Picking apart the Liars Luncheon as NFL Draft looms large for Ravens path back to Super Bowl contender

Our Luke Jones attended the annual Pre-Draft Luncheon and Presser in Owings Mills and Nestor had some questions and observations for the event he dubbed “The Liars Luncheon” 25 years ago as an homage to the Alibi Breakfast of Preakness week. Plenty of needs, wants and picks to discuss as the NFL Draft looms large next weekend in Pittsburgh.

Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discussed the upcoming NFL Draft and the Baltimore Ravens’ needs. They highlighted the challenges of the 2023 draft, including the depth of talent and the potential for trading the 14th pick. They debated the importance of positions like offensive line, defensive tackle, and cornerback. Jones noted the impact of NIL on draft prospects and the complications of the fifth-year option for players like Patrick Queen. They also touched on the Ravens’ rebranding, expressing curiosity about the new uniforms and the process behind the changes.

• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Write and publish a follow-up article or column about the pre-draft press conference (Liars Luncheon) and the team’s restrictions on media access, including the April Fools’ joke referenced in the discussion.
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Host a Friday morning interview segment with Todd Radom on the show to discuss the Ravens’ new uniform design, its history, and broader football uniform trends.
• [ ] Attend the scheduled Maryland crab cake promotion events at Koco’s on May 23, Pizza John’s on May 1 and May 7, and Planet Fitness Timonium across from Costas racetrack, bringing crab cakes to sell and promote the event.

Luke Jones and Nestor Discuss Upcoming Events and Personal Updates

• Nestor Aparicio mentions various upcoming events, including a Maryland Crab Cake Tour and appearances at Koco’s and Pizza John’s.
• Nestor talks about a GBMC event on Friday afternoon, encouraging people to wear comfortable shoes.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the heat and comfort issues at Oriole Park, mentioning the importance of AC checks.
• Nestor shares his plans for making crab cakes and promoting Maryland treasures.

Luke Jones’ Lunch Experience and the Liars Luncheon

• Nestor asks Luke about his lunch experience, and Luke mentions having salmon and braised short rib.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the history of the Liars Luncheon, which Nestor named due to its reputation for lack of honesty.
• Luke explains that the term “Liars Luncheon” is not officially recognized by the team but is a tongue-in-cheek nickname.
• Nestor shares the origin of the term, comparing it to the Alibi Breakfast in horse racing.

Eric Decosta’s Comments on the NFL Draft

• Luke Jones discusses Eric Decosta’s acknowledgment that the draft is not very deep, especially in the first round.
• Luke mentions potential draft picks like offensive linemen, wide receivers, and defensive tackles.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the possibility of the Ravens trading their first-round pick to move up or back.
• Luke highlights the importance of addressing multiple needs for the Ravens, including offensive line, defensive tackle, and edge rusher.

Challenges of the 2023 NFL Draft

• Luke Jones talks about the challenges of the 2023 draft, including the impact of NIL and the older age of draft prospects.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the historical context of drafting players like Ray Rice and the impact of high carry counts on their careers.
• Luke mentions the complications of the fifth-year option for players like Patrick Queen and Tyler Linderbaum.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the potential impact of NIL on the draft, including the trend of older prospects and the challenges of projecting their upside.

Premium Positions and Draft Strategy

• Luke Jones explains the concept of premium positions in the NFL, including quarterbacks, offensive linemen, and defensive backs.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the Ravens’ needs at positions like cornerback, safety, and offensive line.
• Luke mentions the potential impact of new coaches and the need for Jesse Minter and Albernaz to have a voice in the draft process.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the importance of addressing multiple needs and the potential for trading draft picks for veteran players.

The Importance of the 14th Pick

• Nestor and Luke discuss the significance of the Ravens’ 14th pick in the draft and the potential for trading back or up.
• Luke mentions the importance of addressing the interior offensive line and the potential for drafting players like Spencer Fano or John Michael Schmitz.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the potential for drafting players like Kenny Pickett or Ty Simpson and the impact on the quarterback position.
• Luke highlights the importance of the draft in setting the tone for the Ravens’ future and the need for strategic planning.

The State of Media and Press Conferences

• Nestor Aparicio expresses frustration with the current state of press conferences and the lack of transparency from the Ravens.
• Nestor shares his experiences of being excluded from press conferences and the impact on his ability to gather information.
• Luke Jones discusses the importance of asking insightful questions and the challenges of getting meaningful responses from team officials.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the role of media in providing information to fans and the impact of social media on press conferences.

The Ravens’ Rebranding and New Uniforms

• Nestor and Luke discuss the upcoming rebranding of the Ravens, including the potential for new uniforms and logos.
• Nestor shares his thoughts on the current uniforms and the potential for changes, including the incorporation of red accents.
• Luke mentions the importance of maintaining the team’s identity while updating the look to appeal to a new generation of fans.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the potential impact of the rebranding on fan engagement and merchandise sales.

The Role of Steve Bisciotti in the Rebranding

• Nestor questions the role of Steve Bisciotti in the rebranding process and the lack of transparency around the decision-making.
• Luke Jones speculates on the involvement of other team officials and the potential for external input in the rebranding.
• Nestor expresses a desire for more information about the rebranding process and the rationale behind the changes.
• Luke and Nestor discuss the potential for a more collaborative approach to the rebranding, involving fans and media.

Final Thoughts on the Draft and Rebranding

• Nestor and Luke discuss the overall excitement around the upcoming draft and the potential for the Ravens to address their needs.
• Luke highlights the importance of the 14th pick and the potential for strategic drafting to improve the team’s roster.
• Nestor expresses optimism about the rebranding and the potential for new uniforms to enhance the team’s identity.
• Luke and Nestor conclude the discussion by reiterating the importance of the draft and the rebranding in shaping the future of the Ravens.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

NFL Draft, Ravens prospects, Eric Decosta, pre-draft press conference, offensive line, defensive tackle, wide receiver, cornerback, safety, fifth-year option, NIL impact, uniform rebranding, fan engagement, media access, team needs.

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SPEAKERS

Luke Jones, Nestor Aparicio

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T. Am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We are Baltimore. Positive it is really football season here. As much as I sat out in the heat on Wednesday, the baseball game, we’ll be watching the Guardians. All we keep want to say the T word the tribe, but I can’t say that the Cleveland guardians this weekend, with the Orioles, working on their outfield defense and all of that, I’m going to be working on some crab cakes over Costas and Timonium later today, also the Maryland treasures. I will have a handful of these, a fistful of these, and lots of opportunities come get them. We’ll be at Koco’s on the 23rd next Thursday. Then we’re going to be at Pizza John’s on May 1, May 7. We’re Planet Fitness and Timonium, right across from Costas in the racetrack. I had Dick Girardi on this week talking about the future of Preakness and the Kentucky Derby and the ish show that is Maryland racing at this point. So you’ll hear that also our friends at GBMC. This is very, very important. On Friday afternoon, at four o’clock, we’re going to gather on South Chapman. Be a lot of people there. This has become a big, big event over GBMC. It is walk a mile in their shoes. Bring some comfortable shoes. It’s just a mile. Nice, 2030 minute stroll. It’s gonna be 78 degrees and sunny. It’s going to be perfect, little less hot than it was at Oriole Park on Wednesday for us. This guy was not at Oriole Park. However, by the way, shout out to foreign and Durham or two, who they are, the comfort guys. And it’s getting a little warm. Get your AC check so you don’t have the problem the first day. It’s 98 and not 88 so go see them. They are the comfort guys. And of course, they provide all of our sports coverage here at W NSD, and we’re appreciative. And I had a ticket for Zach to go to the ballpark on Wednesday. He’s like, air conditioning. It’s hot. I got to be here. We got we got it. We got to help people. So they are the comfort guy, so make sure you’re taking good care of them. Luke was comfortable. I hope How was the lunch? You know? I know the classic catering people always put on for you. Did go a hamburger, hot dog, chicken breast. What do we did you get some of that delicious fro yo ice cream they have over there with the fresh strawberries and the blueberries that all the athletes have

Luke Jones  02:01

or No, I stayed away from that, but I had some really good salmon and some braised short rib. That was really good. So are doing your

Nestor Aparicio  02:08

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DDP yoga? We went through that last week. You’re looking svelte, and you’re, you’re,

Luke Jones  02:13

I’ve been eating too much Easter candy of late. That’s left over. So, no, it was good. It was good lunch. Appreciate it. I mean, lots of things have changed over the years. That’s one thing that they have maintained. You know, it’s one thing that they still do out,

Nestor Aparicio  02:27

knowings Mills, they threw me out, and I’m the one that named it, but that’s all right, how many people call it the liars luncheon? Or is that they’ve done away? I saw, it’s the presser. Now it says, it says up on the, oh, it’s,

Luke Jones  02:36

I mean, it’s never been caught. I mean, the team’s never called it the liar’s lunch. And other than just, you know, saying it as a kind of a haphazard tongue in cheek, kind of referring to it that way. But it’s the pre draft press conference, pre draft luncheon, whatever you want to call it, everyone in the league is required to do it, and very rarely, you know, you not to say that. There’s no honesty whatsoever baked into it, but you don’t really know what’s true, what’s half true.

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Nestor Aparicio  03:01

And just so, you know, I named it the liar’s luncheon, long before they threw me out or I had any negative I was wearing the bird head when I called it the liar’s luncheon. The reason I called it the liar’s luncheon and it became the liar’s luncheon was because of horse racing. Pimlico has done the alibi breakfast on Thursday for 100 years. So attending the alibi breakfast, I said to Kevin Byrne, if that’s the alibi breakfast, then this is the liar’s luncheon. Because you know that. That’s why I named it, that it was not any cheap shot at Steve bishodi Or John horrible. I named it that when Brian Billick was the coach so and when Phil Savage was picking the players and all of that. So I it’s become a diminished thing because Eric has gotten good at saying nothing, and apparently Jesse Minter came out of the hatch that way from Team our ball. I don’t know that these press conferences are going to be interesting to the fans or informative in any way. That’s for you to

Luke Jones  04:01

tell me. Well, I mean, I think a couple things that come to mind. First of all, I mean, Eric Decosta flat out acknowledged it’s not a great draft in terms of it being terribly deep. When you’re looking in terms of the first round, where the ravens are picking 14th, he acknowledges there is a drop off once you get to a certain point in the first round. So that’s, to me, certainly a sign that they’re hoping that. You know whether we’re talking about one of the top offensive linemen, you know whether we’re you know whether we’re talking about the kid from Penn State Vega, or Spencer Fano, or if we’re talking about one of the wide receivers, let’s say, I mean, I think they’re certainly hopeful. I think they’re certainly optimistic that they’re going to have the choice, the potential to pick one of the guys they really like that can address a need of theirs, but you’re also at the mercy of what happens with the first 13 picks, if you play it that way. So I think it’s also interesting to note that this is. A team that, prior to what ultimately went down, was willing to trade their first round pick. So is there someone that they really, really like that they’d be willing to move up a few spots to get, or is it a case where they say, you know, we don’t really love who’s sitting there when we’re on the board at 14? If there’s someone else that wants to come up, could they trade back So, but, but I think, I don’t think Eric Decosta was sugar coating it or anything like that. I think he said, like, yeah, there’s a little bit of a drop off, you know, maybe a little more so than normal when you kind of get to the middle of the first round. So I, I don’t know about you, and you and I have talked about this at various times. There’s not much juice for this draft. I mean, there, and I don’t mean in Baltimore, I mean in general, everyone knows Mendoza’s going number one. That’s fine. Great story at Indiana. Guys. Seems like a really nice kid, you know, well, highly respectful and all of that, but he’s not really an exciting prospect. I mean, he’s not even going to be at the draft, right? So when you have the top of the draft board not feeling as as much buzz and excitement and juice for it, then I think that just, you know, there’s a trickle down effect there. So I think considering the ravens are picking 14th, it’s not a whole lot of, not the same level of as of enthusiasm as maybe once upon a time when they’d be picking 14th. I mean, let’s face it, they don’t pick in that range too often. You know, Hamilton a few years ago notwithstanding. So I think on that front, it’s,

Nestor Aparicio  06:35

it’s left. If Eric picks any lower than that, Eric won’t be the one picking.

Luke Jones  06:39

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I mean, maybe, maybe, but, but I think you know from that he did say that he feels that they are at a spot in the draft where they’re going to be able to address a need. And I think that’s reasonable. I think you look at how things you know, how most of the experts and people that really look at the draft way more carefully than you or me. I think it’s reasonable to believe that, and part of that is also that they have multiple needs, right? I mean, they’re in a position where they absolutely need a line. They absolutely could use another defensive tackle. They absolutely could use another edge rusher. You could absolutely make an argument for wide receiver, given where they are right now, with Bateman underperforming and zay flowers getting closer and closer to free agency, right? So you can go down the list and you can make an argument for them to take just about anything. I mean, one reason so many people have talked about Kenyan Sadiq at 14th, right? I mean, a tight end. I’m not saying that that would be my choice, but I could follow the logic of it. They have, I mean, other than quarterback, let’s see quarterback safety. They’re in a pretty good spot at this point in time, when you have Hamilton, you have Malachi Starks, and, you know, they they’ve added depth pieces there so now, but corner, they absolutely could add a number one, you know, corner in the first round, right? I mean, if that would be, you know, because, you know, where are you with? You know, is Nate Wiggins, a true number one. Where are you with? Humphrey? Do you need another outside guy, right? I mean, all that. So they have a lot of needs. You and I talked about it recently. They have, the roster feels a little less complete than it normally does at this point. Now, where free agency is over and it’s all systems go toward the draft, they have a couple more holes this year than they normally would have at this point. So looking at it through that lens. When you’re at 14 man, you’re hoping one of those positions I just mentioned falls into their lap. And, you know, could be someone that Kyle Hamilton, for example, was, by all accounts, at least, according to those inside the building, was a top five player on their board. John Harbaugh famously said to Kyle Hamilton when, when he came to visit them. You know, pre draft visit, like, what are you doing here? You’re not going to be on the board when, when we’re picking. I mean, the Ravens had no expectation that Kyle Hamilton would be there, so they’re hoping something like that happens again, because they have enough needs. And when you kind of look at some of the strengths of this draft in this first round, you know, some areas where it certainly could help them. I mean, you know me, I’ve been banging the table for no lineman, oh line, oh line, because I don’t have the confidence that the second or third round is going to produce a day one starter for you. So that’s where I look at Spencer Fano or, you know, Vega from Penn State. So we’re going to find out. But yeah, we’re, we’re a week out at this point in time, and you know that certainly the pre draft press conference didn’t give us, you know, full blown clarity, nor would anyone. Should anyone expect it to they’re not going to tip their hand. But, you know, I, I got the sense that the cost of likes where they’re picking in terms of. Hoping that the board will align with being able to come away with a player at a position where they have some need you.

Nestor Aparicio  10:06

And I have had a couple of conversations on and off the air in recent weeks about these press conferences, and I’m writing a follow up about the lock and for April Fool’s joke that I played, which I’ve never played before, but it’s still working, by the way, how these press conferences go and what they represent, and the fact that you’re allowed to go, and I’m not allowed to go because they don’t want my questions. I’ve never asked an inappropriate question, and there are no inappropriate questions at press conferences. People seem to think I’ve did something to get thrown out. I did not. They just don’t like me and they don’t want tough questions. That’s another reason why lock and four is not around as these new managers and coaches and we talked four months ago about how weird it is. Albert Albernaz and Minter both first time guys replacing people that have been hide had been here a period of time, not withstanding what what went on last year, but from a fan’s perspective, for me, who does not have a PSL anymore, I don’t give them money. I watch the press conferences. They pop up. They’re Pollyanna social media. That’s awful 92% of the time. I try to weed through it to get information as a fan, which is what we provide as media people, which is why I got in the car and drove out there for 30 years to do these press conferences, was to get information to be more clear with my audience, to be a better journalist, a better HOST, a better informed football person, baseball person, the game. Now has completely changed, not just to throw me out and allow you in because they’re confident that you’ll ask safer. I don’t. I have no idea. You know, you go to church on Sunday, and I don’t. I don’t have no idea why they allow you to go and not me. And they would never say that, other than my long hair or my Venezuela who, whatever. But at these things, when you go to them now, and I went to the ballpark, to the during the day, I wasn’t thinking like, oh, I need to be on my phone and check out what they’re saying, because I know they’re not saying anything. There’s it’s not a destination thing, even for the fans. You and I talked the other day that back when Paul kapelky was my general manager, 20 years ago, and Billick was running the team, that when Billick did press conferences, they became cut ins for us because he actually said stuff, which is, you know, reason I still respect him all these years later is like it wasn’t a gathering to be a red herring or to Spin puja, which really became under HAR ball. And I don’t know where Minter is going to be in all of this, and I don’t think he’s going to be a destination guy, but I think he’s a smart football guy. Albernaz is a smart baseball guy. What they decide to give you or or not give you, and you and I had a long chat about Buck Showalter earlier this week in that it doesn’t need to be entertaining, but helps. And if you’re the person doing it, you’d like to be entertaining because you’re on the stage and but I don’t think that Jesse Minter cares to entertain anyone, or Albernaz cares to entertain anyone. And I was at the stadium, and the stadium’s empty on Wednesday, and I’m thinking, well, it is a television show. If my wife is more interested in dancing with the stars than baseball, then that’s what she’ll watch. And she wasn’t here to take my television away the last week and a half in a seven to one baseball game on Monday night. But the state of media, Diana Rossini notwithstanding, and whatever Stephen A Smith has become, and I had Dick Girardi on, who was a longtime co worker with him in Philadelphia. And I mean, Steven age to do my show all the time. It’s Sporting News. I remember NBA Draft nights he would come in and do an hour with me before the draft started on, you know, like sit, sit down in the studio with me. I just think of what media is and what press conferences have become, and what the restriction already is, is that you’re allowed to go, but I’m not, and our press box seat set empty on Wednesday at Camden Yards, because you’re only one person and I can’t cut you in half. I don’t know that they care. That these things are they’re perfunctory. Chad steel and Sashi Brown. Hate Me. They hate you. They hate the media. They hate accountability. They hide from it. The team president runs and hides. Now they’ll be all over this brand re announcement this week, when all that happens, and they’ll try to get their run, and they’ll they’ll have the team store up. No doubt about that. Revenue, revenue, revenue. I felt that at the ballpark on Wednesday.

Nestor Aparicio  14:39

I don’t know that these press conferences are meant to be informative to the fans. I mean, it’s almost they’re meant to be a shove to the media that they’re standing in front of. I’m not going to give you anything, and therefore you’re not giving the fans anything. And I wrote that kind of flippantly about Ray Lewis and Purple Rain one when I heard him that night. I was with Marvin down in Tampa, the Super Bowl week where. Or he came in, and Ray had changed at that point after the murders and like all of that. And I remember Ray being this magnanimous dude in 9690s this kid, and instead it was, Don’t give him anything. Don’t give him anything. Don’t say anything. Don’t tell him anything. Oh, okay, I mean, that was 25 years ago, and that’s how players felt then. And I know horrible. Always felt like his players were watching his press conference, which was a laughable, he said a lot of laughable things, especially about Trump. But I don’t know mentors thing in this. And I’ve watched what, two or three press conferences, I full disclosure, I’ve not watched the liars luncheon, and part of it is, and I even said to you, should I run it on the radio? You’re like, not in rush hour. And I’m thinking to myself, Do I even need to watch it? I’m asking, I mean, I used to get in the car, go out there, have lunch, yeah? Because look around a

Luke Jones  15:50

little bit. Do you need to watch it? Because you cover the team? Yeah. Okay, so,

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Nestor Aparicio  15:55

but what did I miss?

Luke Jones  15:58

First of all, I think the liar’s luncheon is a bad example for this, because it’s called it’s Nick it was nicknamed the liar’s luncheon 25 years ago, right? So I think this is a generally, is a bad example for to have this conversation, but because you brought it up, you know, I would say this for me, I asked one question on Wednesday. Wasn’t about draft prospects. Were you allowed to

Nestor Aparicio  16:22

ask it, or were you number were you number eight or asking?

Luke Jones  16:25

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I was allowed to ask it. So it

Nestor Aparicio  16:27

was an open it was an open press conference, yeah.

Luke Jones  16:29

Okay, yeah. But for me, what I was curious about was their process this offseason. Eric dicostia started the off season, not working on the draft, not working on trying to sign players to contracts. He was working on signing or hiring a new head coach, because he was the one who did, you know, Steve wasn’t leading. That is a

Nestor Aparicio  16:48

big job. It’s amazing job.

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Luke Jones  16:50

Yeah, so he hires one after, what, two and a half weeks, whatever it was, there was additional time spent with Eric, helping Jesse Minter to hire his staff, because especially a first time head coach, there needed to be some parameters and some assistance and networking and all those things to hire the assistant coaching staff. So the feeling

Nestor Aparicio  17:13

out process all of this. So I

Luke Jones  17:14

guess for me, my question was, how did you have to adapt this offseason to, you know, from a pre draft process standpoint, you know, is this a draft that probably leans a little more heavily on the scouts than it normally would. And, you know, Eric downplayed that part of it, but he acknowledged he was a few weeks behind where he normally was going to be. And he acknowledged that they had to then, as you know, talking him, you know, the front office, the scouts, they had to educate the coaches then on how we do things. Because as you get to a certain point in the offseason, as you get closer to the draft, you have your coaches look at prospects and say, What do you like about this guy? What do you not like about this guy? How does he fit? How does he not fit what we’re going to do systematically? So, you know, there was a lot of that that went on so, you know, and Eric didn’t come out and say this, but I kind of draw the conclusion. And I’ve said this to you for weeks, this is not going to be the offseason that is going to be a true reflection of Jesse Minters influence, right? Jesse Minter will have more of a voice next year, the year after that, five years from now, if he’s still here, 10 years from now, if he’s still here in the same way John Harbaugh was that way, right? John Harbaugh didn’t have the same voice in the 2008 draft that he did in 2018 when the Ravens drafted Lamar Jackson, right? So, but I just wanted to hear Eric chime in on that. And he acknowledged that some challenge to that. And he acknowledged that, yeah, the coaches gave them feedback and all that, but there was a little more of a he didn’t, these aren’t his words, but there’s a little more of a hand holding process there right to to kind of teach everyone, hey, this is how we do things for the pre draft evaluation. You know, I don’t think Eric was lying about that stuff. I think he was talking about that process and the fact that they had to do some catch up. And that’s not to say they won’t, it’s not to say they won’t have a good draft. That’s not to say that’s an excuse for having a bad draft if they do. But you know that that’s what I was interested in, you know, process, you know, process oriented. I mean, I’ve asked those types of questions for years. Someone asked, I forget who it was, it wasn’t me, but it was a good question. They asked about n i L, and how that’s impacting draft, the draft. And Eric said, you know, this kind of started with covid because of how many extra years of eligibility players were granted. But now with n i L, you have prospects who in the former system, in the former way of doing things, would have jumped into the draft. Now you have guys where they say, Well, you know, my pre draft grade is, I’ll go somewhere late day two, early day three. Three or I can stay another year, make X mill X number of dollars at Tennessee to play for them, the volunteers another

Nestor Aparicio  20:09

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maybe I’ll be in the second

Luke Jones  20:10

round, and I might be a second round pick the following year. So what, what that means, then, for the draft is you are having draft prospects trend a little bit older, which is problematic from the standpoint of, how do you project, what’s their upside if they played in college longer, what’s their injury history? Right? I mean, I remember you and I talked about this a lot back in old 2014 that which coincided with his off field issue, you know, off field scandal. But Ray Rice, go back and look at how many carries he had at Rutgers. I absolutely believe a decade later, decade plus, now, that that absolutely had was a factor in him wearing down as quickly as he did, even before what happened with him and his then Beyonce, future wife in an Atlantic City casino. So when you have these draft prospects who are older, it makes it more difficult and more problematic to look at their upside, to look at their you know, how do you project them out from a health standpoint? You know, those are things that, again, not something that’s unique to the ravens, but the ravens, just like the 31 other teams are trying

Nestor Aparicio  21:20

to Ray Rice carried the ball 380 times in his senior year.

Luke Jones  21:25

Yeah, he’s carrying all over 900

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Nestor Aparicio  21:27

times, 910, times in three seasons, and we wonder

Luke Jones  21:30

why he was washed up in 2013 you know what I mean. So I’m just using that as an example that comes to mind stream of consciousness. But you have more. You have 24 year old rookies. Now you have guys that have turned that are turning 25 during the rookie season, as opposed to Ray Lewis, who was 21 had turned 21 may of his rookie year. You know, Marlon Humphrey was 21 I think August of his. Who was

Nestor Aparicio  21:55

that quarterback that came out 15 years ago that was like 26 as a rookie, played Carolina. Oh wenky. Wenky. He was, I

Luke Jones  22:02

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think he was even older than that, because I love

Nestor Aparicio  22:04

having you around, because you remember these names.

Luke Jones  22:06

Well, I remember the issues he had played baseball. So I’m trying to think he was,

Nestor Aparicio  22:13

he was really a standout in that way, Florida State.

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Luke Jones  22:16

He was a star, right? Well, and part of that

Nestor Aparicio  22:19

was old. Well, he’s 27 years old, and he’s doing this at college football. That’s not going to translate anyway. But part of what you talked about earlier in the week, and I’m sure it came up in the liar’s luncheon, is the fact that they’re not drafting kids from Morgan State anymore. You know, they are literally drafting big on big, you know, money on money, and I L on N i L, because they’re, they’re two different tiers of football. Now there’s professional college football and there’s everything else.

Luke Jones  22:47

Well, you just mentioned Morgan State. The kid that’s really good at Morgan State is getting more money and going to a power power for school. You know, power comp, power five school. So those the small school prospects. Yeah, they were small school prospects three years ago, and then they transferred twice, and, you know, they they landed at Maryland, and then they’re at Alabama, right? I mean, and obviously I’m just making those two schools up as an example, but that so trying to navigate all of that is a question. Another here was another big picture thing. I didn’t ask this, but this is a question I’ve I’ve asked similar questions to this in the past, the idea of premium positions, right? Guys that touch the quarterback, quarterbacks, guys that catch the ball, guys that prevent a wide receiver from catch the ball. You know the premium positions. You know you and I talked about that a lot with roquan Smith as an off ball linebacker,

Nestor Aparicio  23:40

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well, Brian Billick saying, Ed, you’re a safety,

Luke Jones  23:43

yeah, right. But obviously Ed was an exception to that, although Hamilton, yeah, exactly. But one thing that Eric acknowledged, and he cited the examples of Patrick queen and Tyler Linder bomb, when you take a player at a non premium position in the first round, and then understanding what the formula is for the fifth year option complicates things. Right? The Ravens did not decline Tyler Linder bombs fifth year option because they didn’t love him as a player. They declined it because the fifth year option was a number that was calculated based on all offensive linemen, rather than just centers. And now we can debate whether that’s fair or whether the next CBA should address something like that, but the system is the system. So what did they end up doing? They declined the fifth year option, and then all it took was one team, the LA the LA Raiders, the Las Vegas Raiders, to value him in a way that was so out of whack compared to any other team, they lost him Patrick queen. They declined his fifth year option, not because they didn’t like Patrick queen as a player, but knowing how that fifth year option is calculated, it can complicate. Things, right? So that has to be

Nestor Aparicio  25:03

a poison pill and making the CBA the way it was, sure, but that has

Luke Jones  25:07

to be a consideration. Then, when you’re drafting someone in the first round, and that’s why someone like Vega, you know, Vega U on a from Penn State, the guard who has been mocked to the Ravens a heck of a lot, right? I mean, kind of sort of feels like Malachi Starks last year, who was mocked to the Ravens a ton, and then they ended up taking them. But point with that is, you look at him and you say, all right. And Eric even said it, he’s kind of the prototype guard, you know, Spencer Fano, the tackle from Utah. He’s the guy that some people say could play any of the five offensive line spots. And I think if the Ravens take him, the thought might be all right, maybe he replaces Ronnie Stanley in the next year or two, but he’ll play guard this year because they need to have a a more acute need on the interior. That certainly

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Nestor Aparicio  25:52

sounds plausible could be

Luke Jones  25:54

but the point is, okay, that that kind of profile for a fifth year option is fine, because they’ll probably wind up a tackle anyway, but for the Penn State kid, for Vega, you look at his fifth year option as a guard, well, that formula will take into account tackles, and that number is going to be really, really bloated. So is that an argument, then, for not taking him in the first round? Right? I’m not saying it’s not, because if, at the end of the day, if the player is great, the player is great, and even this, look, the Ravens did not resign Tyler Linder bomb, does that mean that that was a bad first round pick because they didn’t give him a second second contract? No, but it’s a disappointing outcome. So those are the things you have to consider. So for me, Nestor, those are the questions that are way more interesting to me, even in the liar’s luncheon formula you know about process getting philosophical. Eric’s not going to go into intimate detail about their analytics, but the idea of their analytics, in terms of sequencing at different parts in the draft, it’s not just who you take it’s also when you take certain positions, right? The Ravens could double dip, hypothetically, you know, me, I’ve talked a lot about the O line. Hypothetically, they could take a line, an O lineman, in the first in the second round. But is that the best way to do it from a strategic standpoint, to then try to address other positions in subsequent rounds? Right? There’s a lot of modeling that goes into that. You look at, you know, all these teams, they rank the board. It’s not just for yourself. It’s also trying to anticipate how other teams view these prospects. Because you say, You know what, we could take a first round offensive lineman, but we think that where we’re picking in the second or the third round, there’s going to be a way bigger pool of guys that we think will be there in those rounds that we think will have a better chance of landing one of those guys rather than doing it in this round, right? So there’s a lot that goes into that. So those are the kind of questions to me that are interesting. Now I will also say this, Joe, average fan might not find that as interesting, right? A more casual fan may not find that as interesting as someone that’s a die hard that is following every single thing you and I and Jeff’s reback and Jamison Ensley have to say and write and go on a podcast and recite all year long, compared to a fan who might just say, All right, I haven’t paid attention to the draft at all. Who are they drafting? You know what I mean? Like, there are different degrees of that. So, so your overall point, you know, to go back to your overall point about the press conferences, yeah, believe me, I was not going into Wednesday as something that was going to, you know, we were going to get this great idea of who they’re going to draft and when they’re going to draft, you know, all that stuff. But some of that is also understanding who you’re covering and knowing what types of questions to ask that will actually, you know that you can solicit a decent response that might actually be helpful, rather than just, you know, lip service, right? We’ve all heard Eric to Costa say best player available, just like Ozzie Newsome said best player available, and John Harbaugh said it, and Brian Billick said it. And once upon a time, Ted March abroad has said it, right, best player available. I mean, man, if there’s a way to get me to to want to fall asleep, it’s when someone says best player available. When it comes to the Ravens with the draft, that doesn’t mean it’s completely a complete lie. It’s not, but there’s nuance to it. It’s best player available that’s going to fit a need that you have on your football team.

Nestor Aparicio  29:36

Well, they have a lot of needs, and they and that’s

Luke Jones  29:37

8

where you kind of look at it like it’s kind of a flippant way of viewing it, but you kind of say, well, they should be in a position that they can draft.

Nestor Aparicio  29:44

If they took a wide receiver, you’d say, well, then that’s just a ticket to get rid of zay flowers because they want to pay him 30 million extra. They take a lineman, we’re all in on that. If they took a linebacker, we’d say, well, you know, if you believe in him that much, you know the Patrick Queen route or whatever it is, yeah. If they took a D lineman, we’d say, well, they need help from out of BK. They have to get after the quarterback. They took an edge rusher, we’d say that I don’t know about a corner. I don’t know. I don’t know, because they’ve taken Wiggins, they’ve taken other players. But if they were to take that, they’d say, Well, this guy, we thought he was the seventh best player in the draft, and he’s a corner, and we’re shocked that he was there. And if they do any of that sort of off, off the ball stuff that we’re talking about of these offensive linemen, or who all the projections would be. I told him somebody projected a tight end and, okay, I mean, Sadiq, yeah, yeah. So whoever they’ll take at that point, it’s very easy to say this guy was the fifth or sixth or eighth best guy on our board. And, you know, he fell to us, or what they did with Ed Reed that year was, well, the board was stripped, and he was just the next guy up, and we took him, and there we go. Yeah, I mean,

Luke Jones  30:51

a Hall of Famer fell in their laps there. Yeah, I,

Nestor Aparicio  30:55

I we would always ask, when we take phone calls here, like they do over at the fan, that who’s Ozzy going to take? Who’s Ozzy going to take? And I’m like, You always find their heart when they’re on the clock. Yeah, when they’re on the clock, you always find out who they’re going to pick. There have been some real shocks, though, like no one in their building thought Terrell Suggs would be on the board when that mess happened, right? So there definitely have been some strange circumstances. I mean, obviously dealing back for Lamar was its own thing, right? That has defined their franchise over the last decade, sure. So, so draft night’s important man like I get it and how the board picks out ahead of time is Eric can scrimmage that, and he will, and they and they will. But it’s, it’s, it should never be a hard pick when the time comes, when the time comes, you should have scrimmage that enough that it’s, you shouldn’t need to use all five or 10 or your minutes, which is why they’re trying to get this draft. You know, more they’re not doing 15 minutes.

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Luke Jones  31:59

We’re all picking more snappy, yeah,

Nestor Aparicio  32:01

where the Raiders sit there and smile and wave to everybody and know who they’re picking. You know, for the first 50 everyone’s known for the last

Luke Jones  32:07

four months, right? Right? Exactly.

Nestor Aparicio  32:08

8

Well, they’re getting calls now, Luke, you’re getting calls there,

Luke Jones  32:11

you know, yeah, yeah, so, but I think, you know, it’s always, there’s always a little more interest when you’re picking 14th. I mean, you pay a price for that, right? And they paid a price for that last year. And John Harbaugh paid a price for that. He didn’t get the pick 14th, right, although he goes to a franchise or he’s, you know, they’re in way worse shape than the ravens, even so. But I think it will be interesting, because they are 14th, all things being equal, in a vacuum, I think dicostal would like to trade back, but I’m not sure who’s coming up in this draft, right? I don’t know what teams like who is available, and

Nestor Aparicio  32:51

for what player and for what Yeah, I mean,

Luke Jones  32:52

like, we always talk about the first round movement for what quarterbacks.

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Nestor Aparicio  32:57

Well, I mean that great player is sitting there, that somebody wants to come up and get it 14. You probably should take the player, yeah.

Luke Jones  33:02

I mean, like, you know, is anyone that in love to get Ty Simpson, you know, out of Alabama? I mean, some people debate whether he should even be a first round pick, right? So that’s tough. You know, I don’t think anyone’s coming up that early to get him. So that’s where you look at this thing and say, You better be prepared to pick, and that’s why I keep coming back to, you know, Vega. And we’re all, if they draft him, we’re all gonna have to learn how to pronounce his name. I own

Nestor Aparicio  33:29

a dude. I got, oh, I got,

Luke Jones  33:32

8

I’ve gotten them all but, but the point is, with someone like him, I mean, it’s a plug and play guard, you know? I mean, that doesn’t solve the center thing. But boy, you’ve just now, I’m more on board with John Simpson if you’ve got Vega on the other side there, right? So we’ll see. But I think where the ravens are with the positions that they have some need. You mentioned corner. I mean, I think there’s absolutely a need for, you know, let me, let me rephrase this. I don’t think it’s their greatest need, but I think you absolutely make us, I mean, Marlon Humphries in the last year of his contract. There’s a lot of debate right now whether Marlon Humphrey can even play on the outside, let alone you know that you want him to be one of your starters. They, I know they brought back a woozy A and that certainly helps, but you absolutely can make an argument for a coin. He got to

Nestor Aparicio  34:26

chase Jamar Chase. They’re gonna, he’s gonna go

Luke Jones  34:28

three touchdowns. No doubt, no doubt. So, you know, so, so that’s now, I’ll say this. I mean, Marlon could be way better this year. He bounced back in 2024 had one of his best years. But I wonder if he’s more of a nickel, more of a hybrid kind of player at 32 Garcia, 31 No, he’s not. He’s not that old

Nestor Aparicio  34:49

Marlin. He’s been here forever.

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Luke Jones  34:50

He was another really young guy. He was another

Nestor Aparicio  34:53

guy too. Still Acts it well.

Luke Jones  34:56

He didn’t turn 21 till July of his rookie year, so he. Is Lamar or Lamar Marlon? He will be, he will be 30 in July. So, okay, yeah, so, but point is, you don’t draft guys just for 2026 and you know that I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. So, but they’ve got, I don’t know if there’s a position they would take at the first round. I mean, obviously not quarterback. And there aren’t, there isn’t going to be someone there that would justify it anyway, he even if suddenly you had soured on Lamar long term or getting a deal done or whatever. But you know, running back, I mean, Jeremiah love’s not going to be there by the time they pick I I’m not. I’m not a first round running back. I’m just not. I know the position value is bounced back a little bit here over the last couple years. And Derek Henry’s been fantastic for the Ravens. You know, not going to sit in here and say otherwise, but, you know, tight end, I mean, Sadiq is interesting. You know, he’s kind of polarizing. You know, some people see the upside is unbelievable. And some people say, oh, you know, I don’t know if that’s the best pick for them. I would say that’s a position where the Ravens have found talent on day two and day three. You know, at tight end, Eric even said it. I think there’s a good bet they draft two tight ends, but I think that’s more later in the draft. So, but O line, they obviously could wide receiver. They obviously could, you know, put the zay contract aside. I mean, they still need a number three wide receiver. I mean, I’m not, I like devontes Walker’s potential, but I’m not ready to just hand him the number three. I mean, Bateman. Bateman’s got to be way better as a number two, right? So you could make an argument there, you can make an argument D line, you can make an argument edge, I you know inside linebacker. I actually think they’re in okay shape at inside linebacker right now. You know roquan, regardless of the contract concern, you know value concern, he’s still a really good linebacker. You know Trenton Simpson, I think, quietly, played pretty well in place at Teddy Buchanan last year, at the end of the season, and Teddy Buchanan should be back by, I don’t know, halfway through training camp. You hope so. You know, I think they’re okay there. That’s not a position where I’d be looking at that. Oh, I must draft an off ball linebacker in the first two rounds, or something like that. And corner, safety, you know, safety, they’re pretty much. I mean, you have two first round safeties, and you sign Jalen Hawkins, who, I think is one, you know, I said it to you a while back, might be my favorite signing of the offseason. You know, other than, you know, Trey Hendrickson is obviously the headliner. So they have a lot of needs. They’re going to draft a punter at some point, right? I mean, they need a punter. They don’t have a punter right now, you know, I think you look at the number of fifth and sixth and seventh round picks that they have, I would assume it’s going to come there, but so they they can go any number of directions. So you kind of look at this lends itself to, yeah, Eric’s not going to broadcast it. He doesn’t know exactly how it’s going to play out. For me, the greatest level of urgency remains the O line, the interior O line. I’m not going to waver from that. I’m still very concerned about that picture. But the good news is it looks like, I think there’s a decent chance that their guy can be there at 14, not a center, but a guard. And there are some good center prospects when you get to the second, third, fourth round, still makes me nervous because, you know, plug and play a guy in that round, man, you don’t know that’s a box of chocolates at best, but I think there are guys that they can address that. But as you pointed out a couple weeks ago, and I thought it was an astute observation and astute point, they could also, they could also take one of these picks and trade for a veteran. You know, they could. They’re, they’re, they’re starting center might be on someone else’s roster right now, and maybe, and it might not even be a pick in this draft. They might say, hey, we’ll trade our, we’ll trade our fourth round pick next year for some team starting center. And again, that’s a high. It’s a hypothetical. I’m speaking in, you know, kind of general terms, but there are still those moves that can be made as well. So I’m, I’m very intrigued, because there is so much new on the coaching side, and they, they have a couple more holes on the roster than they normally do this time of year. So that’s where I kind of look at this thing and say, not that I I think they’re going to be good, right? Healthy Lamar means they’re good. I mean, it’s just like automatic, you know? But they still have some pretty heavy they have some heavy lifting to do here, and I’m really interested to see how this 14th pick is going to play out. Because, as Eric Decosta himself noted, that board could get picked clean, and then you’re kind of picking someone where you say, All right, good player, but probably a guy that we could have gotten 10 picks from now. And if that happens, that’s where you kind of come away a little bit more underwhelmed.

Luke Jones  39:51

8

And you know, then then hoping that another Kyle Hamilton kind of Prospect drops into your lap. Well, I

Nestor Aparicio  39:56

do know one thing, they’ll have new uniforms, and they’re. No for that, you and I have done fashion police here this week and find that at Baltimore positive, I didn’t realize they were doing like, a nighttime thing. I kept thinking, like, as we record this on Thursday morning, I’m like, they’ll drop this at 10am right on the internet or whatever.

Luke Jones  40:11

No, it’s a big they’re doing a big

Nestor Aparicio  40:13

PSL thing, and they got legends coming in. I’m trying to figure out who I’m inviting to dinner. I’m going to throw mulatalo And Matt Stover note here from the old schoolers. CADRE is a part of Jimmy Smith, who was very kind to me the one time I ran into him since he left the field. Suggs, you know, I don’t need to see him again the rest of my life. Todd, I figured you

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Luke Jones  40:32

probably weren’t going to give him the invite.

Nestor Aparicio  40:36

Go ahead. Sorry, I can’t think of a more despicable do. Well, I wouldn’t put Humphrey in that category. But, I mean, I spent enough time around Terrell Suggs, and though I’ve that, that’s the best thing that Chad steel ever did, was I don’t have to deal with him. Jermaine’s around Michael McCrary, who I always run into lives here. Ray Rice, who’s coaching ball, and, yeah, so those are the Ravens legends. So this is this a nighttime thing, I guess, and but I did. The reason I even know about this is because the algorithm thinks that I’m a raven fan. How would it think that 8am they’re opening the stadium so you can go buy the stuff, so like 8am Friday morning, there’ll be a line around the building. People want to give $400 for the New Jersey or whatever. So I don’t know. Are you optimistic or pessimistic as we get into this year, I talked,

Luke Jones  41:23

I talked to someone the other day who had seen them. Oh, really. Okay, you know, I can’t say too much, because I was kind of like, hey, you know, but I feel better after what I heard. But we’ll see. What is

Nestor Aparicio  41:37

8

it here? It’s just more tradition. It’s not some new, weird look. It’s kind

Luke Jones  41:41

of what I kind of suspect. I don’t think it’s going to be like I don’t think it’s a completely unrecognizable redesign. I do think they’re brand new. They’re absolutely as new. And I think the alternate probably more so on the alternate uniform side. I think that might see a little more drastic change there, but I’ve heard other things are a little more tweaks.

Nestor Aparicio  42:03

So I was with resig. We’ll see, you know, and there’s no one that I love more than SIG or respect more. And we’re like, literally walking from fadley’s to the stadium, and he didn’t know about it, you know? I mean, he’s an artist, but I have, I have Todd radham coming on Friday morning. You know who is the cartoonist, of artist, of logos, of, you know, all of that. And is great, done whole books on uniforms and like all that. I mean, I would consider him, if not the preeminent guy in the country. Certainly he’s, he’s in this short conversation, so I’m really looking forward to talking to him about it, because he knows everything about the history of uniforms. I mean, all uniforms. So it’s kind of cool. So I said to her SIG, you know, they’re doing this. He’s like, really, they’re rebranding the whole thing. And you know what he said to me? And I was sort of shocked. He’s like, I’ve always hated that helmet. I hate that bee. I’ve always hated that bee. I’ve always thought it was terrible. And I’m thinking, well, we’re sick. I don’t hear that from a SIG often, so there, I guess there are some people I have not heard anybody with as strong a take on hating the beat. I’ve told you. I’ve always thought it’s awkward left and right, that it looks right on one side of the helmet, but when the helmet went left to the other side, it looks like sort of the wrong side of a sickle and, you know, like, or the top of a hatchet or something. I’ve always thought that was weird. No, look, the Steelers don’t even have a logo on the other side of the other side of the helmet. The Browns are 150 years into this and still look like Eminem’s. So I know I don’t.

Luke Jones  43:28

And the Bengals have had pretty sweet helmets, and they’ve been bad for most of their existence. So yeah, yeah.

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Nestor Aparicio  43:34

And, you know, the Patriots have been through a couple and Patriot Pat’s still better. And the Joe Namath Helm, I’m looking at all my helmets here. And then there’s teams like the chiefs that never F with it. They just never F with it. Or the lions, if they F with it,

Luke Jones  43:49

they’ve messed they’ve messed with it a lot that the helmet. They’ve kept the same right, right uniforms. Yeah, yeah.

Nestor Aparicio  43:55

And the Chargers have never had a bad uniform. And all the year, you know, like every one of them sort of other than, a little bit

Luke Jones  44:02

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other than that Big Bird one, okay,

Nestor Aparicio  44:05

the all gold that the Raiders have only had two, really, unless you want to talk about gold pants and talk about different they’ve, they’ve had two looks in 29 years, 30 years, whatever it’s been, right? They had two.

Luke Jones  44:17

They’ve really only had two alternate, two alternate looks. You know, the black, the black jersey with, okay, whatever, black pants, white pants, whatever you want to do, and the purple and black on purple and and, yeah, those are really the only their home and their away has remained very consistent since 1997

Nestor Aparicio  44:36

a couple for that, I will say that’s what I hope. Make Your Money, grab, do your thing or whatever. I’m hoping it’s not

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Luke Jones  44:42

dramatically different. Like, you know, because they

Nestor Aparicio  44:44

have a little good team and a good brand and a good and gentlemen, the Orioles have had an awful team, and they can rebrand a million things they want. People still want the cartoon like, bird, yeah.

Luke Jones  44:55

Like, here’s an example of something that I would be okay with, the Raven. Ones have had some very slight red accents at times, right? You know, whether you’re talking about the eye of the bird, or could they incorporate just the ever slight, you know, slightest amount of red trim to their jerseys, like, you know, with the numbers. I don’t know that might look okay. I don’t know, like, subtle. It’s got to be subtle. I’m not, I’m not saying,

Nestor Aparicio  45:22

8

like, full blown red. No, the state flag has red in it on the patch, so it’s like, there,

Luke Jones  45:27

yeah, so if there’s something like that, that could be something where it makes the jersey number pop a little bit more. I don’t know, like, for me, I just, I just think, man, when you’re talking about birds, wings, feathers, man, like the Oregon Ducks are a perfect example of this, right? It can go off the rails, and you can have some really out there kind of designs that are just, that’s what I’m worried about.

Nestor Aparicio  45:55

I didn’t say this either, but the disputed bee and, you know, David and I were obviously

Luke Jones  46:01

close, by the way. I hated that originally, and over time, I really liked that.

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Nestor Aparicio  46:05

I wish they hadn’t lost it was David’s thing. It was a stolen brand, as the Court saw it, David said to me, we’re not going to play under a disputed brand. Sure, you know what I mean. So like all that, and David didn’t want to cut a check to the guy because he showed the guy was full of manure. So, I mean, and, and, like I had long, David was wonderfully profane in the he was my favorite profane person other than myself, of course, and maybe Andrew Dice Clay or a few other people. But they changed when they changed as a real gut punch to the Orioles, who were calling themselves the Orioles and fighting with Washington and fighting about mass and before it even existed. So when that rebranding happened in O 1020304, all of that was David Modell driving it on behalf of him living in Federal Hill and seeing the Orioles go into house arrest with Angelos. I mean, the Orioles were a disaster in 2000 2001 2002 2003 they had no embrace for Baltimore at all. And I remember this vividly. I mean, Drew Forrester, and I did a decade of put Baltimore back on the road jerseys around here, and they took my press pass in the midst of that, because that’s how incensed the Orioles were that I demand that they call themselves the Baltimore Orioles. That’s how much the Orioles ran away from Baltimore to try to keep a team out of DC. Meanwhile, David was like, let’s put the state bird. Let’s put a B on it. Let’s get the R off of it. Let’s get the r out. B, b, b, Baltimore, Baltimore, Baltimore, state, Maryland, local. We’re the local team. We’re not Angeles. So that went into every part of making the current ravens look like the current ravens the way they’ve looked for 25 years. I don’t know what the ethos of goofy Sashi brown or the moon guy or Chad steel. I mean, dicostan little football people have anything to do with this. The these are the suits that Steve sends in. And I really wonder whether they bring they care what Michelle Andres thinks. Are they? I wonder who Steve cares what they think, other than Sashi and sashi’s henchmen that who’s in the room, who are the eight or 10 or 12 people in the room that are really making the decision? And it comes down to Steve. I mean, it’s my team. Ask him, yeah, just ask him. It’s his team. So at the end of the day, Steve is the final artist who’s checking off on this. So this is part of them being full of manure in a general sense, and running from people like me. They want me to promote that at 8am everybody run down there and give $300 for the New Jersey. But then when I want to ask real questions about who is in on the decision making, they’ll, they’ll, they’ll treat it like the liar’s luncheon. They’ll just bully you. And instead of saying we started doing this four years ago, a consortium came together. John Harbaugh was originally in on this. They could probably tell you the truth on that like, like they they could tell you the truth. But, and I’ve learned this from people who don’t work in the organization anymore, and this more speaks to my column that I’m going to write about lock and fora, their instinct is to lie to you, and I’ve learned that as a journalist over the last 15 years. That’s Steve bishati. The instinct is Ray Rice didn’t punch his wife, and how dare you even say that. And there is no videotape of because we made it go away, and it didn’t happen and and she hit him first, instead of this is what really happened. And I found the Ray Lewis thing 25 years ago, that when I was around all of those people on the inside, they all told me, long before the trial, long before art flew to Atlanta and the late great um. Um, lawyer, Ed, what was his name? I can’t think of his last name. He’s passed away a couple years ago. I found that whole tape of him being on my show talking about this issue that when the Ray Lewis thing happened the morning after. Ed garland, by the way, Ed garland, thank you.

Nestor Aparicio  50:17

The day after the Ray Lewis thing, I sat out there and Marvin, Brian burn, anybody that knew our David, they all told me the same story. That story played itself out in court. That story played itself on the back end of court. It played itself out with witnesses, and they sort of, they never lied to me about it. You know, in a general sense, they never lied to me. Now, Ray I didn’t talk to, he had to do his talking in handcuffs and in court. But the Ray Rice thing forward and my experiences, personal, real life experiences with John Harbaugh and Eric da Costa and Steve bishati have been that their instinct is to lie about everything so and cover things up, even good things, like this jersey thing, like I’m wondering the whole timeline of this, like, if I was still doing my show at the barn and they were still like regular, normal people, and they weren’t jerks, and David were to come out and bring the team president, and they would sit next to me, and we would make a big stink about This and talk about it, they would be much more transparent than they’re going to be to Garrett downing in whatever forum that they decide to or Pete schrager, who’s thumbs down on Peter schrager at 15 years and being married to a Baltimore girl. Pu that guy. So they’re going to pay him, bring, fly him into town and pay him to be a part of this, because he’s a real Baltimore guy. He knows jerseys. I just would really like to know what went into this, and that will be my that’s the interest part for me as a journalist, as a fan, as a PS former PSL holder, as somebody that’s gonna talk about the jerseys, good, bad or indifferent, is how did, how did they do this? Who came up with this was this Steve, and then believing the part where they tell you the story of how this happened, because I’m as interested in that as I am to whatever wing bird they’re going to have. It’s sort of like how y’all come up with this. Is this some consortium? And I’m asked Todd Radom, and he’s going to know a lot about this, to say, what artists do they really call is this an AI thing? Are there three artists that provide three different looks? Are there? Does Nike really control that? Like, I want to know what’s really going on, and I think I won’t find I’ll have a really hard time finding that out, I mean, and feeling confident that this is really the way it went down.

Luke Jones  52:37

Okay, you’ve thought about it way more than I have. I don’t, I don’t disagree with your overall point.

Nestor Aparicio  52:42

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Well, they’re making a big stink, and they’re bringing all the players in, and they’re trying to make a lot of money and sell all of this. Like, the number one thing I have as a journalist is who I what, where and how, right? Like, like, who I understand. And Sashi Brown, when, four years ago, what? Decided that we need to freshen up the look, because you only had two looks. Why? Because you want to make more money. The league wants us to or there’s some pressure upon us. It’s our time to do this. Like, it’s our time to go to Brazil, right? Like all of that, like I respect, I respect the truth, whatever the truth is, whatever their truth is, as to what artists male or female. I mean, it’s even with these Maryland treasures, I saw one of the ladies that drew one of these out in Frederick, she told her story about entering and she’s a real artist, and she has a gallery. And like, I’m a storyteller, right? That’s what I am. I’m not a journalist anymore. Ask them. So the story, to me, isn’t just the rebrand, it’s the whole trail of, like, how did you come to this? Why does it have the red dot? Why does it have this? And I’m giving you the real story about 25 years ago about how that Maryland, weird Maryland patch wound up on their shoulder. And you love the flying bird. I always love the kiss helmet. And I’m arrogant enough to say that if I wasn’t on vacation in Jamaica, the week that they were doing that in that sun pole, I probably would have really put my foot down. I thought the kiss bird was going to be the helmet. Always, always, I, I, I never love that bee either. I’m out. I’m on receive side of saying. I always thought was awkward, left, right that because of that. And I told David that, and David knew of all of my complaints and laughed at them. And we still were friends anyway, but I would say to David, yeah, you should have taken the kiss. I told him that from the beginning. Well, maybe, maybe you should have been here pimping for it. And I’m like, I did pimp for it. I just thought, like, Why the hell did you take the backwards B and now, 25 years later, they still have, to me the wrong logo on their helmet. You know what I mean? To me, it always should have been the kiss face, better than whatever that purple thing was two years ago where the logo was too small. But to me, the kiss face always should have been on their helmet. It never was, and I screwed the pooch, not put my foot down 25 years ago, when I had the power to do it, and the son was there was a legitimate poll from I don’t want to disparage David. He’s gone. I think it was a legitimate poll. I think David was going to do whatever the people did, because if David was going to name the team, he would have called them the Americans. David loved the Americans in a train. But. That’s what he saw. B and O railroad, Cleveland, Ohio, Baltimore, like he loved the train. He loved the Americans. That’s what he wanted to do. And there was a movement that the Ford Motor Company was going to sponsor them being called the Mustangs, or maybe the Mavericks. They had a maverick car, but that was long gone at that point. So I know all of the history of all of this, more than Sashi brown knows, like for sure, maybe not more than Masha he knows because he’s on the inside. But this is where, like, the owner should be out when they’re doing a rebranding of the team logo, and talk about it. Talk about his love of the franchise, and his love of The Color Purple, and his love of the piping, and why he loved that he made the decision to do that, whatever the thing is, but we’re never going to find out who made any of the decisions, or the artist, or any of that. It’s just by by the ish. And there’s a better story at it for me, if I were coming at it as a journalist, my the journalist in me wants to get the real story. Of like, When did all this start? And what did you not like about the old logo, other than David created it. And, you know, just in a general sense, making money. We all know that. But I think it’s, um, it, it could be an exciting thing for the team if, if there’s a line at 8am on Friday, everybody’s lining up to buy it. I guess it looks good.

Luke Jones  56:15

Yeah, I don’t know if the, I don’t know if the logo is going away. I Okay. I think elements, I mean, it might be tweaking. You’re changing the helmet.

Nestor Aparicio  56:26

I don’t. You don’t get this vibe that it’s more uniform than it is helmet. Okay? I don’t, I don’t know. I not. You know what? I’m not allowed to ask questions.

Luke Jones  56:33

I’m not sure. I mean, I don’t, I don’t know. But I, I

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Nestor Aparicio  56:37

think you’re only allowed to ask one. I think

Luke Jones  56:38

changing your logo that is dramatic.

Nestor Aparicio  56:41

Okay, you don’t think that.

Luke Jones  56:42

8

Okay, jerseys and pants, number

Nestor Aparicio  56:44

five, it’s gonna stay this.

Luke Jones  56:46

Essentially, I’m not saying it’s gonna stay exactly the same. I changed the strike. I don’t think that. I don’t think their primary logo is changing. Wow. Okay, I

Nestor Aparicio  56:54

didn’t know that. I thought, like, Well, I mean, like, anything

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Luke Jones  56:57

like, like, for example, I don’t know. We don’t really disappoint you. SIG, I will. I will say this. People who, people who hate uniform talk must hate us right now because we, we’ve spent way more time minutes on this. And I thought, Well, dude, they’re gonna

Nestor Aparicio  57:11

spend hours tonight and all weekend. Where do you see their social media if you think we’ve talked about it too much, come on now. Yeah, yeah. Come on. We’re talking about it. You and I love sports. These people love everything but sports. He is Luke Jones. I am Nestor. I’m not even chippy this week. I’m happy, man, we got football back in the news. We got uniforms. We got Brazil games. We’re gonna have schedules. We got a 500 baseball team with a lot of issues and holes and promise and all of that. So for that, I am grateful. And the fishmonger’s daughter is opening next week. Fails. I’m wearing my foreign and Dermer gear. They are the comfort guys. They’ve kept me comfortable. If you’re a little hot, moist, whatever, it’s been 8590 degrees, make sure you get your HVAC and your your AC fixed. And by all means, if, if you spring a leak, the way I did two weeks ago, they’re good at leaks. Farnham and Derma, they are the comfort guys. They take leaks seriously. There’s an old line here from from Nacho Mama’s in the 50s. He’s Luke. I’m Nestor. We’re only half nuts around here the Maryland crab cake doors back out on the road. Stay with us. You.