The offensive offense and leaky line of the 6-7 Baltimore Ravens

Sure, the officiating did the Baltimore Ravens no favors on Sunday in a 27-22 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers but it doesn’t mask the obvious offensive issues of Todd Monken’s operation when Lamar Jackson has limitations and the line isn’t good enough. Luke Jones and Nestor discuss the offensive operation and failures and whether this well-hyped machine will ever deliver the magic of its promise.

Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discussed the Baltimore Ravens’ struggles following their loss to the Steelers. They highlighted the decline in fan engagement, with empty seats and a lack of energy at games. Luke noted the Ravens’ inconsistency, citing their 24th ranking in rushing success rate and Lamar Jackson’s reduced ability to break tackles. They also discussed the team’s reliance on the running game, which managed 217 yards but struggled with down-to-down consistency. The conversation emphasized the need for better performance from the offensive line and quarterback to improve the team’s overall success.

Maryland Crab Cake Tour and Holiday Plans

• Nestor Aparicio discusses the Maryland crab cake tour, mentioning various locations and events, including Faith, Deepest Qualities, Honeys, Costas, and Gertrude’s at the BMA.
• Nestor mentions his partnerships with GBMC, the Maryland Lottery, and Planet Fitness, highlighting his upcoming appearances and activities.
• Nestor talks about his busy schedule, including working on AI and discovering new technologies, and his plans to visit Planet Fitness to get in shape for 2026.
• Nestor introduces Luke Jones, who was in the locker room after the game and partying with his Super Bowl 35 buddies over the weekend.

Fan Engagement and Team Performance

• Nestor and Luke discuss the decline in fan engagement and attendance at Ravens games, noting the lack of enthusiasm and the perception of the team as a way of life versus a casual interest.
• Nestor expresses frustration with the team’s performance, mentioning the organization’s past issues with player conduct and cover-ups.
• Nestor questions the future relevance of the team, citing the team’s poor performance and the fans’ disillusionment.
• Luke acknowledges the convenience of watching games at home and the spoiled nature of the fan base, noting the lack of energy and buzz at recent games.

Historical Context and Fan Base Dynamics

• Luke reflects on the historical significance of Ravens-Steelers games and the decline in fan excitement and energy at recent games.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the differences in fan bases between Baltimore and Pittsburgh, noting the Steelers’ recent struggles and the Ravens’ lack of a clear identity.
• Luke highlights the importance of the offensive line and the challenges faced by the Ravens’ running game, despite their success in yardage.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the team’s reliance on Lamar Jackson and the need for better performance from the coaching staff and other players.

Offensive Line and Running Game Issues

• Luke explains the concept of rushing success rate and its importance in evaluating the running game’s consistency.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the challenges faced by the offensive line, including pass protection and the impact on the running game.
• Luke highlights the decline in Derek Henry’s ability to break tackles and the need for better performance from the running game.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the importance of winning small battles and the challenges faced by the Ravens in achieving consistent success on the ground.

Passing Game and Quarterback Performance

• Nestor and Luke discuss the struggles of the passing game, noting the lack of efficiency and consistency.
• Luke highlights the importance of Lamar Jackson’s performance and the need for better accuracy and decision-making.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the impact of the offensive line on Jackson’s performance and the need for better protection.
• Luke emphasizes the need for better performance from the passing game to complement the running game and improve overall team success.

Defensive and Special Teams Performance

• Nestor and Luke discuss the struggles of the defense, noting the lack of a pass rush and the challenges faced in getting off the field.
• Luke highlights the impact of the defense’s performance on the running game and the need for better consistency.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the challenges faced by the special teams, including missed opportunities and poor performance.
• Luke emphasizes the need for better performance from all phases of the game to improve overall team success.

Future Outlook and Team Direction

• Nestor and Luke discuss the future outlook for the team, noting the challenges faced in the remaining games and the need for improvement.
• Luke highlights the importance of winning games and the need for better performance from the coaching staff and players.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the potential for a playoff run and the need for the team to find its identity and consistency.
• Luke emphasizes the importance of addressing the team’s weaknesses and improving performance in all phases of the game to achieve success.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Ravens offensive operation, Steelers loss, fan engagement, offensive line, Lamar Jackson, Derek Henry, running game, passing game, defensive issues, playoff chances, fan dissatisfaction, team performance, coaching decisions, injury impact, future outlook.

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SPEAKERS

Nestor Aparicio, Luke Jones

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T. Am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We are Baltimore positive. This is holiday season here. We’re doing the Maryland crab cake tour a bunch of times this week. Come on out visit us. We’ll be at faith in the afternoon on Wednesday, Thursday morning. Will be a deepest qualities. People are lining up there in the sausage king. He’s making me the pro balloon into this. And now alberna in the chat. I got all the I’m gonna sausage for all my friends at deepest qualities on Thursday morning, brought to you by the Maryland lottery. And our friends at GBMC have kept me safe. And I’m gonna be down in Hale Thorpe on Friday at honeys. Next Thursday, I’m gonna be at Costas with Gina shock from the Go Go’s, and a bunch of my rock and roll buddies. And then we’re going to be on Friday at gertrude’s. Next Friday, gertrude’s at the BMA. God, they do. They have a gingerbread Luke, it’s beautiful. Man, they have a gingerbread house. They have old thing there. It’s an art museum. Of course, it’s beautiful. And then on Monday, we’re going to be at Planet Fitness, because I need to get in shape for 2026, 2026 so that’s the last thing I’m going to do before see Santa and eat all that Gingerbread, is go over to Planet Fitness and see what the all the hub Pub is about. It’s brand new Planet Fitness in Timonium, right across from Costas, right on York Road. I’m going to hang out there on that Monday before Christmas, and we’re trying to figure out something nice we can do for the holidays through food, drive. We’re gonna do something. I’ll let you know when I come up with it. Right now, trying to come up with whether the football team is going to remain relevant or not. Luke Jones joins me now. He, of course, was in locker room after the game, and at the game, I was partying up with my Super Bowl 35 bunkies on Friday night, and then, literally, I’ve laid low all weekend. I’ve just been working my ass off, discovered AI, there’s all sorts of cool things. Had great guests on the show as well, and we’re doing all these crab cakes. I’ve been busy, but you said something very poignant to me off the air last week, and I’m going to out you for this. I’m going to, I’m going to absolutely go shoot interview on you. You wrestling fan, you said to me, the Ravens used to be a way of life around here, and now it’s just something you do three hours on Sunday. And for the fans that go down there and the ones that don’t, there’s a reason price access don’t like the upper deck can’t have the traffic the city. I’m looking for you to get shot. You know, whatever your thing is, it’s okay. You’re under no moral obligation to go, even though, 30 years ago, I believe that. You know, 30 years ago, I preached on this on this radio station. Radio station was built on the fact that support for the team needed to be universal love for it. Said, Baltimore, you got to love it. They told me that when Angelos and was the bird was sporting me 20 years ago too, and he wasn’t paying the bill. But you know, like this is a real critical time for them. Having gathered with the Super Bowl, 35 people this weekend haven’t been a dozen years off the other championship, he looks old and tired and nastier than ever. The organization does all sorts of sleazy things that I know about, starting with Justin Tucker and back to Ray Rice and covering things up and throwing me out and other things that have gone on involving women in their building, specifically women, which is really so I think of them certainly in a different way. And I gave them 10s of 1000s, if not millions, of dollars, money and PSLs and chasing around or whatever. I don’t know why other people don’t go the Wembley knee. I mean, I’m going through a list of things that Sashi brown better know about and that Katie Griggs better know about in 30 years of the disgrace in the other parking lot. But we are getting to the point now where a lot of people have gone down to games this year and watched them lose. A lot of people like me don’t go anymore and don’t feel the same way about them because of how they’re treated, how their PSL went, where they’ve moved to whatever their deal is, but this is a really critical time for the franchise where the place is emptied out a bunch of times. Fans day to the end, lose to the Steelers. Officiating is bad. They’re mad at the officials, they’re mad at their bets, really mad at their bets, and the team’s not good and doesn’t look like it’s going to get fixed in the next month, and it doesn’t. And as much as the post game pundits, everybody thinks the ravens are going to play that game on January 10 or 11th year against the bills, they still believe that. I don’t know. Man, I’m not sold, bro. I mean, I’m not sold on what’s going on on the field. I’m not sold on the coaches, and I’m not sold. And this is where I’ll begin our segment two here this week, in the aftermath of six and seven and losing to the Steelers in front of the Super Bowl 35 champs. I don’t know where the accountability is, man, you know what I mean? Lamar has got a job for life. Eric’s got a job for life. John’s got a job for life. Steve’s got a job for life. Chad’s got a job for life. Sasha’s got a job for life. Everybody got a job for life. And I don’t, I don’t know. That if this thing comes crashing down and they win one more game, yeah, I don’t know. I mean, where are their wins, dude, New England, Green Bay. Who are they going to be Cincinnati? Maybe, I don’t know.

Luke Jones  05:11

I mean, maybe Cincinnati. I don’t know. I don’t I don’t feel good about it. You know, get back to me later in the week when we see the injury report and whether Lamar is practicing and all that. But look, you know, just to touch on what you talked about with fan engagement or lack thereof, attendance or lack thereof, enthusiasm or lack thereof, I’ll give you this because, look, I’m not going to sit here and tell people they should or shouldn’t spend their money and they want to, yeah, but, but I also understand everyone’s circumstances different in that way. And look, I’ve said full transparency, I’ve said to you a number of times, the experience of watching live sports on television has gotten so good compared to what it was 25 years ago, that a lot of times it’s just you don’t want to deal with the hassle of it, right? I mean, you know, not even with, like, perceived fear of the city, or any of the talking points that any number of individuals have cited over the years, like there is a convenience factor of, you know, and I just say, if I were talking as Luke the fan, not Luke the media guy over the last 15 years, well, I can go to church Sunday morning rather than skipping church. And I can go buy, you know, six pack of beer from convenience store right up the road and have some cheap, you know, some cheap food. Make some food, but go buy some, and

Nestor Aparicio  06:41

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you get some extra food if you want. Yeah, sure. 40 bucks on yourself, as opposed to, that’s cheap, 75 on parking or whatever, right? Sure. Compare it to the bill you’re going to run up over the course of the day. So there’s some big shrimp or the good crab cakes, you know, at home, right?

Luke Jones  06:56

And, and I will say this, and if someone takes offense to this, then I’m probably not talking about you individually, as a listener or as a reader. I think this fan base is spoiled to some degree. Now, I don’t think that was wise for Kyle Hamilton to say that two months ago in the context that context that he did, but they have done a lot of winning, and it is not any individual fans birthright to win the Super Bowl every single year, right? Despite what they’re feeling in Kansas City right now, as the chiefs are on their way to missing the playoffs for the first time in forever,

Nestor Aparicio  07:29

or to have a Super Bowl, or, excuse me not, a Super Bowl strike that an MVP quarterback sure available to you that you have a chance to win, sure, right? Sure.

Luke Jones  07:39

So there is some of that at work, but I will say this just to give you my perspective, as far as not even what I’ve seen this season or the last couple seasons, but specifically to Sunday, I generally try to get to the stadium around but somewhere between 930 and 10, I’m the type as many People are as they get older, I don’t like dealing with traffic and bigger crowds and all that, and that’s another reason, probably why I said what I said about enjoying staying at home rather than going and watching games in person at this point in my life. But as I drove to the stadium Sunday morning and I thought back to being in college, or when I was still teaching, and had season, you know, would get season tickets off, you know, the secondary market with my best buddy out of college. And I thought back to what Raven Steelers games meant then, and that meant we were show we were getting to our tailgate lot by 9am you know, if it was any later than that, you’d feel like you’re missing out, because it’s Raven Steelers and the buzz is palpable, and all of that when, when I drove to the lot around 930 Nestor, other than it being cold, it had to Feel like I was going to a preseason game. There was no buzz, there was no energy. And maybe, and I’m sure that picked up to some degree as it got to be 10 and 11 o’clock, and I’m already in the press box at that point, so I’m not, you know, this isn’t, this isn’t meant to be a wide range generalization, but it’s just a snapshot of what I see compared to what it felt like at one point in time. It didn’t feel like a raven Steelers game at all. And you know, I know you pointed this out, and others pointed this out. You look at the secondary ticket market. I mean, it was not as bad as it was for like the Rams game or the Texans game earlier this year, but certainly not what you would expect for two teams that were vying for sole possession of first place in the AFC north in week 14

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Nestor Aparicio  09:48

and on, and an Alabama Auburn game. Or, sure, sure. I mean, just a rivalry sure game, or pick whatever you want, right? So, so, like, it’s as good as it gets when you’re first. Place, they have a legendary quarterback that you know, Aaron Rodgers hadn’t played a lot in Baltimore, right? Like, yeah, what?

Luke Jones  10:06

Just once? I think, no, twice. Twice. He played there in 21 and he played there in 13 and in oh five, didn’t he relieve Brett Farr because the Ravens whipped them in that Sunday night game in oh five, I

Nestor Aparicio  10:20

think might have been, maybe a Monday, might have been a Monday night game. A friend of mine up who was a Ravens vice president. Then he always invited me into a box. I actually sat in a box, and James Earl Jones was in the box that day. My wife, my wife. But I remember that that was, that was a that

Luke Jones  10:36

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was a cold, yeah, late in the season. I mean, the Ravens were bad. Long Aaron Rodgers has been in the league. It’s 21 years Sure. I mean, Brett Favre started that game, but he, I’m

Nestor Aparicio  10:46

pretty sure he years ago.

Luke Jones  10:48

Yeah, literally, 20 years ago. So, having said all that, I don’t know what all the answers are. I don’t know what all the problems are. I think they vary from person to person, from demographic to demographic. I think there’s a sense among amongst younger generations, and I’m not saying this to blast them by any means, but the idea of committing the money and the time to a full slate of home games, you know, season tickets. And you know, I we mentioned this in passing in our previous segment. I mean, the ravens are three and five at home this year, that home field, that perceived home field advantage and it being the place to be. Of all, it hasn’t been the place to be in 2025 so I don’t say that to put the organization on blast, but to to just put your, you know, for anyone to just bury their head in the sand and not acknowledge that there’s the Mojo’s not going in the right direction with this entire brand, let’s say you know that that would be tough to ignore. And again, how much of that is things the ravens are doing or not doing, and how much of that is what I acknowledge that. Yeah, I do think fans a little spoiled and and don’t fully appreciate just how good it it’s been over the bulk of 25 years compared to where it is, what it is in a lot of places. And like, Look, I’ll hit, oh, here. Okay, they weren’t the patriots from 2001 through 2019 and they certainly haven’t been what the Chiefs have been over the last seven years, but it’s a short list of teams that you would say have been definitively better than the Baltimore Ravens over the last 25 years. So that’s I want to acknowledge that. But yeah, when, when you bring it back to Sunday and to see how many empty seats, and just, I mean it just that vibe just wasn’t there. And I don’t know how much of that is our long, long term kind of issues, and how much of that is just the disdain for this year’s team and just how disappointing it’s felt, and the fact that they’re six and seven, and no one you know, other than maybe some, you know, some sports books and and a few national pundits, no one’s really believing in this team at this football at this point in time.

Nestor Aparicio  13:10

Do the fans want to be a part of it or not? Yeah. Do people want to go down and participate in it, or is it something where you feel like it’s them and them, not us, in them and the Ravens aren’t us. They’re just the Ravens. And I sit at home and I gamble on them, and I had the kicker on my fantasy team, and that pissed me off. And I had, you know, like I don’t they’ve just done such an awful job at so many things. And I think it was illuminating to spend time with the Super Bowl 35 team this weekend, to watch them come back and fly into it with their family, and when they look around with their children and look in the upper deck and see the place empty, they’re like, this isn’t what it used to be. And most of these guys go to their colleges too, where it still kind of sort of is, you know, what it used to be, to some degree when you go to game days to at least have a depth of fan base to fill up a stadium. When the Steelers tube fan bases forget, yeah, forget the Raven. Steelers fans too. Like, Steelers fans used to want to take over our stadium Well, and

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Luke Jones  14:06

that’s where I would why I would even say it’s a reflection on where that where Pittsburgh is right now. Now, were there Steelers fans in the stadium? Yeah, there was an opportunity for them to take over the stadium. Like, really take it over, like, in a way, with that we haven’t seen in these parts since, like, go back to, like, 1997 at Memorial Stadium or or something along those

Nestor Aparicio  14:27

pissed me off greatly on air. Piss. David Modell, sure, so much that it never happened again, sure.

Luke Jones  14:33

But, but that speaks to where they are and where their brand is and, and I would say this, I’ve been, you know, you and I have both been to the place formerly known as Heinz Field in recent years, you absolutely see more yellow seats at kickoff and in the first quarter and in the third quarter than you did 15 or 20 years ago. So some of that might also be that’s also the reality of where we are in 2025 and you’re talking about two markets that don’t have. Have insanely high populations, right? You’re not talking about this mega city population that you can draw from to fill a 70,000 feet or 70,000 seat stadium, but it does speak to the temperature of these respective fan bases. And I mean, my goodness, I mean the Ravens lost to a team on Sunday where all of the chatter, all of the chatter over the course of the week was about the future of their 19th year head coach compared to what the Steelers prospects are for the rest of this season, whether, whether they win the division or not, whether they’re the one that’s hosting buffalo in the first round or not. There’s, I mean, there’s little oxygen for that. I mean, it’s more resignation that. Oh, okay, well, the Steelers might make the playoffs again or that, but they’re in this mediocre nine and eight. You know, all in all the Steelers care about is Tomlin having another non losing season, yada yada, yada. That’s what you hear there. And, you know, you kind of draw the parallels here. And I said it to you late last week. I’m not going to just sit here and call for John Harbaugh’s head or even Mike tomlin’s head, right? But anyone would have to acknowledge, when you’re 18 years into that rivalry, that part of the rivalry, you’re way closer to the end in the beginning. I mean, that’s just the facts of life, right? So, whether it’s this year, whether it’s next year, whether it’s the year after that, what’s going to happen with the Steelers? What’s going to happen with the Ravens? I mean, all that you do look at it and say, Is this going in the right direction? And even for the ravens, who are in a better position in terms of looking at the roster when it begins with having a two time MVP at quarterback, compared to, okay, I get it. The Steelers have a multi time MVP at quarterback, but he’s 42 years old and probably not going to be playing after this year, I would guess. I mean, maybe he comes back for one more year. But is

Nestor Aparicio  16:58

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that he’s crazy and smart? I mean, shape, yeah, but, but the point is

Luke Jones  17:02

that certainly, you’re no one looks at the Pittsburgh Steelers right now and thinks they have any sort of a trajectory that’s getting better and getting closer to a Super Bowl, whereas, like the ravens, even if the Ravens lose three of their last four and maybe they make, maybe they change, they’ll still be The Favorite Motion changes when the division next? Yeah, sure, because you still have a Lauren, yes, exactly. John Harbaugh’s a winner, yes. So they are in different positions. There’s no question about that. But I think it’s very fair to ask if your ownership, if you’re the higher ups in either organization, to ask if, if you are moving in the right direction, are you moving forwards? Are you moving backwards? And that’s, I think that’s what’s so discouraging when you talk about the Ravens two years ago, hosting an AFC title game, and then they lose in the divisional round last year to Buffalo. And look, we know what Kansas City and buffalo have been in the AFC. Kansas City’s been king, and the Ravens have been right there with buffalo trying to take down Kansas City, but Buffalo has had the upper hand over the Raven. So we know how that pecking orders look. But to now be looking at a year, especially in a year, and I think this is where it adds to the frustration, because of the wide open nature of the AFC, at least in terms of perception, knowing that Kansas City, their playoff hopes are, are in worse shape than the Ravens right now. I mean, they are truly bleak. I mean, the ravens, there is still a path that’s very plausible if they can win games. Kansas City is in a position now where, even if they win their remaining games, they need help, right? They’re going to be looking at other teams needing to lose, whereas the ravens, if they went out, they still, I’m pretty sure still control their destiny. You know, I hate that term, but you know, you know, for lack of a better descriptor, they control their path. Let’s say to the to the playoffs. But, I mean, it’s just, you know, you look at this and it doesn’t feel like it’s, you know, they’re backsliding. I mean, how can you call it anything but that, and I don’t know how much of that to put on the coaching how much of that to put on the players, how much of that to put on Eric to Costa, but I think the answer is yes. I think everyone has their hands on it, and there are things you can point to in terms of moves made, coaching decisions, lack of development among certain position groups and certainly the players themselves. I mean, look at the end of the day, the Ravens have a two time MVP quarterback who is paid very, very well is going to be paid even more this with this March when they need to sign him to an extension, and I get it that he’s banged up, but it’s also not completely absolved. Lamar Jackson, he’s not playing very well, and he played better on Sunday, and that was good to see. But you know, he that he’s not, he hasn’t been a big enough part of the solution. I, I, we said that. How many times about Joe Flacco, back in 2013 and 2015 16 and 17 and up to the point that he was benched hurt, and then benched for Lamar Jackson, where I would say, look, it’s not Joe flacco’s fault, like it’s not his. He’s not the biggest one at fault here, but he’s not a big enough part of the solution. And you know, it’s not the same exact situation with Lamar because he has been banged up, and I do think that’s a major part of this, but I’m also not going to sit here and say that they don’t need better from their franchise quarterback, because they do. But they need better from their 18th year head coach. They need better from their coordinators. They need better from not just Lamar, but their other top tier, high paid players. They need better from their second tier players. They need better from their third team players and and special teams contributors, which, you know, their special teams were woeful on Sunday. I mean, it’s just not good enough. I mean, it just isn’t and with four games to go, and especially having dropped these last two games at home, that’s completely erased whatever momentum they had built over a five game winning streak, I just, I’d be lying to if you if I sat here with any conviction of having any meaningful belief in this football team at this point, other than what all of our preconceived notions were about the Baltimore Ravens entering the 2025 season, we just, we keep defaulting back to that. And I feel like you know anyone who can keep going back to how you thought this team was supposed to play in 2025 and just not seeing it. I mean, they’re they’re mediocre, they’re not awful, but they’re not they’re certainly not great, they’re not good, they’re middling. And that’s again, brings me back to my biggest takeaway from Sunday’s game is that it really just feels like they’ve dropped down to the Steelers tier of, you know, these fringe playoff teams, because you have to take seven teams, and if you’re the winner of a lousy division, they have to put you in the playoffs. And that’s where the Ravens feel like they are right now. And it doesn’t really feel like they’re going to climb out of that this year. You know, they’ll reset, however they’re going to reset, and, my goodness, we’ll have a lot of time to talk about that once that point in time comes. But man, it just you look at the remaining schedule and do I think they’re going to lose out? I think they’ll No, I don’t think they’re going to go all in four, but I certainly don’t have any belief that they’re going to win out. I don’t have any confidence that they’re going to win three out of four. So, you know, you go two and two, you’re eight nine. I mean, short of Pittsburgh really stumbling big time, which they could and maybe eight and nine, does it? I don’t know, we’ve seen it in the NFL before, but, man, I just, I don’t believe in this football team. I just, I just don’t

Nestor Aparicio  22:44

he is Luke Jones, we’ve done the officiating dance a little bit, and we did not lead the story with that today, and we’ve talked about, what happens if they don’t make the playoffs? What happens if they really look lousy and lose out? What if? I mean, I don’t know, lose out, but these aren’t easy games. Three on the road. They’ve already played their home games.

Luke Jones  23:08

They already lost the Cincinnati at home. So you’re going now, you’re going there, and they lose on Sunday. So that puts them mathematically in a very unlikely position in terms of the playoffs. But you can’t tell me that Joe burrow and the Bengals wouldn’t love to from their percent, from their perception, to put one of the final nails in the coffin for the 2025 Ravens. I mean, if they go to Cincinnati on Sunday and lose man, no, no one’s believing they’re beating the Patriots, and no one’s believing they’re going to Green Bay and beating the Packers. No one’s really believing they’re going to Pittsburgh and winning other than just, hey, it’s Raven Steelers. You never know. But under that scenario, does that game even mean anything by then? So I mean, it’s just, you know it, it is what it is. They’re not, they’re not a good football team, and like I trying to continue to play, do this exercise of imagining the path, and yeah, it’s still there. But my

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Nestor Aparicio  24:06

goodness, talk about the running game then for a second, because, like to me, at the heart of all of this is second and what, and third and how, and fourth and how few you know on downs, and how often we’ve seen the punter, how often we’ve seen bad down in distances, how often we’ve seen not, you know, I thought about this the other day. Somebody said something. I don’t know what announcer it was. Over the weekend, it may have been in the Ravens game. I’m not even sure I will come up with it, because it was a color announcer in a game that had some sort of catchphrase about five yards. I’ll take five yards on every play all day. Five yards, five yards, five yards. And I thought that’s a beautiful way to live life, isn’t it? If I could just get five yards, I don’t need to have 3040, yard passes. I don’t need to have big, flashy plays, you know, whatever. Just five yards, five yards. Five yards, five you can if you have a 60, 70% chance of getting five yards on a play running every play, you know, because, like, five yards and five yards and five yards, you got three plays. That’s 15 yards. I that that we’re gonna win, we’re gonna win the Super Bowl. We’re never and I’m in my AI mode about that, because that’s kind of like the algebra of of how you stack things and say, or how you become a great at anything in life, just little wins, little wins, little wins, little wins. But five yards on first down and five yards on a play is really, really hard to do in the league. If it were easy to do, everybody would go to the Hall of Fame. It sounds easy, but then you go out there and say, well, it’s just 15 feet. How do we get 15 feet? And it starts with the offensive line. It ends with the defensive line. For them that they’re they’re not good enough off the ball right now. They have a lot of skill this, and dazzle that, and say this, and Marlon that and like, that’s great, but they’re losing battle to the line of scrimmage. And that’s that wouldn’t be who 2019 Lamar, because that’s not the way it was done.

Luke Jones  26:04

Yeah. And look, I mean, it sounds a little silly to say this, because they rushed for 217 yards, and they did run the ball better. I mean, it was great to see Keaton Mitchell, you know, bust the long run. I think it was great to see kitten Mitchell’s dad, but that’s me. But even though he, you know, pulled up lame at the end of it, it’s part of why he got caught and, you know, was out of the game then, but we’ve talked about it a lot. You can look at the yards per carry and say, this is a good running game. You can look at the yards per game and say, this is a good running game, but I continue to look at success rate, and that is where it really shows up, the down to down inconsistency of this ground game, and was that better on Sunday? Sure, right? And again, I want to give them their props. Against your defense, it’s been lousy against a defense that had given up 250 yards to Buffalo at home the week before, right?

Nestor Aparicio  26:54

So, like beyond lousy, like just that terrible.

Luke Jones  26:57

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But it also, but it also speaks to, there is running the ball well in terms of just looking at the box score, and there’s the down to down consistency. And that’s why I’ve cited the fact that they entered week 14/24, in the NFL in rushing success rate. And you know, for anyone who’s not familiar, success rate is basically a formula that breaks it down in terms of what is your down in distance and what are you achieving on that play? So if you’re talking in terms of its first and 10 and you run for six yards, that’s a successful play. You’ve gotten over half the yards required for a first down. If it’s second and 10 and you get eight yards, that’s a successful play. However, if it’s third and 15 and you run the ball for 10 yards, and I’m doing this just to explain success rate for people, if you have third and 15 and you run or throw the ball for 10 yards, is that a successful play? No, it’s not, because you’re playing through under the so the idea is, you’re it’s a way to measure down to down consistency. And the idea we talk a lot in football about staying on schedule, right? Success rate is a great measurement of how well an offense stays on schedule. And the fact that the ravens are 24th and rushing success rate going into Sunday’s game very much speaks to what we have seen with our eyes. You know, the numbers, the stats say one thing, but what we’ve seen with our eyes play to play, down to down, series to series, game to game, quarter to quarter, game to game is a running game that, yes, has had generated some big plays, and we’ve seen those, maybe not as many from Derek Henry as in the past, but we we’ve seen them. Keaton Mitchell had a big one on Sunday. But what are you doing in between those big chunk runs two yards on first down, second and 10, and you run for three yards, right? You gain three yards on first down, you gain two yards on second down, and suddenly it’s third and five, right? I mean, there’s just way too much of that. I mean, short yardage, we don’t have to get into that right goal to go the issues the Ravens have had there all season, right? So that’s where I look at this thing, and I and I see that, and that’s where, that’s where you look at this ground game and say, All right, whether they’re ranked fifth or fourth or whatever it is, in brushing yards per game on a Down by Down, play by play basis, is that carrying your offense in the way that it did back in 2018 and 2019 to the point where Lamar didn’t really have, like, didn’t have to throw because they needed them to. It was just the operation set up that you could throw, and it was very advantageous, and it was so efficient, right? Whereas now you’re in a position where you’re behind the chains as often as they’ve been this season, and you have a bad offensive line that can’t pass protect when you’re in true pass sets, and that. That impacts how many blockers you need to keep in. That impacts what Todd monkey can call that impacts how many guys are out in routes. And yeah, it impacts how your quarterback is feeling in terms of his feet, in terms of how comfortable he’s feeling, in terms of how he’s seeing the game downfield. We talked a lot about how in that Cincinnati game, he wasn’t seeing the field in the way that Lamar Jackson typically sees the field and some of the missed throws, or guys that he didn’t even try to throw to that were there, you know, that that it impacts everything. I mean, their offense right now, for me, really feels like a house of cards where it’s just, you know, they have their moments, and they had their moments in the second half on Sunday, but the consistency just is not there across the board. And I just before games to go. I don’t know if they’re fixing that at this point in time. I I don’t know if the the pre 2020 you know, the 2024 the 2023 or the 2019 ravens are are suddenly going to show up here over the last few weeks. I mean, we’ve been waiting all season for that, and it’s just hasn’t happened to any meaningful degree of consistency. So, you know, that’s that. That was a long winded answer, kind of talking about the ground game, but that’s what I see. And look, Lamar Jackson’s not breaking tackles like he did in the past, and obviously his health is a big part of that,

Nestor Aparicio  31:19

and he can’t go to the house.

Luke Jones  31:20

But I would also say I’m not even sure he can cut you and make you bleed so much at this point, other than just getting to the sticks to get a first down, which he did a couple times, but that that’s the extent of it. That’s short of his wants in that, said taking on the middle of the field, because I want to make sure that I’m not putting it all on Lamar, and I’m not, I mean, not even close. But, and I’m not even putting it all on the offensive line, although certainly they’re, they’re the leading culprit in my mind. But let me throw it. Throw out a couple numbers for you about Derek Henry going into Sunday’s game.

Nestor Aparicio  31:52

Well, I was going to transition and say that Luke’s here, by the way, Baltimore, Luke, of course, you can follow his work and all that. We’re doing the crab cake tour. I want to promote everything our friends at GBMC who’ve helped save my life in a cold and hospital weeks ago. So thank you to them. Also, our friends at the Maryland lottery. I was going to ask you about the Henry thing, because I did get in the car right after the game, and I listened to 98 rock and I just I listened to post game. I I heard some phone calls for Keith mills and for Nick destony. Did a nice job in post game. And and the Derek Embry thing to the fan base, to the fan base, and I guess to Tony Romo calling the game too. Is he’s either on the field or he’s not on the field? And if he’s not, why? Yeah, and why? And is it down in distance, and is he winded? And why don’t we just he’s the bell cow, just give him the ball 32 times and pretend he’s Earl Campbell. For I’m literally throwing that to you because you were going in that direction in a general sense. And to me, the Derek Henry thing was my next question is to say, well, he’s not really their super back, you know what I mean? And I don’t know if you sat with Todd monkey and now he did nine minutes with the media. They said, define his role in the offense for me, as far as what is and what isn’t, and what to do, and what’s it don’t, and how you’re thinking about him over the long haul, and all of this, because the fans, the media the week leading up, just put Derek Henry, I was gonna run the ball, they’re gonna run. That’s all it is, right? It’s that simple. Yeah, it’s not that simple. It has been that simple for 13 weeks. Yeah, let

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Luke Jones  33:27

me be very clear, I don’t think Derek Henry’s washed up. This isn’t me saying that he’s washed by any

Nestor Aparicio  33:32

good because I predicted they were going to win a Super Bowl when he got his ass.

Luke Jones  33:35

So you know that it’s not that, it’s not that that said. I’m going to throw a couple stats to you. So there are multiple websites now, pro football focus, pro football reference, right? I mean, I mean, everyone knows, right? And everyone knows, I love stats. I’m a nerd, by

Nestor Aparicio  33:50

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the way, Aaron Schatz was on the show this week. Please go find it at Ball positive. He was brilliant.

Luke Jones  33:55

But all of these sites credit forced missed tackles, right? So, like a running back, I just cited Lamar, like next gen stats had the number that was staggering to people that on lamar’s designed runs in 2025 he didn’t have a single broken tackle going into Sunday’s game. I don’t know if that changed Sunday or not, you know, and elusiveness was the first part of the Yeah, sure. He came out of Louisville, right? But, but I want to for Derek Henry, I’ll just and again, what define a missed tackle? There’s some subjectivity there, in the same way that when you grade offensive line play, whether you know, whether a guy is a plus a minus, or is it kind of just average, you know.

Nestor Aparicio  34:35

So when a guy’s coming to make a tackle, the angle he has on exactly you are.

Luke Jones  34:39

So none of these numbers individually are gospel, but I think when you see trends, you can draw a conclusion. So pro football focus last year had Derek Henry at 87 broken tackles or forced missed tackles. However, 87 going into Sunday’s game. Guess how many they had him with this year? 487, last year, 18. Pro football reference had him at 42 broken tackle. So again, right there you see some subjectivity as far as what, what they define a broken tackle compared to pro football focus. Again, that’s why you don’t take one number, you look at multiple numbers, and you try to see if there’s a there’s a pattern that develops. They had him at 42 last year. Had him at seven this year. Now, I don’t know, Stingy.

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Nestor Aparicio  35:28

They’re tough. They are. They grade like the rushing judges when Nancy Kerrigan skating.

Luke Jones  35:33

But can we draw a conclusion there that Derek Henry’s not breaking as many tackles as he did last year? I think he can, right? So now and again, that’s not to say that Derek Henry, by the way, saquon Barkley, who’s younger than Derrick Henry, having an awful year for the Eagles. I mean, the Eagles can’t run the ball. I mean, at least the Ravens still have the high end splash plays, right? I mean, the ravens are what I would call a high variance running game, meaning they’re getting the big plays. But there’s just way too many laws waiting in between those big plays, whereas Philly, I mean, they’re just not running the ball period. I mean, go look at saquon Barkley’s numbers. I mean, Derek Henry’s still 1000 yard back and and all that point is, for everyone that’s just saying, I’ll just run the ball. Just run the ball. Just run the ball. Just run the ball. Are we not seeing the number of no gain on first and 10, one yard on second and 10, right? I mean, you’re still seeing too many of those plays. And I’m not saying specifically on Sunday, but just evaluating this offense over the course of the season, there’s too much of that at work. Now, let me be clear. That’s not to say that there aren’t instances where Todd Monckton couldn’t run the ball. You know, there aren’t plays where you could say, Man, you should have run the ball there. And I would even say, and this even applied to the second half last week against Cincinnati. They are still coming out and running the ball at at times where in the past, you would have said, Oh, well, they’re totally going to abandon it here. They’re totally going to abandon it here. But I said to you after the Cincinnati game, it’s a matter of running the ball better. Now, did they run the ball better on Sunday? Sure they ran for over 200 yards. Do I think that that’s, you know, they’re going to run their way to a Super Bowl or a deep January run with the way that the offense collectively is playing? No, because you’ve got to be able to do more with your passing game. And that’s where I just look at this passing game right now. It’s a flowers and, you know, like likely, a little bit when, when he’s a lot

Nestor Aparicio  37:31

of money, you and I did 25 minutes on that people could find a bottle as to why. And likely, now has been not on the field launch. He’s been a big part of their story and a big part of the success, until it’s not or the referee say it’s not well.

Luke Jones  37:47

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And how about the fact that they gave Rashad Bateman. Now, it was a very team friendly extension, but they gave Rashad Bateman another extension this this spring. They believe in their guys and that Bateman play, you know, whether that was a drop, you know, looking at it from another angle. I mean, he needs to catch it. It wasn’t the best throw either. You know, Lamar really put that way to the outside when I think that could have been, that was a little more of a layup throw than it ended up being. But either way, Lamar or Bateman or both, like, you needed that, like, that’s inside the red zone, that’s at least moving the chains there on third down, if not a touchdown. I mean, they’re missing way too many of those. You know, we saw it. I mean, big time. Lamar with accuracy issues against Cincinnati, you know, guys not being on the same page. I mean, the end zone throw that that goes off. Andrews, you know, I know Brian Baldinger. I think it was baldy breaking it down. Wondered if it was going to DeAndre Hopkins in the back of the end zone there. So, I mean, you’re just, you’re seeing so much of that. And for all the talk over the years about the passing game, and we talk about, you know, the volume is not very high, but the efficiency is really high. I mean, the volume is not very good, and the efficiency is not very good for this passing game right now. And yeah, I think the O line continues to be the lead. But there are also times where Lamar has had time. I mean, I don’t think the O line played horribly against Cincinnati, for example, and you still

Nestor Aparicio  39:14

saw he has time. He used to have the ability to create more. And there’s sure part of the differentiator well, he doesn’t have the wheels and he can’t take off, dude. He can’t plant, he can’t throw. He’s not seeing the field well. He knows he doesn’t have as much time. He’s not feeling things the same way. He doesn’t have the same running game. He’s not getting the same down and distances. When he hits Andrews between the eight and nine, he’s not sure if he’s going to catch it. Yeah, when he hits something breaks down seven in the zero or whatever, same

Luke Jones  39:44

thing breaks down every single play. Yeah, when the offensive line is holding its weight, hold its water, right? Sure. I mean something breaks down. I mean, it’s always something, right? I mean, you hear that expression, you know, just in life, it’s always something. I mean, that’s. It feels like for their offense, I mean, it just, it does. And look, I’d like to sit here and say, Man, well, they can really take a positive out of the fact they ran for over 200 yards. They still lost

Nestor Aparicio  40:13

take out is beaten Cincinnati the next day. The only positives they have are their opportunities. Gotta win football games.

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Luke Jones  40:20

I’m right, but you continue to just look at this team and, you know, we’ll, we’ll get to the defense eventually, but they’re just not very good. Like, what can you what is their identity? What do they do? Well, what do you really, I’m not even talking about them across the board, not being a championship caliber team. Like, what phase of the game, what aspect of this football team right now is truly championship count?

Nestor Aparicio  40:46

What is he what part of it’s even consistent? Yeah, we don’t know what I mean. I mean we thought, we thought the defense was, was there? Not after the last I don’t see any signs of elite anything. Yeah, I don’t, I don’t see, you know, like there’s no pass rush, so they have a hard time getting the team off the field, which really affects their running game, which really affects their backside ability to cover. And then they don’t keep the ball much because they’re punting more, because

Luke Jones  41:10

which then impacts

Nestor Aparicio  41:13

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your defense, yeah, there exactly, right?

Luke Jones  41:16

And then when some of those things are going well, then you have breakdowns on special teams, right? I mean, I’ve been

Nestor Aparicio  41:21

watching this, I’ve written a couple of books on Raven championship teams, and I guess this is the point where at 57 you feel like you know everything. Then AI comes and you realize you don’t know anything at all. Is that you don’t have enough offensive line. You know what? I mean, like I and I should talk to all the smart people I know in the game and say, You got to build something. You know, I Dave Lapin might come on this because he was offensive lineman, or Mike Flynn, you know, ask those guys about it. But Jo, get him. You know, Harry Swain, I got a bunch of guys around, mula Tala, you know, what’s the most important part? O line, O line. Oh, Baldy, geez. My God, so I’m talking about all my bunkies here, all o lineman, you know, but without that, ya ain’t got much. And I know they’ve all said that to me for 30 years. I’m just saying, based on this year and having a Super Bowl, the thoughts of a Super Bowl run two time MVP quarterback, that should have been three. First round wide receiver, first round wide receiver, you gave a contract tight end, it’s been to the Pro Bowl, a fullback that may have been the best fullback of his generation in this sport for this period of time. Running back who’s going to the Hall of Fame. Another wide receiver that’s going to the Hall of Fame. Right, left tackles, the first round pick. You’re giving him $20 million a year. Center’s a guy you were thinking about giving 1216, $18 million a year too. Right. Right tackles, a guy you believe like so all of this in regard to the offense and how you feel about it, how you feel about the talent you’ve drafted, and the the way you’ve drafted and the way you’ve built this thing, this is a wow when the offensive line is just not any good. Doesn’t matter how much skill you surround them with, you’re really going to struggle because you can’t hide it. You can’t hide it.

Luke Jones  43:08

Yeah, and, and I would say, and, look, you just went down the list of all the things we’ve been talking about since March. You know what I mean? Like, when does it come together? I mean, like in the actual games, not potential, right? Not, not

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Nestor Aparicio  43:24

what I wrote Wendy’s way after the game to hear how many people still when they’re doing percentages in cornack, how many people just think the ravens are going to win?

Luke Jones  43:33

Although, although the percentage, the percentage isn’t as, I mean, they’re like, depending on your source, like 2020 I’ve seen some as low as like 20% and some as high as like 35% but that’s not, that’s not nothing, right? Yeah.

Nestor Aparicio  43:47

I mean, everybody takes a steel or stink, but they just walked out with your your lunch money.

Luke Jones  43:52

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But this is where, and this is where I would because, look, I’ve been the guy over the years. Yeah, we both, and we both talked about, I don’t want to make it sound like it’s just me, but you and I both know what happened in 2012 I mean, we’re, we are almost coming up on 13 years to the day. Was it December 9 when they fired cam, or December 10, or something like it was right around then, yeah, we were planking right around here, yeah, right? Or, well, that was the week after, right? I mean, that was the week after. I mean, that was Caldwell’s first game as offense coordinator. But so you can point to 2012 everyone will cite 2005 I mean, we just celebrated the 2000 team, you know, five straight games without a touchdown. But even in the midst of those team struggles, there were moments and games and victories over the course of that season where you said, there that’s what it looks like. The Ravens don’t have a single win this season where you can say there, that’s what it looks like. Their best win this year is beating the Chicago Bears, which, by the way, looks way better now than it did then, especially without Lamar playing. But in 2012 Of they beat the Patriots in that September Sunday night game, and they had the Hey diddle, diddle Ray Rice up the middle, fourth and 29 game, and they beat the Steelers on the road at a time where that really, truly meant a whole lot compared to what it means in the you know what the current iteration of the Steelers in 2000 they beat Jacksonville in week two. They beat Tennessee in Nashville in the regular season, right? So, like they had those moments, even amongst signature wins, right? Even even with the struggles that accompanied those, they had a signature winner to where you’d say, that’s what it looks like. This team doesn’t have a single win that

Nestor Aparicio  45:42

you can that your wins better be New England and Green Bay, I mean, and if

Luke Jones  45:47

they do that, if they do that, then fine, we’ll revisit that.

Nestor Aparicio  45:50

But like, no matter what their record, if they were 10 and two, you’d still want them to look good in those games or bad in those and that in order to feel good about them. So there still is this, oh, they’re gonna fix everything, they’re gonna run the table. They’re gonna go to Pittsburgh and win. I mean, like, and that’s what a lot of they’re gonna be favored to win every week. And, like, I don’t know how to be favored against New England or Green Bay. I mean, I, I don’t know how the odds are that out.

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Luke Jones  46:15

I would, at this point now, I would think Green Bay

Nestor Aparicio  46:19

is gonna be favored. Well, then you don’t think they’re going to the playoffs. And if you think that they’re, you think New England will be an underdog here.

Luke Jones  46:26

I could see the Ravens being like, like, minus one, like, okay. But if they, if they lose to Cincinnati on Sunday, probably not only on reputation, then it truly that’s all even that’s all this team has this year. I mean, like I said, they’re the definition of paper champions this year. How? I mean, think about how much publicity they got in terms of how many people said they were going to win the Super Bowl this year, and you see what they’ve been they’re not a good football it’s because they’re offensive at defensive line. Maybe they’ll become a good football team over the last three or four weeks, defying all the odds, defying all the information we now have on this team. And look, I get it, Lamar looked better on Sunday, and I’m glad to see that I didn’t think Lamar like, I didn’t think his career was over like, I didn’t think he was washed up. But are was it MVP level? Lamar? No, and it’s still the same offensive line, and it’s still the same offense that looks so disjointed that that was a horrible two minute drill at the end of the game. I mean, if they manage their time at all, they had a really legitimate chance to win that football game even at the end. I mean, and I ran out of

Nestor Aparicio  47:33

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myself in the middle of it, dude. And I don’t mean to be a jerk, but I’ll be one on the radio. I always think Lamar is not good at this. They’re not good at this. They’re not good at it like that. That’s what I said going into it

Luke Jones  47:44

for how veteran lead in that group should be. When you’re talking about an eighth year quarterback and a third year

Nestor Aparicio  47:51

offense is leading a two minute offensive coming back, his strength was freight training teams 55, to 10. I mean, then you don’t have to worry about it. But like and I know you’ll cite five examples where he won a game in Cleveland later. So, and that’s great, but it’s still not. It’s Look, John Elway didn’t want to be in that position every week either. No, I felt better about it when Patrick

Luke Jones  48:13

the Holmes doesn’t want to be right, I mean, but, yeah, I mean, but just

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Nestor Aparicio  48:18

win games in this league, you got to be good at that, because the game comes down to that,

Luke Jones  48:22

especially if, if you’re not very good across the board, yeah, you’re going to be behind, right? I mean, they’ve been behind a lot this year. No, no dog. They’re six and seven. So, yeah, I just, I mean, we can keep waiting for that. I mean, if people want to continue and look, I’m not throwing in the towel, but I just, I’m not going to sit here and lie and lie and say that I have this belief in this football team at this point, because I just don’t. I just don’t think they’re very good. I’m again, I don’t think they’re horrendous. But like to the point I just made about the 2000 and the 2012 ravens, there were at least wins along the way in those seasons, even with all the struggles that they went through, where you’d say that’s what it looks like they don’t have a single performance this year where you say that’s what it looks like one side of the ball, okay, you know, like even week one, three and a half quarters that offense, that’s what it looks like. They put up 40 points in Buffalo, right? But the defense stunk, and as the year has gone on, the defense has gotten better, and the offense has stunk for large stretches over the last month and a half. Is it going to come together? I mean, maybe Stranger things have

Nestor Aparicio  49:32

happened, I suppose, but that’s why they played the games in Cincinnati this week, right? Sure, we’ll see. We’ll see

Luke Jones  49:37

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they’re going to have their chance and that, and, my goodness, they couldn’t ask for any more fortune for all the talk about the officiating on Sunday, the fact that they are six and seven and still have a very clear path, even if it’s not an easy path, but a clear path nonetheless, that doesn’t involve Team A, B and C winning and this team losing and this team needing to have, you know, a certain strength of. Tree for you know what I mean, like, you don’t have to do that. You are still in a position where, if you go with the

Nestor Aparicio  50:05

stink and host a playoff game in AFC north, but

Luke Jones  50:08

it’s going to happen. Well, at this point, I am certainly not holding my breath.

Nestor Aparicio  50:12

That’s here. I’ll take it. No, you don’t want it. No, I’ll take it. Luke Jones is here. He’s Baltimore, Luke, I very appreciative of our partners at Cure Your Wellness. As far as all of our partnerships here during the holidays, we’re going to be out doing great things. Maryland crab cake tour is going all over Baltimore. We’re going to be at Fay Lee’s on Wednesday, Thursday, we’re going to be downtown at Canton at DiPasquale’s in the morning, having some breakfast, maybe some pizza, from what I understand, Friday, we’re going to be at honeys in halethorpe next Thursday, at Costas and Dundalk, not Timonium only. Go to Dundalk for the crabs. I’d teach some of the Ravens guys that over the weekend. I’m like, Nah, they don’t have the crabs in timonia only admin Dundalk. And then on Friday of next week, we’ll be at gertrude’s at the BMA with my cousin by marriage, John shields, Chef John The good man, and Dan Rogers, going to join us over at Gertrude as well. Talk about the holidays and the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Monday the 22nd we’re going to be at Planet Fitness in Timonium, brand new location, a brand new everything in there. I can’t wait to see it. It’s going to be awesome. State of the art. We’re going to be doing the show there of my pal Justin drum, and April, a whole bunch of folks over there Planet Fitness. And I’m going to have a crab cake too from Costas over there on the 22nd too. So I am going to involve cost involve Costas and Timonium. It’s just going to be over Planet Fitness, because they came over to me over Costas. I am Nestor. He is Luke. There’s plenty more football ahead. Got some great guests coming on this week too. Seth Wickersham, a whole bunch of people coming on this week. We had Aaron shots last week. Please go check that out on DVO a and offense and offensive lines as much as Luke and I went at it on offensive lines, being offensive Aaron shots and I took even a deeper dive than that. So you’ll want to check that out. He’s Luke. I’m Nestor, back from over Baltimore. Positive you.