Dennis Koulatsos and Nestor discuss offensive woes and who will take fall for Ravens inability to score points in Owings Mills.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
game, ravens, play, week, nestor, year, wide receiver, lose, day, dennis, lamar, christmas, run, offense, baltimore, greg, players, offseason, cincinnati, problem
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
W n s t Towson Baltimore and Baltimore positive still broadcasting and high quality mono sound and I am 15 Somebody makes sure you’re setting your dial accordingly through this holiday season. We had the crabcake tour last week over Dundalk with some great old friends hope everybody’s checking that out all are brought to you by the Maryland lottery in conjunction with our friends at Goodwill and when donation as we end the week we say happy holidays Merry Christmas all that great stuff. That is Colossus George’s he’ll be back here on Thursday and again on Sunday. We got a Christmas Eve match up with the Atlanta Falcons. But Dennis, what a weekend I’m wearing just so you know you asked me a few years ago like I’m gonna get you some coons gear. And I said well, you just give me one long sleeve one short sleeve, one red one blue and then you want to give me like a Houston Euler color one that winds up being team Argentina. And at the same time, the Houston Oilers, you know, my Oilers may have been your Oilers as well. You’re Earl Campbell, but I’m going more my Warren Moon Oilers. They had the demons exercised this weekend by no less something that makes you very very happy that the the worst give up the worst comeback orchestrated in the history of the National Football League now belongs to the Ursi family. So I’m trying to this is how I’m even even quarterback. He’s here. I mean, this is great Christmas coming early for both of us. I think Dennis Yeah, Leonel Messi getting his World Cup victory finally, right one of the greatest of all time the Earth sees losing and a historic patch. Like gigs, I was at work and I couldn’t believe it. I glanced at the score. It was 33 Nothing. I’m like, Okay. And one of my guys. An hour later started hooting and hollering is that the blackness came back. I’m like, Get out of here. You know, it’s not Halloween. It’s not. April Fool’s. Right. It’s not a joke and type of a day. So I checked the score and lo and behold, there was just an unbelievable weekend with the Patriots losing to the Raiders of the last play of the game and of course ravens Twitter hell bent on getting Greg rollin fired. Oh, so it seems lots of storylines Nestor for sure. I think back and forth to this with Luke Luke and I got into a back and forth and it didn’t you know it ended with Merry Christmas and he still Deacon Jones and Uncle Luke and all that. But we got the middle of this and I listened chat steel is gonna give me back my immediate past by the end of this segment, okay, because and I’m not even taking an argumentative position on this. But here’s the position on this. When Eric de Costa drafted Bateman. He believed Bateman and Hollywood Brown would both be here for a number of years. I think they really believed that they would be able to pass the ball keep guys happy Stanley would be healthy Dobbins would be effective and the Ray Rice kind of effective way they gave money to Andrews they gave money to Stanley they had Lamar on cheap money right and an extra year of Lamar right. So the way this thing was pieced together in signing Zeidler and all all of that, um, somebody a year ago now but yeah, I’m talking when I’m talking before. Dobbins ripped his knee up. I’m talking training camp last year when they believe Stanley was coming back. Right when they had all of this together. Greg Roman was not the village idiot. When you have players healthy players you believe Lamar still gonna be healthy in week 15 when he runs into linebackers 12 weeks in a row ideologically with this, this was supposed to be you know, happy times Camelot as we would say right. It has not been that in any way in regard to health of the quarterback health of the left tackle now health at the tight ends, certainly to health to the wide receiver. The other wide receiver wanted out. Like this isn’t what Greg Roman was signing up for a year and a half ago. No, he
Dennis Koulatsos 03:53
wasn’t and I think you look at it on the same page in terms of letting go Hollywood round and getting value for him. But I also thought that you look and I agreed that they should have replaced Hollywood brown I’m looking at George Pickens is statistics right now. 42 catches 643 yards, two touchdowns. Perhaps the Ravens should have traded up to seven spots to get him versus taking the flyer on table to Javo. Now table to Java may very well end up having a much better pro career than the George Pickens but the prom letting go Rashard Beighton I’m sorry about Hollywood Brown was then that replaced. We talked about this in a preseason. So what happens what would happen if Rashad Bateman suffered a season ending injury right? And it happened and they had no one no one behind him. So this offense is a mess. They call a timeout. And then they get a delay penalty Nestor after calling a timeout
Nestor Aparicio 04:46
name on the headsets right okay. Yeah,
Dennis Koulatsos 04:50
whatever. Never blame, complain or explain because you look so weak when John Harbaugh was asked about the play call and he says you know, I’m not an I’m not no The deal. Well, what do you mean you’re not in that deal? Cheap. I mean, you were, you’re the si l, which is fine. But that’s, you still have to have your hand on the rudder. You just can’t have blind loyalty and trust in your coordinators and your assistants. At some point, you got to interject yourself and freaking lead, you’re getting paid a ton of money. I think jobs become a spectator at the games that Nestor and not an active participant. That’s my impression.
Nestor Aparicio 05:22
We had a wide receivers throwing a pass into the week and a half ago, right. But
Dennis Koulatsos 05:26
he was and he was okay with that. But the fact he hasn’t been Okay, with this offense, looking putrid, not being able to get the play off for the last four years speaks volumes about him. He needs to tighten up he needs to take more control the team, he needs to get involved with a play calling you are the head coach, sir, that fourth one plays against the browns. And the problem is going forward. I did have a problem with a call that were much better calls it could have made and the fact that JK Dobbins got zero carry to the fourth quarter. And then Gus Edwards got one carry in the fourth quarter when it had gone for like a buck 75 In the first three. I mean, come on, man. You gotta you gotta play to your strengths, right? It’s not rocket science. And this just speaks to maybe Greg Romo doesn’t have a feel for the game. He’s gotten stale, like like wink Martindale, and I don’t know what they’re gonna do, but they better do it quickly.
Nestor Aparicio 06:15
Well, I think it’s pretty obvious that Tyler Huntley wouldn’t be playing in this league with any other team or any other offense. And I mean, nice kid like all that but then the let him throw the ball 30 times like that, that that didn’t make any sense. And I thought to myself, him running in the linebackers, as we learned the previous week is also not a good idea, right? Well, he’s just like, Lamar, we’re gonna do it just like Lamar. Yeah, we’re gonna do it. Just like Lamar. We don’t want him to run anywhere. He’s not that great or runner, and he’s not. And at the end of the day, you’re gonna get him killed. So this is these last two weeks have been very much finger in the dike and very much, let’s just not lose, right? I guess the disappointing part of the Cleveland games just how bad they looked right and, and how they did it left handed to some degree trying to throw the football with a backup quarterback.
Dennis Koulatsos 07:07
The other piece of it this semester is Tyus. Bowser. He puts on his Instagram story. five pieces of loose leaf paper with a word written under fire Greg Roman looks to me like they were taken at the castle at one winning drive. Why would heis Bowser put put it out there on social media got me got my head scratching this morning.
Nestor Aparicio 07:27
I looked at social media thing. I remember taking a long walk with a head coach back in 2009, who’s no longer a head coach in the league. And he said to me, this is Twitter thing. My players aren’t gonna be doing this. I mean, there’s not gonna be any of this. Um, I think controlling what these guys do when you have the quarterback and the team on draft night, waiting out WTF, who was
Dennis Koulatsos 07:55
particularly when he knew he knew this was not a surprise to him. Him and Hollywood brown were best friends. He knew the trade was happening faster. So he can finish surprise also with a bad look. Because he knew
Nestor Aparicio 08:06
well him holding up a sign it’s just pay me more money in an alcove in the middle of the night after game. I mean, I don’t. We’re getting closer to this right. And right now, Dennis, I don’t want you to bet me a new car comes forward that there won’t be a parade. But I think you’d be willing to bet me a new car going forward. There won’t be a parade right now or buy the insurance on that or whatever that would be. Because if there’s no parade here, what is this going to smell like on January 16. If they lose to Nashville or buffalo or Kansas City, or January 23. If they make it around, and they lose to Cincinnati, whatever it is, if they’re not playing and championship games and playing in the Super Bowl and winning the Super Bowl, if they’re not doing that, what will this offseason look like because Greg Roman’s is lame duck as there is right? I mean, I don’t think harpaz Lame Duck. I don’t think Eric Decosta is lame duck. I think they survive forever. But I don’t this this offseason with Lamar, I’ve talked to so many smart people, Pete Prisco people attached to the game that like they’re just gonna slap tag on him. They’re not gonna give him they’re not gonna give him $150 million guaranteed and they’re just gonna put a tag on him. He’s gonna play and I’m like, maybe okay, maybe. I mean, I know you and I believe differently. I believe this could get very combustible reasons. But the main reason is they’re not going to win if they don’t win the Super Bowl. This will become combustible.
Dennis Koulatsos 09:33
Yeah, he I like you. I see him sitting out, not accepting that the $45 million tag price, whatever it is not when he’s looking for two 50 million guaranteed or whatever the number may be. But yeah, this sets up a very tumultuous, unpredictable offseason for the Baltimore Ravens. Greg Roman looks to be on his way out of here. The only question at this point is when because, again, there’s things that we’ve seen with this office. I mean, they’re not going anywhere, as constructed. Lamar Jackson coming back I don’t know what that adds the Ravens is certainly give them a much better chance of winning clearly that can’t win without him clearly. Also, maybe perhaps it’s showing up right now that he’s not part of the problem that he’s part of the solution because maybe it’s contained by this Greg Roman offense but the Ravens have to go and sign a proven wide receiver in the offseason. I’m not sure who’s available if they need to trade the first and the third for proven guy just like the Eagles did for AJ Brown. They’ve got to get a wide receiver one and hopefully that guys like Rashad Bateman actually can play several games, nevermind the full season without hitting the injury reserve list. Well,
Nestor Aparicio 10:35
you keep saying the same thing. Luke says, we’ll just go get a wide receiver. Well, who is this guy? Where are they getting him who is signing up to play here? And I brought this point up, and I’ll bring it up with you because we like these leadership conversations. You know, I had Barry trots on a couple weeks ago and he and I had a conversation about his next gig and and where you take a job and why you would take a job and I know that the Winnipeg Jets made a hell of a run at him right? Like he’s from that part of the world. He’s lost a mother as fathers getting older. It’s homecoming for him it’s Canada, it they would pay him a phone number right to do it. How’s he recruiting players? Their how’s he going to get no matter how much and the money’s an issue in Canada? Right? Like there’s a there’s a Canadian problem with money as well. Recruiting players, right? Like, and we don’t hear this as much right? in it. But in baseball, it’s everything if you stink, free agents are playing in Pittsburgh or Baltimore, right? You You have no chance of signing Aaron judge in baseball, if you’re one of those markets, basketball, same thing, right? Like, who are the wizards getting? Like, wait, like, there has to be a consortium to take their talents to Miami in order to go ask Oklahoma City right? Go Go ask these places where they lose players, right? Hockey would be the same thing where you like if you can’t recruit players, the issue the NFL you never hear that since since Reggie White signed in Green Bay 30 years ago where they thought they’d never get a black player. They’d never get a cold weather. We can’t recruit like all of that. I don’t hear maybe Cleveland for a minute, maybe Cincinnati because ownership or whatever. You’d say, well, they would struggle, maybe Jacksonville but I’ll they they’ve sign free agents. If you have money. And you have a good tax situation in Florida. You can sign players, right? The Ravens have constructed this thing. And Eric knows this. And we hear it every offseason right? That they were going to draft wide receivers. They drafted one. He’s from the same hometown. He was boys with Lamar. They ran around together. And he still didn’t want to be here. He still asked out because he Oh,
Dennis Koulatsos 12:45
yeah, it was a run first offense. So if I’m Steve shoddy, what I do is one of two things. The one thing you have to look at is John Harbaugh run the course, let’s say of an Andy Reid in Philadelphia, has he been there so long that things have gotten stale? That’s something I’ll certainly have to look at Nestor. Because he was shot he has to look at all of his options. If he does decide to stay with John Harbaugh, he should demand that John Harper interviewed 1012 of the best and brightest young offensive minds in the league. Maybe you look at the San Francisco 40 Niners and under under Kyle Shanahan, who are his assistants, you don’t let him hire somebody he’s familiar with. You don’t let him reach into his bag of familiar friends of the hard balls, right. So his job was to hide everything
Nestor Aparicio 13:24
John can operate outside of that. I mean, I’m being brutally honest. But he has got $100 million in the bank, John is gonna say, I pick my cord, I tell you, I’ve seen I’ve seen John Bane up about I
Dennis Koulatsos 13:36
got it. That’s an award that’s a deal breaker then because what happens is if we keep reaching back to the good old boy network, it would cause Lamar Jackson to move away from the prize versus towards a prize. Now, if you hire a young, fresh mind, that can put together a dynamic passing offense. And I saw you reference the Ford Pass the other night on Twitter NASTRAN, rightfully so. It is very much a passion League. So if you they can get a really good offensive quarter, maybe he convinces Lamar Jackson State to sign. And also that could also attract some top wide receiver talent to the ravens, because you’re right as constructed a run first team, they’re not going to be able to attract the right frame or receiver. But if you get the right offensive coordinator that then then all bets are off. These receivers come back into play. But if I’m Steve Bushati, that’s how I’m playing this thing. And it’s a breaking point, if it’s a breaking point with a coach, so be it but they can’t continue doing the same thing over and over again. Yes, they’re good enough to make the playoffs almost every year. But can they progress with a run first offense, they’re not going to be able to bring the Lombardi home Nestor, he’s got
Nestor Aparicio 14:37
his crossbow so he can bring you home from coos Baltimore for security Boulevard with plenty of beautiful new vehicles over there for the holidays. First year. Is there such a thing of like getting rid of the old years cars I that was that was that? That used to be a thing right? Like you’d have a whole bunch of 20 twos and we’re gonna make room for 23 Right? Well, because
Dennis Koulatsos 14:56
of demand scarcity. There’s no such thing anymore. Now. The decks get cleared up very, very fast, but it’s a great time to buy vehicles. There’s a thing called Section 170 nine.org for all business owners that can write off up to a million dollars and vehicle purchases and people should check with our accountant. We’re selling a lot of small businesses, trucks, and vans and SUVs these days, because of section 170 nine.org 170 nine.org.
Nestor Aparicio 15:19
I learned I learned tax structure from you and I it’s almost like I’m becoming a grown up in my mid 50s. Here before it’s all over with are these 20 These are 20 threes that are being made right now. Right?
Dennis Koulatsos 15:33
I’ve got 2223 in stock right now.
Nestor Aparicio 15:37
This is a time of the year when that happens. Absolutely. Yeah,
Dennis Koulatsos 15:39
just a great time to buy a vehicle. Like I said tax savings, check with your accountant. But if you have a small business and whatnot, you can buy vehicles right off 100% of them.
Nestor Aparicio 15:47
Dennis, I gotta ask you a bigger picture on all of this. I mean, we talked so much about offseason and we’re big picturing here. Beating Atlanta this week, getting Lamar back, healthy, Lamar. How important that the vision is at this point, Pittsburgh wise and Cincinnati. What can you just roll the ball out and beat Atlanta on Christmas Eve? I don’t know that what they did last week that they can beat anybody. I mean, with the backup quarterback, they’re no good with Lamar at 80%. I don’t know. But I don’t expect Lamar to be pushing off and running into linebackers. 13 times against the Falcons this Saturday?
Dennis Koulatsos 16:27
No, this is the Tennessee Titans model for the last three or four years. Right? You play good defense, you run the ball, you control it. It keeps bad teams in the game with you. Right that’s what’s happened with the Broncos and it’s gonna happen with the Falcons. And it happened with the Jaguars. Right so you and then with good teams, you try to you try to take them with a deep water using the same method, methodology and you try to drown them. The problem is though, when this teams fall behind, falls behind even to a bad team like the browns, they just don’t have the weapons to come back Nestor. And that’s that’s the problem with this offense. They have to play perfect games in the playoffs. And there’s no way that they can do that. We saw the buck of the Buccaneers up 17 points against the Bengals. And of course they’ve turned the ball over three or four times allowed the Bengals to come back. But the Bengals have looked at their receivers that have an embarrassment of riches at wide receiver with T Higgins and Tyler Boyd and number one, they’re Jamar Chase and they have tight ends and they have Joe Mixon the Ravens just want to have an offensive firepower, where they can win consistently come back from huge deficits, right? So that’s the problem with that with the Ravens offense as constructed. They just can’t come back. Their whole game plan is so 1980 ish, and it just doesn’t work anymore in the modern day NFL.
Nestor Aparicio 17:38
Well, they’re nine and five and it feels like
Dennis Koulatsos 17:41
okay, because they use that formula right ball control. You got a quarterback, it’s mercurial and generational and you have a good defense that’s gotten better with the addition of row Quan Smith. And now of course we have class Campbell and we have Marcus Peters. We don’t know what’s what’s their outlook is going forward. But again, it’s it’s so old school and it works. It works to point but when you play better teams, and they haven’t. They’ve had one of the weakest schedules in the NFL this year. Right. So they’re not going to apologize for for it either. But let’s look at the look at the mangles finishing schedule. And guess what they’re winning. They’re playing better they’re battle tested. So the last game of the season against the Bengals doesn’t look too good from this angle so far. Nestor
Nestor Aparicio 18:21
well, you can look at the Bengals first half on Sunday and saying, huh, and I was thinking that for a little while and then you see the firepower they have offensively and wonder how you’re gonna contain that all day, two weeks from now? Certainly not the way the ravens are playing right now.
Dennis Koulatsos 18:35
And they’re playing good defense. That’s the other part too. So it’s complimentary. They’re playing good defense on heavy, dynamic explosive offense. The Ravens do not have a dynamic explosive offense.
Nestor Aparicio 18:44
Yeah, it’s tough watching the bills and the chiefs in the Bengals and now they spread all these games out right? Like this weekend. It starts Thursday and they play right through Christmas Eve right through the hand right through A Christmas Story all day Sunday. Three games on Sunday. I noticed they play Sunday games Miami LA and Arizona they’re like well it’s at the all the time anyway. Nobody will notice you know just just having that play on Christmas Day. No, they won’t come but no one will care but we’ll be watching this weekend the NBA tees it up on Christmas day we got bowl games app and but nothing quite like the great Messi right I mean I wore this year I wore the blue and white of Argentina for you did is what a
Dennis Koulatsos 19:21
great was that a great game were won that game and everything drama, a huge comeback penalty kicks, people crying and whatnot. It was the best final I’ve ever seen in my life.
Nestor Aparicio 19:32
Everybody said that instantly. Right? Like I guess there’s something about Messi there’s something about the sport itself there’s something about Argentina since 1986 and Mira Donna and and other teams have won right yeah just won twice Italy’s won Right? Like I Spain’s one you know like, I presume was one for someone here. Look look for
Dennis Koulatsos 19:54
France was quiet for close to 80 minutes and they scored twice and 90 seconds. Anything and everything Could happen it was it was fun to watch and I was I was standing up the entire time in the second
Nestor Aparicio 20:05
half. Yeah, it was a lot of emotion involved there too. So I I love that makes me want a deep rich mall back in a nice steak tomorrow. I should have gone to New York this week. I knew that Dennis Kalonzo says here he will be there for the holidays. Hey, happy holidays, Merry Christmas. You know, all you do for us on all year long and the shows and all that stuff. But certainly the sharing of the quoting da days is the most important part that we share a love of Greek pastries this time of year 10 100% My
Dennis Koulatsos 20:35
aunt and uncle brought me some my bottle of it the other day, so I’m going to be honest and patent my belly that’s look this isn’t helping you but that’s a January 1 We start on the diet but not before.
Nestor Aparicio 20:45
The 365 thing though, right to kind of be at ease are more associated with Christmas. Like, right? Yeah, very much so it’s just really fruitcake, except it tastes good.
Dennis Koulatsos 20:54
Much better, much better.
Nestor Aparicio 20:57
Than Escalade Sosa’s ever cruise Baltimore forward you can follow him at D colosso. Show on Twitter at Dennis Colossus as well as a Sunday Sports sports be back on Sunday for Christmas Day. That is I found that Tony Stark goose we lost him this year. I’m trying to do a little retrospective next week. You’ll hear a lot of different things best up during the course of Christmas week. But I found that Tony Siragusa Christmas album and he has a reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas goose style so I think I’m going to try to get that on tonight airwaves here and and hope everybody has a beautiful beautiful holiday. We will be celebrating the proper way from wise markets. kielbasa and sauerkraut and hope like get the 400 points you get a free hand on Nestor. We are wn st am 1570, Towson Baltimore. We never stopped talking holidays and Baltimore positive.com. Stay with us.
