With the Baltimore Ravens riding high as the No. 1 team in everyone’s Power Rankings, Luke Jones and Nestor ponder the possibilities of a January Festivus that might even include the unlikely return of Joseph Vincent Flacco navigating the Cleveland Browns.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
ravens, game, talking, browns, play, good, week, baltimore, win, joe, miami, super bowl, flacco, cleveland, team, season, lamar, dolphins, steelers, coming
SPEAKERS
Nestor J. Aparicio, Luke Jones
Nestor J. Aparicio 00:01
Welcome back wn S T, Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive Merry Christmas Happy Holidays Happy New Years happy Festivus for the rest of us, for everybody celebrating big appreciation or French royal farms got a whole bunch of sponsors that are gonna be with us for yet another year and 2024 We’re very excited about that. Cool roofing is one of them even though I have like a fun Dundalk mug that was gifted to me last year that I started to drink out of my old role Arena on if NorthPoint Boulevard, right down by Costas, where we’re going to be doing some crab cakes in the coming days. The Maryland crab cake tours back out on the road would fade these on Wednesday. And then I will say we’re shutting it down in January. We’re slowing it down in January. And we’re going to be celebrating our 25th anniversary with stories of glory brought to you by curio wellness and foreign daughter. All that stuff’s been coming out there. But more than that, we have holiday scratch offs and I’m holding the purple one up because this is the lucky purple one. What’s the record now Luke? What’s the official ravens record?
8
Luke Jones 00:59
Three Yeah.
Nestor J. Aparicio 01:00
12 three, the Oh snaps are out there lottery our friends at window nation. 866 90 nation you buy two you get two free and Jiffy Lube multi care, which reminds me I should get the orange one because my little orange light is on in my car. picked my wife up at the airport from her holiday. She’s like, hey, lights, I’m like, I gotta get to Jiffy Lube. I’ll get over there. After Christmas, the ham. I’ve got cookies here. I look like a cocaine dealer because these Greek cookies splatter confection sugar all over me. I’m having a celebration your Luke I mean, the game on Monday night, it’s Christmas night. family got back my son’s here. We’re having some ham doing what we do. And then it was like 745 We’re kind of monitoring that that Eagles game a little bit but not we’re having like a real holiday. I know the NFL doesn’t really want us to gather and have a real holiday and turn them off. But I decided turn in the Eagles and Giants off would be okay. And I spent some Dare I say quality time with my wife and my son and his wife. Right? So just a couple and then all of a sudden it’s like, oh shit, it’s 50 you get the eggnog by see I gotta go work. I’m like I gotta go. I’m not doing dishes at 750 I gotta go. And then I you know, I go back into and I know check still have heart the press box of my mind where I watched the first 300 football games and you know trying to figure out who these 40 Niners guys are. I’ll tell you this, the Ravens for all of the joy we’ll give them and all of the good vibes this week leading up to the Miami game building owners getting that off to like a rocky start there’s a safety there’s things went wrong for there wasn’t we’ll look at exotic kick their ass in the anti Mike Florio way of course. But it wasn’t easy. And I guess it’s indicative of what’s going to happen in the playoffs because we saw really bad things happen to Patrick mahomes over the weekend and never recovered right? I mean, it’s it’s weird how that piles up and when you think back to that chargers game we don’t talk about January or that bills game we don’t talk too much about January or that Titans game that we never talk about January of every time I see Derek every wearing Oilers Jersey makes me vomit a little in my mouth. But the Ravens fought through some adversity on Christmas night and I didn’t want it to be nervous I guess that’s my point. I had a cup of coffee I had some soy cookies and I’m like this is going to be like a nerve wracking kind of game and it wound up to like not be that way at all and they’re not all going to feel that way.
Luke Jones 03:31
Yeah, I mean no no question about it. I mean think about it. I mean that game started out in such an odd fashion I mean you and I haven’t talked about the minutiae of the game quite as much just because of what the final score ended up being but Lamar runs backwards 20 yards trips over the the referee and now it’s a safety and then San Francisco kicks a field goal. I mean, that a long drive that kind of Hamilton Hamilton comes away with an interception in the end zone. I mean, it was five nothing late in the first quarter it could have been worse than that. I mean this they could have been down to scores for the first time all year
Nestor J. Aparicio 04:03
8I mean that Lamar was getting pressured and sacked and he you know, at one point he threw the ball away as his knee was going down like they were they were getting after pretty good. You know when you’re starting to fit no line running game row game Christmas night. This ain’t easy. And you know, my first quarter tweets were this ain’t gonna be easy. I mean, the 40 Niners I don’t want to say I wouldn’t want to see them again because Brock Purdy I think you’d see a different version of him in Las Vegas. If it gets there. He will have won two games and will have beaten the Eagles and will have beaten the cowboys and or they’d like somebody to get there. So I think if you if you see them in the Super Bowl, I’d look back at the first quarter and say that was a you know, that that was a good fight for a while for a while.
Luke Jones 04:50
The first half, I mean, it was 1612 at halftime. It was a heck of a football game. I think the the overwhelming sentiment at that point was well we get 30 more minutes of this you know and Obviously the Ravens just completely steamrolled them in the third quarter, but this was a really good football game in the first half and look, is Brockport if Brock pretty faces the Ravens again in the Superbowl, is he gonna throw four picks? Probably not. Do I think that means he’s gonna throw four touchdowns either? No, but if he doesn’t throw four picks they’re
Nestor J. Aparicio 05:21
a different game in the fourth quarter. Yeah, sure,
Luke Jones 05:23
sure. And that’s the thing. I mean, when you take the ball, the way you take the ball away to that degree, it doesn’t suddenly mean you’re going to do that every single week in the same way that if you have a game where you sack a quarterback nine times, I mean, you don’t do that for 17 games, right? I mean, it’s, you know, it’s it’s difficult to do the other team tries to and in the case of San Francisco or talking about any of these teams, and and I know I’ve said it, I’m skeptical of the dolphins in the Super Bowl contender conversation, but there are there are legitimate playoff team. I mean, if they beat the Ravens on Sunday, we’re talking about them being the number one seed so I’m not saying I’m not taking them seriously at all. The point is, teams are gonna be good. I mean, this is an AFC field that the AFC South aside and if CJ Stroud can come back and be healthy and right, the Texans are, are, I think the best team in that in that division. Yeah, we’ll see how it plays out. I mean, Trevor Lawrence, and the Jaguars are a mess, absolute mess at this point in time. Indianapolis, I’m not a big believer in them. You know, that was a bad loss to the Falcons. So But beyond that, I mean, you look at the dolphins, you look at the bills, you look at the browns, Kansas City for as much as everyone’s gonna bury them because they looked awful on Christmas Day. They’re still the chiefs. It’s still Patrick mahomes. It’s still Andy Reed, they’ve got three weeks to figure this thing out. And they’re gonna have to go on the road for the first time in the mahomes. Era. So that’s gonna be interesting. But point is you start to go up, go out there and do the job if you’re the ravens, and yeah, if you’re talking about the 40, Niners or any team, I think what’s what’s such a credit to the ravens and I would even throw Lamar at because everyone’s talking about the MVP conversation. Yeah, this isn’t the statistical, incredible 2019 season that Lamar had where he had 36 touchdowns. And he was sixth in the league and rushing this isn’t that statistically, but what has separated Lamar from the other MVP candidate candidates talking pretty everyone was talking about Dak Prescott, two weeks ago, being the MVP favorite, go through the list of all those guys. Lamar has played really good football and at times great football. But what he’s offer up also offered and it’s another reason why the ravens are such a serious Super Bowl contender is even when he hasn’t been at his best this season. It’s still been a very high floor, what He has given you and especially since he’s cut out the fumbles that we saw early in the season, he’s very clean with the football. We’ve talked about it the last couple of weeks now. The safety aside, you know that that play aside, which was just a weird play, we’ve seen the Morbi so composed even when the pressure, even when pass protection hasn’t been great. He stayed so calm. And obviously, when you can operate like that, and then oh, yeah, you can take off and scramble for 30 yards as we saw him do on Monday night, which was just another crazy Lamar Jackson, exclusive kind of play that he’ll give you. But But when you have that, I mean, it’s just it’s a formula that really should, and I emphasize should because this is the same conversation they’re having in Buffalo with Josh Allen, same conversation they’re gonna have with two in Miami. Everyone that’s not Patrick mahomes, or I guess, Matthew Stafford or Joe Flacco, I guess, but you know that that one’s a little bit different, because it was so long ago. But all these teams, all these quarterbacks, they’re all facing that same question. Can you do it in January, right? I mean, that’s where it is. And that’s where the Ravens were Lamar. We’re all of them. Even John Harbaugh and Justin Tucker who haven’t won a Super Bowl in over a decade. I mean, they’re, they’re all going to answer that question, but the way that they win football games in the way that they can win in different ways. That translates really well, especially when you’re going to have if you take care of business Sunday, and that’s a big if they got to do it. If you do it you have a much you have an easier path. You don’t have to deal with that wild card round. You know, you’ll never be
8Nestor J. Aparicio 09:26
able to sit around here and pitch about Russ versus rest and mark in a play him when he hasn’t played in three weeks. And who do we play against Pittsburgh and John history there was a play nobody, right. Like so. It’ll be the you know, it’ll be the Snoop Snoop show. It’ll i Nobody knows. Right? I mean, like, Well, I
Luke Jones 09:46
mean, I mean, it’s it’s not college football where you dress 90 Guys, so you’re still gonna have to play guys. But and here’s the trickle down effect our 10 best players won’t play. You would think so. Right. And part of that and it’ll Be funny because I will even say this. I know from talking to people within the organization, there was definitely a sentiment post the post playoff loss to the Titans four years ago that they would approach that last regular season finale differently. But here’s the catch. It’s fine to say all right, Lamar, and the starters play a couple series, you know, because you don’t want to be three weeks removed from live game action. But who are some of the first guys that you would say would benefit from rest? Ronnie Stanley and Morgan Moses, right. I mean, they would be near the top of the list in terms of putting them in harm’s way and giving them a chance to heal up. So if you’re going to do that, you want to put Lamar Jackson out there, then what? Apologies to Patrick Macquarie and Daniel fall Lele and whoever else I don’t have Smith plan. I
Nestor J. Aparicio 10:50
don’t have Queen playing. But I’ve been playing No, I hear you. But I’m talking but I’m talking about a plan.
Luke Jones 10:55
8I know but I’m talking about I’m talking about the franchise right now. I’m talking about the quarterback, you know, the one guy that you lose where you say this is over, you know, I mean, it’s just that simple. You don’t put them on the field. Well, but that was my point, the sentiment that you know, the argument to be made on that whole thing. And you know, we were dwelling too much on this, but still two weeks to go. Well, we
Nestor J. Aparicio 11:13
get next week to talk about that. Right? If they write me all that is sunshine and rainbows and how good these cookies tasted and how strong my coffee was this morning. All that goes away in five, five minutes. They lose the Miami 33 to 24. In and then they gotta go play Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh wins and, you know, not wins here but wins this week. And yeah, they have something to play for. I like it.
Luke Jones 11:37
Well, the Brent, that scenario was way more interesting that the Browns win. Right? I mean, then you’re talking you have to win to win the division still, you know, you know, if they went out in the Ravens lose out, you know, we’re having a really different conversation.
Nestor J. Aparicio 11:50
We’re gonna know about the Browns by Friday of Thursday night, right? Yeah, yeah,
8Luke Jones 11:53
I mean, and to be clear, do I think that scenario is gonna happen? No, I don’t. But they’ve got to go out and handle their business and to your point. Now, I don’t think it’s all gone. But certainly, if they lose the Miami then we’re kind of talking about and how we were how we have for the last month, which is Super Bowl contender, but concerns about a, b and c what happens here what happens with this game, you know, then we’re talking about those things again, whereas this is a very simple scenario where the dolphins like I said can be free or it can be 41 to 40. You beat them. Number one seed. homefield locked up. No, you’re not playing wildcard weekend. No, you can rest some guys in week 18, against the Steelers. And you don’t have to worry about the potential weirdness that is Baltimore, Pittsburgh, anytime they play. So you have that scenario. But yeah, I mean, you have to go do it. But I mean, they’re in a position now where they can go do it, and you expect them to go do it. They should go do it. They should be Miami on Sunday. I mean, if they were playing in Miami, okay. Yeah, that’d be a little bit of a different conversation. But that there for them, but they have to go do it. And it’s not a, you know, it’s never a slam dunk, especially when you’re talking about a quality team, which I don’t think the dolphins are an elite Super Bowl contender, but they’re certainly a quality team. I’m not going to be completely dismissive of them. So you’ve got to go out and do it. But I mean, it’s all sitting right there for them. But what’s just been so impressive for me. And just to come back to what I was talking about, talking about Lamar a little bit with the MVP, but just the Ravens in general. I mean, you see all these other teams around the league do like what, what happened to Kansas City on Monday, what’s happened to the Eagles with this three game losing streak they had late in the season, and then, you know, kind of a really ugly second half against the giants in the game, it looked like they were gonna run away. And then they did it 40 Niners on Monday night, I mean, all these teams that at some point or another during the season, the bills, you know, looked great the first month of the season, and then kind of just stumbled for the better part of six weeks, and now they’re looking pretty darn good. Again, I mean, all these different teams, the Ravens have not had that stretch where it’s gotten that ugly, or you say, wow, like that’s, yeah, they’ve lost three games, but it was three games. I mean, that’s it, you know, you’re not expecting them to go undefeated. So they just they have managed to really minimize their valleys. Right. I mean, they lost two games early in the season. They’ve had very good
Nestor J. Aparicio 14:27
health, dude, I don’t, you know, general sense. But remember,
Luke Jones 14:31
though, to those two losses, I mean, that first of all that the season they were banged up, right. I mean, Marlin Humphrey didn’t play against India. I mean, that that Cincinnati game in week two was almost not miraculous. That would be way too harsh, because Joe burrow was not right at that point. But they had a lot of starters missing in the first month of the season. I mean, not these a lot of money or a lot a lot of big players, but guys that were out but yeah, I mean, look, it hasn’t been perfect, and we’ll see if Mark Andrews can. We’ll see Mark Idris can come back for the AFC Championship for the Super Bowl if they get that far right. I mean, we, you know, there’s there’s some of that, but overall, their health picture is better than a lot of teams out there. And that’s a big part of this too. In 2019 they were very healthy, especially on the offensive side of the football and we saw what kind of team they were so it’s setting they
Nestor J. Aparicio 15:21
8got to go play the bill, or they got to go play Miami this week without Kyle Hamilton they’ll look like a different football team. Defensively I’m talking about because defensively other than Humphrey and somehow they mandated that with Darby and and Stevens and you know, even the interceptions early in the year with Gino stone stone, right. Like, they cover that nicely, but like ro Quan, Patrick queen, Mata BK, these guys have been stout. I mean, Marcus Williams, not so much in and out whatever. But just in a general sense, their defense has been healthier than most years. Most teams, most teams ever like that we’re sitting here still counting these guys. And as I pointed out a couple of times, as the sack numbers go up for clowny and Van Noy. You start to see the value of having those kinds of players around and the decision to bring them in. But all that being said, you don’t really know what you’re gonna get out of Kyle van Noy Christmas week when he’s actually played the whole season. It’s different seeing Joe Flacco look spry. You know what I mean? It looks like September for him at this point. And it doesn’t look that way. For Brock Purdy. I would say you get pushed around the other night when you play this many football games. But defensively, they look fresh. And I don’t know that it’s gonna look that way. At breakfast on Sunday, when you flown on Live from San Francisco and you played an NFL game. And as we pointed out, it really kind of a hard fought first half in a lot of ways mean, and Stanley in and out mCherry got hit in the head, the tent was an issue. Hamilton’s clearly an issue. So they have a little bit of that going on. But this is as big as it gets. Right? This Miami game just in a general sense for them for us, given that you’ll lose to them. Now you’re playing for your ass. If Cleveland wins on Thursday night, you’re playing for the division. I mean, God forbid the Steelers, something happened. And you wind up a wildcard team after all of this, like after you went on Christmas night and you’ve ever been. We’re the best team and all that. Like it is always tenuous. And if there’s a team you don’t want coming in right now, maybe it’s buffalo. Maybe it’s Kansas City because they’re the big bad wolf. But, boy, this Miami team’s gonna test the defense.
Luke Jones 17:36
Yeah, sure. And again, I know, people are listening to me saying Oh, you’re hating on the dolphin so but the talent is speaks for itself on the offensive side of the ball. There’s no
Nestor J. Aparicio 17:46
question and they have their injury issues too, as far as getting their weapons on the field. And I was
Luke Jones 17:50
just gonna say, I mean, they’ve they’ve had some attrition. I mean, every team is hurt to some degree or another right. I mean, you hope it’s not as extreme as it’s been for the Ravens the last couple of years, beginning with your quarterback not being out there in December, you know, which is a non starter as it comes to having any talk of going to a Super Bowl. But yeah, they’re certainly going to be tested but they absolutely have to take care of business here and you know that you don’t want to be in a position where suddenly week 18 looks way different. And the Steelers who you know, God, I don’t want to say God bless them because it’s the Steelers but nice win for them. Yeah. Mason Rudolph was a cute little story Rudolph on Christmas and Jake, Brett Jake Browning. It was actually great. My pastor actually brought that up in his Sunday sermon talking about that. He’s a big Pittsburgh fan don’t hold on. to that. Well, that’s I was just gonna say Jake Browning turned back into a pumpkin and all that but you know, the last thing you want is to lose to the dolphins and the Browns went on Thursday night, should win Thursday night. And then you’re talking about a week 18 scenario that you don’t want to be in a position where even the Steelers who had looked so mediocre So frankly, bad for the last month setting, you know, Saturday or Sunday aside, but you know, it’s it’s funny because this Monday night game, ravens 40 Niners as hyped as the game of the year. First half lived up to that ravens completely crushed him in the third quarter. But this Sunday game against Miami is the game that’s much more important for the Ravens as it pertains to the playoffs and seating and all that. Yeah, the Monday night was bragging rights right out that was a Power Rankings game. It was one verse two, and the Ravens won and they’re number one now right? They’re the best team in the NFL, but that that doesn’t get you that doesn’t guarantee you’re the number one seed in the AFC
8Nestor J. Aparicio 19:50
rankings is no Peter King. Should I blame him for that if I have him on? I think he was the first one to do weekly power 25 years ago, you know, Power Rankings,
Luke Jones 19:59
or would that be As mentor Dr. Z, I mean, I don’t. I don’t know. I mean, Peter,
Nestor J. Aparicio 20:06
because I want to find out, because if there’s one thing that we all follow that none of us should ever follow, it’s the power rankings. Oh, it’s that thing that everyone says they don’t care about. But we all pay attention, like, back rating. I don’t even know what the hell it is. But we all like pay attention to it when it’s perfect. Or 148.6. We’re like, ah, wouldn’t have put in impressive effort. I don’t even know what it is. I mean, how
Luke Jones 20:30
8do you how do you calculate? Why is it 150 8.3? is perfection, right? I mean, who decided on that does it so yeah, but, but but, but this game Sunday is mean, this is the game that is everything for them. I mean, this is the game that you win. And then it’s see you the third week, the third weekend of January. I mean, that’s what we’re talking about that I mean, that’s, yep, go do it. Go Go, go. Go secure the number one seed and then John Harbaugh and the coaching staff can decide who they’re going to play with. They’re going to sit against the Steelers. No one cares about that game, then I mean, the Steelers win great. Who get who cares? Ravens, even with their backups could still beat them. We saw that in 2019, the backups still beat the Steelers. So but if you don’t win on Sunday, then all the good feelings that we’re talking about right now with the 40 Niners doesn’t disappear. Let’s be clear about that. They lose on Sunday, that doesn’t mean they can’t win the Superbowl. But it does become unsettling. Again. It does become oh boy, you know, I don’t like that that happened. So they’ve got to turn around. Like I said, they’ve got a man. It’s a short week. I think John Harbaugh is probably going to give these guys some physical rest. I think you’ll probably see them have lighter practices this week, you know, as they don’t get home until Tuesday morning. Probably not even that. Probably closer to like, morning morning, on Tuesday. So you got to manage that. We mentioned some of the health concerns. I mean, you hope. I think the general sense, you know, the early set indication is most of that was on the precautionary side. You know, we’ll see what Macquarie we’re talking about a concussion protocol issue there, but I think Hamilton is going to be okay. Kevin Zeitler. You know, I think, you know, you hope that was a little more precautionary, because they had a three touchdown lead when he left the game. But you want to get these guys, they gotta be ready for Sunday. Because as we said, I mean, the 40 Niners game that was the, the hype, you know, the Power Rankings game, this is the number one seed game, you know, so go take care of business, you’re the favorite as you should be, and you’re at home, go take care of business, and then you get a chance to exhale and kind of recalibrate for the real tournament that starts next month, which as we said, I mean, the ravens are the favorite now. And they’ve they’ve earned that spot. But just because you’ve earned that spot doesn’t mean it’s gonna be handed to you.
Nestor J. Aparicio 22:56
Even though channel 13 doesn’t want to show us Joe Flacco. He’s still playing and they’re still winning. Is there anything you want to say about the Cleveland Browns because we talked about these other teams, and I don’t. I walked into a bar the other day. I gotta give a plug here. All right, because I do this spirits West, down a Wilkins Avenue Southwest side of town. I went over to Kopan for the basketball game on Wednesday. On Wednesday, and 98 rock will confirm this on Wednesday. Spirits West has this cold cut called The Godfather. And it’s got like all these specialty meats and I’ve been you can only get it on Wednesday. Special. So on this particular Wednesday, ordered it. And I walked into that bar at 330 I went by faith Lee’s had to drop some stuff off. I went over to West Baltimore, and I ordered my sandwich and I went in to pay for it and I’m at the bar. And it’s a long old school bars. Look a little Baltimore history cuz I know you’re a history major. It’s the longest block in America the longest contiguous block in America. It’s a really weird Google and it’s on Wilkins Avenue. Pull up on the side. I go into sort of side Park. I was getting my sandwich. I was going to Compton to see Angel Reese playhead conference our partner we broadcast their games I love cop and I got to wear my my Eagles belt buckle but it was like the band The Eagles but it’s blue and gold so I kind of liked it. So So Gary digital Williams over there. I met the great Kyle goon from the Baltimore banner. I saw Ali d’Amboise. I mean, I saw I saw Kyle Andrews. I mean, so I mean, I saw some people and I got out moved around a little bit, but I walk in. And there’s five guys at the bar. Oh, I’m a little older than me young people, obviously but a little older than me. And I just walked into PE and I think one of them recognize me like and the conversation. They were kind of over effecting? How about that Joe Flacco wouldn’t that be something if that Flacco came in? So like all this happens, I’m literally I’m in their 30 seconds, I ran out to my car because it’s Christmas. And I don’t know if you know, I wrote a book called Purple Rain two that I’m really ashamed of at this point that I’m trying to get rid of. And I have like four boxes left and I had one in the car. And I went and I got fired because the big Ravens fans, I went in, and they were all talking about Flaco Flaco Flaco. When that be something that be shy, yeah, I’m afraid to him. I don’t want them. I don’t want the Browns coming in. I’m thinking to myself, I can’t believe I’m hearing this on a barstool in West Baltimore. So I can tell you, so I got I gave more ravens books. I came in I gave more. I just laid them and I left. One guy chased me out of Wilkins avenue to autograph. The book was funny. I didn’t. I knew it was you but I don’t know the books. You know, I’m like, just read chapter seven about Joe Flacco. And then over the weekend, a friend of mine, Gary, I want to ask you what am I passed from high school, put out on Facebook, this comparison of Matt Ryan to Joe Flacco. And they came out in the draft and I’m like, That’s chapter five. So I had to put that out for everybody too. Because, you know, I researched all of this on Flacco his heart his character kind of player. He was kind of man he is kind of family man he is it’s kind of human. My all time favorite Baltimore athlete. After doing this professionally for 39 years, but not unless year and a half thanks to Chad Steele. But I love Joe. I’m blown away by all of this. And I’m not blown away that he can throw it but it really the the story to me that if I were to fly to Cleveland and have breakfast on Friday after they beat the Jets Thursday night in their seven point favorites, that if I were to sit with him and like write about this and write a story, if I were the if I were a real journalist like I used to be, and I wanted to learn about this the story to me and Flacco, if somebody really sits and by the way, they’re doing wacky stuff in Cleveland, they have a song that the ESPN Cleveland guys are chasing them around. They have a whole comedy thing going on. I remember going out there and hear strock around the clock back when Don strock was the Browns quarterback and Bernie code. I mean, Cleveland’s wacky like that I mean, and their attachment to our hero, our Super Bowl hero, and however far this goes is, it’s already a success. If they beat the jets, and they make the plan, like all I have to do is make the playoffs if they lose 24 to 14 to the Ravens in the playoffs. That was a great year. What it’s a different measurement, but not for Joe. And I think the real story for Joe is I talked to Joe, late August, it may have been the first it may have been right around Labor Day that I talked to him. And he was a Boolean about I’m gonna play again, if they let me. He said I’m I want to play. He’s like, I’m, like, I’m working out I want to play and like, I’m thinking what does that mean, at this point? It’s very, very clear that the last three, four months, he really got himself and he didn’t come in off the couch with mom, and you know, and just throw the ball like this like, and I don’t know who’s asked him what, and I’m not following every press conference out there. But if I really sat with him, and like did a piece on it, I’d really liked to know what the hell were you doing because you weren’t golf and dude, and I know you got a lot of hobbies, and you love your kids. And I talked to him for half an hour. I mean, we talked and I didn’t have any sense that he could be this good. Or that his mind would get him into the frame of mind to be in this kind of physical condition. Because I think that’s the thing that’s overlooked in all of this his mind great for the game and seeing Amari Cooper and having weapons and having a defense during the ball and doing things that are smart things that I saw him do after throwing some pics the last couple of weeks, that he’s not going to be able to do that against the ravens, They come in here and play he’s not gonna be able to throw two or three picks and when there’s not gonna be able to do that, I think can take care of the football. I’m, I’m just blown away. I’m blown away that there’s another chapter for him in a way that I don’t think anybody could have predicted. And whatever this chapter is for 38 year old guy who has come back and at least on and off year to show you know, he ain’t case Keenum you know,
Luke Jones 29:01
I mean, it’s a terrific story. I mean, it really is and look you and I talked about this when when the Browns were first sniffing around and signed him to the practice squad and whether he was going to become the backup or become the starter whatever. And I was I was dismissive of it probably
Nestor J. Aparicio 29:18
said he wasn’t gonna get on the field like literally right? No, I didn’t
8Luke Jones 29:22
say it wasn’t gonna get them I didn’t necessarily say wasn’t gonna get on the field. I didn’t think it was gonna go well, cuz I mean, the reality was, the numbers speak for themselves. Joe has not been very good since he left the ravens and I think so much of that was environment and situations. Jets. I get it. Broncos weren’t good. But he wasn’t very good. He just wasn’t. So I think what’s so fascinating about this one, you’re right, the fact that he kept and look, let’s call spade a spade. Joe’s never been a guy that was out of shape. At the same time. Joe always had the reputation of when he’s in the building. When it’s in the season. He’s all in right I’d like to However, when it’s offseason, and this goes back to all the conversations about getting together with receivers, away from the team, all that kind of stuff, there was a thought that when Joe likes to get away, he gets away. And by the way, Lamar Jackson is similar in that way in the terms of when it’s the offseason and all that he’s he likes his time to get away and that doesn’t mean they’re not working hard on their own. But they’re these guys are gym rats, are they they wouldn’t be here but they put they do it different ways right there. Some guys are in the building every day throughout the season. Some guys, you know, Mark Andrews trains out in Arizona, you know, for example, so but the point is Joe kept himself in great shape, as you mentioned, but I think the other really fascinating part I noticed because I did get the game here in southern Europe County. I got the game on Sunday to come to your talks. But they talked about this. Kevin Stefanski. He is a pupil of one Gary Kubiak who absolutely advocated for the Browns when they lost Watson and it was clear that DTR was not the guy that was clear PJ Walker wasn’t going to be the guy. Gary Kubiak is someone who said you know what? At least work show out you know, see see where he is. I mean, I don’t know where he is physically I’m sure sure you talk to him, you know, always kept himself in good shape. But I think the other factor here one kept himself in good shape too proud to have a good team. They have a good roster. I mean, we talked about that. I mean as much as we joke about the Browns being a punch line at the end of the day and Brown is gonna brown and all that stuff matches their job in the running game the way they planned it right. Sure they have. They have a really good defense and they have some talent. I mean, Amari Cooper, my goodness, if you watch that game Sunday reminds you of Anquan Boldin catching some of those, you know, some of those jump balls that Joe was throwing, I mean, Cooper’s played some outstanding football here recently, but you have all that in place. If we all think back Joe Flacco for as much as we think of the 2012 postseason, that’s the pinnacle of his career. Obviously, his best regular season campaign was win 2014 Gary Kubiak that version of you know that going all the way back were sent and and all that. That was the Joe played his the best regular season football of his career with Gary Kubiak as his coordinator. So it’s Kevin Stefanski his offense exactly the same No, but it’s very similar. And I think for where Joe is, for what what Joe’s always done well, and for where he is, as a guy, he’s gonna be 39 next month, and let’s face it, he was never the most fleet of foot, but certainly, you know, he can move his feet, he’s moved his feet well enough. You
Nestor J. Aparicio 32:37
know what, does not look old the way he did as a jet. But he learned faster. That’s why I’m saying like, whatever he was doing just Jim, he’s got $200 million to he can buy a trainer. And if he’s pissed off enough to do this, and to come back, because of the joy it brings him and you can see it. Like it’s just a beautiful, right? It’s, I mean, like I I stand in awe of it after doing this for 40 years, because I saw Jim Palmer tried to do it. I you know, I saw Cal Ripken try to play it. 38 I saw you know, and and all these rich fat old guys. You know, I saw what Ray Lewis coming back from the injury and what he tried to do with the end. And he wasn’t nearly this old, right? I mean, what Ray wasn’t 38 he’s 3637 he was 3785. Right? So 7037 right position and a whole different thing. And a different level of speed and power and all that sure Show could always throw it Joe could always think it right like, but whatever he did for his body, his arm his legs. And and I guess whatever piece that leads him to get back and to be in this position to win games. This has been a really crazy thing to see like, I mean, Warner second act after he went to the Giants, it was bench and then go to the Super Bowl with the Cardinals to win a Super Bowl. Kurt Warner was yesterday’s he was given up on in the way that Flacco and you know, most people didn’t love Flacco to begin with all you know, I still remember that iced tea after he won the Super Bowl. And he said to me, we want a lot of games around here. Like this isn’t something new, you know, or that he bought, it was a big shock that he could win the Super Bowl after throwing the past the year before in any in the same way that if I flew after our Friday and had breakfast with him. And I thought of doing that actually because I do feel like a story. This is an incredible Baltimore story in a way that only I can tell it because I’m the only one that’s been there from the beginning. Chronicling all of it. Cleveland radio called me last week, so they called Billy and Billy said Billy told them that he thought that Black could win the Superbowl in Cleveland that they had the tools there Felix said that on the air, and I’m like, really? I’m not going to patronize in that way. I’m just saying what I’ve seen of Joe for the last three or four weeks. They can beat the Ravens here. In the first playoff game if they get here because they’ve already beaten the Ravens once, and because Joe wouldn’t be too big for Joe, it, wouldn’t it. It just It would probably fire Joe the hell up in a way that whenever we saw on that Jets game last year when he’s running around with those guys, he looks like a different human being a year later. And it looks like whatever that seat is, that makes him a Super Bowl champion that makes him not a Hall of Famer, but a hall a battler and a guy that they wanted to draft instead of Matt Ryan, all those years ago. And I, it’s a very, very good story. It’s good been good for my holiday soul, especially being deposed and watching it on the outside just happen on my TV. Watching old friends of ours get together on the field with him, interviewing him after another when on a pathway to being a playoff team is just I don’t think anybody had that in the script. His family must be thrilled. I mean,
Luke Jones 35:59
it’s wild. And like I said, I everything you mentioned I agree with, but I also think their offense is a Stefanski is offense is a really good fit for what Joe does well, and and does a nice job of masking some of the things he doesn’t do as well. And I think that’s, you know, it goes back to what we said in 2014. And, look, it’s no, go back and look at it statistically Joe’s downfall in Baltimore as being a guy that, you know, had won a Super Bowl and all that, regardless of how were you ranked him in the regular season and all that. When Gary Kubiak left that was the beginning of the end for Flacco and Baltimore. And look, he didn’t play well. They made some lousy rosters decisions. Marc Trestman was an awful hire. I mean, like you know, things happen, you know, things happen. It’s tough to do this for a long time, you know, and do it success, the only one that survives it all is horrible, but Right, sure, but I think you know, what’s where I view the Browns right now. And look, this is a very simplistic way of viewing things because they’re not they’re not all that terribly similar stylistically speaking because the running game has it to your point if they had Nick Chubb right now, you know, they’d be pretty wild to think what the Browns could potentially be. But for me at this point, they kind of feel like what the Titans were in that 2019 postseason and I’m not saying the Titans coming into Baltimore and beating the Ravens directly but just like that team that you would say, right now if the Browns depending on the drawn, put the put the Ravens Browns possibility, put that aside, right you know, as as appealing as that would be for guys like you and me talking about this as, you know, media and stories and narratives and all that, but just in terms of their draw, and whatever else happens. The Browns are that team that right now. The ball bounces their way. I don’t see them getting to a Super Bowl by any stretch of the imagination. But I could see them in the AFC Championship depending on how the draw would fall and, you know, ball bounces
Nestor J. Aparicio 37:58
8around their tenant fives. I know but my point isn’t with crappy quarterback play. Right merrily The first 12 weeks they they’ve gotten the best quarterback play at Joe Flacco in the last three weeks that the franchise’s add since Derrick Anderson maybe. Literally Baker Mayfield
Luke Jones 38:16
Baker Mayfield had a couple good seasons there. I mean, Marshalls that he had good seasons, but by the way, speaking of resurgence, Baker Mayfield played some great football at Tampa Bay, you know not to get off topic here because, you know, obviously there’s local interests with Joe but I mean, it’s a good it’s a really good story. We My goodness, and I understand Ravens fans x if you’re talking about the narrative of Flacco and the Browns coming into Baltimore, divisional round weekend, I mean, blocker.
Nestor J. Aparicio 38:42
Well, I have to play the Colts in the first round of the playoffs, right. And we’re conceding the Browns are going to be in the playoffs so so like they they’re gonna be in the playoffs so they’re gonna go one way or the other. Yeah, they’re gonna play game on the road. We think because they don’t We don’t think they’re going to catch us. And that would be that’d be pretty hard scrabble two weeks now if the Ravens lost to the dolphins, Steelers and the Browns win the division, but it’s still sitting there and it’s still not I mean, the Browns do their part went on Thursday night under seven point favorites. At least. They’re halfway there to doing their part and then counting on the dolphins right. So it would make for an interesting week next week if that’s all these games stacking up at the same time, the way they play those games in Week, Week 18 Now, but the Browns are going to be in the playoffs and who are they going to play like that? They would go to Miami and Joe Flacco could play well there are that their defense could take the ball away and that’s possible shorts. Could you get that going to Miami or they’re going to go to Jacksonville or or Indianapolis? Maybe they go to Kansas City and that probably wouldn’t be a great spot for them. You know what I mean? That probably wouldn’t go well. I mean, I don’t know but when okay for the Raiders the other day, but that would be I think Cleveland going to Kansas City is bad news for them. But I think buffalo is gonna be on the road. Right? So buffalo goes to Kansas City. Cleveland goes to wherever else they go. I don’t know, man. I think Cleveland will be alive in the second week if they get the right draw. Yeah, that wouldn’t surprise
Luke Jones 40:11
me whatsoever. I mean, again, all these teams and all these teams, except maybe one or two, you know who this AFC South picture is he you ugly at this point. I mean, CJ CJ Stroud can get back for the Texans. But the problem is you kind of look at their tiebreakers and some of that you know, is the math gonna work out but but but ravens Kansas City buffalo at this point, Cleveland, Miami, I mean, the ravens are the head of the class and they’ve earned that spot as it pertains to be in post Christmas well for whatever that’s worth you know, that’s not a guarantee to get to the Super Bowl but you still take it over the alternative. But yeah, it’s you’re gonna have to go play good football you got to play limit mistakes and play well on both sides of the ball. Good special teams all the things you need to do but yeah, you look at this Browns team it’s I’m not at all if you’re telling me the Browns are coming in to Baltimore in playing the Ravens in the divisional round can be surprised by that whatsoever I just said depending on the draw and again put taking out the Ravens Browns thing if you tell me right now the Browns get a draw on some injury lock on the you know whoever they’re playing whatever. And you tell me that they can’t get to the AFC Championship. It’s like I said it’s like the titans in 2019. No one really thought they were a serious Super Bowl contender but they played Kansas City in the AFC Championship right
Nestor J. Aparicio 41:39
Jaguars have done it twice in recent times. Blake Bortles and you know like crazy stuff. Alright, I’ll break it off for you because I know you’re really heavily monitoring this deal and CeCe thing with the Orioles and I know we have things going on here. Enjoy your cookies. Hope you had a beautiful holiday. It was good to see your family together and enjoying your role as Deacon Jones not the sack master but the Toastmaster and we do appreciate you know the holidays and getting people together got the family got to see friends. It was a beautiful thing. We’re taking little exhale here this week you are taking the Maryland crab cake tour on the road will be a fade these on Wednesday morning. It’s our final chance inside the old market. We are planning the biggest promotion we’ve ever done for radio row coming up in six weeks. And I’m even heartened that the Ravens might be there and I might be able to give away purple scratch offs like the Oh snaps. They do smell like gingerbread which I’ve had enough cookies man I’m getting fat. Just smelling these tickets are friends when donation 866 90 nation reminding you by two you get two free 0% financing for five years and Jiffy Lube multi care. I’ve been talking a lot about it. My little light went on when I was over curio wellness and foreign data. It was a Jiffy Lube right there. And I was detained and I didn’t get my oil changed. And I gotta get my oil changed. I say the right way Mo Oh, I gotta get my oil changed at Jiffy Lube multi care, so we’ll be doing that. Big thanks to curio and foreign data for sponsoring our 25th anniversary. We talked a lot about wellness and cannabis and rock and roll and we had Michael Brown find out telling this incredible story. One of the best pieces I did all year was with Michael Brown fine and Gina shock. It will be airing this week you can find all that at Baltimore positive where we do a lot of sort of best of this week. In addition to getting ready for Miami, I’m gonna have a couple of Miami pieces. Luke and I are going to talk some football here. But it is a holiday week lot of folks go in at half speed. remind everybody take care of your family enjoy New Year’s Eve responsibly bet on the games responsibly if you’re betting on the games as well. And we’re getting ready for a Festivus for the rest of it. It’s fun time around here for baseball thoughts for next year as well as football thoughts in the near short term. And a big big game against the Miami Dolphins this week. So lots on our minds here and we are releasing our 25 stories of glory brought to you by curio wellness and foreign daughter. Those will be coming out on a semi daily basis. Every other day something’s going to be coming out as we lead and countdown of all things that our audience have done. Charity road trips, events, places to be gone, people we seen, I got to find my old Wild Bill Hagee pictures and Luke, I put a picture up I had one or two of those pictures. I had to go archival on Christmas Eve to like go through stuff and I found pictures that were lost. So I’m sharing them with anybody out there. And some of it’s probably educational for you too because a lot of you’ve been here it feels like forever like 1516 years. But there was like another 15 years before that of all these pictures and stories and people doing cool stuff. So it’s it’s been very very heartening and so people have been sending me some stuff nests at Baltimore positive.com You find me on I am find me on social media anywhere Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, all the places that Baltimore Lucas I am as well through the holidays. I know it’s a good time to get together and clean out the archives and we’re doing that on our 25th anniversary. And it’s all coming together for the biggest promotion ever. I’m Nestor we are wn st am 1570, Towson, Baltimore. Happy New Year everyone celebrating Festivus finest Baltimore positive.com
