As the news leaks out from Owings Mills and the fallout of the divorce of Steve Bisciotti and John Harbaugh becomes more clear – and even two national reporters had two wildly different stories about the roles of Lamar Jackson and Todd Monken – Luke Jones and Nestor assess the reality of the Baltimore Ravens’ needs as the owner emerges from the shadows and the former coach has become the hottest head coaching candidate in NFL history. Supply, and demands…
Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the aftermath of John Harbaugh’s firing from the Baltimore Ravens and the subsequent coaching search. Harbaugh, who has been with the team for 18 years, is now a highly sought-after candidate, with seven teams reportedly interested. The conversation touches on the potential impact on the coaching staff, the importance of Lamar Jackson’s input, and the pressure on the new coach to succeed quickly. They also speculate on Harbaugh’s future destinations, including the Giants and Dolphins, and the potential for a defensive-focused coach to lead the Ravens.
- [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Organize the ‘cup of soup or bowl’ week-long event starting three weeks from now, include scheduled stops at Costas (Timonium), Koco’s, State Fair, and Pizza John’s, and coordinate sponsorship with the Maryland Lottery and GBMC
- [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Reenact the radio row the week before the ‘cup of soup or bowl’ event as planned and prepare related content and logistics
- [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Run the Maryland crab cake tour/community outreach during the same period, schedule guests and community story segments, and coordinate with sponsors (GBMC, Maryland Lottery)
John Harbaugh’s Fate and the Ravens’ Job Search
- Nestor Aparicio discusses the upcoming week-long event in conjunction with the Maryland lottery and GBMC, highlighting various locations including Costas, Timonium, Koco’s, State Fair, and Pizza John’s.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the potential hiring of a new coach for the Ravens, noting the complexity of the situation due to the interconnected nature of NFL coaching vacancies.
- Nestor Aparicio reflects on John Harbaugh’s current position, suggesting that despite past issues, Harbaugh is now seen as the golden child in the coaching market.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the various narratives surrounding Harbaugh’s departure, including reports of his emotional intelligence and the differing accounts from various sources.
Impact of John Harbaugh’s Departure
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones delve into the implications of Harbaugh’s departure, including the potential impact on the coaching staff and the broader NFL landscape.
- Nestor Aparicio mentions the secrecy and seriousness with which the Ravens organization operates, contrasting it with other teams.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the potential candidates for the Ravens’ coaching job, including Stefanski, Schwartz, and younger quarterback whisperers.
- Nestor Aparicio reflects on the perceived pressure on the new coach to succeed quickly, given the high expectations and the reputation of the Ravens’ job.
John Harbaugh’s Potential Destinations
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones speculate on where John Harbaugh might end up, mentioning potential destinations like Miami, Cleveland, and the Giants.
- Nestor Aparicio notes the perceived appeal of the Ravens’ job, suggesting that Harbaugh could potentially double his salary by moving to another team.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the potential for Harbaugh to demand full control of the football operation, given his reputation and experience.
- Nestor Aparicio reflects on the various factors influencing Harbaugh’s decision, including the appeal of different cities and the financial aspects of the job offers.
The Ravens’ Coaching Search Process
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the coaching search process, noting the importance of networking and the potential for gamesmanship.
- Nestor Aparicio reflects on the history of the Ravens’ coaching hires, including the influence of Eric DeCosta and the organization’s approach to hiring.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the potential candidates for the Ravens’ coaching job, including their qualifications and fit with the team.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones speculate on the timeline for the coaching search and the potential impact on the upcoming NFL season.
The Role of Lamar Jackson in the Coaching Search
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the importance of Lamar Jackson’s input in the coaching search, given his status as the franchise quarterback.
- Nestor Aparicio reflects on the relationship between Jackson and Harbaugh, suggesting that Jackson’s input will be crucial in the hiring decision.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the potential for the new coach to communicate effectively with Jackson, given the importance of this relationship.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones speculate on the potential candidates who could effectively manage Jackson and lead the team to success.
The Future of the Ravens’ Coaching Staff
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the potential impact of the new coach on the current coaching staff, including the possibility of staff changes.
- Nestor Aparicio reflects on the history of the Ravens’ coaching staff, noting the stability and continuity that has been a hallmark of the organization.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the potential for the new coach to bring in new assistants and shape the coaching staff to fit his vision.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones speculate on the potential for the new coach to have a significant impact on the team’s performance and culture.
The Impact of Ownership on the Coaching Search
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the role of ownership in the coaching search, noting the influence of Steve Bisciotti and the organization’s approach to hiring.
- Nestor Aparicio reflects on the history of Bisciotti’s involvement in coaching decisions, including his past comments and actions.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the potential for Bisciotti to play a significant role in the hiring process, given his reputation and experience.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones speculate on the potential for Bisciotti to have a significant impact on the new coach’s tenure and success.
The Importance of Communication and Relationships
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the importance of communication and relationships in the coaching search, noting the need for the new coach to build strong connections with players and staff.
- Nestor Aparicio reflects on the history of the Ravens’ coaching staff, noting the importance of effective communication and relationship-building.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the potential for the new coach to have a significant impact on the team’s culture and performance through effective communication.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones speculate on the potential for the new coach to build strong relationships with key players and staff members, enhancing the team’s overall success.
The Potential for a Defensive-Focused Coach
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the potential for the Ravens to hire a defensive-focused coach, given the team’s strengths on that side of the ball.
- Nestor Aparicio reflects on the history of the Ravens’ defensive success, noting the importance of a strong defensive coordinator.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the potential for a defensive-focused coach to lead the team to success, given the team’s defensive talent.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones speculate on the potential candidates who could effectively lead the Ravens’ defense and contribute to the team’s overall success.
The Importance of Offensive Strategy
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the importance of offensive strategy in the coaching search, noting the need for a coach who can effectively manage the team’s offensive units.
- Nestor Aparicio reflects on the history of the Ravens’ offensive success, noting the importance of a strong offensive coordinator.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the potential for a coach with a strong offensive background to lead the team to success, given the team’s offensive talent.
- Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones speculate on the potential candidates who could effectively manage the Ravens’ offense and contribute to the team’s overall success.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
John Harbaugh, Ravens job search, NFL Wildcard Weekend, coaching candidates, Lamar Jackson, Steve Bisciotti, Eric DeCosta, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, franchise quarterback, coaching staff, player relationships, Super Bowl aspirations, media speculation, coaching interviews.
SPEAKERS
Luke Jones, Nestor Aparicio
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T, am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We’re Baltimore, positive, positively, getting the show back out on the road. We are doing a cup of soup or bowl beginning three weeks from now. It’ll be a week long event. I’m wearing my Costas gear. We’re going to be doing it at the Costas and Timonium this time around, moving it around the beltway. We’re going to be at Koco’s that week. We’re going to be at state fair that week. Be at state fair that week and and we’re going to be pizza John’s that week as well. So put it all together, all of it presented by the Maryland lottery in conjunction with our friends at GBMC. It’s a long weekend football. Lot of games. Good game, really good games for the most part. You know, other than the chargers can get out of the way on Sunday night, but Luke Jones joins me now, kind of kicking a week off, right? And they’re not hiring a coach this week. I wouldn’t think right. I mean, these initial I don’t know when the purple plumes of smoke are going to happen, but so much of this is tied to Green Bay and Cleveland and Atlanta and Miami and on and on and on as to who sits where, when and how. But I tell you what the this is an amazing thing for John Harbaugh, 18 years into this, and no matter how I feel about him, personally or you, or how much you’re going to miss seeing him out, knowings Mills as you’re there, uh, greeted by Chad steel, introducing you to the new coach there, and saying, this is the this is the way it’s going to be, and whatever the changes are going to be, har ball, at least for a week, got to be everything he’s ever wanted to be, right? Like, if he doesn’t go to the Hall of Fame, if he doesn’t live long enough to go to the Hall of Fame, if he coaches another 20 year. You’re like, I don’t know, but like, this is the week where, like, he is the the candidate, right? He is the golden child. He can do no wrong after not doing anything right here for a long time, right? Like, boot off the field, village idiot, all of that. Right? Can’t get along with the media. You know, like all of that, can’t get on with his quarterback, which is probably why he’s gone. But it’s fascinating to read zrebek’s Take, Hensley’s take. I have my own take, because I know plenty of people still in the building to know plenty of things that he got fired in the car on the way home, like the emotional intelligence of whatever that would be after 18 years, and then a get together on Thursday, and then the part where the reporters are being lied to, or there’s just two completely different sides to every story, or three, actually, Todd monkins, Lamar Jackson’s and John har balls, and the only one that’s surviving is Lamar, and he’s playing SMD music out on Instagram saying, I’m getting my bag, dude, I’m running the place now. So it’s a fascinating thing to find out who’s going to sit where, but it has been. This is the silly season. If you’re into such things, if you you know you like looking at fifth round draft picks in Indianapolis. I kind of find this management thing to be fascinating in the modern era where John Harbaugh is going to double his money for getting fired, Steve was magnanimous and firing him to hold the contract that he never Steve knew the minute he said you’re fired, John’s going to have a job doubling his money, and he’s going to be off the hook for the money. So little bit of this is fascinating parlor game amidst oligarchs, honestly, really, yeah, and a
Luke Jones 03:37
lot of it is still open for interpretation. I mean, you just said it. I mean, how someone perceives an event that happens might differ from not just one other person or two other people. It could be 12 other people, right? I mean, there are a lot of people in that building, and there are a lot of people in that building impacted by this singular decision, right? I mean, the idea that the whole floor is going to get cleared out. I mean, you’re talking about, right? You’re talking about an entire coaching staff. Some will land on their feet. Others will go to the college level. Others might not work in the NFL again. I mean, that’s that’s kind of how this works. So the inner workings of it, I’m not shocked by any of this look. I’m not going to sit here and say that. It’s a great look, the nicest way you could say when you’re talking about a 18 year employee being fired in the car over the phone, as multiple reports and accounts have indicated it’s not a good look. I’m not going to sit here and defend that at the same time, in a general sense, has anyone ever said there’s a great way to be fired? You know what I mean? Like they’re
Nestor Aparicio 04:41
Steve didn’t even get on his own plane for an hour and 45 minutes and roll in to do it. And but how many listen? I’ve heard rumors that he’s sick. He doesn’t look sick lately, for sure, or that he had been like I hear all of these things because things come to me when I write Dear Steve Basti pieces that No. One reads no one reads my work. I know none of you have read that, but like there’s all sorts of rumors, because, as you’ve got the quote of the century, so screw my story and all that, your quote still the best one. They take serious secrecy almost as seriously as they take winning, and that’s who they are, and that’s why Chad steals out in front of it. Sashi Brown’s a mystery, and the coach lives behind gates, and like the whole organization, has changed. Anyone that’s been in that building any period of time you me, anyone knows that John got the purple royal crown, as I wrote after he won the Super Bowl, and the last 12 years, has been coached for life. So all of this is a little strange. You’ve never been to a press conference out there where they’ve had a different coach, and you’ve been doing this two decades. So like I, you know, things are about to change, but part of it is the new coach comes in and says, I’ve got an owner that expects me to win right now, a quarterback I got to get along with, a general manager I may or may not even know, and I want to put my stamp on the building, like in a general sense. And oh, by the way, this is for Steve and Eric too. This is perceived as the golden job, right? This is the job everybody wants, and Harbaugh’s the coach everybody wants to hire. That’s how great their reputation is. Well, let’s go see if he’s Bill Belichick with the Giants, with this kid, or if he’s going to go, Yeah, apparently he’s not going to go to Miami. I don’t know. I mean, the fact that Schefter is a Michigan guy and didn’t even link him to Miami, like and he knows Ross maybe better than John knows Ross, I But John’s going to be the job and or the higher, and the Ravens are going to be the plum job, and next year, John’s going to have that team to 10 or 11 wins. And whoever, whoever the coach is here. And you and I haven’t even come to terms as to whether it’s going to be a Stefanski Schwartz, older guy, or whether it’s going to be, you know, a young quarterback whisperer, I have no idea. But in a general sense, you’re coming into a situation here that’s pretty hot fired, I would think, right, like you’re going to get fired in two years here, if you go nine and eight, nine and eight here with Lamar, like 10 at 10 wins and first round play. Awkward. Who Steve’s bringing you in here to win a championship in the next 36 months the way Billick did in the beginning.
Luke Jones 07:29
That’s where it’s unique, but, but even with Brian Billick, I mean, let’s not, let’s not sit here and say that the Ravens had championship aspirations right away, like they knew they were talented. They knew they were
Nestor Aparicio 07:43
ascending sharp. Weren’t here to pick daisies. Understood, understood, but at the same
Luke Jones 07:47
time, like, let’s not act like the Ravens were like the perceived Super Bowl favorite in 1999 or even in 2000
Nestor Aparicio 07:53
banks in Trent Delphia. Yeah,
Luke Jones 07:55
exactly, exactly. So, yeah. I mean, there’s It is fascinating, from the standpoint of how this job is perceived, how it’s going to be perceived, but also how heavy the pressure is. And look, if you’re a head if you’re a head coach candidate worth your salt, you shouldn’t shy away from that, but Ben Johnson has any problem with that, right? That’s what I’m saying, right? I mean, there’s plenty of first year coaches, second year coaches that have won Super Bowls and one 193
Nestor Aparicio 08:23
more games than Ben Johnson, or whatever the number is, right?
Luke Jones 08:25
Sure, at the same time it would say, Well, how many games did you win in 2025 he did better than you, right? I mean, we have a better quarterback. It always depends on the timeline, right? And pressure is going to be a part of this. And you know, you made the comment that John Harbaugh had a John a job for life for life for the last 12 years. Maybe that’s a lesson to all of us that there’s no such thing, right? I mean, even when it
Nestor Aparicio 08:46
feels like No, no in his position, it’s failing up. Dude, he is. He smells delicious to eight, maybe 10 by the time we hear this, you know what? And he’s going to double his money. So there’s no violins for John Harbaugh. John Harbaugh was owed 50 million. He’s going to get over 100 million. Pub by the way, people are hitting me about though, about what was like Tony Bruno, who’s crazy. I’ve been in his car. I know Tony Bruno. I sort of like Tony, but Tony’s all trumped up. He’s out of his mind. Tony Bruno apparently reported this, and if I’m wrong about this, then I apologize to Tony, who I do, like sort of, kind of, when we’re, I don’t know, talking about the Phillies or something, but the notion that he’s asking for full control 100 like all of this, these things. I’ve never sensed that John wants to run the football operation, but I sense that John’s a megalomaniac and a liar, but I’ve never sensed that he wants Eric’s job, right or be have that person under his thumb. But maybe I’m wrong about that.
Luke Jones 09:53
I’d be surprised if it’s now there’s that and there’s wanting to make sure you’re. Walking into a good situation, that you like the general manager, you trust the general manager, you feel that the general manager is going to do a good job, which is why some of these jobs out there, it’s one reason why, I think, other than his link to the owner and the fact that Miami is a great place to live, and he’s going to make a lot of money if he goes there. I don’t know what else is appealing about that job. They don’t have a quarterback. Their cap situation is, is, you know what, for the next at least this year. And I think
Nestor Aparicio 10:29
institutionally, the 1% of ownership, or something crazy to put his name on it, say, come back to the Midwest, John, and fix the browns. And you know, it’s stuffing up the Ravens ass for the next 20 years, the rest of your life. John may like that. I’m just saying, like, these are billionaires dude. Like, I’m convinced that guy fired his coach in Miami, thinking he had John from the Michigan angle or whatever. And I, like, I’m I said to my wife, Steve, and I’ve met Steven Ross. I mean, I’ve touched Steven Ross’s phone. He and I have talked, you know, like, my sense of that dude is that, like he thinks he’s hiring John Harbaugh, Arthur Blank, thinks he’s getting the best candidate, because he’s Arthur Blank and and who knows what John wants. John might run the Arizona Cardinals if the Bidwell give him a piece of the action. And his wife likes Scottsdale because they have a good time at the Biltmore, because I’ve seen him out there with their kid. You know what I mean? Like, I have no idea John gets to do whatever John wants to do for the first time. And I said this to my wife, I’m like, when John Harbaugh got hired here, was living in like a regular house in Philly, making a couple 100 grand a year, putting money away, thinking he was going to go coach Boston College. He’s walking out of here with $150 million in the bank, $100 million that’s a quarter of a billion dollars, right? So just and he’s perceived, and his family name is perceived as being like, come back to Cleveland, build the Hall of Fame. You’re going to be in all of your brother’s going to be in all your come to Cleveland here. I’m an I’m an idiot. You know, take a percent. We’re building a new stadium. I need to sell something here. I need the HAR ball name, screw shot in the ring. They stole Ozzie. We’re stealing you like, that’s the way Mr. Big thinks, right? I mean, I don’t that all these guys are Mr. Big and har ball is can run their country. He could be the president of Venezuela or Greenland, or the jets or the Giants or the Packers now are involved in this. Who the hell knows? Maybe the Steelers by the end of the week, I don’t know, but this is wild dude, because this is not I didn’t have this on my bingo car when you and I drove home Monday that they were going to can his ass over the phone at three o’clock in the afternoon on Tuesday, and by the time the games hit on Saturday and Sunday, hardball is the hottest coaching candidate in history. He’s going to get more money than anyone I’m sitting here talking about him getting points the way like Gruden was into the Raiders, and all of these guys love the shine of all of that. I mean, Matt Ryan’s running the Falcons again, right? Troy Aikman is no connection to the dolphins at all. He just hired their general manager. So, I mean, and it’s not like these owners know what they’re doing, because they hired a general manager, and now John’s like, I want the general manager. Miami’s not for me. You’re off. You just hired a dude. I ain’t worried about that guy. Well, I know I got seven other jobs I can pick from. Offer me $100 million I mean it, that’s the week we’re in where John is golden, and this job is also golden.
Luke Jones 13:34
Crazy times, dude, it is crazy times. And I would also throw out this fact that it’s certainly making an impact here. His agent, Brian Harlan, is really good at what he does. So look, John is clearly a very hot commodity. I’m not saying that suggesting otherwise, but a lot of what we’re at that’s out there, I mean, right down to in the 30 minutes after the news first broke that Adam Schefter is reporting that John Harbaugh’s agent is saying that seven teams had reached out to him already, which you do the math at the time, there weren’t seven other openings beyond the Ravens at that point in time. Speaks to the interest
Nestor Aparicio 14:18
so and it doesn’t have to be true. He’s an agent. And that’s my thing too.
Luke Jones 14:21
There is a PR machine at work in addition to, yes, I do think he’s in I demand. I do think the Giants, for example, very much want him right. The dolphins, I mean, the perception was that. But at the same
Nestor Aparicio 14:34
time, if everybody want them, he says, have to have the job. He just want him. And really, you need to make the money right. And all these guys want to make the money, right? Sure, like I don’t. They’re all going to be bouncy and happy when you and I are in Indianapolis, and you’re inside the press conference and I’m getting drunk at Peyton Manning’s place when they have their state of the union there. Whoever the new coach is, Kevin’s the. Manske is gonna be wearing purple. Whoever it is, it’s gonna be wearing purple. He’s gonna have his OC, his DC, his Kingsbury, his quarterback whisper. Lamar is going to be simpatico. Chad steel, have scripts for all of them that he got off of AI and hand them all and say, read the scripts and shine it all up. And, you know, so so hard balls in Cleveland, screw hardball, you know, whatever. I mean, that’s where there’s going to be a new war. You know, Peyton Manning went and played for Denver, right? Like Rob Woodson came and played for the Ravens. You know, like, John’s going to go somewhere else and be on the sideline. Come back to Baltimore. They’re going to love him, they’re going to boo him, they’re going to honor him. He’s going to cry, he’s going to laugh, but he’s gonna laugh to the bank, and the Ravens are gonna get their first crack at what they want. And I just know what they’ve had, right? That’s what I wrote about in my dear Steve bashati letter. It’s the only thing you’ve ever known. And the hardball power thing after the Super Bowl, the noose got tighter and tighter, and tighter. All you have to look at my company. Look at you. Look at me. You’re inside. I’m outside. There no barn shows. There’s no, you know, there’s no revelry. It’s all in house. They’ve thrown the media out. They’ve corporatized all of it. The seats are empty. They’re begging people to buy tickets. And they have the most exciting player on Earth, and they’re eight, nine that and they have a roster that may be perceived one way or the other. Kevin Stefanski played against this. Jim Schwartz played against it be interesting to hear what they think of roquan Smith and Marlon Humphrey and Ronnie Stanley and Tyler Linder bomb, because, as you pointed out very adeptly last week, like the point of the week you made last week is they’re draining brains everywhere. This week, they’re bringing everybody in and trying to get everybody what they know. But I know one time Jim Schwartz did an interview with head coach, he said they were coming in asking me, who my OC, who my DC, all that I’m like, I’m not giving all that away. So I don’t know how much they’re giving. There’s a little bit of that gamesmanship. I can get that guy, I could get this guy. We’re going to take a run at that guy. But the wild part is, how many jobs are open, because nobody knows where they’re sitting. And every Jim Schwartz and every coordinator in Cleveland that building got leveled out, Miami got level all of these, I probably know 15 unemployed coaches, right? Anthony Weaver being one of them, like, I mean, just Zach Gorby and two of them. I mean, you know, I mean guys in my phone that that I know that are unemployed right now, that are going to get employed. But, man, for anyone that’s involved in this industry, and I know it’s so well, because I’ve known so many coaches, and I remember when Marvin was trying to get a job, 25 years ago, was teaching me this stuff, and Brian Billick would teach me every year when he would tell me, I’m not going to let somebody come up here, and yeah, I’m going to go get Scott Linehan, I’m going to go get camp camera, and I’m going to go get whomever. That’s the way they’re all talking right now. And it’s, it’s a wild behind this. We haven’t talked about what’s going on the field, but behind the scenes. And now that we’re in it for the first time in 18 years, it’s a wild, wild, modern west. It really is. And with these billionaires and millionaires and a guy like har ball, who’s going to play three of them against four, like, literally, like he’s going to go to all these places, they’re going to beg him to not leave the building. I mean, like, all that’s about to happen this week, it’s exciting.
Luke Jones 18:18
Well, and like we said, I mean, the ravens are in a similar position from the standpoint of how they’re perceived compared to any of these other jobs, you know. I mean, pending what could happen with teams just eliminated, what could happen with any of that, right? I mean, you know, we’ve all talked about Green Bay or Pittsburgh, or, you know, some of the, some of those teams as well, but, but it’s just it’s unique, because typically, when you see these jobs open, there are major reasons why right ownership is perceived a certain way. The team hasn’t won on the field. The previous coach was a disaster. That teams hired four coaches in the last 11 years. You know, so, but sometimes less than that. Sometimes it’s four coaches in nine years, right?
Nestor Aparicio 19:02
Usually a combination of bad luck, bad drafting, bad injuries, a lot of bad, a lot of bad.
Luke Jones 19:08
Whereas, like, the difference between horrible on the coaching, free agent side now and the Ravens on the head coach opening side is there isn’t a whole lot of bad, right? Okay, there was 2025 bad. But even that, I mean, eight and nine, we’re not talking three and 14. So when you see a job like that come open, or a coach like that become available, you do sit up in your chair and you say, Wow, this is different. I mean, if it some of these guys that have interviewed for head coaching opportunities in recent years and haven’t gotten it, or, you know, guys like Clint Kubiak, right, Jesse Minter, now that the Chargers are out, guys that have been mentioned and maybe mentioned in even a little bit more than passing but are perceived as up and comers a lot of times when you’re in that position. It’s like you’re looking for the first job that the first owner that taps you on the shoulder and say, Yeah, we’d like to have you. But if it’s the possibility that it’s the Baltimore Ravens, it’s holy cow. Like I can go in there. Not only can I go in there and win, the expectation is I will go in there and win, because that’s what kind of coach they’re hiring not to, not someone that’s going to have a three or four year plan. It’s going to be, hey, we fell short this year. We expect to be back. You know, the minimum? I mean, they’re and they’re not going to necessarily state this, but, you know, the requisite expectation would be the divisional round, right? I mean, that’s kind of where you know that the baseline had been here in recent years, and why there was so much disappointment over what happened that you know, and why John’s unemployed now, not for long, but albeit unemployed. So I mean, it’s it is crazy because, as I talked about last week, as I wrote about late last week at Baltimore positive.com and as you just mentioned, it from the Ravens perspective, it’s an opportunity to really cast a wide net and really try to learn. And as you mentioned, there is some gamesmanship, if you will. That, yeah, if Matt Nagy, for example, who was interviewed over the weekend, he’s not going to necessarily give away all of Kansas City’s intercede. Yeah, they’re inner circle secrets, and their most captivating Intel, if he doesn’t really get a sense that the ravens are really that interested in them, but at the same time, why wouldn’t you try to find out what you can? And sometimes, I mean, you know this, and you’ve covered the the NFL longer than I have been coaching. I mean, it’s not professionally, it’s network, but, but it’s networking. It’s it’s who you know, it’s who you know, when you know, right? I mean, it’s so there’s a lot of that at work. So that’s why
Nestor Aparicio 21:53
I said this divorce last week between Harbaugh and bishati. There’s been so much reporting on it and again. I mean, John’s lied to me enough. I mean, bishanti lies to me every time I don’t have a press pass, he’s I’ll put him in, you know, just the acknowledgement that you’re going to be inside the press conference being pointed to by Chad steel, and I’m outside the building when I’m the most qualified media member in this city to ask him questions. By far, by far, there’s no one close, literally. There’s no one to sit with Steve bishati for two hours and talk about his business and the history of his business and the media and the money. More qualified than me. I’ll say that flat out. So I’m going to be qualified and talking about it out here at Baltimore positive and on the internet and anywhere else I want to on a bar stool that cost us the other night. By the way, nice shirt. Thanks, Pete. But when it comes to bishati and this job and the interviewing process and the Zoom interviews, and who’s giving Intel and who’s not, for me, with taking the job and thinking like, I’ve got to win right now. Veteran coaches, rookie coaches, everything I heard over the weekend were my first instincts. This is what players were saying on television, what coaches were saying on television, what Hall of Famers were saying on television, which is this person has to communicate with Lamar over the next 36 months. That’s all that, like, it’s a different kind of job, in that way, than Steve saying, I’m getting my next hall of fame. I’m getting a coach that can win me a Super Bowl, like the way Bruce Arian showed up in Tampa for five minutes when he didn’t want to coach anymore, right? Like, I don’t need particular meal out in St Louis and then maybe even Kansas City after that. But I’m not saying they need a 70 year old coach, or a 50 year old coach or a 30 year old coach. They like to me to think they’re going to hire a defensive coordinator and again, selling it’s one thing. I mean, they’re going to put somebody on the base in the next two weeks, and you’re going to be out there, and it’s going to be a qualified candidate, and if it’s the young African American defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, they’re going to sell it up as a Damico Ryan’s here, right? That’s what they’re going to do. And and who knows, Houston might be playing then they might not. But to me, they need someone that on the dace understands offense at a level that in the two minute clock, they’re on the mic the way I see McVeigh on the mic with his quarterback when things nuts got tight in Carolina the other day. Like, I see this all weekend. And I don’t know whether that’s the OC the quarterback coach, cliffs, Kingsbury, if you pay him $4 million a year to come in and just manage Lamar, like, I don’t know. I really don’t know, but this is the science of Eric dicost has waited his whole effing life to do this. He got Junior practice back in oh wait, and Eric was heavily involved in the hiring of of John because I think even then, the perception was he eventually would work. With the coach if the coach worked out, because I think Eric was more thought to be in that seat quicker than he was in the end, like and so Eric was a part of it. Eric’s going to be a part of it again, with 18 years more of wisdom, full control of everything, a guy that sort of works for him, even though you don’t see it that way, or it won’t look like that in the org chart, but that guy’s going to have a job, because Eric’s going to go into Steve and say, that’s our guy. And I hope Eric’s vote counts more than I don’t know Sashi brown or Chad steel, or, you know anyone else
Luke Jones 25:39
I would assume it would I mean, Eric’s
Nestor Aparicio 25:42
gonna pick the general manager to some degree, because Steve’s gonna say, I don’t have the timer. Maybe Steve will come in on Tuesday and look like he’s got all of this energy for it, because he’s the greatest in the world at doing it. Ask him. He’s made $6 billion doing this. Who am I to argue with that? I’m not even being right. A jerk. He picks people. So if he is got his willy wonka hat on, is going to come back in the purple tuxedo and sit around for three weeks. I like that kid over there. I like that guy, that guy, that guy will look good. He’ll look good on the website. He won’t look like Charlie Weis. You know, I mean, like this is all buffing out a lot of that as well, where Rex Ryan had to lose weight to get a job because, like, he just didn’t fit the suit that they need. Now, like, I, that’s the league, you know, I literally, that’s the league at this point. But this next couple of weeks for the Ravens. This is, um, you get a little window into their soul, or what their soul is going to be after John. And I think you and I have also having been in that building so long, and I went from going in that building and being treated like a community member, a stakeholder, a PSL holder, someone who was respected and gave respect and was treated well, and to some to seeing that building become a den of vipers during John Harbaugh’s time there, and it’s been years since I’ve been in there. They’ve done all the renovation and spent all the money and done all that stuff. Now someone last week, someone that I have known since my childhood goes in that building as often as you go in the building. And he wrote to me, and he called it the dungeon, not the castle. And I think I haven’t driven on one winning drive since the last time Chad steel reminded me last week, he said it was when you asked Lamar a question about whether he loved Baltimore or not. He had it all in his dossier chat Steele did. He was reading off of his off of his thing. When he got around to calling me on the phone, he he said, June, whatever, whatever the OTA was, I asked Lamar if he loved being in Baltimore as the last that was my last question I got to ask. And by the way, he survived longer than John did, so Lamar is running the team right now. Two people ask, is Lamar in on it? Well, Steve, he’s not going to run my place. Well, Lamar better have had dinner with the head coach before you hire him.
Luke Jones 28:14
That’s fair. I mean, I don’t think Lamar is going to be sitting in on all the interviews, if you’re asking me, but he shouldn’t be. Oh, and I’m not. I’m not. I’m not saying whether he should or not. I mean, I but at the same time, let’s also not be naive and say that he’s just one of 53 players, right? The franchise quarterbacks never just one of 53 players. I mean, that’s, that’s the truth. If that’s not the case, then you don’t have a franchise quarterback.
Nestor Aparicio 28:39
Now, how about the report that one of the players went to be shot his home in Florida. Yeah, I that would have been Lamar. It’s not roquan. Why would Steve care about what anybody else in the in the building thinks other than Lamar? Why? Like, literally, yeah,
Luke Jones 28:56
that’s a, I mean, it’s a report that said they do have a lot of, they do have a lot of players from Florida also, I don’t know. I mean, look at the end of the day, like we can sift through all the different accounts and reporting and opinions and sourced information versus other sourced information that’s conflicting in some way in that, and that’s, let me be clear, that’s not questioning someone’s reporting as much as when things like this go down, there are going to be it’s going to be perceived differently, in the same way that if five or six different people witness a car accident of some sort, you’re still going to have it’s
Nestor Aparicio 29:32
kind of like not to be interrupt, but it’s kind of like if a guy in a mask went up to a woman in a car in Minnesota and shot her in the face from behind and and there’s videotape of it, you kind of see that she was moving forward. I just wanted to point that out, because I have an FCC license so
Luke Jones 29:50
but my point with all of that is you are going to have certain details that some individuals are going to see that others may not have seen. Some are going to emphasize more than others are going. Emphasize, right? I mean, it’s so there’s a lot of that at work, but you know, you still come back to they didn’t win enough football games this year. In recent years, they haven’t won enough football games in January relative to what they have looked like in the regular season. And when you have someone who’s been in place for a very long time as John Harbaugh was here in Baltimore, and that’s happening, and that’s there has been a pattern of that. And let me be clear, I will continue to reject the idea that this was all John Harbaugh’s fault. It wasn’t. You will hear me, and I think other people, more and more, say, okay, when the new head coach is in place and when they start the 2026 season like, all right? If it was John Harbaugh on the coaching staff, I want to see the players look a lot better than they did last year, right? Because, like, one thing you can say is John Harbaugh has a Super Bowl title to his resume, Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews and go down, go down the list, right? Any of the core players that have been on this team, you know, roquan Smith, Marlon, Humphrey, right? I mean, whoever’s still here in 2026 and beyond, it’s on you now, right? Because if, if the Ravens have their pick of any of the head coaches that are out there, other than John, right? Because they’ve thrown him out out the door, then you bring that guy in, and you have similar results in terms of not so much that they’ll go eight, nine again, but let’s say similar results in terms of falling short in January. Then sure, where there’ll be fans, and will there be people that will point the finger to the head coach again or the coordinator again, sure, but I’ll be much more inclined to say it’s this group of players then, right, these guys can’t win the big one. So, so there’s some of that going on, but you know, I also think so much of this just comes back to you had a head coach in a place for a very long time. There had been growing frustration in recent years. As far as not being able to break through in January, you have a franchise quarterback who is 29 years old, which is not, you know, it’s not Matthew Stafford or Aaron Rodgers in terms of age, but, you know, considering lamar’s recent, you know, three of the last five years with injuries, you do at least question, how long is his prime going to be? Right? You don’t want to, you don’t want to waste any more time. But because the the goal isn’t even just like, oh, just to win one, like, you’d love to win two, you’d love to win three, you’d love to become the next chiefs, right? I mean, everyone aspires to that, if you feel like you have the talent and the quarterback to do that. So there is that urgency. And your head coach was 63 years old, as we said, and we talked about this, talking about the hardest ages.
Nestor Aparicio 32:44
No problem with the next people that want to hire him and make him richer, like literally, he’s not tarnished at all to 60. And by the way, that’s Sean Payton and to some other people that are doing it at a level where they’ve come back and had that second.
Luke Jones 32:58
Andy Reid, yeah, that’s not to say that none of these teams are don’t have that opinion, though. I mean, there might be one or two that say, and look, it might come down to some of these jobs. I mean, John Harbaugh is not even going to consider a couple of these teams. I mean, that’s just the truth. Where do you think he doesn’t consider like, I mean, what’s appealing about Arizona at this point? I mean, it seems like they’re kind of done with Kyler Murray, right? I don’t think there’s a whole lot of appealing about Miami. That’s why I do kind of wonder if some of the, you know, the like, John wouldn’t want to start from scratch, and that’s, and that’s kind of my seven and 11. That’s why I kind of wondered about the dolphins, and especially when the dolphins didn’t, didn’t hire Chad Alexander, who clearly has some ties to John arbaugh here in Baltimore. That’s where I looked at that. And I said, maybe the dolphins aren’t like, like, all in on, on trying to hire Harbaugh. I think the giants are the team that overwhelmingly make sense if, if John’s a believer in Jackson Dart, if John’s a believer in Jackson Dart, then that giants job. Look, it’s a ownership group, you know, ownership family, that has a reputation for stability, even if they haven’t really looked that way since Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin were were running the show. You know, that’s the one to me
Nestor Aparicio 34:14
that bringing John to New York, oh my god, media up there, have a field day with him.
Luke Jones 34:20
I mean, I would say this much, I think he’d have probably, as time would go on, I think he’d probably realize what, man, I had a pretty, pretty good in Baltimore, anyway, anyway,
Nestor Aparicio 34:30
but I just Nestor wasn’t a bad guy having my office.
Luke Jones 34:34
I also just think with some of this, and you know, this goes with, you know, the the character, you know, the categorizing, whether you’ve lost the locker room or not, right? I mean, what the relationship was with Lamar, or Lamar with monk and like Todd Monckton, when he did the interview with Ryan Ripken late last week, you know, he kind of just said it, put it bluntly, like we all could have done things better. We didn’t win enough. And. Then, you know, you kind of come back to the simplistic explanation for they didn’t win enough. Very much. The case was the case in 2025 but in recent years, yeah, they didn’t win enough. In terms of losing in Buffalo last January, they didn’t win enough in terms of your first AFC title game that you’ve ever hosted. You know, first, first time the city has done it since the early 70s, and you lost, right? I mean, 2019 you lost in the divisional round despite the fact you were the best team in the NFL that year. So it adds up. And like we try to, we try to find a smoking gun, when in reality, it’s just staring you in the face. They didn’t win enough relative to what the lofty expectations they had ultimately created for themselves in the Lamar Jackson era. And how much of that is John, how much of that is the assistant coaches, how much of that is the players, how much of that is Eric dicostan, the scouts and their pro personnel people? The answer is yes.
Nestor Aparicio 35:59
How much of that is Lamar.
Luke Jones 36:02
I said the players Sure, sure. So. So when you look at that, yeah, you get to a point whether, and I made the point before, we kind of went in a different direction. But when we started talking about the HAR ball Tomlin thing, back when that, when the Steelers came into Baltimore the week after Thanksgiving, we said it, then these guys have been in place for nearly two decades. That’s a long time, even if you’re talking about 1955 in the NFL, both those guys very much. They’ve been hardballs that obviously it’s over now, but we said at the time, no matter what you feel about either of those guys right now, they’re both much closer to the end than the beginning, I mean, and that’s the truth. I mean, when you’re talking about coaches that are, you know, we’re not talking about 38 year olds like Clint Kubiak, right? We’re talking about John Harbaugh, who’s 63 I mean, he’s not going to be in his next place for 18 years. I mean, I wouldn’t think, I mean, it’s
Nestor Aparicio 36:56
going to come to his 80 Kubiak sounds like the next hot coordinator, and that’s awesome and all that. But Kevin Stefanski, who’s done it and has been doing it the last couple of years, or some of these other people who are who have done it for a period of time, may be better suited for this job this time around. That’s all. That’s kind of how I feel about it, if I and I’m older and wiser and closer to death than life like Steve bishati into saying, if I want it, and I want it right now, I’m going to put somebody who I know knows what they’re doing in that seat, not somebody I want to grow into it. But that’s never been Steve’s. If you go back, by the way, Lucas here, I’m here. I put up the the chapter from Purple Rain, two that I wrote about bashati That’s extensive. So anybody that’s mad at me for writing Dear Steve letters, you go back and read me kissing his ass for 24 pages too, and telling his story. And there’s all sorts of quote, because he used to talk a lot, and every time he’s talked, he’s talked very honestly. So that’s why this Tuesday thing for me, I’m fascinated by him coming out of his shell and being the the straight shooter on the podium that, as you’ve said, I think somebody said over the weekend, Kevin Byrne didn’t always like that. He was saying whatever he wanted to say, but he got himself in I mean, not in the sense that the owner is ever really in trouble, because he’s the owner, but he absolutely said things over the I mean, like a couple years ago, he’s price fixing the quarterback thing three years ago, right? How about the fact?
Luke Jones 38:31
I mean, I, I This isn’t talking out of turn. I know that John wasn’t happy when Steve admitted after the 2017 season that he considered firing him. Now, I don’t think he considered it more for than, just like, you know, not much more than a passing thought. But at that point in time, they had just missed the playoffs for the third straight year, right? I mean, that was, that was Steve’s last time he had spoken in Owings Mills in a press conference setting. You know, this was three months before, two and a half months before they drafted Lamar, so, yeah, I mean, he’s, he’s always been honest to the point of, it’s refreshing for our purposes, but for the purposes of an organization that’s trying to, you know, keep things buttoned up and not not revealing too much, or not wanting to spill the beans on something that, you know, after
Nestor Aparicio 39:23
Ray Rice, they’re run by their legal department and their security, sure. I mean,
Luke Jones 39:28
I don’t disagree, but, but, yeah, I mean, it’s, I’m fascinated to see what he’s going to say. I’m fascinated to see, you know, how much of this, how much of the process they’re going to talk about, you know, will they talk in any meaningful detail about what the process will be, right? I mean, we know, and this is kind of the way it works in the modern day. I mean, other than teams that are fully eliminated, you know, the first round of these interviews are, they’re zoom calls, right? I mean, they’re getting on, they’re talking on. A video like you and I are doing right now. Anyone’s watching us on YouTube, and, you know, they spend time, they ask some preliminary questions. You kind of just, you know, I mean, because some of these people, they don’t even know, like I, I don’t know how well Eric da Costa knows naggy, for example,
Nestor Aparicio 40:18
job interviews used to be, you got on a plane, you flew in, you had a book, you sat down, you met people, you laid out your plan. You could do all sorts of things by pulling up slides, and you could make a presentation if you chose to do that as the head coach. But it’s so much, and they all know this, it’s so much relationship. It’s so much six in the morning and sweat pants. We got our ass kicked last night. I’ve got a head cold. My DCS. Your wife is pregnant, and we got guys coming in the building like it’s just, it’s chaotic in that building, dude, it was chaotic 30 years ago when Billy granite,
Luke Jones 40:53
I mean, it’s not something you want to do. I mean, despite how some of these owners hire and fire coaches every other year. It’s not something you want to do, and that’s where I will get the organization credit, from the standpoint of only going to be doing this for the fourth time in their history. I mean, this, this organization’s going on 31 years old.
Nestor Aparicio 41:14
That’s why hearing Basti say, I’m going to get my next hall of fame, then you, you know, we’re at a different place. Then we’re going to get somebody who’s going to be a caretaker here for three years and get through the Lamar era. I’m not looking for Ted March or Brody here running the K gun, but I am looking for somebody that has whispered the quarterback successfully in real time in two minute drives in the game, and run a building because, well, that’s its own
Luke Jones 41:38
big key look I’ve written, much like others have opined, that my general preference would absolutely to be an offensive head coach that you can marry in lockstep with your quarterback, in the same way that McVay and Matthew Stafford do it, in the same way that Andy Reid and Patrick mahomes have done it for years, right that whoever that is the guy that’s going to be the Play caller, or at least the primary play caller, or even if they’re not calling plays every single week, they are very intimately involved and very hands on everything you do offensive at any point they have an Yes,
Nestor Aparicio 42:15
so was not that guy. Now, of course, was never going to take over the game. Of course not, wasn’t his area. He had to come and answer questions for it afterwards. Sure, that said as much as Pressman too, right? For for guys that failed tremendously as well.
Luke Jones 42:30
Yes, that said, as much as that would be my general preference if you’re asking Luke Jones for his opinion, which isn’t worth much. You know, with my extensive coaching experience of zero years and playing experience of through my senior year of high school, right? So not, not at all talking here in terms of having any true professional experience or insight on that, other than just following it, you know, as a media member, but as important as the Lamar factor is in terms of keeping Lamar happy, sure and and and helping this contract situation go as smoothly as it possibly can. When it comes to winning a Super Bowl, however, you still have the other 52 guys on the roster. You still have to manage entire coaching staff. You still have to manage every phase of the game. You still have to keep everyone happy, even if you’re not treating everyone exactly the same way, right? And look, we all know that the stars of a team are going to be treated differently than the 53rd guy or the 69th guy, which would be the last guy on the practice squad, right? So all that being said, there is more to it, and we have seen over the years, not in Baltimore, but over the years, we have seen so many brilliant offensive coordinators, so many brilliant defensive coordinators, get a head coaching gig, and what do we find out they don’t have an aptitude for that job? One of my all time favorite examples, it’s not football, it’s baseball. Ray Miller fantastic pitching coach over a long period of time at various stops, Ray Miller wasn’t a manager. Now, some of that might have been that the cast of characters that he inherited from Davey Johnson, and, you know, you bring Albert Bell into that, all right? I mean, we all know there are always so many variables at work, but the idea was as terrific as Hall of Fame, caliber as Ray Miller might have been as a pitching coach, he wasn’t that as a manager. So that’s where, I think for all of us, when media who you know as much as we might hear bits and pieces of how job searches are going, we’re still not going to be as intimately familiar with it. Fans certainly aren’t. You know we can throw darts at whichever coordinator we like, but we don’t really know even these teams. You go through the
Nestor Aparicio 44:59
interview. Hired a special teams coach that nobody would
Luke Jones 45:02
have ever thought he hired. And it worked out it was a home run regardless. And I
Nestor Aparicio 45:06
remember, if I remember this correctly, and you go back to Purple Rain two and read about it, but John came in and wowed them, you know, he wowed them with his energy and his acumen and his family name. And he and Steve just hit it off, sure, like literally, Steve saw stars in John Harbaugh, and 18 years later, and $150 million later, Super Bowl win later, he fired him on the phone at three o’clock in the afternoon on Tuesday. Look, let’s take a break. I was plenty more to talk about here through the weekend. There’s games, my God, they play games this weekend, and the Ravens are going to draft 14th. I’m just all sorts of things falling out of the tree, even like who they’re going to play next year and places hardball can wind up where they play him. He is Baltimore, Luke. I am Nestor. We’re going to be doing the Maryland crab cake tour. Get it back out on the road, trying to work through the weather here and work through the whole job hiring thing. We have all sorts of by the way, our company’s growing too. So thanks to all of you who have been cheering us, hating us making fun of my hair. That’s why I wore it out for all the YouTube guys out there, because the dudes love it on YouTube. Um, GBMC sponsors us, and the Maryland lottery sponsors us and gets us out on the road. We’ll be doing a good turn called a cup of soup or bowl. It’ll be happening the first week of February. We’ll be out all week in the community, telling great community stories. And it’s great because, like, I ran into Vince fiducia the other day, my old blast buddy who runs Polly and and and BJ surhoffs Foundation for autism Pathfinders, they so, like, that’s the kind of thing where, like, that week, I’m going to have a bunch of guests on talking about awesome stuff going on in the community. We call it a cup of soup or bowl, and the week before that, I’m going to reenact my radio row. So we got things happening around here. In addition to hiring a coach, they’re going to play baseball in a couple of weeks. And I actually had breakfast with Katie Griggs and Mark fine and Don rovac Last week, thanks to Mike Tisch, the folks at connects. So Orioles up and running, still looking for pitching. We’ll talk some Oreo baseball around here as well. At Allen on last week, some of you doing a little bit of baseball stuff, mixing in with the football stuff, and obviously democracy and me being Venezuelan has led to me being in a sort of a perpetual bad mood the last couple of weeks. I’m Nestor. He’s Luke. We’re W N, S T, Baltimore positive. Stay with us. You.
