The purple land of hopes and expectations begins on Thursday night with the NFL Draft. Luke Jones and Nestor get you ready for a myriad of draft possibilities and outcomes for Eric DeCosta and the Baltimore Ravens under rookie head coach Jesse Minter. We’ll be picking and opining all weekend as spring hopes remain eternal in Owings Mills.

Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discussed the upcoming NFL Draft, focusing on the Baltimore Ravens’ needs and potential picks. They highlighted the lack of quarterback intrigue, with Fernando Mendoza likely going to the Raiders. The Ravens, picking 14th, may prioritize offensive line help, particularly a guard from Penn State. They also considered defensive tackle needs, given the uncertainty around Nnamdi Mada Bek’s recovery from neck surgery. The conversation included the importance of hitting on multiple draft picks, especially in the later rounds, to address depth at wide receiver, tight end, and cornerback. They also touched on the impact of the new coaching staff and the potential for jersey redesigns.

• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Arrange for a representative from Koco’s to join the show on Thursday afternoon during the Maryland Crab Cake Tour segment to discuss the ‘Walk a Mile in the Shoes’ event.
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Bring the Springsteen concert experience into the show and schedule the Lofgrens to appear before the Washington show segment.
• [ ] Locate the 1996 Jonathan Ogden throwback jersey and wear it for the post-draft segment.

Maryland Crab Cake Tour and Baltimore Positive

• Nestor Aparicio discusses the Maryland Crab Cake Tour presented by the Maryland lottery and GBMC, mentioning a fun afternoon with Amelia from 98 Rock.
• Nestor talks about Farnham and Dermer, a company that offers HVAC, AC, and plumbing services, and how they helped him with pipe banging.
• Nestor mentions the Orioles’ performance and the upcoming football mini camps and OTAs, hoping for no injuries.
• Nestor and Luke Jones discuss the excitement around the Ravens draft and the lack of drama in the quarterback position.

Ravens Draft Needs and Prospects

• Luke Jones explains the lack of intrigue in the quarterback draft, with Fernando Mendoza going to the Raiders and Ty Simpson being the only other notable name.
• Luke highlights the drop-off in premier prospects around the 14th pick, suggesting the Ravens might take the best player available or wait for a trade.
• Luke mentions the need for offensive line help, specifically a guard from Penn State, and how the Ravens might fortify the guard position if a center isn’t available early.
• Luke discusses the possibility of the Ravens drafting a defensive tackle, considering the recent news about Nnamdi Mada Bek’s neck surgery.

Nnamdi Mada Bek’s Health and Draft Strategy

• Nestor and Luke discuss the implications of Nnamdi Mada Bek’s neck surgery, with Luke noting the timing and wording of Adam Schefter’s report.
• Luke speculates on the Ravens’ draft strategy, considering the possibility of drafting a defensive tackle if Mada Bek is cleared to play.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the uncertainty around Mada Bek’s recovery and how it might affect the Ravens’ draft plans.
• Luke emphasizes the importance of the Ravens addressing their offensive line needs, regardless of Mada Bek’s status.

Ravens’ Offensive Line and Defensive Needs

• Nestor and Luke discuss the importance of having a strong offensive line to protect Lamar Jackson and help the running game.
• Luke mentions the need for depth at wide receiver and tight end, given the uncertainty around Mark Andrews’ future.
• Nestor and Luke talk about the potential for the Ravens to draft a running back, considering the age of Derrick Henry and the release of Keaton Mitchell.
• Luke highlights the need for cornerback depth, especially with questions about Marlon Humphrey’s future and the aging of Nate Wiggins.

Ravens’ Draft Expectations and Player Development

• Nestor and Luke discuss the importance of the Ravens hitting on multiple picks, especially in the later rounds, to build depth and find starters.
• Luke emphasizes the need for the Ravens to find a center in the draft, given the lack of top prospects in this year’s class.
• Nestor and Luke talk about the potential for the Ravens to draft a first-round cornerback, similar to their past success with Marlon Humphrey.
• Luke mentions the importance of player development and the potential for the Ravens to find impact players in the draft.

Ravens’ Coaching Staff and Team Culture

• Nestor and Luke discuss the impact of the new coaching staff, led by Jesse Minter, on the Ravens’ team culture and player development.
• Luke notes the importance of the new coaching staff adapting and evolving to meet the needs of the current roster.
• Nestor and Luke talk about the potential for the Ravens to find a new identity under the new coaching staff, similar to the changes under John Harbaugh.
• Luke emphasizes the importance of the new coaching staff connecting with the players and creating a positive team environment.

Ravens’ Uniform Changes and Fan Reactions

• Nestor and Luke discuss the recent changes to the Ravens’ uniforms, with Nestor expressing mixed feelings about the new design.
• Luke notes the importance of the uniforms reflecting the team’s identity and history, while also being modern and appealing to fans.
• Nestor and Luke talk about the potential for future uniform changes and the importance of balancing tradition with innovation.
• Luke emphasizes the need for the new uniforms to be well-received by fans and players, while also being functional and durable.

Ravens’ Draft Weekend and Future Plans

• Nestor and Luke discuss the excitement surrounding the upcoming draft weekend and the potential for the Ravens to make impactful picks.
• Luke emphasizes the importance of the Ravens hitting on multiple picks to address their roster needs and build for the future.
• Nestor and Luke talk about the potential for the Ravens to make trades and find value in the later rounds of the draft.
• Luke highlights the importance of the draft in shaping the Ravens’ future and the need for the team to find the right mix of talent and depth.

Ravens’ Salary Cap and Player Contracts

• Nestor and Luke discuss the challenges the Ravens face with the salary cap and the potential for Lamar Jackson’s contract to impact future roster decisions.
• Luke notes the importance of the Ravens addressing their salary cap issues and finding ways to manage their roster while maintaining competitive talent.
• Nestor and Luke talk about the potential for the Ravens to restructure contracts and find cap relief through trades and releases.
• Luke emphasizes the need for the Ravens to balance their salary cap needs with their roster building and player development plans.

Ravens’ Offseason and Training Camp

• Nestor and Luke discuss the Ravens’ offseason activities, including mini camps, OTAs, and the upcoming training camp.
• Luke notes the importance of the offseason for the new coaching staff to implement their systems and evaluate the roster.
• Nestor and Luke talk about the potential for the Ravens to make roster moves and find depth through free agency and trades.
• Luke emphasizes the need for the Ravens to be prepared for the upcoming season and to address any remaining roster needs before the start of the regular season.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Ravens draft, offensive line, defensive tackle, Nnamdi Mada Bek, Lamar Jackson, Eric DeCosta, roster needs, quarterback, wide receiver, tight end, running back, cornerback, cap situation, new coaching staff, jersey redesign.

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SPEAKERS

Nestor Aparicio, Luke Jones

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

Welcome home. We are W, N, S T. Am 1570 to Baltimore. We are Baltimore, positive, positively, taking the show back out on the road right before the draft. We’re going to be at Koco’s on Thursday afternoon, doing the Maryland crab cake Tour presented by the Maryland lottery conjunction with GBMC and I’m going to get somebody on from over there, talk about walk a mile in the shoes, because it was such a lovely afternoon. It was a lot of fun. And I ran into Amelia from 98 rock and we talked rock and roll, Canadian rock and roll, and Russian triumph and stuff. And that was fun too. Also our friends at Farnham and Dermer, who will be there for you as it heats up again. You know, get get your HVAC and your AC checked, and, my gosh, if they’re there, have them bang on the pipes too, because they had that happen for me a couple weeks ago. They do plumbing as well. At far in the derma, they are the comfort guys, Lucas trying to stay comfortable here through this Oriole spell, waiting for football to matter again for a couple of weeks, and some mini camps and some OTAs and whatnot, hopefully no injuries, and whatever they’re going to pick football players all weekend long. If you’re on the W NST tech service, you’ll get that first. It’s all brought to you by Cole roofing and Gordian energy. Lots people do. How you holding up through all this? You know, we thought the baseball team would be better, and it kind of sucks, and they’re coming home, and that’s kind of cool. And I meet crab cakes again next week at Pizza John’s on Friday. That’s cool, but like, the whole like football thing, it’s kind of like gone away a little bit. You did the liar’s luncheon last week, but it hasn’t. It hasn’t been as fast and furious, unless you’re in Cincinnati, or unless you’re doing sports radio in New York and saying John Harbaugh just invited his best player to leave what?

Luke Jones  01:42

Yeah. I mean, let’s face it, the Dexter Lawrence deal was kind of needed when you’re talking about League circles and the hype or lack thereof for this draft. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we know that Fernando Mendoza was going to go to the Raiders months ago, right from, basically from the moment the Raiders knew they were going to get the number one overall pick, there’s not a whole lot of other drama in terms of quarterbacks. I mean, okay, you’ll hear Ty Simpson a little bit. But when you have a draft that doesn’t have a whole lot of intrigue from a quarterback standpoint, the trickle down effect is pretty evident, right? And what you have with this draft, which I think certainly has good players, don’t get me wrong. But even Eric dicostia Last week acknowledged that there’s a little bit of a drop off when you get about halfway through the first round in terms of your premier prospects in the top 10 or so, top 12, top 14, whatever, and then the drop off. So the Ravens pick 14th, and I think that’s where it’s intriguing to look at this and say, Okay, does one of the more intriguing prospects maybe not at their greatest need, because I’ll continue to say offensive line, offensive line, offensive line. But if someone falls into their lap at 14, can you resist taking them, or does the board fall in a way that you don’t like it? And the offensive line prospects go off the board more quickly, and you kind of look and see what’s there, and then you’re hoping for the for the phone to ring right? So there’s always those kinds of scenarios where, if you say, all right, prospects 15 through whatever. There’s not a whole lot of difference there. In an ideal world, maybe you’d want to move back a little bit, but someone has to want to move up. So I’ll continue to say it, and we’re going to find out. Vega, I want a the guard from Penn, state, for me, feels like someone who just, I think there’s a good chance he’s going to be there. He checks a lot of boxes. He’s not a center, but he’s a plug and play guard. And if you’re not going to be able to get your center until later in the draft, you want to try to fortify guard as much as you can. Right? You want to have a stud prospect next to whoever that second or third or fourth round pick might be understanding, yes, you have a couple veterans as well that will be competing here in the spring and summer. But a one a for me, kind of sort of feels like Malachi Starks last year. If you go back and look at all the mock drafts, Starks was the guy that kept coming up to the Ravens. Now that was later in the first round. But I don’t know. I just it’s so tough for me to look at this football team and this roster right now and feel nearly good enough about the offensive line if it’s not an O lineman here in the first round. And I know that’s not exactly how the draft works. And you know Alana could be gone, and you know, Spencer Fano could be gone and and they could be in a position where the top linemen aren’t there, and then you’re trying to reach for kind of the next guy. So I understand that scenario is there, and you have to be prepared for that, but I’ll just continue to say it. And especially now, with Dexter Lawrence being in Cincinnati, your interior offensive line needs to be stronger again. Stack team now, so that’s where I keep coming back to that position. But yes, best player available, and staying true to your board and all those principles are still considerations. And yeah, there are some other positions where they could take someone, you know. I mean, if, if Ruben bean were to some were to fall to 14th, maybe he’s the pick, right? And you’re talking about another edge rusher, because, you know, Trey hendrickson’s 31 years old, wide receiver is a possibility. I mean, like you go down the list and you can make an argument. I mean, the Matta BK News brings up, you know, dialog about defensive tackles, and not that this is a very strong draft overall on that front, but you wonder how much of that is substance, and how much of that could be potential smoke screen. You know that the Ravens kind of won out there. So there are a lot of different ways they can go as always, as we’ve commented and we’ve talked about this in recent weeks, it does feel like they have a couple more needs than usual at this point in the offseason going into the draft, but I guess that’s the bright side of, well, you’re picking 14, so you’ve got a chance to land a really good football player here. But yeah, all things being equal, I keep coming back to offensive line because I just see such an acute need on the interior there, and you can’t just keep selling me on the idea of, well, Dwayne Ledford is a really good offensive line coach. He still needs something to work with, ultimately, and they’re still really lacking in that area, this football team.

Nestor Aparicio  06:30

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Well, adding a great player to the offensive line, Ogden to yonda to, you know, through the matt Burkes and through the very goods of the Bryant mckinneys and various players like that. And I would put Linder bomb, certainly in that group. But I mean, the Ryan Jensen’s that went on to make money and win Super Bowls, the notion that you have to have some sort of anchor in there, they’re going to miss Linder bomb about $28 million maybe 23 million against their cap, but defensively, and we haven’t even brought this up talking about good football players and difference makers. They paid Matt abigay to be that the neck injury that we finally like. There’s been purple plumes of smoke with information that leak right before the draft to probably throw off that they wouldn’t be looking for a defensive line help. But to your point, if they drafted a defensive lineman holodena kind of guy at 14, that’s great and good, but that doesn’t protect Lamar, and it doesn’t help him run the football, and it doesn’t help him control the football in any way. I’m with you, but the Matta BK thing smells like they think he’s going to be in Rio doing the samba.

Luke Jones  07:48

Yeah. I mean, I don’t know. I don’t know. I know a lot of Ravens fans took the news. I mean, first of all, we’ve just been waiting for something, right? I mean, it’s been radio silence. We haven’t heard from namdi Mada BK in any capacity other than just a couple social media posts that may or may not have been about his neck, whatsoever that fans and media are trying to interpret because he hasn’t spoken to the media since injuring his neck way back in week two last year, and the team has declined comment repeatedly, and you and I have even talked about understanding if there’s uncertainty, and ultimately, if there’s a decision to be announced, that’s kind of on Matt abike To do that, because it’s his health, it’s his life, it’s his career, right? So the idea that Adam Schefter puts out a report on Tuesday, which I think for me, the importance here is not to overreact to it one way or the other. I saw a lot of Ravens fans taking that and running with it as though, saying, Hey, he’s gonna play this fall.

Nestor Aparicio  08:46

But, I mean, he’s playing 17 games and like, well, I don’t,

Luke Jones  08:50

I don’t know if he’s playing right, because here’s the thing we have to acknowledge here, he’s having neck surgery seven months after the injury. I don’t know about you, but if this was as cut and dried and clear cut and black and white in terms of, oh, he’s going to have this and he’s going to be fine, wouldn’t he have had that in wouldn’t he have had that surgery months ago? So, so and again, we don’t know we we don’t know any specific specifics of this, but I’m just trying to present this in terms of the different scenarios here, we don’t know for sure if this is going to mean that he’s going to be cleared, because go back and look at the wording from Adam Schefter. The wording said he, and I’m going to quote this verbatim, underwent neck surgery last week that left his doctors believing he will be able to resume playing this season per sources. Now I’m not doubting that this isn’t a valid report. Of course it is. It’s Adam Schefter. It’s coming. It’s coming from someone with some level of credibility, but I thought it was interesting that it says his doctors believing that is not to. Team will clear him. Team doctors believe. Team doctors, certain team doctors convinced, right? So I think you have to look at that wording and then consider the timing of this, two days before the draft. And I don’t know, is it possible that Eric to Costa or someone within the organization with the the license to to put something out there. Wanted it out there that it sounds like namby matabikes got a chance to play this year, and the Ravens aren’t as desperate to draft a defensive tackle, just saying. Or maybe this is just what it is, which is great news, and he is going to be able to play now. It says he’s going to be able to resume playing this season to your point that you just made. Does that mean he’s going to be ready for week one? Does that mean he’s going to be a full time player again? Does that mean he’s going to be ready halfway through the season? We don’t that

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Nestor Aparicio  10:51

mean that Eric dicostia is planning life with or without him, because that’s really the story here for the draft and beyond. To say, like, if he’s maybe in the mind of the ravens, then they’re going to plan to play without him and and hope for the best. But the cat number just, you know, it’s complex, but it really does come down to dude. They got Max Crosby out of here on a medical because he, you know, right, right. I mean, well,

Luke Jones  11:19

and this is a neck. This isn’t a knee. A knee is not a life threatening thing. A neck is, you know, you’re talking about having surgery

Nestor Aparicio  11:27

in April and being on the field in August, running around. Maybe, I don’t know,

Luke Jones  11:31

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and that’s where I still look at it, in terms of the timing of the surgery, right? Was this a situation where they were waiting for something to heal? You know, in his neck, you know where you where you give it time to heal and rehab, and then perhaps you do surgery or and I don’t want to, I don’t want to call this a Hail Mary either. I don’t know, right? This, you might take this at what it is, and you might be shrouded in secrecy, right? We don’t, we don’t know. And in fair and in defense of the ravens, and look, there are plenty of times that are secretive where I don’t feel it’s it’s warranted, but in defense of the ravens, there just might be a sincere unknown about this. When you’re talking about a neck, and believe me, I know this Wrestlemania, in fact, there’s got

Nestor Aparicio  12:10

this got to be a sincere unknown. I think there’s no absolutes for

Luke Jones  12:15

sure with the neck, sure, no. But I’m just saying, in terms of them not saying a whole lot or saying anything at all over the last six months about this, but I was just making the point. WrestleMania was this past weekend. You know me. I’m a big pro wrestling nerd. There are tons of wrestlers, many of them, my favorites over the years, who have had neck procedures. It is a for as much as people want to talk about pro wrestling being, quote, fake. It is a brutal trade from a physical, physical standpoint. And there have been so many wrestlers who have had an array of neck injuries from major fusion to some some things that bordered more on experimental, to see if they would be able to play or to play, to wrestle again at some point in time. And in some cases it doesn’t happen, and guys have to retire. And in other cases it does happen. And in some cases, guys are gone for multiple years, and then they come back. So there’s a point is, there’s a lot of unknown, and even with the report that came out Tuesday, which, hey, it was great to hear something, of substance about him, but we don’t know. I mean, Doc, his doctor, saying they believe he’ll be able to resume playing this season is not the same thing as Eric dicost is saying. Namdi matabique is cleared and he’s going to be out on the field for OTAs next month. Right at the very least, there’s going to be a recovery, a timetable of some sort, for him to recover from this, and we don’t know if that means week one, we don’t know if that means week eight, or we don’t know if that means well, we think he can resume his career, but we’re also not 100% certain if he’s going to be ready to play at any point in 2026 it could. It could be a 2027 thing for all we know. Right? So point is, with all that being said, I think you’re still looking at the ravens to be looking at defensive tackles. Now, it’s not a great defensive tackle class. I mean, it’s just not. Last year was the year where it was a very deep defensive tackle class. So I’m not saying that there aren’t players that will go in the first round. You know, you talk about someone like Caleb banks, but I just, I thought that was very interesting timing for that to be put out there. But then when you really looked at the wording of it, that’s where I look at this thing and say, probably best not to assume that Nnamdi Mada BK is going to be out there week one. But on the flip side, I’m also not going to sit here and say, Well, this is complete, you know what? And his career is over. We don’t know. We do know now that he had surgery, hopefully we’ll get something of substance from Eric to Costa over the weekend in terms of what that might mean. But I’m guessing there’s still a lot of unknown about this. So yes, it’s great to hear that some doctors, whether they’re ravens team doctors or not. I believe that this can allow him to resume his career, but I would think there are hurdles and to jump and boxes to check between where we are right now and namdi matabike actually being on the field. And as we’ve kind of said, I mean, he’s in the third year of a contract that is a four year deal, and he’s guaranteed $22 million either way this year. I mean, there’s, there’s no scenario where, you know, short of him just retiring and saying, No, I’m good guys, keep your $22 million which, I don’t know why he would do that. He got hurt playing football, and that’s why you get these guarantees, right? So he, it would be crazy for him to do that so short of that scenario, there’s really nothing to be done from from the Ravens perspective, from a roster stamp. I mean, you could restructure the deal a little bit to gain cap space. They have cap space, right? We’ve talked about the cap space that they might just be sitting on in hopes of a Lamar extension at some point here in the next few months.

Nestor Aparicio  16:01

But you expect that, by the way, I mean, I mean, I mean, I am shocked at this point I would be, I don’t know if

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Luke Jones  16:09

I’d be shocked. I think shocked would be way too strong. I would say this. You know, I kind of expected it back in March, because, as I said to you, it’s much easier doing an extension coming up, branching off of a deal that’s already in place, right? They weren’t starting from scratch. So part of me does say, All right, if, if you couldn’t get it done in March, what’s going to change in June or July? But I’ll give you the one. I’ll give you the scenario where it is changed in June and July. Lamar goes through the spring. By the way, they have a voluntary veteran camp, mini camp this week. That’s that’s part of one of the perks of having a brand new head coach. But, you know, just a couple days and the Ravens were very clear to put out a clip that Lamar was taking part in that you could see, there’s video of him running out to the field and all that. So that that was good to see. But I think the scenario where, other than just, you know, you think back to three years ago, Lamar texted di Costa a couple days before the draft and said, Hey, think I’m ready to do this right. And, you know, after a couple years of that song and dance, right? But I think the scenario that is at least worth presenting is he goes through the spring program. He goes through OTAs, he goes through his goes through mandatory mini camp. And he loves Jesse Minter. He loves Declan Doyle. He loves the new offense. He’s excited about cup, you know, maybe they draft a wide receiver in the first three rounds, right? All those things, and all those things are trending up in his mind. And he says, All right, well, Eric, you know your your roster building is mostly done. You know, once you get to June, like you’re not doing a whole lot more with your roster. I mean, maybe there’s a veteran signing or some trade to be made, but by by and large, by June, your roster is pretty much said, If Lamar is feeling better about all those different things that are new, then maybe you revisit then, and maybe you get something done before training camp, you know. But that said, if you didn’t get it done in March, to me, there’s no way of looking at it and saying, Oh, well, it’s definitely going to get done this summer, right? I mean, I don’t know, right? And it’s an issue until it’s not, I mean, it’s just the same thing, right? I mean, same thing we’ve said at various times here over the last few years. So I shock would be the wrong word. I would disagree with that strongly, but sure, it’s at least fair to say, Well, if you couldn’t get it done in in March or late February, what’s different now? And I just presented to you what would be different if he likes Jesse Minter and Declan Doyle that much and likes the new vibe and the new culture, and it is a 10

Nestor Aparicio  18:55

year period of time here, all the way around, I think, right? Sure, general sense, after 18 years in no hard ball, by the way. Luke Jones is here. It’s all brought to you by farnander. I just wanted to transition that part to say your expectations for the weekend, what and you’re going to be out there all weekend. You can peel back the curtain on your access and di Costa coming in at 1121 at night, and the night that the Lamar trade happened. Weird things happen on these weekends, in a general sense. And if they’re going to win a Super Bowl again, they’re going to have to pick a player or three here that are going to be impact players. I mean literally, they’re going to have to find another mark Andrews, another I’m just making up names, not first round guys, somebody that is not we don’t hear about it on Thursday night, although that better be a good football player. But there needs to be more depth on the roster all the way around. They have all of these picks. They’re going to get compensated on Linder bomb next year, and they always think in terms of like the pipeline. But for that. To win the Super Bowl this year with and I keep going back to Ronnie, Stanley, roquan Smith, Marlon, Humphrey just down the line. Throw Mark Andrews and Lamar into that mix of the old hardball guys is what they’re going to be known as. And how this goes down. It’s a big weekend. And you know, the Hendrickson for Crosby thing and the 14th pick, and who that player is and might not even be that player, they might wind up backing up, right? What do you expect to have happen this weekend, as far as how many guys they actually take, where they put their Thursday and Friday picks into this is where we need help. We need to find starters here right now, and we’re not going to find them getting cut off the edge of the chiefs roster in July. Is cap casualties, yeah. Well, they have

Luke Jones  20:54

11 picks. I think your point about this. I mean, the drafts important every year, right? I mean, the stock answer would be for a team that values finding and developing its own over jumping into the lucrative waters of free agency year after year after year, it’s always important, but they’re picking a half a

Nestor Aparicio  21:13

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round ahead of where they usually pick every round, and that’s what happens mean. And I guess the notion that you didn’t make the playoffs and fired your coach, and I’m going to sit here and point at all of these guys who’ve got a lot of zeros at the end of their contract, who ain’t earning that money right now and haven’t looked it, and you’re going to go try to win with that win a new coach. So hey, man, you better get me some you better get me some football players

Luke Jones  21:37

here this week. That’s all. Yeah, no question. I mean, I think you look at the state of where the salary cap is next year, and that’s I mean, before you get into opening up the can of worms of if Lamar still unsigned a year from now, and what that means, what’s he thinking at that point, literally, a year away from free agency at that point in time, and where are the Ravens with trying to lower his cap number, trying to extend him, if he’s balking at that, what do you do? You can’t you presumably can’t run the risk, right? So point is, and that doesn’t mean draft a quarterback, let me be clear. But the point is, the urgency level is massive at this point in time to have a really good draft and put themselves in a position that Lamar extension or not, their cap situation gets all that more uncomfortable in terms of the numbers for some of these guys. Are you faced with a decision of, what do you do with roquan Smith next year, when he

Nestor Aparicio  22:33

better win a Super Bowl this year? That’s all. I mean, maybe I, I’m on record before the dress, and they better win the Super Bowl this year, because this thing’s starting to, it would start to fray, unless you’re getting me some good football players on the cheap here.

Luke Jones  22:46

That’s, that’s the key. I mean, that’s the, I mean, look, I mean, I, I’ve been saying it’s Super Bowl or bust for three or four years now, right? I mean, it’s something you got to break through.

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Nestor Aparicio  22:57

Then they’re busts. Oh, they didn’t make the playoff. They’re bust this year. Then the reason

Luke Jones  23:01

why they bought the reason why John Harbaugh’s not here anymore. I mean, it’s just that simple, so but the point I’m trying to make is you have 11 picks and you have a less than ideal cap situation next year, with the headliner being how much your quarterback is taking up of that if you don’t get an extension done between now and then, and you’re in a position where Marlon Humphries in a walk here, roquan Smith next year would be in the last year of his contract. I mean, go down the list of Ronnie Stanley, another year older, right? You can go down the list of all those older players, some of them who have been value concerns. Others just getting older, or have past injury histories, whatever. So I think you look at this draft and, yeah, you’re looking to obviously. I mean, it’s a it’s a foregone conclusion, yeah, you’ve got to hit on the 14th overall pick. I mean, that’s captain obvious when you’re picking that high in the first round, and you don’t do that very often, but you need to hit on 45 you need to hit on 80. I mean, that 80th overall pick in the third round that could be their starting center week one. I mean, when you kind of look at the center prospects in this draft, no, there is not a first round gem like Linder bomb was perceived to be four years ago. But there are some guys that draft pundits who follow this stuff way more closely than me believe can be starters, you know, in there as a rookie, but boy, you better find one of them. They better fall to you under that scenario if you’re not going to trade for one. But I think you look at the later rounds, they have 4/5 round picks, right? I think that’s, to me, the key for this draft, for this football team, given where it is from a roster standpoint, it’s easy to say, yeah, you need to hit on your first, second, third round, right? You need fourth round. Is a position, you know, in the draft where the Ravens have found some really good players over the years. But I think you look at those 4/5 round picks, and that’s where I’m looking at this thing and saying, okay, you know, I I’d rather them not. Draft a punter before that, right? I mean, they have the 173rd and 174th which are both comp picks at the end of the fifth round. To me, that sounds like the sweet spot of finding your next Jordan stout. I don’t want to waste another fourth round pick on a punter that that didn’t work out all that well. He, he was, wasn’t very good for three years, and then popped and then you lost him because he was too expensive. So, but you need to find that. You need a, you know, you need depth at wide receiver. At the very least. If you’re not going to go very early at wide receiver, you’re still going to need to take one. You talked about tight end, I mean Mark Andrews at this point, even though that deal is, you know, carries some flexibility. That’s a depleted room dog. Oh, no doubt. I mean, they, and that’s one of the few things that Eric said last week during the liar’s luncheon that I very much believed him, was he said it’s quite likely that they’re going to take multiple swings at tight end, and you just look at the history, right? I mean, you can go back to Ed Dixon and Dennis pitta, Mark Andrews and Hayden Hurst was actually the first round pick that year, right? Obviously, likely, and Charlie Kohler in the same fourth round four years ago. So I think you’re going to see that. So this is you’re

Nestor Aparicio  26:08

going to see Declan Doyle’s. You know what he’s looking for, too. All right,

Luke Jones  26:13

8

sure, sure. I mean, you know, I understand that they drafted Durham Smythe to basically replace Charlie Kohler, but you need to, you need the likely replacement, and that needs to come with the caveat of someone that hopefully has some upside, because is Mark Andrews going to bounce back?

Nestor Aparicio  26:29

I mean, they haven’t Joker running

Luke Jones  26:30

around here at one point. They, yeah, they, they talk to him. I mean, we’ll see if, if anything comes to that. And as you know, they’re, they’re apt to make a post draft signing or two. I mean, we’ve seen that in recent years, you know, sometimes it’s a consideration with the comp pick formula, and sometimes it’s just, hey, we like it.

Nestor Aparicio  26:48

Things they’re not going to get this weekend is, that’s how they’re going to go get it. They’re going to go get somebody who’s 32 years old, who’s, you know, could come in

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Luke Jones  26:54

and play that role, which I can, you know, if it were, if it were to be someone like him at a spot like that, I could live with that. I, you know, I’m, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with filling back, filling the offensive line room with that at this point in time, because I already

Nestor Aparicio  27:10

done that with Simpson.

Luke Jones  27:11

Yeah, right, exactly. I mean, you know, not that, not that. That was a cheap deal, but they did that to say, hey, he’s going to be one of our starting guards, right? Whether he’s an All Pro or not, he’s, someone that we feel we can depend on, at the very least, to play one of those spots. So, but it’s going to be fascinating, because they have, I mean, okay, quarterback, no, they’re not going to take a quarterback unless you’re talking, you know, a developmental, long term guy they think could be a backup, right? Running back, I think running backs a little more interesting right now when you look at the state of their room. Justice hills in the last year of a contract, Derek Henry’s another year older. I mean, he just is right. We can’t ignore the fact that he’s in his 30s, right? We’re not talking like 28 is considered old for a running back. Derrick Henry is going to be turning 32 I mean, that’s, you have to at least consider that. And that’s that’s why I was so surprised when they just let Keaton Mitchell walk when they did right? I mean, Derek Henry, if the Ravens bounce back the way they want to, and are playing football in January, Derek Henry is going to be turning 33 years old about a week before their wild card round. So it’s not to say he won’t still be really, really good, but you probably need to at least consider adding a running back to the mix. And I’m not, you know, not talking first or second round here, but as the draft goes on, we talked about tight end, we’ve talked about offensive line, wide receiver, they absolutely need to add someone to that picture, I’d say at least someone that kind of falls into that number two slash number three territory that DeAndre Hopkins was for them last year.

Nestor Aparicio  28:47

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So fascinating, dude.

Luke Jones  28:48

I mean, just all the way around, that’s the offense, the defense we talked about, D tackle, they absolutely could still use another edge to add to their rotation. I I don’t know if off ball linebackers quite as urgent as some portray it, because you have roquan Smith, I thought Trenton Simpson played well last year, and Teddy Buchanan should be back, you know, at some point early in the season. So I don’t think it’s dire there. But if you’re saying, hey, roquan might be a cap casualty at this time a year from now, then maybe you’re looking at that position to add another, at least another Trenton, Simpson, Teddy Buchanan type to that room right talk, meaning a third or fourth round guy, so off ball, linebacker and corner. You know, I’ve kind of buried corner a little bit. That corner is urgent, like not, not their biggest need, but I think it’s pretty high on the list when you consider Humphrey, who we we talked about the possibility that he might be released as a captain. I don’t

Nestor Aparicio  29:46

look at him as a solution right now. I look at him as a depth piece.

Luke Jones  29:50

Okay, well, then who’s their other starting corner, besides Nate Wiggins. I mean, is it a woozy a I mean, I like a woo. I’m glad they brought him back. But you. You know? I mean, that’s that top three there. Okay, you’ll sell me on Wiggins, especially with the new coaching staff and better defensive minded head coach. I think Wiggins is, you know, if you’re going to ask me right now, young guys that I could see taking a big step in 2026 Wiggins would probably be really high on that list. You know, I think with better coaching, I think he’s at times showing the ability to be a really good corner. So, but to your point, what’s the confidence level in Marlon Humphrey? Where is he going to play? Where is he best suited to play at this point in time? And in the case of a Woozi a he had a really nice year for the Ravens. Last year, he was for all the Jair Alexandra sizzle a woozy ended up being the stake in terms of the guy that actually played and played well for them. So I like that, but he’s another year older, and he’s a guy that has an extensive injury history who actually played pretty stayed pretty healthy this past year. So what’s your point?

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Nestor Aparicio  30:56

You need some depth there. And I mean always that depth. It’s fifth, sixth, seventh round guys, and you’re like, I won’t put them on the field. Well, that’s

Luke Jones  31:03

the thing. I mean, when you’re talking about fifth, sixth, seventh round corners, that’s to me, that’s inventory, until they prove otherwise.

Nestor Aparicio  31:09

TJ Tampa’s and the guys that they drafted, right? I mean, at various points, some do, some don’t, but like, once you start getting me into Saturday and drafting guys in the secondary. I’m not necessarily seeing every one of them as being I, you know, I’m trying to think of guys the LA Darius webs, you know, like guys that wind up being really good players that that’s really hard to come by. It’s hard enough to draft them in the first and second round and get them on the field right and have them be exceptional. We’ve had good, you know, going back to Starks and McAllister all the way through, they’ve had a mixed bag here, but it’s a thing that you’ve beaten the band on, because when you go into Cincinnati, they’re going to have players that at that position are going to look to beat you.

Luke Jones  31:57

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Yeah, no question about it. And honestly, it wouldn’t be my top choice. But I think you look at corner, to me, it’s not impossible to see a scenario where they take a corner in the first round. I don’t, you know, I unless it’s Mansoor delaying, you know, the LSU corner, who maybe falls a little bit, I don’t know if that you know, the scenario

Nestor Aparicio  32:19

looking a little bit at 14 is like, you identify Kyle Hamilton players or nine players and say, My God, we’d love to have any of those nine guys on our football team. I mean, they went and got roquan Smith years later, who was probably one of those guys are like, man, if we had a pick, you know, that’s a guy we give a second round pick to move up to, you know, whatever to get. If one of those guys is still there at 14, you just take him, right? And I think that there’s that, that that may be what winds up happening. And it would be something like, Well, we thought we needed offensive line help, but we’ve got a guy. We had number six on our board, yeah, and we had the 14th pick. That’s the way Eric thinks it’s the way the organization’s always thought. It’s the way Ozzy and Phil savage I wrote about in Purple Rain one I don’t think that’s changed at all. And that’s kind of how the Hamiltons and the Suggs is. And to some degree, even the ED reads when they’re picked clean in the 20s, they just take the next best player, but the next best player at 14, there’s a real likelihood that that they might identify that player is more blue chip than some of these squeeze boxes up above them that pick every year. Eric thinks he’s a genius. Well, you know, identify that player for me that you think you couldn’t live without, and this is why you screwed up the whole Max Crosby thing was to get this football player.

Luke Jones  33:45

Yeah, I mean, it’s that’s why I said, I mean, offensive line is such a need, and honestly, that right there, the the scenario you just presented is why I keep pointing out it feels like they have a couple more needs than normal right now, because you really don’t want to be in that position where you feel like you have to, I don’t want to say reach, because I’m not suggesting like, like, if they take the Penn State kid, or if they take, you know, I’m talking about I own and or if they take Spencer fan, all like, that wouldn’t be perceived as reaching. But maybe there is someone that they have six spots higher on their board than either one of those old linemen, and that guy drops to in their lap at 14. I mean, we all remember John Harbaugh telling the story four years ago after Kyle Hamilton was drafted, where the ravens brought him in and he flat out. He was, like, surprised to see him. He’s like, What are you doing? Like, you’re not going to be there when we’re picking 14th. I mean, and you know, I believe John telling that story, because I think you look, go back and look at most of those mock drafts, no one had Kyle Hamilton falling all the way to the Ravens. Kyle Hamilton going somewhere, I don’t know, fourth, fifth, seventh, maybe ninth, right? But following the 14. So you always have to be prepared for that scenario. That’s why I said corner is a spot where I think you have to acknowledge maybe it’s not a dramatic need right now here in April of 2026, but boy, a year from now, especially, that could be a spot where you’re really, really glad you took someone there. So you have to remember the drafts, not just about 2026 it’s about the next four years. So, and in the case of a first round pick, it’s, you’re hoping the next five years, you know, with the fifth year options. So I’ll keep defaulting back to O line. But doesn’t mean that they’re not going to have someone fall into their lap that they say, This is too good to pass up, right? This isn’t, this isn’t the 12th player we had on the board, and the 13th is an O lineman. In that case, O line is going to be where you go because it’s the more acute need. But if this is the fifth best player you had on your board and suddenly he’s there for whatever reason at 14, then that’s a totally different conversation. But I’ll continue to go back to that’s where I look at this thing and say they got a little more need with their roster right now than you’d like, because of that scenario potentially taking place where you don’t want to be in a position where you’re feeling, well, we really love that prospect. It’s not quite as great of a need for us, but because, if you take them and that might be the prudent thing to do long term, but you still need someone to play O line for you, then, right? I mean, you’re still in a position where, what do you do? As I said to you a couple weeks ago when we were talking about the Linder bomb thing, fiscal responsibility can’t line up at Center for you in September, you’re you still need a guy, right? So we’re going to see all all the the mock drafts and the speculation and the rumors and all that stuff will soon go away, and they’re actually going to pick some real football players here over the next few days. And as much as the pre draft process can be a little exhausting, from from my taste from an entertainment standpoint, you know, I kind of get sick of everyone and their mom making a mock draft. But at the same time, I find draft weekend itself, itself to be interesting and exciting, and especially now with a new coaching staff, there’s definitely some intrigue to see who the newest Baltimore Ravens are going to be. But to go back to your point, I mean, about these 11 picks, man, this this year, feels a little more important than normal. To really hit on a high percentage. You’re not going to hit on all of them, right? No one. No one’s going to go 11 for 11. But, man, you’d really like to come away with at least a couple starters and a couple other guys that can help you way sooner rather than later. And then if you can develop a couple other guys from a long term perspective, then that’s when you look back at the draft two or three years from now and say, Man, that was a really, really, really good draft. I mean, the 2022 draft for the ravens, look at all the guys that ended up getting paid. You know, they paid Hamilton and a bunch of other guys got paid elsewhere. So you look back at that four years later and say, Man, that was pretty darn good draft, even with some of the disappointment that came in that, which was David ajabo, for example, in that draft.

Nestor Aparicio  38:09

Sure you don’t want to go to Pittsburgh. It’s gonna be 80 degrees Thursday. I’m sure,

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Luke Jones  38:15

I’m sure I pause. I will be, I will be content enjoying some of the

Nestor Aparicio  38:18

food day museum will do well, come on.

Luke Jones  38:22

Hey. You know I and obviously I know you’re this is a little bit here. I enjoy Pittsburgh, especially when it gets warmer in the in the year you get in the spring and summertime Pittsburgh.

Nestor Aparicio  38:33

8

Have you been to a baseball game there?

Luke Jones  38:35

I have remember, we went to one

Nestor Aparicio  38:36

on the way back from I took you with me.

Luke Jones  38:39

That was the Ray Lewis Hall of Fame trip. Yeah, it was fun. I mean, it’s a anyone who hasn’t been to the pirates ballpark, what PNC Park, or whatever they’re calling it these days, it’s beautiful. I mean, especially you sit up higher and you can see the view. I mean, it’s, it’s gorgeous there. So I haven’t much as we make fun of Pittsburgh, you know, there are some nice things about that city. I’ll say, at least begrudgingly, I’m

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Nestor Aparicio  39:03

sneaking into Pittsburgh next month to see Springsteen, and there you go. So I saw Springsteen in New York this week, and he’s fantastic. And I need to bring all that on. But I will, and those Lofgren will come on before the Washington show, and we’ll chat. But Mike Tomlin is going to show up now on Sunday night as part of, like, one of our the you know, one of the staples that we have here in the house, we watch Sunday night football to, like, get the highlights and get ready for the game, and to watch Chris Collinsworth and his son and, like all of that, Tomlin is going to replace Dungey, I guess, sort of, kind of I get, I guess it’s still Jason Garrett. I don’t know, but either way, so I haven’t texted to congratulate him yet. But there’s something about having Tomlin in my living room every Sunday room every Sunday, and I did, you know, I don’t know. We’ll see out. How do you think that’s going to turn out?

Luke Jones  39:47

It’ll be interesting. I mean, if you remember when all this, all the speculation was floating, all the rumors were floating about both horrible and Tomlin. I can’t even remember who it was. I don’t know if it was Florio or whoever am. Have been they kept saying that Tomlin had a TV offer in his back pocket, that the scenario was there that he might walk away. I told my wife, that’s what I think he’s

Nestor Aparicio  40:08

going to do, because that’s what everybody else thought

Luke Jones  40:10

8

he was. So I don’t know if it was specifically this offer or maybe someone just knew that an offer would be coming, but it’ll be interesting. I mean, I

Nestor Aparicio  40:18

think if he gets to be himself, like the guy that’s different than the guy that was at the podium. Because I don’t think he ever broke cafe on the podium ever, like in talking to all this. I mean, you know, PR guys and whatnot, like the real guy for Mike Tomlin would be Charles Barkley esque, you know what? I mean, like, literally,

Luke Jones  40:41

one of the wildest things. And I’m not saying this is a criticism to him. I’m just telling you history right here. One of the wildest things about Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh, He only spoke to the media twice a week, even though a head coach is required to speak to the media four times a week at a minimum. The reason why, now he was a quote available to the media upon request. It’s what you just said. He said nothing like literally would say, Not literally. I’m sorry I did that. I hate when people do that. But he said nothing. He would say nothing of substance, to the point where the Pittsburgh reporters started saying, this is just wasting our time on Wednesday. This is just wasting our time on Friday, like, let’s go into the locker room and talk to players, because Mike’s not going to say a darn thing of substance. So it really got to the point for him that he talked after the games, of course. And instead of a Monday press conference. He did a Tuesday press conference. But if you would look at Pittsburgh’s press release every week that you know, media game release every week, on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, it would say Coach Tomlin available upon request. But otherwise he did not speak. Go to the podium and speak, which just very strange to someone who, and I’ve only covered one head coach, but it’s standard around the league. Head coaches talk Monday, head coaches talk Wednesday. Head coaches talk Friday, and they talk after the game, right? So, so yeah, to your point, if he can be himself and he can, you know, put his hair down, so to speak,

Nestor Aparicio  42:16

Paul was so much more interesting to me as a fan, as a human, as a vested person, as a p when, like, real humans were involved. I remember, yeah, I mean, it was like when Rex Ryan was here and Mike Patton was here, and Marvin was here, Mike Nolan was here, Brian was here, and just like Mike Smith, just real humans, Jack Del Rio, just, you know, flaws, warts, the whole deal. Sure, I don’t, I don’t understand this. If they want to make Jesse Minter, you know, they want to Johnny Bravo, him up and maybe somebody gets a selfie with him at the gas pump once a year. Like, if that’s what it is, then I guess that’s what it is. But it’s certainly,

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Luke Jones  42:55

it’s become more and more performative, right? I mean, well, unless

Nestor Aparicio  42:59

you’re Mike Vrabel, you know, dipping toes with reporters. Well, female reporters, yeah, in pools in Sedona, that’s, that’s a different he’s got his gig, and she’s gonna lose her whole career over it. And, you know, I mean, I’ve watched Harbaugh go get his 100 million dollars while I sit here, and I’m an ex reporter while they let you in. Like they just make shit up as they go along, honestly, and it’s just all to protect the protected.

Luke Jones  43:25

And, you know, and, and I think, I think such a big part of it has become, you know, more and more of an awareness of our players are listening to this. We don’t want to say anything that’s going to compromise anything with how our players feel, or our ability to win a game so but, and I understand that, right? I mean, I understand like it would be foolish of a coach to just go up there every single week and just dress down all your lesser players, right? I mean, that’s not how you’re going to maintain a culture that said if there’s something that’s so painfully glaring, it’s okay to acknowledge it from time to time. Well, the item these

Nestor Aparicio  44:04

8

guys are, you don’t need to tell it comes to taking criticism in a world where criticisms everywhere, and people are betting on it, and they’re, they’re, I am, about their bets and this and that, and you, you like, there’s and they’re making so much money, you know what I mean, like against the grain of the guys that are betting on these games and going to games and sitting in the truest club and, like, whatever, like, I think about the great divide in all of it financially, especially when I go to baseball games and see how empty it is and saying that guy’s making $30 million a year off of, like, yeah, how hard It is to create $30 million dollars. I saw your mom even pimping the $99 pack. I’m glad your mom loves mass and too so. But the $99 package is for massing about to go away and there, and looks like the rotation is about to go away, just where all the money’s coming from, and what the responsibility and you. I had an interesting chat with Mike McDonald before he was Super Bowl Head Head Coach champion. Mike McDonald just about what the responsibilities were for Ted March or Broda here, and Brian Billick and what how it changed for har ball, and how Tomlin changed it in Pittsburgh, and how the game has changed, and what Minter is going to be as a coach, as an iconic civic figure. When you’re the head coach of the football team around here, it used to mean something locally, not in Rio or London or whatever, but like what the job is and and it’s massaging the shoulders of all of your multi million dollar athletes first, like, that’s the first job. And that’s a weird thing, because Frank Kush didn’t come at it that way.

Luke Jones  45:49

Yeah. I mean, things have, things have definitely changed, that’s for sure. I mean,

Nestor Aparicio  45:53

this guy’s making n i l money, right? Like, that’s a different breed of human we have here. I mean, it’s getting drafted this weekend. Yes. I mean,

Luke Jones  46:00

just think about and this came up recently. You and I haven’t talked about it, and I don’t have too much to say on it, but zay flowers doing a podcast where he’s talking about how hard they practiced at the end of last year and how he believed that that was a factor with their injuries and everything. Go look at the CBA. Now, if John Harbaugh was violating the CBA late in the season. That’s a different story, and right? That would be a different discussion. That wouldn’t shock me. He’s gotten in trouble before, not during the season, but during OTAs. We know that, but, but, boy, when you’re hearing that, when you consider the number of padded practices that are even permitted during the regular season, I mean, that’s that’s a reminder of we’re a long ways away from even the days of Ray Lewis,

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Nestor Aparicio  46:47

if I got him on and he saw their practice schedule versus what he had like

Luke Jones  46:53

and by the way, those guys who practiced in late 90s, late 90s and early 2000s all the old colts from the 60s and 70s, would Look at that and say, Man, those guys had

Nestor Aparicio  47:02

it easy. Raymond Barry what he was thinking.

Luke Jones  47:04

8

And look, let’s be clear, and let’s be let’s be real about this, because you and I’ve talked about this, things needed to change, and things should change and evolve with how much we know about CTE and concussions and the long term effects of head injuries, but also knee replacements and shoulder replacements and hip replacements, and all the different, all the different junk that these guys go through now. They make a lot of money to do it. No one you know, at the end of the day, I’m not, I don’t think they’re asking anyone to feel sorry for them, but that’s why things adapt. But it was funny hearing that and just thinking back to man a long ways away from even, I mean, Joe Flacco talked very recently, in the last couple months, how he talked about how how much easier practice is now compared to when he was a rookie. It just speaks to things change. So yeah, that’s part of it. And as a head coach, if you’re doing things the same way in 2026 as you did in 2016 compared to 2008 if you’re John Harbaugh, or if you’re Andy Reid, compared to when you’re with the Eagles in 1999 then chances are that’s probably not going to to go very well. I’m the best coaches than the ones who do it the longest are the ones that evolve and adapt and change, and I think that’s where it’s so fascinating now to see the Ravens go from a head coach in his 60s who was here a very long time to someone who has ties to the hardball way, but is 20 years younger and a head coach for the first time, and Someone who has a reputation for being relatable to his players, if you go and ask people with guys that played with the chargers and all that, so yeah, it’s going to be fascinating to see how this looks and what’s different about Jesse Minter compared to John Harbaugh. Because, as we’ve kind of said, it’s not a full blown tear down and build back up, but it is a refresh at the very least. So I am interested to see where they’re going to refresh beyond just the uniforms

Nestor Aparicio  49:07

they put out. Like, hey, hey, hey, that’s my last note. Did you looking at my notes here? Are we like the fan now we write everything down we’re going to do.

Luke Jones  49:14

I mean, we’re not. I appreciate the rundown that you

Nestor Aparicio  49:16

sent me. Yeah, no, no, well, exactly I’ve never sent you in my life that I would never say that’s my clone working that said things over you, but I did have your jersey fashion Rio and schedule as my last notes for you. I mean, we’re about to get into the purple season again, while the Orioles are going to fart around and do whatever they’re doing right now and they come home, we’re eating crab cakes around here. We’re gonna have a good time. They’re wrecking the Preakness and sold it off to the Gypsies in Kentucky. So I’ll get into all of that. But the jersey thing, I’m still fascinated by how miserable some of you freaking people are that I we would call it subtle changes. Nobody here urinated upon. It at all, and I’m the most hated guy. PS, oh, what’s that I’m,

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Luke Jones  50:07

yeah, you and I, I had some constructive criticism, which

Nestor Aparicio  50:10

was just with Todd freedom about shadows and the gold. It is absolutely you know what? To me, though, it is a step backwards. I don’t think they’re cool I don’t think they’re all slow or anything. I prefer that they lean more into the gold create, not like Trump, but like I I’m shocked that it’s a more muted thing as I see it, and a little more streamline, a little more muted, but like and I prefer the darker purple, like David Modell. We talked about it like, I prefer them to not look like the grapes in the Fruit of the Loom. I prefer them to have a darker, nastier purple, a more violet purple, but that doesn’t show up until it shows up as black on television. So like, I’ve talked about this on blue in the face, but I’m blown away that anybody could look at those jerseys and say, Oh my God, look at how all like the social media and the Ravens, like, I don’t know, man. I mean, there’s nothing really to get excited about. There’s nothing to be alarmed about, and it’s fine. And to me, it’s a half a shade backwards, and that’s how I felt about it. I Is there. They’re not my favorite jerseys, and none of that makes me go buy it. Nor do I want to buy a Camden Yards green seat, you know, like Miami Hurricanes be more, any more than I wanted to buy city connect, because the sleeves had a multi color, multicultural civic you know, like it looks good and I want it, or it doesn’t and I don’t want it, or it used to look good, like the oiler stuff, and they’ve bastardized it. Now I don’t want it

Luke Jones  51:45

anymore, yeah, well, but I would also say, for those who really like them that, then great, you know, like, it’s fine, like, We’re all entitled to our opinion on something like this. I said, I wrote this at Baltimore positive.com I wrote, I thought it was a slight downgrade from a uniform set that I, frankly, I really liked overall, that said I thought this was fine, and it’s interesting. I did want to note, I mean, they’ve talked about this Nike, they had uniforms last off season, a concept last off season that the Raven said no. So I’m guessing that was more Oregon, I’m guessing that was more to see

Nestor Aparicio  52:22

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what that looks like. Not that I want them to wear that

Luke Jones  52:27

you wouldn’t have no

Nestor Aparicio  52:28

then, then you’re really speaking what my language with Radom, which is, listen, they can mess around with this. And Josh luken and and the guys out there that, because it up, because it was their project, they can hype, yeah, I mean, they can hype it up all they want, but Steve, at the end of the day, if he doesn’t like it, it’s not going anywhere. And if it’s too jazzy, because Steve’s at the club and at the golf and the boat and the billion and the, you know, like the jacket and, like, it’s got a it’s got a Johnny Bravo for Steve, that’s who they’re performing for. And I’m being really honest with you, because if they bring anything in that’s a little too jazzy, a little too whatever, Steve’s got to watch his team, his team, run around on the stadium that we built. We built paid for from us. But is it Steve’s jam? And that’s like, that’s how important these jerseys that I mean, why do you think the Oilers are Titans? Are running around the Oilers jersey. Nobody. Tennessee wants that. It’s the the lady that grew up with look out football. Here we come. And so whatever Steve’s conservative vibe would be, would serve you being a more conservative person in that way where you don’t want them to look like they’re running around in their pajamas. Nor do I people think I’m not conservative? Oh my. They haven’t seen my jersey taste so, yeah, I don’t want them looking like goofy, and neither did Steve. And I guess if Nike’s pushing that, if somebody in the building is young and hip and cool, and if it’s not getting by Steve, it’s not getting changed. And that’s, I think, what I would say about the jersey thing. And I don’t, you know, I don’t particularly love it. I I wish they do something a little more jazzy, honestly, but

Luke Jones  54:04

that’s me. I mean, I if they were going to do something, this is what I was hoping was going to be. I mean, all things being equal, I would rather I was fine with the way the uniforms were. I like them. I agree. I think the other factor that you have to keep in mind here and this, this ties in with what you just said about bashati. If you put out uniforms and everyone hates them, you’re stuck with them. Like, it’s five years, right? I mean, you can’t change uniforms. Like, you can’t put out uniforms that are absolutely horrendous and then have new ones the following year. Like, it’s not it’s a lengthy process with Nike and all the different parties in terms of a redesign. So that was,

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Nestor Aparicio  54:43

go back and look at Drew Bledsoe, and you can see errors have been made, sure,

Luke Jones  54:46

sure, so. But the point is, I mean, you know, it’s funny. I think you mentioned the Falcons recently. Look how many times they’ve changed their uniforms over the last 25 years, and they all

Nestor Aparicio  54:56

look like it’s done by AI. Graphics engine, and I feel like this Raven streamlining, I don’t know, a little bit. It feels like it’s Disney fied. It feels like property. It feels like a bunch of people got involved, and this was the middle, and it’s look. They’re jersey. They’re fine.

Luke Jones  55:13

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But what I My biggest hope for, whatever the jersey redesign was going to be, was they’re still going to look like the ravens, and I think they’re still going to look like the right. It’s not, it’s not this dramatic. Oh my gosh, I can’t read the numbers. Or they’re leaning into, you know, an all gold jersey, like, you know, like, there’s not when I put the

Nestor Aparicio  55:32

Orioles on there, wearing the look at, like the hurricanes in Miami, hurricanes. So they’re fine, but, but that

Luke Jones  55:38

said, like, we can all have an opinion on it, like I saw people getting mad over it online. I’m just like, if you love the new uniforms, that’s fine. And if you’re not crazy about it, that’s fine too. Mean, at the end of the day, it’s way more important. How do they play in those uniforms? I’ll be back wearing my

Nestor Aparicio  55:56

super 35 throwback, because

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Luke Jones  55:58

it may go it’ll be it makes me know just, just like anyone who has, I have somewhere in the back of my closet. It’s just a replica, mind you, but I have a 1996 Jonathan Ogden, you know, the funny letters, yeah. And I didn’t really love it at the time, and I was glad with the changes they made the following year. You know, I mean, they changed to that, you know what? I want you

Nestor Aparicio  56:18

to wear it for post draft. Oh, at least I’ll get that out of your closet, see if I

Luke Jones  56:22

can find it might actually be packed away in my attic somewhere.

Nestor Aparicio  56:25

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But, well, don’t let the moths get to it. I mean, it was just, it was the put the damn thing on. Why you got

Luke Jones  56:30

it in a box? It was out

Nestor Aparicio  56:33

display it. It was the Russ,

Luke Jones  56:35

I’m pretty sure it was the Russell athletic, just replica. That was probably 40 bucks, right?

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Nestor Aparicio  56:40

I mean, if you find me in Eric, you let me know, because I want one. All right, you know, it’s funny.

Luke Jones  56:45

You bet you that I was one of those. I was an irrational Eric zeier supporter. I don’t know why I thought he was. And hey, for five minutes in 1997 he had a couple.

Nestor Aparicio  56:56

Georgie had that big preseason game against the bears. You know, I can’t remember what I have for his time, but I can remember Eric zeier Playing a preseason game as a Cleveland Browns. I have so many memories of Eric zeier, you know, like out in the old facility and stuff like that. Luke Jones is here. We have new memories about to be made. They’re going to draft their next John Ogden and Ray Lewis, and not their next Deron Jenkins or I? Yeah, I’m just going through I don’t know who’s who’s the guy to trip down the steps in the first round? He had a fun name, Sergio Kindle.

Luke Jones  57:29

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Oh yeah. I thought when you said trip down the steps, I thought you meant the draft.

Nestor Aparicio  57:34

No, no, no, no, no, something happy draft weekend to everybody celebrating. If you’re going to Pittsburgh, they got good weather. I’ve been trying to drag Luke to Pittsburgh. He won’t go to Pittsburgh with me unless it’s a football game. We are W, N, S T AM, 1570 Towson, Baltimore, and we never stop talking Baltimore positive and crab cakes soon, I promise you.