The offseason promise and upside of the running attack with a rejuvenated J.K. Dobbins is now lost with his season ending injury. Dennis Koulatsos and Nestor discuss the Ravens’ numerous Week 1 injuries and the impact on hopes for winning a Super Bowl.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
year, offense, baltimore, lamar, ravens, injuries, game, dobbins, week, ball, ronnie stanley, running, uneven, play, sunday, big, mark andrews, wrote, wn, team
SPEAKERS
Dennis Koulatsos, Nestor Aparicio
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome back at W N S, T, Towson Baltimore. And Baltimore positive we were positively into one of the great months the great weeks of 25 years of having wn S T back in May of 1998 when I found this crazy little radio station off the beaten path and Towson and thought I’m gonna invest my whole life in that the Orioles were just fresh off the ALCS two years in a row football team, we had Jim Harbaugh the other Harbaugh was involved at that point who I wrote about this weekend. If you go check that out in our dear John Deere Steve letters this week Baltimore positive but I I bought the station in the summer 1998 thinking like there would be plenty of September’s and October’s where they would intersect where we would we there would be a game on a Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park and a pennant race where it needed to pay attention to the rain delay and all that. That is Colossus joins us now he is a he’s a subscriber to WNS T tech services and he was born before and between injuries rain delays what’s going on here this is as good as it gets from a heartbeat and in the veins of a sports fan. What we have this week road trip to Cincinnati one and no bad injuries Lamar Jackson first place team raised into its we’re real big league sports theme town this week. Dennis Harvey
Dennis Koulatsos 01:26
we are Orioles dropped one recently that and that the the their streak right the winning streak and the Ravens game was very uneven with several dark clouds over it all the injuries the JK Diamond’s injury in particular Nestor extremely heartbreaking to me personally in a number of levels. I was a high school running back a college running back I know what running backs go through and he loved me so hard for contract extension and my heart goes out to him and his families. I know how hard he worked in the offseason to get himself right. For the rigors of a 17 game season. It was heartbreaking to watch.
Nestor Aparicio 02:02
Yeah, and on television, the play happened then heels in and then he’s gone and you’re like, Oh my God, just the whole notion of how rough this game is. And the look on Harbaugh’s face after the game and Patrick Queen at the podium.
Dennis Koulatsos 02:19
I broke down out of my chair not with him because I was there on the Raven side and I saw him when he got hurt I saw when he got up. And I saw him when the trainer’s came over and he put his arm around him and he was he was I mean limping. I was just my heart broke my stomach. I mean, I felt like vomiting
Nestor Aparicio 02:36
well and I guess for all these guys that don’t get contracts, this is what we’ve spent. We spent we spent more time this year talking about that topic. Once Lamar got signed in anything I mean, and you know Josh Jacobs agent is a dear friend of mine we had him out on the crabcake tour. Go get the Godfather on Wednesday by the way from love from Rick over there it’s spirits west of Baltimore but I I don’t know that we’ve seen a game like this where you start the season and other than Lamar to go to bed Sunday night not know what Ronnie Stanley is up to or Tyler Lindenbaum obviously they’re gonna they’re gonna lose marks Williams for a long period of time if at all for the season complex is gone for the year. There’s only and I wrote this in my column it’s there’s there’s only so much of this you can take before your your ceiling starts to drop as far as how good you can be.
Dennis Koulatsos 03:23
Now there’s no there’s no question about that Nestor. i It was just heartbreaking to watch these guys go down one at a time as it was. And the game itself was uneven. It looked very much and had to fail to mean this as a preseason game, the offense one that was unsettled, and that we’re very fortunate that we’re going up against a rookie quarterback for defense look good. But that was expected, wasn’t it?
Nestor Aparicio 03:45
I wrote about hardball this week. And I wrote a lot of good things about him and a lot I read it.
Dennis Koulatsos 03:49
I read. I read your letter, by the way. I read it. I read it from beginning to end. I
Nestor Aparicio 03:52
did. Yeah. Do you have anything you want to say about it interjecting? Then we’ll move on or no?
Dennis Koulatsos 03:56
Well, I think the only thing that I learned was that better conflict, which chats deal and I guess what ignited the whole thing. Maybe I was lost upon me by the comment you made about his sister, whatever. So but it looked
Nestor Aparicio 04:08
funny about his sister and I would I would say that I mean to anybody anywhere. So like I didn’t even I liked sage. I didn’t have any problem with sage.
Dennis Koulatsos 04:16
I’ve never heard of that before anywhere to be frank with you. Yeah, well, it is
Nestor Aparicio 04:21
what it is. But Harbaugh’s face in that postgame press conference on Sunday was of not just sadness for Dobbins put like true concern, knowing there’s 16 More train wrecks coming right, knowing that he’s been through this. But the last time I was with John when the thing I wrote about with his wife and I at at the last time I was at the pool with him a year and a half ago. They were fresh off of Lamar getting hurt the first time right. And it’s all he and Eric talked to me about was the fact that we had we Got a team that was good enough and we just got him get injured and we can’t be good. I mean, and that’s not even excuse talk. That’s reality. And I even said to John like, I get it man like you don’t have to deal to sell it to me I watched the game like, you cannot, you can plan all you want, but if they’re gonna play the season without Tyler Lindor balm and Ronnie Stanley and JK Dobbins and Mark Andrews and Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Williams if they’re gonna play many games without those guys are those guys of that caliber and we haven’t talked about anybody else get hurt, right because that’s going to happen too. But if they go six games without Linder bomb and four games without Stanley and God forbid Lamar right like say flowers as a hamming isn’t himself I mean they’re gonna have this is the worst case scenario for them in week one is that things are already unraveling from what they want to do on their offense. The things you want to do on your offense unique continuity you just do I mean they don’t practice enough and this this is my point what John John said something at halftime to a DD Kinkade wala who did the games I love it. He said something like, Well, we had a lot of penalties in the first half, but like we in practice, we haven’t played they haven’t played Okay, so John screams offseason about trying to get the guys in the building more and more and more. He sent me that text about Lamar when he was out a year and a half ago, which I alluded to all summer last year, because you want our friends. They don’t have the offseason. When Luke comes on. Today, Luke is on the air saying I’m out there all summer. They don’t hit anybody. It’s all scarred. They don’t have to tackle. They don’t really tackle until this point, because they don’t want any of this stuff happening. And John bubble wraps the team, right? Like literally. And it’s not his style. He’s more you know, like, but he bubble wraps the team because of what happened to Dobbins two years ago because of what happened to anybody or everybody and they don’t play and then they go out and luckily for them that they drew the JV, right. I mean, they didn’t need Mark Andrews and one by 16 points, right. They didn’t need Ronnie Stanley at the end and won by 16 points. They didn’t need Marlon Humphrey won by. But Ben, John knows, John knows they can’t think they can’t win a Super Bowl without all the names I gave you. As he’s standing there right now if he had to go play for his life tomorrow, and they will on Sunday against Cincinnati, and Cincinnati stunk and all that but they cannot win without these guys. These names we’re talking about if you take them out, they’re not playing in January. They’re just not.
Dennis Koulatsos 07:35
Well, on the flip side of the coin, Mike common who did play his starters off throughout the preseason. They opened up at home with a 30 to 70 loss of the 40 Niners and this is an I don’t know what the annual report looks like from the Steelers but they so I don’t have an answer for us.
Nestor Aparicio 07:52
I don’t know if you believe I’m not saying I’m not picking on John. Do this. So
Dennis Koulatsos 07:57
Mike Tomlin said, you know, generally speaking, when you when you have a fight coming up if you’re a boxer you scrimmage, that was his thought process you Yeah, that was his thought process. You train. The Bengals go to Cleveland get get they get their butts kicked right, with Joe burrow coming off that big contract. Still, though, you know, overcoming that the calf injury. It’s a week to week league Week One is a gross overreaction. You hate to see injuries happen to us, but let’s not take it up and figure it out hopefully to get Mark Andrews back next week because he was he was noticeably as his absence was notable during the game. I mean, they the middle of the field, they had no one going over the middle. And he’s a big piece of hula Martin. Lamar Jackson looks here.
Nestor Aparicio 08:41
I’m gonna be on your show Thursday, and I do a lot more talking on your show. I want what did you think of the offense? I mean, what what again,
Dennis Koulatsos 08:48
they were out of sync they they the scheme I don’t know that didn’t run the ball well, and let’s talk about the the offensive line. It’s a different scheme. This was a run block and Moling run first offensive line now they’re asked to pass block and Lamar Jackson looked like a like a cat on a hot tin roof. He never really said his feet only a couple times in the second half. And he had some success when he did that. But he was dancing around back there. Well, Anderson Jr. The mercurial rookie from Alabama was putting a lot of pressure on both sides coming off the edge. The offense was uneven, but you expect that it’s going to take three to four to five weeks for this offense to find its rhythm is my belief.
Nestor Aparicio 09:25
Well, it doesn’t find his rhythm rhythm if if the center is not there as left tackle is not there. We know the running backs not going to be there. The tight end hasn’t been there everything like
Dennis Koulatsos 09:33
every every team has injuries, every team well.
Nestor Aparicio 09:37
They’re not judging it from wherever it is. Number eight, we expect him now not we expected before we got paid like he’s the ex he’s the special guy. He’s gonna get in the phone booth. He’s their best running back. He was their best running back even when Dobbins was healthy the other day right? He’s their best running back so and he’s not running the ball and they don’t really grow all the above reason designed place.
Dennis Koulatsos 10:00
He like I was screaming for him to get down when he was running down field get down the last enemy’s injury to Lamar Jackson. He can carry this team and they would look there are some elements there that are exciting. Ze flowers really flashed, well beaten, was able to get through the game without getting injured. We saw Odell Beckham Jr. Laettner in the game. So he does have some some weapons Mark Anders comeback and he’s still at Gus Edwards and just just as hell showed a lot of burst. But it’s going to come down to the offensive line. Can they open up hold for these running backs? And more importantly, can they keep Lamar Jackson clean? Can they keep them upright going forward?
Nestor Aparicio 10:35
Well, they played a crappy team, you know, in the Texans controlled the ball more than they wanted them to. But I had asked all offseason, and I’ll gauge this every week and I’m not overreacting about any of this. But Lamar threw the ball 22 times incredibly efficient. 7822 Right. I mean, he threw the ball 22 times and they ran the ball. Let’s see here 1422 32 times, right. So all of this offseason, all of the pregame shows, say flowers, they love him and Odell Beckham’s resurrecting his career and Mark Andrews is going to be a big part of this and why they have Aguilar and they have Bateman was their guide is timely he’s there He’s the number one pick how many times are they going to throw the ball and when they do how can they do it effectively and to your point who’s going to protect Lamar in all of these cases when they read when they have dudes like this kid looked like a dude the other day right well mismatches right against older guys right Moses getting beaten around. Morgan get beat around the edge old deal holding jumping off all of that stuff. Stanley getting his face off all of that they threw the ball 22 times they were 17 Guys, they got to catch footballs 17 passes out there for all of these superstars. I I don’t know that they ever really as much. We talked about the wide receivers. You’ll see them and they’ll flash but I just don’t think this is going to be a passing offense. I don’t believe that. And not even without Dobbins. And I think this really changes this week when mungkin might want to do when you start taking 1418 20 carries a week away from dhabas.
Dennis Koulatsos 12:14
Yeah, well again, also the flow of the game the tempo of the game, but the Ravens caliber conservative of the second half they had to lead. They had the turnover deep on their own territory, right. So they kind of pack that in in the second half I thought and let their defense win the game. It was the right strategy and they go up to Cincinnati they fall behind by two touchdowns they’re gonna have to pass. I don’t think this is gonna be a fast pass first offense I never did. But I did think I’ll be more balanced between the running game with a passing game. And again, I don’t think that a one week snapshot was a fair assessment of where this offense is going to be gone forward.
Nestor Aparicio 12:49
Lamar 1722 A buck 69 didn’t really run much RAM one time, you know look like Lamar for a minute got sacked more than we want him to get sacked. Quite frankly, we don’t think he should get sacked because he’s that kind of quarterback who shouldn’t get sacked. Right. And sacking means you ate the ball so you couldn’t get away and you couldn’t get rid of the ball. Shame, shame, shame. I mean, like, and then kicking the ball around. So we’ll beat Joe Joe burrow up while we let people Cincinnati beat him up this week, and he could smoke his Stokey this week if they’re one on one. But they got a chance to make them Oh, and to win on the road with them. I want to win the division. There’s some space between them worry about the Browns later. The Steelers don’t look like much at least out of the gate. What Dare I say I would bury the Steelers in week one because Oh, not at all. Why can’t they lose weight one a lot. And we win week one a lot here. We’re always wondering, like that’s the John horrible. God bless John. Right. No matter whether you play a big game or small game that other than that Denver thing that I brought up the other day, but you know, for me with Lamar, kind of stunk Sunday. I mean, just in a report card, it’s a deep plus, because you can’t kick the ball around.
Dennis Koulatsos 14:04
But what were your expectations about coming with him coming in the game? No preseason games, no real live action. So what I didn’t have high expectations in Chrome that this office was going to put up 40 points you get to Texas, I expected an uneven performance. And I got that which was really punctuated by the injuries right accentuated by the injury.
Nestor Aparicio 14:24
Uneven the uneven is they were bad down in distances because of the penalties so that that that you can be great on offense, but you jump It’s over, right like you’re wasting your running in the mud. And then they didn’t have Andrews. Early I was emotional for them. All of that.
Dennis Koulatsos 14:40
For the most part defenses are always ahead of the offense. They’re ahead of the offense during preseason. They’re ahead of the offense, the first three or four games on a regular season. It just takes more. It’s more of a timing thing with the offense, more consistency, defenses more instinctive than offensive. So it’s not really surprising that we saw We saw Sunday,
Nestor Aparicio 15:01
ze flowers, you know a great thing about him and like that. That’s that guy there.
Dennis Koulatsos 15:09
They also but the sad thing is for me, Nestor that disturbed me where they kept forcing the ball to him later, okay, you do a couple of times and do something else with the kid, send them downfield, sell them across the crossing routes, have somebody do a pick play for him but to keep forcing the ball to them keep handing it off. I don’t think that’s a great strategy going forward either.
Nestor Aparicio 15:27
You don’t want to turn him into a running back. Yeah, you
Dennis Koulatsos 15:30
don’t want to make them too predictable. Get him downfield. And I think they will.
Nestor Aparicio 15:34
Dennis this year. He will be here on Thursday and again on Sunday where I listen to you show Sunday morning. I went over to morning yoga before the game because you know, I wouldn’t want to be caught drinking a beer in the tailgate lot or anything before the game I might not get my press pass back. But I was out listening to your fantasy sports. Dennis does Sunday mornings here he does Thursday afternoon for three until five he also will sell you a vehicle to service your vehicle and treat you right over Koons Baltimore for what’s going on a lot. I don’t ask you that much. I mean you run ads here and I appreciate that but I post Labor Day kids are back to school but I know you got some deals out there.
Dennis Koulatsos 16:06
Oh we got we got great deals we’re still have our great Labor Day specials going on right now Nestor lotsa 0% financing after 1.9% and we have over 200 brand new vehicles in stock. We have a lot more than most we have over 200 pre owned vehicles in stock as well. So our selection our inventory drives a lot of traffic and we do save our customers 1000s of dollars every single day.
Nestor Aparicio 16:28
Anything you want to say defensively on the past rush against a very very pedestrian offensive line of rookie quarterback rookie coach on the right like all of that they it was a confidence builder.
Dennis Koulatsos 16:40
It was I tell you what I like what you’re Davion clammy did of it when he was a dude on the on the defensive line. He did a great job always very athletic. As we’ve seen in the past, he got caught up inside a couple of times. So Java had the turnover there. But I thought the big story once again with ro Quan Smith and and Patrick queen, particularly rook once Mr. Beale deal the guy is just He’s amazing. I had the privilege of meeting him a couple of weeks ago, I got my brand new broke one Smith Jersey, and that’s my guy right there then as long as they have him in the middle, and as long as the Ravens have Lamar on the other side, this team can do some damage to a point when it comes to injuries they can overcome things they’re built that way.
Nestor Aparicio 17:21
Do you wear that zero row Quan out on the showroom floor or crossbar? Before? Financing?
Dennis Koulatsos 17:26
Purple Friday’s idea Yep. Friday I also wear it on Sundays at the ballgame which is a lot of fun. It was a nice I thought they shut up well. I thought I thought that Mike McDonald called a good game and I thought the team executed against a rookie quarterback a bat as well as it could be expected given the fact that they do have a lot of moving pieces back there and missing pieces as well.
Nestor Aparicio 17:51
Your anytime I had Brandon Stokely on and I want to give a shout because I was awake late the other night and I never watched TV, you know this, right? The bullies of Baltimore came on. And it just like it came to me. I put the TV on and it just was on. I put it on and I heard Kevin burns voice and I’m like, I was writing all this issue about hardball. And I’m like, is Kevin calling me Are we you know what’s going on here? And I’m watching the bullies of Baltimore the other day and Brandon Stokely whenever I have him on, he always, you know, he has this beautiful set with the football and the ball he caught in the Super Bowl and the Colts trophy and all that stuff behind him and his thing. And he always says I’m in the house to paint and Bill my house and I’m thinking to myself, Ro Quan Smith is going to build Patrick kwena house right like Patrick Wayne’s gonna get paid after this right I don’t like Orlando brown somebody’s gonna think he’s a left tackle. Somebody’s gonna pay Patrick queen to come and do that John might be the bears. But, but but he’s, but Patrick queen is going about this the right way
Dennis Koulatsos 18:51
the right way he is. Unless he gets hurt, God forbid, like JK Dobbins, and then that would be the wrong way. I gotta say one thing they have the a lot of the former ravens their Ring of Honor inductees etc. When Todd heap came out of the tunnel, man, I lost it. I just I flashback to this, this tragedy with his daughter and man. My heart goes out to that guy in his family.
Nestor Aparicio 19:12
He’s such a beautiful guy.
Dennis Koulatsos 19:14
I started I’d been out last night I did. He’s one of the really good
Nestor Aparicio 19:17
people I saw. So I didn’t know what they were doing. I saw pictures after halftime and looks like a 25 year celebration of the stadium and I’m like, I’m up with 25 Year celebrations. I’m doing one of those myself. The Bank Stadium. Yeah, it’s fine. But Saturday for five o’clock, my phone goes off. I looked down. It’s Obama. Haley is looking for a soft crab sandwich in Baltimore. So she won’t be thrown out of the team by the team. I have half the alumni in town on the first guy they reached when they come to Oklahoma, Haley and I went back and forth 20 times Saturday. He went to Kona to Pepys because he was staying up in Mount Vernon. Again, like eight people. It’s like I can’t get in an Uber and go to cost it’s no offense. Just can’t do it tonight. Got to stay downtown, so OB Mahalia reach out to me and I saw a whole bunch of players. So
Dennis Koulatsos 20:02
you’ve been you’ve been good a lot of people Nestor not just not just ravens players who really have Well, to me, that’s your legacy. You know, I gotta tell you, that’s that’s your legacy. We’ll see. You’ve been cuts a lot of people. And I don’t know if anyone that you’ve heard, that’s the other part of it. People ask me about you all the time.
Nestor Aparicio 20:17
I don’t have time for that. My wife is amazed by that my wife had said we’ve been married 20 years. And the one thing if I die tomorrow, she’d say, he never spent one minute trying to get even with anybody, because he didn’t. Like you’re not getting even with John horrible. I was lied to. And all of this went on in private. So if anybody’s pissed about it, now, they, they should have been pissed that I didn’t go crazy. You knew about it. Because you and I talked twice a week, you knew all of this stuff was going on behind the scenes, and I sat on it as a journalist being bullied and intimidated for my livelihood. They’re trying to like, and I stay quiet for a year and a half. I’m not trying to get even, I’m trying to make sure that if I die tomorrow, you know, the truth that this is that’s what this is about. This is about just setting the record straight for Mr. Coons. For you, for anybody that’s ever supported me, that asked me what I did wrong. I didn’t do anything wrong. I wrote a nice note to the owner. And, and and I sat with the President, and I sat with the general manager, and I sat with, if somebody has a problem with your mechanic, they go to the boss, and then the boss comes to you. And then you sit with the customer and say, we’re going to try to settle this, or you’re just going to have to go to another dealership. But we’re going to shut the door. We’re not going to do this on Twitter, we’re going to shut the door and say, Did I give you a bad ride? Did it give you a bad experience? We don’t want that Hakuna Baltimore Ford, I don’t want that at wn St. They shouldn’t want that in Owings Mills. And
Dennis Koulatsos 21:48
the first thing I ask people is, I want to do all I can to make you happy now don’t make 100% of the people I talk to happy? Of course not. But more often than not, we make people happy.
Nestor Aparicio 21:56
I said to Steve shouting, right? Did you really want me and my wife thrown out of our seat in the upper deck? Is that viewable? Did you did you really demand that I sit in the press box seat that they have for 30 years told me that there’s a premium on those seats. And Kevin was always happy that I didn’t take one of them. Right. And then the safe to breathe the same oxygen as the coach. You have to X, Y and Z after 27 years of doing this. It was offensive to me it is offensive to me to be offensive to my audience that I’m locked out. And it should be offensive to my audience that loves me or even hates me and Luke that that we only have one reporter that can cover both of these teams this week. So Dennis supports us. He’s occurence Baltimore fort. He’ll be here on Thursday. Just to wrap things up with the Orioles. You’re going Thursday, right? Yep, absolutely. sighted.
Dennis Koulatsos 22:44
Very excited. Yeah. Hi, Ken. How can I be excited big series against arrays? When’s the last time we had a big series like this this late in the season? 1979. A mini game, a meaningful game Camden Yards. Right? So this is a meaningful series. And I’m very fortunate and blessed to be able to go there.
Nestor Aparicio 23:01
I’m fortunate and blessed that I got this jersey that have great sponsors that would allow me to spend $99 on the internet. Have you seen this one yet? I’ve not seen that one yet. ready? You’re ready. You’re ready, huh? Ah, look at this.
Dennis Koulatsos 23:14
Get some applause here. Aparicio.
Nestor Aparicio 23:16
Yes is the 79 jersey that had happened aparece years name on it. She never wore this jersey right. This was a dog to senseis era 11 Right or even Gulliver era, you know, Apple, Apple, but I found this on on eBay. And when I looked at the size, I realized it was going to fit me and I had to have it. So I will have this on at the nest. On Friday night we’re going to be celebrating at the Baltimore Convention Center is the mayor’s party. My friend Mack which also my dad’s name. We’re going to be down at fade Lee’s on Friday morning Leonard raskins coming by our friends from Coppin State Dr. Anthony Jenkins and Larry Stewart had head basketball coach small French two families on Friday. It’s all brought to you by the Maryland lottery. I’m gonna have the Ravens scratch offs to give away also our friends. And when donation 8669 You nation we have a new sponsor, Jiffy Lube with us, for the for the fourth quarter of the year. It hums. And it’s good and they’re everywhere. And you can find Jiffy Lube. And I’ll be telling you more about that as well. Last but not least, Colin messes up. I wrote off the game on Sunday. I’ll be writing this week. And I know you’re gonna love this because this is your guy, Dennis. Adam Jones. I’m writing Adam Jones. A dear Adam Jones. I love you Adam Jones. I wish I knew you better Adam Jones Letter This week. Is that good?
Dennis Koulatsos 24:32
That’s awesome. I
Nestor Aparicio 24:33
can’t wait. Well, you know, Adam Jones, you inspire the Peter Principle. So I have to let him know that this week. Sold out Friday night black jerseys. All right. Nice. Nice. Nest on Friday. I appreciate you. I appreciate everybody this week coming back to us. It is really a sports season. I mean, we’re wanting to know we got problems but the sky is not falling. And the baseball teams almost 40 games over 500 These are really good problems to have here at wn St. I’m Nestor. He’s Dennis. He’ll be back on Thursday. We are Baltimore positive stay with us
