Picking the “next Hall of Fame coach” becomes front and center for re-emerging Bisciotti

The Baltimore Ravens and owner Steve Bisciotti are not lacking qualified candidates to be the next coach in Owings Mills. Luke Jones and Nestor assess the wide array of options he and Eric DeCosta will have in a rare opportunity for the brain trust to drain the brains of the brightest coaches and coordinators in the NFL in the coming weeks to gather valuable information.

Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discussed the Baltimore Ravens’ search for a new head coach following John Harbaugh’s firing. They highlighted the importance of finding a coach who can connect with Lamar Jackson and the team, emphasizing the need for both experience and fresh perspectives. Candidates mentioned include Vance Joseph, Davis Webb, and Kevin Stefanski. The conversation also touched on the potential impact of the coaching decision on the team’s future, the importance of transparency, and the potential for hiring a coach with a strong offensive or defensive background.

• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Conduct a deep dive analysis of the Ravens coaching search and options next week and prepare talking points for the show
• [ ] Conduct a deep dive analysis of the Ravens coaching search and options next week and prepare talking points for the show
• [ ] Attend the Steve Bisciadi press conference on Tuesday and ask questions on behalf of the show

Discussion on the Ravens’ Coaching Search and Steve Bisciotti’s Decision

• Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the recent firing of John Harbaugh and the search for the next Ravens head coach.
• Nestor mentions his “Dear Steve” letter, which has received significant feedback, and the importance of the next hire.
• Luke highlights the wide net being cast for candidates, noting the changes in the NFL over the past 18 years.
• Nestor and Luke reflect on the emotional impact of the firing and the potential impact on the Ravens’ future.

The Process and Candidates for the Ravens’ Head Coach Position

• Luke explains the initial interview process, which includes Zoom calls for coaches still in the playoffs.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the importance of finding a coach who can connect with Lamar Jackson and the broader roster.
• They mention various candidates, including Vance Joseph, Davis Webb, and the importance of transparency in the search process.
• Nestor and Luke debate the merits of experienced coaches versus younger, first-time head coaches.

The Importance of Experience and Fit for the Ravens’ Coaching Role

• Nestor emphasizes the need for a coach who has been successful and can connect with the team and the fans.
• Luke argues for the potential of younger, less experienced coaches who might bring fresh perspectives.
• They discuss the importance of the coach’s ability to manage the entire roster and work with the front office.
• Nestor and Luke reflect on the impact of the coach’s personality and leadership style on the team’s success.

The Role of Analytics and Networking in the Coaching Search

• Luke highlights the role of analytics and predictive models in evaluating coaching candidates.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the importance of networking and gathering information from other coaches and organizations.
• They mention the potential for hiring coaches who could also serve as offensive coordinators.
• Nestor reflects on the importance of the coach’s ability to connect with the quarterback and the broader team.

The Impact of the Coaching Decision on the Ravens’ Future

• Nestor and Luke discuss the potential impact of the coaching decision on the Ravens’ future success.
• They reflect on the importance of finding a coach who can lead the team to consistent success and avoid January failures.
• Nestor emphasizes the need for a coach who can connect with the team and the fans, and who can build a long-term plan.
• Luke highlights the importance of the coach’s ability to manage the coaching staff and work with the front office.

The Potential Candidates and Their Qualifications

• Nestor and Luke discuss various potential candidates, including Anthony Weaver, Kevin Stefanski, and Matt Nagy.
• They reflect on the merits and drawbacks of each candidate, considering their experience, coaching style, and fit with the Ravens.
• Nestor emphasizes the importance of finding a coach who can connect with Lamar Jackson and the broader roster.
• Luke highlights the importance of the coach’s ability to manage the entire roster and work with the front office.

The Importance of Transparency and Communication in the Coaching Search

• Nestor and Luke discuss the importance of transparency and communication in the coaching search process.
• They reflect on the impact of the coaching decision on the fans and the broader community.
• Nestor emphasizes the need for the organization to communicate effectively with the fans and the media.
• Luke highlights the importance of the coach’s ability to connect with the fans and build a positive public image.

The Role of the Front Office and Ownership in the Coaching Decision

• Nestor and Luke discuss the role of the front office and ownership in the coaching decision.
• They reflect on the importance of the coach’s ability to work with the general manager and the owner.
• Nestor emphasizes the need for the coach to have a clear vision and the ability to communicate that vision to the team.
• Luke highlights the importance of the coach’s ability to manage the coaching staff and work with the front office.

The Impact of the Coaching Decision on the Ravens’ Long-Term Success

• Nestor and Luke discuss the potential long-term impact of the coaching decision on the Ravens’ success.
• They reflect on the importance of finding a coach who can build a sustainable winning culture.
• Nestor emphasizes the need for the coach to have a clear plan and the ability to execute that plan.
• Luke highlights the importance of the coach’s ability to connect with the team and the fans, and to build a positive public image.

The Final Thoughts on the Coaching Search and the Ravens’ Future

• Nestor and Luke reflect on the final thoughts on the coaching search and the Ravens’ future.
• They discuss the importance of finding the right coach to lead the team to success.
• Nestor emphasizes the need for the coach to have a clear vision and the ability to execute that vision.
• Luke highlights the importance of the coach’s ability to connect with the team and the fans, and to build a positive public image.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Ravens head coach, Steve Bisciotti, John Harbaugh, Lamar Jackson, coaching search, Anthony Weaver, Vance Joseph, Kevin Stefanski, Matt Nagy, Brian Billick, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, NFL hiring, coaching experience, franchise quarterback.

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SPEAKERS

Luke Jones, Nestor Aparicio

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T AM, 1570 taci, Baltimore. We are Baltimore, positive, positively into the new year. Positively into the point where my wife and I are like, five nights in a row, football, Thursday, Friday, college, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Steelers on Monday, you get to eight on the Steelers, and watch the Texans come in there and drag them. Then we can talk about the ninth coach in the market. Next week, we’re out on the road. Luke and I are about to do a deep dive into where we are, and there’s going to be a Steve bishodi press conference. I have inked a Dear Steve, letter that 1000s of people. It’s not 10s of 1000s yet, but lots of you have read it, getting lots of feedback inside, outside, the usual use and abuse in pinata. And I know I know better. Yeah, you know better. Anyway, good questions there for everyone. But the big question, obviously, who are they going to hire next? And, you know, I Luke, I always talk process and what they’re looking for. That’s what I wrote in my letter. You know, what David Bodell was looking for, recruiting the community, the things that Billick was, the things Billick might not have been, right, and the things that Harbaugh, we can clearly see, was, and my challenge in the letter was, what’s the next one going to be, because if you’re bringing Anthony Weaver in, that’s a that’s like, I’ve known Anthony Weaver longer than I’ve known John Harbaugh, and still not as long as I’ve known his brother. And you know, I don’t know what personality they’re looking for. I don’t know if I I mentioned I think they need a quarterback whisper at this moment, at this juncture, no matter what Lamar is the franchise, I think that’s the football side of this. And then there’s just the whole spill out of what’s transpired here this week. First off, when bishadi Fired Billick, he did this quick dresser, a very teary eyed you weren’t on the beat yet, right? But I was at that presser watching a very emotional Steve shotty, and he said I got later on, he said to me, or I maybe it was in my book, he said he got his equilibrium back. I don’t know that you and I had our equilibrium on Tuesday or Wednesday. In regard to this, I think it takes a, you know, a little bit of Really, wow. Now they’re going to go hire a coach, and all of the years that we would say, Don’t fire horrible. Don’t fire horrible. He’ll get a job in a minute. He will, and he shall, and he’s going to get a raise, and he’s going to get Steve off the hook for the money. But we always said, Who are you going to get this better than him? And they say the same thing in Pittsburgh. Well, here we go, man. Here we go.

Luke Jones  02:44

Yeah, we’re going to find out, right? And as I wrote a Baltimore positive.com I think when you look at the early stream of candidates, they’re casting a pretty wide net, as they should when you haven’t hired a coach in 18 years, regardless of the reason, whether it’s a firing, whether it’s Hey, I’m leaving, I’m retiring, any number of reasons you’re you’re dipping your toes into something that you’re not terribly familiar with anymore. I mean, 18 years ago, think about it, on Thursday afternoon slash evening, the Ravens put out tweets that they had completed interviews with Vance Joseph, who’s the Broncos defensive coordinator, and Davis Webb, who’s the Broncos pass game coordinator. Think about January of 2008 the Ravens weren’t even on Twitter. Twitter was in its infancy in terms of just that form of a medium. So it speaks to how much the world has changed in a matter of 18 years. So take your time. Talk to as many people as you reasonably can. I mean, you don’t want to have 150 candidates, but you also don’t want to just have six either, because

Nestor Aparicio  03:55

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it’s way different than art mode Williams. I like that guy. I like that guy and let David bring that guy. I mean, literally, that’s when I wrote Purple Rain one, which I alluded to on my dear Steve letter. You know, it was a couple of guys that sort of art called around the league and said, Who do you like? You know? And that’s the way this thing worked 30 years now. It’s black, white, defense, offense, special teams. Bring them in, young, old, bring everybody in. So at least it looks like we’ve done the corporate thing down in HR, that we’ve had everybody in. Because there is the appear dude. They’ve been more transparent about this job search than anything they’ve been in 18 years. They’re telling you who’s coming in and out of the building. They don’t do that in free agency. They don’t do that in college. I mean, I’ve just noticed that in the last 36 hours, I’m like, Oh, that’s interesting. They they’re actually being transparent after the fact. And I don’t know if these people are flying in. We have bye weeks. We have all sorts of you want to get a hold of Denver, Seattle. This is the week to do that you. You know, it’s very complicated with agents, coaches, people landing in seats. I did a hit in Cleveland this week, and they’re like, Stefanski is out there. I’m like, Schwartz is out there. There’s just all of these coaches out there. You You laughed at Jason Garrett, who Steve fell in love with, no interview with the Titans. You know, like, seems like he wants to come back in and coach. So I’m not saying him. I’m saying, right? This is a wide swath of failed coaches, perceived failed coaches. Brian Flores, you like it is. It’s the wild, wild west, in a way, on your beat this week that’s unlike any other. We need a franchise quarterback? Where are we going to find one? We need a head coach. Hmm, you know, I mean, bring 100 candidates in, you know, there’s 64 coordinators in the league, right?

Luke Jones  05:51

Yeah, yeah. So, I mean, you kind of look at it first of all, to answer one of your questions, you know, how does it work most of these individuals, especially ones that are still in the playoffs. You the preliminary is a zoom call something like that. I mean, that’s, that’s 2008 that wasn’t something, that was a thing, right? So, so you have that anyone who’s out, you know, like when you look at someone like Cliff Kingsbury, who is out in Washington, anyway, their their season’s done, you know, you can do that in person. So but for me, you know, you mentioned the equilibrium piece, you know, whether it’s people covering it, whether it’s fans, whether it’s the team itself, right? I mean, I don’t think. I really don’t think, and based on everything we’ve heard that’s based on other reporting out there, like this wasn’t Steve seeing Tyler, Luke missed the kick, and then I’m firing John two days from now. These thoughts were in his mind about the possibility, the little bit that you and I entertain, the possibility of hardball being fired, I laid out the scenario where they’re having tough talks because they’ve had a tough season and things haven’t gone the way they’ve wanted to, and you’ve got the baggage of the last several years and January failures that it was pending how those talks go, whether you’re talking about vision coordinators and Todd moncken, as clearly was a lightning rod here. So but, but it’s not something that came out of left field entirely

Nestor Aparicio  07:15

either, right. So, well, the thing that we hit on was the peshadi watched the stadium empty out, and Basti reads the papers, so to speak, right? And I think there’s a point for him, dude, you and I said this two weeks ago because Lamar was hurt. Lamar wasn’t playing in Green Bay. They were about to go down with the ship, right? They were going to lose in Green Bay and or Pittsburgh was going to win Cleve, right? So it was going to be over with that week. Preston’s story comes out. Still, nobody’s ever read the damn thing that I’ve ever met because they don’t want to pay these these people for the paywall. But that being said, Steve, at that point, would look at it the way you and I would look at it, which is, what better not come back here in April without the quarterback and with the coach right like that was not something that in any way in your mind would be good for the Baltimore Ravens, favorable to the fan base. Or check the boxes of we’re actually going to win next year with Kirk Cousins as our quarterback. Or, you know, the kid that played for Green Bay two weeks ago, Malik Willis. I mean, like somebody like that, you’re going to bring in this year’s Justin fields this, you know, whatever you’re going to do and sell that as Lamar, while Lamar goes and becomes the Colts quarterback, or the saints quarterback or the Steelers quarterback, because that’s the way the league works, right? Mean, hardball could be the coach of the Steelers next Tuesday, if they decide to get rid of Tomlin because they lose 40 to three on Monday. I mean, who the hell knows, Tomlin may walk in on Tuesday after losing 43 say, I want to go coach the Giants. I don’t know the Miami Dolphins guy, because I wanted to say this to you, because all this transparency that I’m talking about, and I’m I’m not even being facetious. I’m just like, they put out a bunch of tweets about the people they’re interviewing, right? Am I Al? Anthony Weaver’s been there this week, right? So the Miami Dolphins guy was flying har ball’s brother around on secret planes in this modern era, and got outed for it right? And now just decides I’m just going to fire the coach, because I think I’m getting hardball. And everybody’s on to it because of the whole Michigan thing. And, like, you couldn’t get the brother, whatever John’s wife might like the good weather down in Miami, at the John’s ever coached anywhere, we said decent weather. I mean, I’ve looked at his resume. I’m like, man, you know, waking up in Dave, he might be, not be. I mean, it put Jimmy Johnson to sleep, and it put Nick Saban asleep, but, but I don’t know, you tell me it’s gonna work somewhere for 25 million a year. I mean, he’s gonna try to set by the way, He’s the hottest candidate there’s ever been. Right? Like, it’s crazy, right? Like he’s the candidate we thought he would be, right. I mean, I

Luke Jones  10:04

don’t know if he’s the hottest candidate that there’s ever been, but he certainly, yeah, he’s exactly what you thought it would be, right? The idea that, and I would always say this is never a reason to not fire someone, you know, but the idea that you fire him and he’s going to have a job in five minutes, right? I mean, he can take his time. It’s no coincidence that his agents put out there that he is not doing any interviews. Hasn’t done any interviews this week, is waiting till next week. Why? Because of what happens in the wild card round and what that could mean for Pittsburgh potentially. I mean Tomlin, more and more and more reporting that’s out there is not that Tomlin would be fired. It’s more so that Tomlin apparently has a TV gig in his back pocket, you know, an offer to do something like that, that maybe, if you know, depending on how conversations would go in the aftermath of a loss to the Texans, where he would just say, you know, I’m going to step away for a year and do TV and and then resurface, like Sean Payton did, and wind up. You know how Peyton wound up with the Broncos So, but John’s waiting that out. It’s not to say that specifically, that it’s the Steelers job, but whatever job, you know buffalo McDermott could be gone if buffalo loses in the first round. You know the weirdest thing?

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Nestor Aparicio  11:18

Somebody put a hardball helmet on the bills. And I’m like, what?

Luke Jones  11:24

Well, it would be kind of wild when you think about it through looking through the lens of Sean McDermott and their inability to break through. So the solution is to hire another veteran coach who has,

Nestor Aparicio  11:33

hey, hey, hey, don’t hassle the Billick thing on me. Don’t take John Super Bowl ring away. They would be bringing a Super Bowl winning coach into buffalo, but they would dab that someone in the new stadium. Well, if you’re looking to sell something fresh to PSL, to the poor suckers in Western New York, I mean, I I’m excited,

Luke Jones  11:49

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like, McCarthy, if they wanted to then, right? I mean, like, sure, but, but it’s clear that, yeah, John’s in the driver’s seat here. But, you know, I want to go back to something I was getting ready to say, and then we kind of just went, dude, we’re gonna be all over the place here. Yeah, we get so that. But I think, you know, I mentioned you met, you mentioned the equilibrium thing. So bishati, Eric Sashi Brown, the brass, Ozzie Newsome is going, I would assume, is going to be involved in this process to some degree. Not that Ozzy is going to be leading it, but he’s the guy in the group who, along with Steve, who’s done it, right? I mean, Eric was obviously around and part of that to some degree, but he wasn’t the general manager at that point in time. So obviously, however your hierarchy goes in terms of influence, you know, the owner, team, President, General Manager, are going to be the biggest names in that, in that search. But once the dust settles and you inform the rest of the staff, you inform the players on Tuesday, you know, as I said to you, at some point here over the last few days, I’m sure, whether it was two years ago last year, back in November and December, obviously, I, you know, I really feel the turning point that made this thing shift, from John’s not going anywhere, to John could be going somewhere. Is what happened back to back Cincinnati and Pittsburgh at home, back at Thanksgiving in early December. I mean, that was very even for the ravens, with all the January failures, blown late, leads lot yada yada yada of the Lamar era, generally, that was the point in the season where these guys would take off, right? I mean, say what you want about what would happen in January. They typically finished seasons with with Lamar healthy. They finished seasons with the trajectory pointing upward, and that just did not happen. They lost four of their last six. And that was, you know, those were the two games right after their five game winning streak. So, but if you’re Steve, if you’re the organization, a day later, two days later, what do you want in a head coach? And I think it’s fascinating from the standpoint of All right, well, you have someone who’s 63 and been in your building for 18 years. Do you want a first time head coach? Do you want a young head coach? We know head coaches in general are trending younger and younger. I mean, look, look around at the playoff field. As far as who you’re going to see. Are there a couple of exceptions? Yes, of course, Tomlin being one of them. But you see a lot of other guys that are in their mid to late 30s and early 40s. Well, this is where

Nestor Aparicio  14:20

I would speak up for them to bring a grown up in there who did it and did it a different way. Fair enough. That’s that’s an argument. That’s where I am. I would and Listen, this isn’t an endorsement for Jim Schwartz, but it’s an endorsement for Mike Vrabel, and it’s an endorsement for people who do do it better the second time around I saw Vance Joseph. They’re bringing different people like that in as and listen, I’m not anti Anthony Weaver or someone of that age either, because I see what dmiko Ryan’s is doing.

Luke Jones  14:52

Brian Billick won a Super Bowl in his second year. I mean, look, you could

Nestor Aparicio  14:56

go to Notre Dame right now. You could go to the college game, right? Sure. So. There’s a lot of things you could do. But for me, I, and this isn’t about I keep sending Jim Schwartz or somebody like that. This is for me, I need a five year coach because, because I’m an older owner, at this point, I have a general manager that’s like, you know, pushing up on 60 now, I have a quarterback that will debate, will continue to debate how much tread is on him over the next three or four or five years, as opposed to talking about the rear view mirror if his wheels don’t hold up or aren’t what they are, or the offensive line, like, there’s a lot of football stuff with Lamar, for me, he ain’t going anywhere. He’s a reality. He’s a check. He’s He’s the queen or the king on the board for the chess piece, right? Like he’s probably the queen at this point, because he moves everywhere, but, um, not Derek Queen, though he’s still playing on Monday night. Um, I would just say, as I look at this, I need to marry Lamar now. Now Now we’re not this isn’t 2029 or 30 or when I get older, Eric gets older. If we have a couple of good drafts, you know what? Whoever the coach is, whoever the coach is. And it’s more like this, if they hire somebody fresh who feels in over their head instantly. And John drank from that a little bit early on. John didn’t. It was a big job for John coming specialty. There really was, at that time, he would tell you that. He told me that,

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Luke Jones  16:27

um, still very successful in the process, but go ahead.

Nestor Aparicio  16:30

Oh no, no, no, I but that’s a credit to Steve. And I wrote all of anybody wants me kissing Steve’s ass. There’s repurpore too. I wrote a book. I wrote chapters kissing Steve’s ass and John’s ass. You know about winning so, like, it’s all on the record and how they built it, because they were a lot more transparent then than they are now, all of them, including Eric, so knowing more about how they operate and how they think and why they think, so that you, people like you and me, could answer for the fans, and we could go in there as a student journalist, when they do give us an hour a year and ask them questions that aren’t you know what they’re listening to on their iPod? You know what I mean like? So for me, finding a coach, that’s a now coach is the only thing I’m interested in, because that’s the thing the fans are interested in. Don’t talk to me about an institutional next hall of fame this. Steve’s made $6 billion on this thing. Steve wants to win. Fans want to win. Lamar wants to win. So bringing in that young coach who might be able to figure it out and let the Browns do that, dude, let them. Let somebody else do that. Yeah. See, I’m not, I’m not of that mindset.

Luke Jones  17:41

I’ll push back on that. Ben Johnson has the bears not just in the playoffs, but looking like a viable contender. Feel that conviction about it, and that’s my thing. That’s why, to me, you don’t pigeon hole yourself and say that you need an experienced coach, because a lot of these experienced coaches are guys that are perceived to have warts. Now that said Bill Belichick failed in Cleveland, became the greatest of all time in New England. Andy Reid couldn’t win the big one in Philadelphia, and has become one of the greatest of all time in Kansas City. Now, granted, they were connected to a quarterback, but that’s why the Ravens have the most appealing job if you’re looking at all these other candidates, that they do have a quarterback in place, and they do have a very talented roster in place. Whether the roster was as great as it we thought it was last July or not, it’s still a good roster, right? They have work to do. There’s no question about that. They have cap issues to figure out and things to work through and all of that. But every team has that. The difference between the ravens, however, and the other jobs that are out there for the most part, you know, maybe the Giants being an exception with Jackson Dart or, you know, if you are a big fan, a fan of pennix in Atlanta, and, you know, because the cousins contract is going to be have to be figured out. Most these teams stink, you know, I mean, that’s kind of what we’re talking about.

Nestor Aparicio  18:58

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That’s what would make the bills job instantaneously, that hardball thing on Monday is they have a quarterback too, right? But, but you don’t

Luke Jones  19:06

want to pigeonhole yourself because of what I just said. I mean, you’re talking and look, that’s your opinion. And I’m not saying there isn’t validity to it, but the idea that if you only limit yourself to experienced coaches, you might be missing out on hiring the next great coach. And I just

Nestor Aparicio  19:21

think there’s gonna be a whole different thing for a guy my age who’s run a business and done things that I’ve done, to sit in a room with somebody who’s actually done it, versus somebody who’s aspiring to do it. And I’m just saying like that is just a foundational and but that’s your there is a point. Brian Billick hadn’t done it. John Harbaugh had done it like, like you ain’t never done it because smoking a bandit line, because we ain’t never done it. Ain’t never been done because we ain’t never done it. So I I’ll hear that 1,000,000% I’ve said on whoever can whisper to Lamar, because that’s what matters.

Luke Jones  19:57

It might, and it might be a younger coach that connects with a. 29 I’ll

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Nestor Aparicio  20:01

hear that, and I’ll be stuck somebody like Anthony Weaver in here, who has a completely different emotional intelligence, a completely different Mojo than than John Harbaugh, like and would lead that way, and would just be a different kind of soul for the building. And great, I mean, I’ll he I listen, I’m probably going to get in behind anything they do. And this is my respect for Steve bishad, even though he doesn’t have respect for me. My respect for him is, this is what he’s good at, identifying people like, you know, that’s what he’s good at, or what he’s always been good at. Doesn’t mean he’s dude. That’s talk about an inexact science picking head coaches.

Luke Jones  20:41

There’s so much art to it, and that was kind of the next point I was going to make, where you look at this, you don’t want to pigeonhole yourself now, yes, you want to drill down on some qualities and some factors that are more important to you than others. But do you want someone that’s younger? Do you want someone that’s more of a head coach experience? I’ll throw a name out there that look anytime he had competent quarterback play at his old place, Kevin Stefanski looked like he could actually coach. What’s not to say that, and it would be hilarious, because you’re talking about tiring the Browns coach. You know, there’ll be a certain perception of that from a fan standpoint. But I’m not going to sit here and say that I know 100% that he wouldn’t kill it with Lamar Jackson and a better organization around him, I don’t know. So, yeah, I’m not rejecting your your

Nestor Aparicio  21:31

argument, and you made my argument. Thank you. I didn’t even think of him as a candidate, because you know what, dude, he’s tarnished Exactly. And I mean, all of these guys are tarnished because they all had a four and 13 on their resume because they didn’t have a quarterback, and if they did, he stunk and hit or things around him stunk, and the perception was that they stunk and they aspired to the top of their dude. I’ve been in an owner’s meeting, been in an owner’s meeting when Schwartz took the job, and I was in a circle with Schwartz Tomlin, somebody else, Jack Del Rio, maybe, and I’m literally in a conversation with them. And Tomlin said to me about his buddy that’s about to get fired in Atlanta, or just did get fired, who took the Tampa job? He Morris, Raheem Morris, Rahim had just taken the Tampa job, I think. And he said, You take any of these jobs? And Schwartz nodded his head. You take any, you

Luke Jones  22:33

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know, further back that might have been him. That might have been him when he was in Tampa, right.

Nestor Aparicio  22:38

Okay, sorry, I mean, yeah, yeah, Schwartz was the lions coach. Yeah. I mean, I’m going back, like, literally, in Tampa. I was in a conversation at the owners meetings out on the lawn. You’ve been to that party, you know what I’m talking about. And I know these guys. Well, all of them were gathered, and we were just talking about Schwartz taking a gig that was oh and 16, worst gig ever. And like, you get in that chair, and you fight like hell, and you hope that Matt Stafford can keep your job for two or three years, get you into the playoffs once, get you paid, get you another gig. And now Schwartz is untouchable somehow, right? Like, he won a lot of games. I’m just saying, like, you get you he won a Super Bowl since then, what the Philadelphia won? Like, sure. Like, Schwartz is a way stronger candidate than what was the Browns record last year, three and four. Well, four and what was? Whatever it was, 13. That’s his badge, and that’s the fans keys badge. And we’re like, well, they’re idiots. Give me Anthony Weaver, give me some other failed coach. Give me the Notre Dame coach, dude, you could do a whole hell of a lot worse than Jimmy Schwartz or Kevin Stefanski, and you could pitch either one of them to me right now. And I’d say, good on you. Steve bishati, good on you, because you know you came in. You talk to everybody. I’m going to say whatever they come up with, even if Chad steel gets a vote, how about that? Even Sachi Brown? Well, maybe not Sashi, but it, but whoever’s voting on it, when they come out of it, they’re going to have done a lot more praying and a lot more investing and and how about I’m going to say this out loud too. This is really important, because this has been important to every Mike Patton, Rex, Ryan Marvin Lewis, Brian Billick, Mike Smith, Jack Del Rio. Mike Nolan, these are people in my life. These are, I’m not down the dial, doing bartending here. These are people that have been in my home. Every one of them would talk about, what’s job pay? What’s job pay? Because, like, that’s also a bone of contention because Anthony Weaver coaches for less money than John Harbaugh, or if they fire Mike Tomlin on Monday and bring Mike Tomlin in here, or whatever, right? Sean Payton went back to Denver. Said, you’re making me top of market, because I you would see my ring, and they did. And last I checked, they got they’re having a nice week. So there, there is something for experience matters and whatever tarnish anybody wants to kick on Marvin Lewis for losing in Cincinnati at the end, or Jim Schwartz because he coached the browns, or Stefanski, or whatever the last drama was. That’s fanboy talk more than it’s we’re going to get in the building, and who’s going to lead my building, and who’s qualified, who’s the most qualified to lead my building right now? And if you’re Steve, it’s not about money. I don’t mean that that wouldn’t be, but I’m telling you, in this space, it’s if I take the Jets job, I’m only getting money for three years, because they’re going to fire me, and it stinks, and the job stinks, and that’s one of the things with a hardball. Don’t discount him going to Miami and getting a piece of ownership, because he’s he and Steven Ross know each other. Know each other, right? So there’s a different thing when I just, I’ve been at this a long time, on that side of it, and the backdoor side of it, Steve’s going to pick you. Steve loves and I wrote that, and we’re going to talk about how good this guy looks and all that. But Steve’s going to hire who he can work with and who can work in his building. And I love talking about, it’s the, one of the fun topics ever, who’s going to be the next person? Because there’s, it’s like going into a candy shop. I think Luke, I really

Luke Jones  26:40

do so so we’ve, you know, we’ve covered the the merit of someone who’s younger without head coaching experience, or someone who’s had some head coaching experience, and it doesn’t mean they’re John Harbaugh’s age, but someone who might be trending a little bit older in that way. I think the other interesting dynamic is, are you looking for someone who has a stronger slant of expertise on one side of the ball or the other. John was a CEO coach, right? And I don’t say that to be disparaging. He was a special teams coach. Many very good coaches would tell you that a special teams coach has a perspective that’s more of a global, universal perspective on your roster. That’s why Bill Belichick thought highly of John Harbaugh once upon a time. So not that you’re going to go in that direction again. I’m of the thought that there’s absolutely some merit to looking at the model in Kansas City right now, to looking at Sean McVay and the LA Rams right now, to looking at Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco right now, whoever’s been their quarterback, and obviously it helps when it’s Patrick mahomes or Matthew Stafford coming in. But we saw this first with Jimmy Garoppolo, and now we’ve seen it with Brock Purdy, that you have someone at the head coach position who is married directly to the quarterback in terms of weekly preparation and from a play calling standpoint. So let’s say you didn’t bring in an offensive minded head coach and but you did bring in a heck of an offensive coordinator to go with him. It’s 2026 goes as well as you hope, and Lamar Jackson’s back to playing at an MVP level. And let’s say the ravens, at a minimum, are back in the AFC Championship Game. What’s what’s very possible that could happen. The offensive coordinator gets poached to become the head coach of the of the New York Jets, or whoever. So with that model in place, if there’s someone in place, that’s why I’ve mentioned Clint Kubiak, for example.

Nestor Aparicio  28:34

I saw something, and I talked to John Martin from the Maryland lottery about this, because, like, wagering on who the next head coach will be, right? Like, I’m seeing lines out on Twitter. Somebody put Kevin O’Connell in at like, 30 to one or something like, as a long shot. And I’m thinking to myself, first off, I’ve met that guy. I’ve been in a room with that guy. I like that guy. I like that guy. In a room full of coaches, I was in a room full of all coaches, and said, If I had to pick one, I’d pick him. I still he had had the quarterback, but that you’re talking about that sort of thing, right? He hasn’t been as successful people here don’t know what the hell he’s doing either. We played him, but like, that guy is what you’re talking about, which is he’s going to talk to the quarterback, and that’s how you’re going to win the game. You know, there’s

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Luke Jones  29:22

something he’s calling your plays. And your play caller, then is Coach proof, you know that you that someone can’t come higher away, your head coach who’s calling the plays, Andy Reid’s called the plays in Philadelphia, right? I mean, or not Philadelphia. I mean, he did, but in Kansas City, for all the talk of the enemy, or Matt Nagy, who, by the way, is talking to the Ravens. We’ll get to that, because I have thoughts on that. That’s another element to going through an extensive interview process. But the idea is, if you have an offensive minded head coach who is heavily involved on that side of the ball, they’re then directly in lockstep with your franchise quarterback. Back, and that’s something where your franchise quarterback can take confidence in knowing that that guy’s going to be there. If you do, if everyone does what they’re supposed to do, and they’re successful, that guy’s not going anywhere then. And yeah, you’re going to have, you’re still have an offensive coordinator, but it’s secondary, right? Naggy has been the chief’s offensive coordinator. Is the enemy, but before that, right? But Andy Reid was still the one calling the plays, and still the mastermind behind that, so you had that argument. On the flip side, this is a Ravens defense that very clearly has gone in the wrong direction since Mike McDonald left two years ago. The sheer fact that they’re interviewing Anthony Weaver reminds of what happened two years ago, the brain drain, McDonald, Dennard Wilson, Anthony Weaver, all left to either become a head coach in McDonald’s case, or in the others, becoming a defensive coordinator. So by the way,

Nestor Aparicio  30:52

I fly a flag for Anthony Weaver. I just want to throw that in a case I don’t they hire Anthony Weaver a I should get my press credential back, because he knows I’m a media member, um but, but Anthony Weaver, to me is um, qualified and sellable, but completely different Mojo than Sean, you know, just surely different kind of human, different kind of human being.

Luke Jones  31:16

But I would also say he’s someone who has some now, he didn’t work for John for 12 years, but he has some horrible roots. I mean, that’s,

Nestor Aparicio  31:25

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you know, he knows Lamar. Oh, that’s where total in planes with Lamar. They have some sort of, maybe they played ping pong together, I don’t know, but they know each other well enough that Lamar would say, I like Coach Weaver. I like Coach Anthony, Mr. Anthony, whatever he calls him, you know,

Luke Jones  31:43

yeah, well, you know. And Jesse Minter with the Chargers. I mean, he coached for John. He has, you know, Mike McDonald worked closely with him, and he’s working with Jim currently. So that would

Nestor Aparicio  31:54

be it all in the family. Bishati, right? Bring you, you know, bring him young up, bring him through, bring him back.

Luke Jones  31:59

So we’re looking at this. We said old with the older with experience, or new, first time. Kind of guy we’ve talked about offensive or defensive. Do you want har ball and or some ravens ties or and I think there’s merit to this idea too. When you see what’s happened, how utterly confusing at times, their Late Game struggles and their Late Game collapses, and their inability to break through in January has been to me, there’s merit to the argument of wanting a completely foreign perspective, you know, an outside perspective to kind of look at this. You know, the idea that everyone else that’s been involved is too close to it, right for someone else to come in and say, Have you thought about this? Or what about this? Or have you guys done this right? And that’s, you know, I mentioned Matt Nagy in passing, and I had someone right away on Twitter, a fan, just kind of basically grown about that one. And I get it. I mean,

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Nestor Aparicio  33:01

you know, Chicago had them in the playoffs, but didn’t have great success there. And so there’s another element, and this is another reason why I think it’s great to cast a wide net. This is a fact finding an information gathering opportunity as well. This is a chance to learn what others think about the game and the NFL and 2026 in general. And it’s also a way to gather information about what others think about your organization. Oh, this is one chance for Eric to Costa to sit you can ask every question of all the brightest minds. And that’s that I said. I said to you on Tuesday night, the minute it happened, this is up Steve and Eric’s alley. No doubt, that’s all said, having to drop everything, and including personal things. And I want to send my my heart out to Lacey dicost, his mom, who has always loved me and and I just want to send her some love, because I know what’s going on behind the scenes and but Eric has to drop everything. Steve has to drop everything. Chad has to drop everything. Sashi, because they’re going to sit with all these people and vibe it all out and like and hear and it’s theater right like this is a theater for the next two or three or four weeks with who’s in the playoffs, who’s out, who gets eliminated this weekend. Tomlin might be out Tuesday morning. McDermott might be out. My there’s still all of these moving chairs, and there’s great football on the weekend, it’s going to be sitting in front of us, which is going to stir the drama up. You know, 18 hours of football this weekend, right? Like, in a general sense, I am this is a once you hope you only do it every 18 years. I’m not saying you bring in somebody that’s Dick familiar. I would say, Bring Marv back. You know what I mean? Like not levy Lewis here. I’m not saying I need a three year coach because my owner’s dying. You know, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying you need to hear and now, though, and I, you know, there’s no tomorrow. There’s just right now. This fan base watching on the outside and certainly I would think Lamar and everybody else Rogue One the guys that are going to be back on the field next year. Kyle Hamilton, it’s the most important thing in the world to them too, right?

Luke Jones  35:11

Sure, but, but you want to hire the best, and that’s why you don’t want to pigeonhole yourself to the point where you say we must have a experienced former head coach, in the same way that it would be just as foolish to say we are absolutely hiring a young, first time head coach, but to go back to Nagi just as an example, and this is what we were kind of talking about. Look, I don’t know. I don’t have intimate intel on the idea of whether they’re actually truly interested in hiring Matt Nagy, or is it a case of he’s worked with Patrick mahomes and Andy Reid for years now. He has worked for an organization that’s won multiple Super Bowls. He you have an opportunity to pick his brain, and maybe would you do with Lamar, not just that, but also like, what have you guys found when you’ve played us? What’s been holding us back right now? Again, it might be a preliminary zoom call, or maybe he flies in and they, you know, they have lunch at the building, and they talk for two hours, and they might come away from that saying that was interested. We’re not going to hire him, but hey, you know, that was kind of interesting, what he said, what he thought about how we approached our defense against Kansas City and why they were able to have success again. So you have opportunities to do that. Another factor, and we mentioned this. I alluded to this a couple of different times, and the Orioles alluded to this a few different times. In hiring Craig Albernaz, you also have an opportunity. This is a networking opportunity as well, in the sense that you might be talking to someone for a head coach gig that they ultimately might not be a finalist for, but you might say, You know what, God make, it probably make a really good offensive coordinator for so and so, if we hire that guy, they they those two coached together six years ago, and I’m just making this up with the Rams. Or, you know, those guys were together eight years ago at the University of Miami, right? I mean, like, there’s always those types of things. And you know, one thing that the Orioles talked about, not even just in passing, they flat out mention it, that various people that they talk to about their job and who to talk to, it kept coming up. Craig Albernaz. Craig Albernaz, Craig Albernaz, so there might be, you know, and again, I’m just using naggy as a thumbnail here, you know, just an example of where they might have a conversation with him that might lead spark some ideas of something they need to be doing with their football team. Or he might mention someone in passing, or they say, Hey, let’s go talk to that guy. Probably not gonna be our head coach, but that guy might become our defensive coordinator.

Nestor Aparicio  37:42

By the way, Eric and I keep saying this, di cost is he’s a genius, right? He’s one of the smartest people I know all along his watch as a scout. He’s at every game, and always has been. He was sitting three feet away from me for 20 years. I mean, you know, mile high miracle game in Denver after the first overtime. You know, we had a chatter. So he’s always a part of all of this. So when Vance Joseph comes in and you look and you say, or what, these are the guys that he admired the most over the years, I would think in saying we always had to prepare for that guy. That guy beat our ass in Denver one year, or beat us at the Meadowlands one time, or whatever it is that that networking part of all of these combines, scouting trips, knowing guys when they were the secondary coach somewhere. And there’s some, you know, I mean, somebody last week to me. I had, oh, Joel poily was on with me talking this week to Tom Matty, author, Pikesville. Guy has worked in Tampa. We scrimmage right after the firing happened. And he said, You sure you want me on? But he was around for the whole Dungey Gruden and all that. He’s like, Yeah, Mike common, we knew him when he was here as a secondary coach doing the Tampa too. There was no space for him here. You know, he worked with Monte Kiffin and Lane Kiffin and Monty Kiffin. And I was watching old miss and telling my wife about the Old Miss thing the other night, the blue uniforms and and like, I’m like, it, it’s all intertwined over beers on those cold streets in Indianapolis or at a combine with a stopwatch over all of these years. And dicostia is as wired as anybody, and has always had the admiration for this guy, that guy, that guy, dude. If Mike Tomlin gets fired on Monday, they’re gonna bring him in here on Tuesday, right? And I would think if Sean McDermott gets fired, they bring him in here on, you know, next week too, they’re going to talk to everybody. But I would think, more than anything, Eric would look at that Rolodex in a way that, and I wrote this in Purple Rain too, that Ozzy didn’t think about hiring a coach. I. He didn’t really have a Rolodex, because Brian was the coach, like, just one thing Ozzy didn’t have to worry about. And when Steve famously fired Brian without telling Ozzy, or literally went and said to Ozzy, I’m going in to fire Brian, he said, Please don’t. And it stopped, don’t. And apparently that happened this week too, or was reported as such that Eric and some others were like, Come on, don’t do this.

Luke Jones  40:22

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Yeah, the overall, the overall and, and this was even, I mean, this is probably three or four hours before it broke, you know, having, first of all, things are very tight there, Monday into Tuesday. And that’s understandable, right? I mean, everybody’s been up all night too, and everyone was really disappointed and heartbroken and all that. But you know, the sense I had gone from talking to a couple people, you know, just and not necessarily all that high up on the food chain, you know, on the pecking order, necessarily, but there was very much the expectation that John was going to be back and that. But as we said all along, when you’re having tough talks and they needed tough talks, there’s no doubt about that, whether they were going to keep John or not, tough discussions needed to be had. There’s always the possibility that it goes in that direction. I mean, that’s just, that’s just inevitable. But, you know, my kind of, my final point on just talking about the coach search here, because there’s, you know, we’ll have so much time to talk about, we’ll get into the candidates more specifically as time goes on. You know that here, recently, as we’re going into the weekend, they’ve talked to some Broncos assistants. Well, that makes sense. The Broncos have a first round bye, right? So you kind of look at the timing of this, you go back to 18 years ago, it was about a three week process from the time they fired Brian to hiring John. So I don’t know if it’s going to be three weeks per se, but I also don’t think they’re going to have a new head coach as we’re coming out of wild card weekend and on Tuesday, they’re on the verge of hiring someone the next day, right? I think they’re going to take their time as they should. But my final point with this, and it it connects to everything we just talked about, young or old, offense or defense, or CEO, someone who has ravens or even horrible ties or not, and a fresh perspective, as scientific as you want to make it. And one thing that in 2026 that exists, that wouldn’t have existed in 2008 I’m sure there’s analytics and there are, there are predictive models where they’re talking about, you know, the word there, where they gather intel on play calling tendencies and and not that all these guys there are necessarily going to have extensive information on in that way, but there’s all kinds of information out there. I mean, it’s crazy, the things that are tracked now, and you’re looking for patterns and tendencies and things of that nature. So there’s that, as much as you try to use all that stuff, and they will, and Eric loves that stuff, right? I mean, we’ve, we’ve talked about Eric’s, you know, his input that led to the Orioles hiring Mike Elias and sigma Idell. Now, eight years ago, seven years ago. But there’s still a lot of art at work with this. This is still a very artistic process that how many, I mean, you and I could sit here, it would take, it would take us a little while to really jog our memories, but you and I could come up with so many names over the last two decades of brilliant offensive coordinators or brilliant defensive coordinators, and because you said it, even though it doesn’t really feel like you’re going to see a whole lot of that in this hiring cycle college coaches, right? So many who on paper, or from a media driven standpoint, or just from a lot of interest from teams you thought they were going to be the next great head coach, and then what happens? They absolutely flop. Now, in some cases, it’s just like when you draft quarterbacks if you don’t have the infrastructure in place. That’s why I mentioned Kevin Stefanski. I’m not saying he’s like my top choice or anything, but to me, that’s why there’s some merit to at least talking to him. Because anytime he had decent quarterback play in Cleveland, he looked like a decent coach, you know, despite Jimmy Haslam and their front office and the dysfunction of that organization for going on three decades now, but I just there is so much more to the job than being a great offensive mind or a great defensive mind. I mean, think about Brian Billick, who won a Super Bowl. His reputation coming to Baltimore was as an offensive genius. Brian at no point in his tenure with the Ravens did they ever have what you would consider to be a great offense. Very rarely did you point at it and say that he even had a good offense. Typically, the it was, can it be solid? Can it be okay? Can Can you block for Jamal Lewis,

Nestor Aparicio  44:47

64% of their cat number on the defense too?

Luke Jones  44:50

No, no. It’s not a knock on Brian. It’s not It’s the idea that he was a successful head coach. But it wasn’t primarily because he was this great. Offensive genius that he was perceived to be in Minnesota. Right in Minnesota, he had Hall of Fame wide receivers. And, look, that’s not to disparage Brian in the same way that I think it’s nonsense when people try to disparage John by saying, well, he had to win that Super Bowl with with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed and Terrell sucks. It’s like, well, yeah, Bill Walsh wouldn’t have won the Super Bowls without Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, like, you know what I mean? Like you sound you just sound dumb when you say stuff like that. Yeah, it is about the players. But the point being there is there is an aptitude, there is a skill set, there is an interpersonal skill requirement that goes into being a head coach. That is why I’m not someone that’s living and dying with every name that’s thrown out there to say, Oh yeah, that’s the guy you absolutely have to hire. You made a point that you would be good with anyone they hire. I view it. They’re going to sell you on the process. They were telling you that they’re but I qualified to do this, and they I would, yeah, I don’t disagree with that, but I would also say I would look at it and it might come across as more cynical anyone they hire, I’m going to be a little more inclined to say, we’ll see. You know what I mean, because, because, like I said, we can all I mean, I use this example a couple days ago because I just remember it at the time, because I was 16 and excited about where the Ravens were going and hiring a new head coach and all that, the two big names that were out there at that point. I mean, I’m sure there were some others. I mean, it was 2027, years ago at this point. Wow, it’s a long time, but the idea was, you know, Brian Billick was a hot name, but I think a lot of people in the fan base and across the NFL that year, they’re really talking about Chris Palmer, you know, from Jacksonville. Well, the Ravens didn’t get Chris Palmer. They got Brian Billick. Brian Billick was 100 times better than what Chris Palmer that that hiring would have been, which didn’t

Nestor Aparicio  46:55

work out at all. Keep in mind, the modes were very damaged at the time, right? Sure. I mean, like, I like, Ed Ray Lewis,

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Luke Jones  47:03

they also didn’t have any money at that point in time. I mean, this, you know, this was pre Steve coming on in terms of fake taking the gig, because San Diego gig had better weather. And there, there were several jobs. Chris Palmer, I went, this is all in Purple Rain. One, sure they’re all clickable. Go read the history of all of this. But so I’ve been say my first rodeo, it’s not your rapid because I want to come back talk some more about the Steve bass press, no doubt, but, but, you know, and I just use that as one example of how Chris Palmer was perceived, as the OC and the quarterbacks coach in Jacksonville, you know, with Brunel and the Jaguars being what they were. I mean, the Jaguars at that point were beating the Ravens butts twice a year. I mean, that’s kind of how it was the first four years of the franchise. But you see that, and then you see that they hired Brian, and Brian was held in high regard, too. It’s not like Brian was an unknown or anything. I mean, OC for what had been an incredible offense in Minnesota in 1998 but the point is, as an outsider, without having a chance to get to know them, and you’re just looking at their bodies of work, you know, they looked like, you know, Coke or Pepsi, right? That you couldn’t go wrong with either guy based on just that. But we also know that there’s way more art. There’s way more that goes into it. So whether we’re talking about someone who’s been a head coach elsewhere, whether we’re talking about an offensive coach that that you can put in lockstep with Lamar as your head coach and and do things that way, whether you’re talking about another CEO type, whether you’re talking about someone that has ravens experience or horrible ties, or not, all of those factors, it still comes down to Do you have the aptitude and the want to and the the ability that you’re going to be able to connect, not just with your quarterback, not just with the offense, if you’re an expert on offense and an offensive coordinator, not just with the defense if you’re a former DC. But can you connect with your entire 53 man roster? Can you manage a coaching staff? Can you work with your general manager? Can you work with your owner? Right? These are all factors that a lot of the names that they’re going to talk to right now, we simply aren’t going to know. I’ll tell you. You know, if I asked you who my favorite would be right now, and it’s not, I don’t have a ton of conviction. I’m kind of intrigued by Clint Kubiak pedigree of his father has been around the NFL, OC, someone that I

Nestor Aparicio  49:26

think that’s so up a shot. He’s alley a ball coach, right?

Luke Jones  49:29

Like that said he’s in his late 30s. I don’t know if he’s actually going to, like, ready to be a head coach. So for me

Nestor Aparicio  49:38

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to not, I’m not saying hire him. They’re convinced he is that would tell you,

Luke Jones  49:42

like Eric would say he’s gonna we think he could be the next Sean McVay or the next Kyle Shanahan. You right?

Nestor Aparicio  49:48

So, and maybe that’s what Eric is, right? That’s not what I’m aspiring to if I’m Eric or if I’m Steve, at this late point in the game with my $60 million quarterback, this isn’t put Billick up on the. Billboards and sell credibility. This isn’t bishati getting his, you know, the his dream boy in hardball, which he got in 2008 and, by the way, by the way, I’m break on this, because we got a break, but Basti didn’t get his dream boy in 2008 Jason Garrett. Jason Garrett was his dream boy,

Luke Jones  50:18

by the way, their pivot, their quote, backup plan worked out great, yeah, for a long time. So again, it’s another reminder that as much as you try to hit the home run, and I’ll also say this is a word of caution, not for the Ravens specifically, but for anyone, a lot of head coach openings every year.

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Nestor Aparicio  50:38

Well, that’s just a point right now to do, dude, I looked at the eight logos up there and I will break on this, and I said, har ball ain’t coaching, you know, Arizona or Tennessee, you know, like, right? So I he’s going to the dolphins, and that’s I’m going to go with that. I got no insider on that, but if I did,

Luke Jones  50:58

I still wouldn’t count out the Giants. But if he winds up in Miami for the reasons you laid out, I’m certainly not going to be remotely surprised, but I wouldn’t

Nestor Aparicio  51:06

I think you’ll know the devil he’s getting there, and I think he will be paid top of class, and there he will have the five year program as the veteran guy to be the coach who wants to lure the quarterback who wants to play for him In Sunshine and like blah, blah, jets stink, right? You know what I mean, bills are gonna stink. Or the perception is they’re gonna they have turmoil, like, just fair enough, you know Fair enough. I mean, go to the Giants. You got to play the Eagles, you got to play the one thing was always quarterback, though they think. They think, well, maybe John doesn’t think that. Who knows? John don’t think that. Then what difference? Then the Michigan guy? I’ll let it be, we’ll come back. He’s Luke. I’m Nestor. We got lots and lots and lots on our mind here. As we enter a new year, we’re getting a new head coach, and Luke will be there to ask questions on Tuesday. I will not least as far as I know, you know, there’s still time to let me in to ask questions, Steve. There’s a deep Dear Steve letter up at Baltimore positive. I do hope you go read it back for more right after this.