or to get hurt at the end as you win, is heartbreaking. But yeah, I mean, and let’s face it, even the bills. I mean, Josh Allen was awful. Say what you want about Josh Allen in the past, and, you know, coming up short, and feeling for him, and you know, some of the national media narratives. I mean, he played poorly on Saturday, so it’s hard to feel too bad for him in that way. I mean, this was his year, in the same way that the ravens are sitting at home and saying, you really you couldn’t get into the playoff field this year. You know when you see what it looks like without Kansas City in there. But that said, and as much as I just said, how Seattle beat the pants off the 40 Niners on Saturday night the Rams Bears game was great. I mean, that was that was fun. It was theater that was fun. I mean, that was that felt whereas the other games felt lacking, either one side or the other. Mean, Seattle, Seattle is great. I think Seattle’s the best team, and certainly they look that way divisional round weekend. But in terms of just seeing a great game, back and fourth, rams bears was excellent. I mean, it really was. And it’s a shame that one team had to lose that, because the bears kind of being the cardiac kids and all these comeback wins and and what they’ve done. I mean, the Caleb Williams touchdown from what, 14 yards, and it was from 50 yards when he backpedaled. I mean, it was Lamar like with what he did there. But that said, I think, you know, anyone who saw the rams and the Seahawks go up against each other in the two games in the regular season, including that epic shootout Thursday night game, what about a little over a month ago? I guess it was at this point in time. I mean that I’m looking forward to that, I really am. So it’s nice having, I guess, one legacy quarterback in the mix, and Matthew Stafford of and we’ll see about the rest. To your point, Sam darnold, didn’t have to do a whole lot Saturday night. I mean, that’s kind of the story. I mean, the Seahawks are just the best team. They don’t have the best quarterback, but they’re the best team. And, you know, in the AFC, I mean, kind of feels like, all right, Drake May, all right, patriots, it’s been laid out there for you as easily as can be. I mean, one of the easiest schedules of all time. You know, Denver doesn’t even have the receivers either, right? What Denver? I mean, Denver’s, Denver has guys who can catch the ball, but, I mean, can Jarrett state him get it to him. I mean, it’s just that simple. Now, I’ll say this Sean Payton’s a great coach. Stidham’s been there a few years as backup quarterbacks go as backup quarterbacks who haven’t played go. He should know that offense about as well as he possibly can, on paper and from a practice standpoint, how’s that going to translate? I don’t know, right? I mean, we also saw New England’s defense play very well, and made CJ Stroud look absolutely horrendous on Sunday. So New England’s favored, they should be, they should win, right? But on the NFC side, yeah, Seattle’s has the home field advantage, but I see no reason why the Rams can’t go in there and give Seattle everything they can handle, and that be a three point game with five minutes to go and and it’s anyone’s guess who’s going to win. I mean, that’s just, I mean, that’s how the the two regular season games played out, you know, for them. So it’s gonna be going to be interesting. I mean, it’s, I’m in agreement with you overall, like the the playoff field itself, for as great as the wild card games were, the divisional round, didn’t feel like it had as much greatness as it typically has overall. You know, I mean, that Texans Patriots game was, I saw a few people make the comment on social media like they’re reaching for the remote to turn to another game. Like, by

Nestor Aparicio  11:44

the way, CJ Stroud talk about career and decline, wow, right? Like, yeah, like, wanting to bench him at halftime and, and I, you know, this takes me to the coaching thing for me, and the demeanor of Tamika Ryan’s doing pre game with the ESPN guys walking on the field two weeks in a row. Now, seeing that, and seeing sort of what a jar head, you know, wrapped up guy that Har ball could be, or some of these guys can be, during a game. And then there’s Sean Payton, who very much was that guy 25 years ago, was like, oh, you know. And then he gets, like, thrown out of the sport, gets embarrassed for cheating and doing awful things, and bounty gate, like all of that. I found it interesting on his way out of New Orleans that he took all the media people out for a really nice dinner. And it was like, well thought of and like all for people like you around har ball that had done it for two decades with him, and then he hung out near my table. You weren’t with me. It was the last Super Bowl with masks on in LA. I did that Super Bowl without you, and it was the year that Stafford won, and they beat the Bengals, and it was 21 was weird, because of all the the covid thing going on, but Sean Payton did radio next to me with his daughter and her boyfriend, and they were like by my table for four days that week, for hours on end. And Sean Payton couldn’t have been any more magnanimous with people, all kinds of people about his fame and all of that. But I swear to you, dude, I never thought he was going to coach again. Like, I see a guy like that that has a lot of money, still healthy enough to get out. And then there’s guys like Gruden that couldn’t stay out and can’t stay out, and people that even Marvin couldn’t stay out had, you know, like, it’s what he did, it’s how he felt about it. Meanwhile, I haven’t heard from Mike Smith. He’s on a mountain somewhere. You know, some of these guys come and go and Mike Tomlin going and watching his kid, John’s already got his ball coach on talking analytics five days after the billionaire that just fired him said, Dude, you probably should take some time down and how all of these people are wired and how their teams pick that up. Dude, I’m going to give Denver the benefit of the doubt this week, for being at home, for being in thin air, for having a team that’s never done it come out there and try to do it for for this kid to have to operate the offense within complete and everything that’s going to happen out there next week. I’m telling you what, dude Peyton, when he went back in, I thought to myself, happy guy, I saw it. This is going to go back and do this to lose again without a quarterback. And then last year he shows up and he can’t get along with, you know, the court like, I thought to myself, maybe times passed you by and like Pete Carroll, right? Or how dick for meal. And I’ll tell you what, dude, I’m old. The speech that Peyton gave, if I knew him a little bit in my phone and would text him and say, Sean, that speech you gave about getting steady ready for the game this week. Dude, that was the dick for meal. Kurt Warner, speech identical, and it was the week we played that team. Kurt Warner. Played the Ravens first that year with Scott Mitchell out at the dome, the TWA dome. And I look at these coaches and how they’re wired, and even Vrabel being sort of balled up jar heady, like on fire about it all. And these other guys that are just like, like Dalai Lama, like priests, like calm, calm. And I think Sean Payton, it just feels like a different dude. It would be like seeing John Harbaugh really find the God he talks about in the Scripture he talks about. And all the offseason laid back that he talks about that once the lights come on, he’s on fire. And, you know, and I even saw van Noy over the weekend, indicate some things that were a little backhanded about John and Lamar out loud. And I just I find coaching fascinating this time of year, and I find all of these young candidates that the ravens are interviewing. I’m looking them all up. Master’s degree in Human Resources, one of these cats, you know, these are going to be sentient creatures that might not be able to work for whatever that act we saw last week with bashati, that’s going to be a whole lot different than working for Jed York, and probably a whole lot different than the mirrors. And I saw that John got into a power brawl, or, as he would say, I had to educate the mayor family about structure this weekend in regard to how he’s going to report in New York. But all of this is out in the open, and all of this management that I find so fascinating. And a bunch of people I actually know, Anthony Weaver, Jim Schwartz, people that I know through people like Stefanski, who just got in a chair, and Tennessee’s trying to figure things out, and why New York was so popular for John, and who’s going to Pittsburgh and hire it is in addition to what’s going on on the field, and it relates to all of this you mentioned she last, and these guys that are playing This week that they that they can’t be a part of the Baltimore thing this week, at least for for now, for five more days. But, man, it’s busy right now, and you better pick the right You better come to the problem with the right person, especially if you’re Steve bishati and you’re Eric dicostia and your Ozzie Newsome and Lamar Jackson, you’re trying to feed a lot of people, a lot of things. Sashi sash make a lot of people happy in that bill. This is a enormous week or two for the Ravens here to figure out where they’re going, because they’re five guys they could hire. They better get the one that works. Yeah.

Luke Jones  17:35

I mean, look, every coach is different. Everyone has different backgrounds. You have some coaches like, to your point, are going to be more fiery guys that are more outspoken, guys that are more reserved? I mean, I remember one of the things said about Mike McDonald at the time, when he was just a head coach candidate, there was questions about because he’s, by nature, a quieter guy. Now that’s with media, right? How he is behind closed doors isn’t going to be exactly how he is when he’s answering questions.

Nestor Aparicio  18:05

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One conversation with that dude, he knew everything about me. He wasn’t afraid of me. He was kind to me. He was beyond he was a normal guy. I didn’t feel like he was putting on any bull shot for me when I spoke to him, I will be a mike McDonald fan until the next time I talk to him, and he told me to call him anytime. So like, I like, literally, I see that dude in a different light, just from my interaction with him, not the radio show he does, or things I see him on TV or whatever, and now I see the winning and I say, very different dude than John Harbaugh, even though he worked for John Harbaugh for 10 years. And by the way, if he’s carrying the torch two weeks from now, he’s the hardball tree dude. I mean, that’s that may that John’s chest puffs out 10 times for a Hall of Fame resume. If Mike McDonald becomes Bill Belichick, sure.

Luke Jones  18:58

I mean, John and Jim, because he went to he had his apprenticeship at the University of Michigan, right? So, but everyone’s different. And the point I was trying to make about Mike McDonald is there were questions three years ago about him being the head guy and how much he would be able to command a room. Is he going to be able to relate to not just the defensive players, but everyone. And that question that applies for anyone becoming a head coach for the first time. And you know, I don’t I agree with your overall sentiment about how big the hire is for the ravens, of course, but whoever the five, four or five finalists are, there might be two guys there that would do a good job for them. They just need to make sure they hire one of them, right? If it’s five finalists, and let’s say two guys would do a really good job. Two guys, you know, and again, of course, you don’t know this. You’re looking in the crystal ball, two guys wouldn’t work out, and the other guys kind of not great, but not. Are awful either, right? You need to make sure you hire one of the two guys that, yes, would absolutely work, right? And then, and then, at that point, it’s Coke or Pepsi, right? I mean, there are definitely choices like that when it comes down to making hiring, I never, I never say that there’s only one guy that you can hire that’s absolutely going to work for you. You know, I’m glad

Nestor Aparicio  20:22

I would say this, having hired people, including you, that there are paths you go down. I like the path I went down, hiring you and finding you. And 17 years later, you’re my John Harbaugh, higher Ethics and Standards, by the way, and you know proper nouns as well. But I, I would say bashati would see this as differently than you’re seeing it in regard to there’s only the one person’s going to stand out, and they’re going to stand out because their ideology is the one I like, the one Steve likes, not the one Eric likes. Ozzy. I mean, did you see that act last week? Do you think that guy’s not going to hire somebody he’s in love with that? He’s not getting the last vote. I have the power. I mean, it’s Steve’s higher. He’ll put it off on Eric. He’ll say he doesn’t call the coach late at night. John and his wife would probably disagree with that, that sentiment, that how involved Steve’s going to be, versus the perception of what he gave last week. And Luke, that’s my inside that’s in the last five days, since weeks since the press conference, that people who know Steve have reached to me and said, Don’t let him play the he’s checked out on a boat. He doesn’t care about the football team, and that he that he hasn’t, that he hasn’t talked to John in a couple of months. That’s just not, that’s not Steve. So I like and this weighs on Steve, not for his Hall of Fame candidacy, but because when he’s back out in front of it again, which he doesn’t never wants to be. Dude, if this thing goes four and 13, I got to get the math right, because I’m so used to four, four and 13 next year, um, because Lamar gets hurt, or whatever happens. Anything bad that happens, that happens everywhere else, but it’s an app, and that happened here, and the Giants think it can happen there, because John Harbaugh just made their floor eight and 8899, and eight, whatever. I don’t know dude, I I still think the Jimmy’s and Joe’s are really important. And I think everything about this, and I want to do a whole segment on this, so we only but, but Lamar. Like to me, this is Lamar, and they have a different job, prescription and role, than what John was hired for, certainly than what Brian was hired for, or Ted March abroad, or even what they hired John for in the Giants, which is the bring analytics and be a CEO and be the bright star there. The whole thing here is here and now with Lamar. Because if that doesn’t work, I don’t think the coaches can survive it. I don’t think the coach can survive two bad years here, non playoff one and done, wild card bull shot, no good two years from now, if we’re sitting here and they haven’t like really won late January games, they’re That’s how important it is to Steve, and I think they’re just in a different hiring space, and they’re perceived differently. And you’re in your mind, you know, for everybody, they’re just perceived as being the greatest job. And you’re going to sit in and you’re going to have 1112 wins, the way John did every year, because the building’s so great. The sister Steve, so great. Lamar, so great. I don’t know, dude, I think it’s, I think this is a really tough job. I don’t think this is an easy job to come into in any way. And I think getting along with Lamar, they better figure that out, because I think that’s everything, everything, and it’s a way different hire. I don’t care about any of the rest of it, but Steve will. You better get along with Steve too, and you better fall into Eric’s analytics, and you better fall into the fact that you’re going to be the biggest voice in the building. But there’s already a lot of power and a lot of really broken culture that you and I know about in that building, in a lot of ways that John said that I don’t know that Lamar didn’t dig it, apparently, and neither coffee and I mean, like I was,

Luke Jones  24:42

what did van Noy say? Because everything I heard van Noy say was pretty benign in terms of

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Nestor Aparicio  24:48

getting the best out of Lamar, getting the best out of Lamar, getting the best out of Lamar. In other words, we didn’t get the best out of Lamar. And he said something to the effect, he said something the effect of having someone out that. Could, in the game, affect Lamar, okay?

Luke Jones  25:05

I mean, I heard him talk about the X’s and O’s head coach kind of thing, rather than the CEO has everybody. I don’t, I don’t know if that’s that terribly insightful. I mean, that everyone said that, right? I mean, everyone’s kind of said at this point in time.

Nestor Aparicio  25:18

It’s a little bit of slight on John, though. I mean, it is what doesn’t matter to me. He made $100 million but I’m just saying it’s saying that John wasn’t good enough at a lot of things at this moment to still be the coach, right? I mean, the owner said that. I What are those right? Exactly, what are those things? Then, you know what was missing here, other than lamar’s health, we can say, right? And some bad luck and some bad officiating and some hold on to the ball when you cross the goal line, you know, like, I mean, John could have smelled really good here, if just guys would have held on to the ball.

Luke Jones  25:56

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And that’s part of this too. I mean, look, when they hire their guy, whoever it’s going to be and and just to go back to your point, I was, I was speaking more from a 30,000 foot look, of course, Steve Basti is going to have very specific, you know, what he’s looking for. Of course, the Lamar factor is huge. At the same time, the Lamar factor is also very appealing, in the sense that team a guy is going to come in here and think he actually can be successful, rather than some of these teams that are hiring a coach for the first time. Let me, let me, let me be

Nestor Aparicio  26:29

a Richard head here and say, great. You better get his ass to OTAs. You better get in the training camp. You better have him in your phone in the offseason, because John couldn’t get that done. And that’s one of the things that Steve being a prick on the podium last week and saying you gotta get his ass up here from Florida. He wants to pick a coach or whatever he said that was in that vein. Is the way I heard it. I heard most of it now. I went back and watched it again. It had some good fellows qualities. And it was pointed out on had some Scarface qualities, according to the internet, according to people who sell seafood here locally. So I would just say the notion that everybody’s going to fit into that Stefanski took, you know, went, somebody’s going to have to feel like they’re going to be able to whisper to Lamar, because if they really called John, if they called me, I would show them my phone with the head coach sending me texts, me texts about Lamar not being a practice and how that affected the team, and how it affected Todd Monckton, and how John got in front of you probably a couple of times this year, thinking Lamar was going to be out of practice Wednesday, and maybe even being surprised himself. So I think that this year was way more chaotic than I think anybody would lead anybody to believe when your quarterback is not practicing. And maybe there’s a question a HIPAA, you know, whatever it is to say, Dude, I need you on the field. And that was a recurring issue with the previous Hall of Fame Super Bowl winning head coach who just got $100 million to go elsewhere to coach somebody else, because it wasn’t that attractive to John anymore.

Luke Jones  28:18

Okay, first of all, let’s not conflate not showing up for OTAs with missing Wednesday practices when you’ve been injured throughout the year. Those are, those are different things. I’m not saying that there aren’t at least a couple common threads, but let’s not conflate it and throw it all because that those are different issues.

Nestor Aparicio  28:34

Getting the best out of Lamar is where I’m at. That’s where I’m starting with.

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Luke Jones  28:38

Okay, I would also say is a two time MVP, and should have been a three time MVP under John Harbaugh. So I I

Nestor Aparicio  28:45

hear, what is he working harder right now than he ever has at any point in his career? That’s a good question. Steve shotty question Steve would ask that, is He? Is he? Is he still 103% engaged at every moment, and as hungry as Bo Nix is this morning. Is he? I hope he is. I mean, I’m not accusing him of not being but I’m saying the next head coach has to know that connect with that 24 hours a day for the next three years and win these games and not lose them. And if we just watch them over the weekend. Ask Caleb, you know, you know, yeah, but ask any of the losing quarterbacks how hard it is to do or ask Joe burrow right now, or ask, you know, Holmes, who’s done it a bunch of times, and now they’re going to ask whether he can do it or not. I just think the thing with Lamar right now it is, there is a question mark, and I am interested when they get round two and they bring guys into the building and run them around, I’d love to see Lamar here that would speak. That would say a lot to me as a fan, as a media guy, as a guy who asks hard questions about all of this, that that’s what I would ask. You know, as Matt Ryan. Brings Kevin Stefanski into the building down there trying to figure that thing out, right? Yeah.

Luke Jones  30:05

I mean, look, this is going to be one of the big takeaways from Steve bashati and Eric dicost is press conference was that they remain all in on Lamar Jackson and Steve Basti laid out the opportunity for Lamar to come and sit in on the interviews. Made it clear that he’s not going to make the decision, nor should he. I mean, no player should be making this, actually making the final decision on a head coach, but this is an opportunity for him to have influence. This is an opportunity for him to give feedback. This is an opportunity for him to make have greater fingerprints on the football team itself than he at any point in his first eight seasons as ravens quarterback.

Nestor Aparicio  30:46

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So he took calls from players last week, right? So that was all part of firing John. So shot his ears are open to what the inmates are saying in the asylum, like literally, and I don’t know. I haven’t heard that in a long, long time, but if

Luke Jones  31:04

you’re going to make a decision like that, shame on you, if you’re not going to get player input. Now that shouldn’t mean that if you think a guy shouldn’t be hired, and a couple players say they’re unhappy, and then you say, All right, that’s it. We’re firing the guy. If it plays out like that, then that’s one thing.

Nestor Aparicio  31:18

Well, here’s the problem with bati not coming out from the from the, you know, behind the curtain with the Wizard of Oz. How many words has Steve bashati ever spoken about Lamar Jackson out loud? Most of it was about the contract and Deshaun Watson getting the money down in Florida. When I witnessed the press gaggle the three against the Atlantic Ocean at the breakers, and he spoke of Lamar then, and Lamar was an MVP at that point, right? And we was headed to greatness, 344, years ago now, right? So he hasn’t spoken a lot about Lamar for have all the money he’s given him. He’s given Lamar a quarter of a billion dollars, and he’s spoken about Lamar in five sentences over eight years. Literally, that’s crazy, but it’s true.

Luke Jones  32:10

Well, it’s a little more than that, but yeah, you consider the forum like, for example, last year, he talked with Garrett downing from the webs, from the team website. So there’s been some of that, but yes, in terms of, like, a traditional independent media setting, you know, a press conference setting, yeah, it’s been, it hasn’t been as much because he, he hasn’t spoken as much in general about any anything pertaining to his football team over the last eight years. But, but no, but to go back to Lamar. I mean, yeah, I if, if he decides he’s not going to be part of the interview process, then, well, don’t want to hear you complain about the coach behind and not that he’s going to complain publicly about it, but, but

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Nestor Aparicio  32:52

his agent may say to him, that’s not good for you to go there and looking like you’re picking the coach like I don’t know. I don’t know what his agent says. You know what I mean, I don’t know. There’s no communication Correct. His age is his mom. So I mean, what I would still leaky, but I would

Luke Jones  33:09

also say that there should be no downside to doing that. From his perspective. What? What would be the downside to that? I don’t know. You know what I mean? Like, I’m asking, what would be

Nestor Aparicio  33:18

the downside of Steve bishati Getting on a zoom with Jim Schwartz and Kevin Stefanski and all you know, the runners up there would be none. I went through that last week, but they say they’re leaving no stone unturned. I don’t know, man, let’s see. Let’s John’s gone. We can’t blame it on John anymore. John would come out in front and lie for anybody to cover up anything. I know that to be factual. So like John was never going to make anybody in the building look bad ever no matter what it was. Everything was always perfect. Everybody was always the best. Everybody was always trying hard. Nobody ever screwed up. Like like that, that part of the veneer, almost like taking the veneers off your teeth, like that. Part of it is gone now, and they’re going to have a new they’re going to transplant that. Because it is not going to be Eric, not going to be Ozzy, certainly not going to be Steve. It ain’t going to be sash or Chad. It’s going to be the coach, like when they put Billy’s name on the wall, or, I mean, they do that with hardball because they didn’t need to, um, I don’t know. Man, this coach hire if it is a Nathan Sheila, if it’s someone that nobody knows much about, if that, if that’s going to be interesting, as opposed to a bigger personality, and for me, if it’s not an offensive minded person that doesn’t look like they’re in the flow of four minute and two minute in games on the headset, it’s not going to look the way it does with Shanahan and these other quarterback whisperers, McVay, it’s not going to look that way, and I don’t know, and that that person is, it’s going to be, honestly, dude, that wouldn’t have worked if it were monkeying, right? I mean, it was monkey, but, like, monkey, it didn’t work with Monken for whatever. Even though you thought moncan was a genius, he got. The Most Out of Lamar. There was something missing there. Even monkey going on. Cal ripkens kids show the day after and saying, I there’s things I could have done better. Like, maybe that’s to get a job or whatever. But this thing didn’t work this year, right? Am I right or am I wrong? I mean, if you’re gonna blame it on lamar’s health, but the coach got fired over this with $50 million I’m not

Luke Jones  35:20

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nothing really worked this year. I mean, like that, that’s not breaking news. I mean, they were eight nine. Their offense underperformed. Their defense stunk for the first five games, and I’d say the last five games, other than the Cincinnati shut out,

Nestor Aparicio  35:34

and they had a neophyte defensive coordinator that they kept bringing in John’s big brothers every year to make it better, and the big leads, think ball going over their head. I mean, just everything that got John fired.

Luke Jones  35:48

I mean, you know, right? I don’t you know, it’s not breaking news that it didn’t work this past year, but if

Nestor Aparicio  35:54

John and Lamar were in a love affair, I don’t think John would have been fired that. Mean, I think the rest of it would have been, I think at the heart of this, I

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Luke Jones  36:05

don’t know, I mean, some of the but some of these issues started even predated Lamar. I mean, go back to they missed the playoffs three straight years. You know, towards the end of the Flacco era. Go back to what happened in Pittsburgh Christmas Day. Go back to Tyler Boyd and fourth and 12. I mean those two, those two years. I mean, that was before they drafted Lamar, so I hear what you’re saying. And yeah, of course. I mean, if they’re, if they’re playing in the divisional round this this past weekend, and they had gone 11 and 11 and six or 12 and five, then, yeah, I’m guessing John probably wouldn’t have been fired, but that didn’t happen. And you get to a point where you start to say, All right, you know, shelf life, maybe it’s time. Maybe it’s time. I mean, we at least were saying that in passing the last couple years, right? We, we didn’t give it a whole lot of thought, because we were skeptical that Steve would make a change, right? Because he considered John like a younger brother, right? I mean, he flat out said that multiple times in his press conference. But when you have a year like they just had, and it started off the way that it did in week one in Buffalo, and I think psychologically that really, really took a toll on them. And not that that excuses anything. But I think just if you’re trying to rationalize how this season played out, I think that really hurt them, and then the early season injuries really hurt, headlined by your quarterback missing three games and questioning how close he was to being right the rest of the year. Yeah, all those things start to pile up. And when you don’t play as well on the heels of what happened last January and two January’s ago, then yeah, guys get frustrated, and guys start looking out for number one, and guys start looking at their numbers, and guys start looking at their contract situation and how much money they’re making and what incentives they’re either going to they’re not going to hit now, and yeah, that starts to that, that starts to pile up, you know, those, those things start to pile up and stack against a head coach, against a coordinator, guys in the locker room themselves, right? Not, not that. I think that guys turned on each other and that that it was nasty, but I think there was a diminished level of trust that everyone had, not not big trusts, right, exactly. And again, I’ll go back to, you know, the whole idea of losing the locker room. I don’t think John Harbaugh lost the locker room necessarily beyond repair, to the point where guys were completely checked out and they weren’t playing hard and they hated each other, but did they have the same level of faith in each other that they had had in previous years? And I think that’s a clear No. And when you get to that point, and you’ve had enough frustration and enough January shortcomings and enough blown leads, then I think you get to a point where you just say, is it just time to try something different? And I think, I really think that’s what it boiled down to. Well, there are 10 teams out there trying something different right now, right? Like, literally, sure. And some of these teams are doing trying something different every two or three years, and then they wonder why they never gain any traction. So, you know, go back to something that’s that bashati did say and about the coaching search, where they want to feel so good about their guy that they can’t help but have patience in their guy. There’s no guarantee. It’s really hard to do this. I mean, look at the Broncos. They they get there, right? They’re at the point where they win and they’re in the AFC title game, and then you find out, you you X ray your, your franchise quarterbacks ankle, and he’s out, and now you’re you’re going with a guy who’s barely played any ball, right? And now you’re an underdog at home against the Patriots team. That’s not that great. You know, it’s good, but I don’t think the Patriots are a great team, so you don’t know. And sometimes it is luck and sometimes it is the ball bouncing. And either your way or not going your way, right? I mean, we’ve talked about the 2000 and the 2012 ravens for as much as they’re remembered as these great Super Bowl teams. They had the ball bounce their way a couple times

Nestor Aparicio  40:14

along, and now they’re the Baltimore bullies in the 25th anniversary coming up this week.

Luke Jones  40:19

But but if you know, if Keith Washington doesn’t block the field goal and the ball doesn’t go right to Anthony Mitchell, Tennessee might win that game, for all we know, we might be talking about the Titans being the Super Bowl winners that year, because that game was, that game was the Super Bowl that year. You know, when you kind of look at it in a big picture sense, so it’s hard to do. And I don’t say that to be dismissive about how important this hire is. It’s incredibly important and all. And your point about needing to find someone that’s going to connect with Lamar, whether it’s going to be an offensive minded head coach or just a defensive minded head coach who one has that kind of effect on people those interpersonal skills, connects with players, and, oh yeah, hires a really good offensive coordinator to come in and work with Lamar and the offense, because that’s going to be really important. I mean, there are different ways you can go. And that’s, and that was kind of my original point, that of this list of four or five guys that they’re going to narrow it down to and bring in for 10 hour interviews now in Owings Mills, right? Some of these guys might be in the building two days. I mean, that’s how these interviews go. Sometimes there might be two, there might be two that they feel really great about, but one might be a little bit better than the other. They better choose that one, right? So I want

Nestor Aparicio  41:38

to do the whole list, because I was at time on my hands over the weekend, and I was Googling all the coaching candidates to see their backgrounds and doing my own little LinkedIn research. Here, Luke Jones is here. He’s at noex mills. If there is breaking news, if there’s purple plumes of smoke or even lavender, you’ll get it first on the wnst tech service, brought to you by Cole roofing and Gordian energy. Bill. Cole and I came together last week for the first time in a couple months. Mike consulate and we, we did a little breakdown of the bishati press conference. I’m going to have scratch off some Maryland lottery candy cane cash. They still smell like the holidays and peppermint. We’ll have those during a cup of Super Bowl. We kick it off Super Bowl week at fadeleys. We’re going to be at State Fair. We’re going to be at Koco’s. We’re going to be pizza John’s. We’re going to be a cost this intimonium. All of that will be up at Baltimore positive. Also, very importantly, the 25th anniversary, and that only comes around once of the first purple miracle here, a Purple Rain one is coming up next week, next Wednesday. So you’re going to hear things here that I’ve got a vault and I’m thinking like, Look, why own a radio station? Why have sat down with Brian Billick for half an hour at the Tampa West Shore four nights before the game and have him tell you how they were going to beat the giant why not play that stuff this week? Why not have people driving around and just hear Tony Sarah goose’s voice, or Jim fossil’s voice, or Tiki Barber’s voice, or rod Woodson’s voice, or Shannon sharp talking to me about winning the Super Bowl. So all of that will be coming together here this week. So if you hear Rex Ryan on the air, he’s probably talking about, you know, Rob Burnett or something like that. So I’m going to be pulling some of that out for the radio, in addition to being First up on all this stuff with the Ravens hiring process, because we know that’s important. And also just, I’m reaching out in a lot of sort of political and geopolitical ways about Venezuela, about baseball, about the Sarasota coming up, and the Oriole season as well. So we got a lot of things going on here in addition to the Ravens job search, but I really do want to celebrate this Super Bowl time and the radio row part of not going to the Super Bowl this year, but going 25 years ago and having so many great memories, and all of them will be up at the front of Baltimore positive as well. Start, start with this David model’s profile on how to find a head coach now available on my Facebook page. Back for more. We’re Baltimore positive. Stay with us.