The Ravens rush of NFL trade deadline and pass on the trenches

With all of the hubbub of the NFL trade deadline and all of the extra salary cap space Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta had at his disposal, the team added just edge specialist Dre’Mont Jones from the Tennessee Titans for a 5th round pick. Luke Jones and Nestor assess the moves and machinations of a healthier 3-5 squad headed to Minnesota as a four-point favorite against the Vikings and quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discussed the Ravens’ upcoming game against the Vikings, emphasizing the importance of the match and the team’s recent acquisitions, including Draymond Jones and Calais Campbell. They critiqued the Ravens’ trade deadline moves, noting the lack of significant improvements in the offensive and defensive lines. Jones highlighted the Vikings’ resurgence, particularly with JJ McCarthy at quarterback, and the challenges of playing in Minnesota. They also touched on the Ravens’ need for better offensive line performance and the potential impact of injuries on the team’s playoff prospects.

• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Evaluate the upcoming game against the Vikings, including the challenges the Ravens may face and the importance of their offensive performance.
• [ ] Analyze the Ravens’ trade deadline moves and how they may impact the team.
• [ ] Assess the state of the Ravens’ offensive and defensive lines and how they may affect the team’s performance.

Ravens’ Upcoming Game and Personal Updates

• Nestor Aparicio discusses the upcoming Ravens game against the Vikings in Minnesota, emphasizing the importance of the match.
• Nestor mentions his personal activities, including a crab cake tour and a medical procedure he is undergoing.
• Nestor thanks GBMC for their sponsorship and encourages listeners to take care of their health.
• Nestor and Luke Jones discuss the Ravens’ recent moves, including the acquisition of Draymond Jones and Carl Lawson.

Trade Deadline Analysis and Player Moves

• Luke Jones critiques the Ravens’ trade deadline moves, highlighting the lack of significant changes in the defensive and offensive lines.
• Luke discusses the blockbuster trades involving Quinn Williams and Sauce Gardner, expressing skepticism about their long-term benefits.
• Nestor and Luke reflect on the Ravens’ offseason moves, including the acquisition of Kyle Hamilton and the salary dump of Jair Alexander.
• Luke emphasizes the importance of maintaining long-term roster health and the challenges of making impactful trades during the season.

Ravens’ Roster Needs and Trade Deadline Strategy

• Nestor and Luke discuss the Ravens’ roster needs, particularly in the trenches, and the impact of the trade deadline on their playoff prospects.
• Luke explains the Ravens’ decision to create cap space for potential bigger moves, despite fan frustration with the lack of immediate impact.
• Nestor and Luke compare the Ravens’ trade deadline strategy with other teams, including Kansas City and Buffalo, who also made no significant moves.
• Luke highlights the importance of the upcoming game against the Vikings and the challenges of playing on the road against a resurgent team.

Vikings’ Emergence and Quarterback Situation

• Nestor and Luke discuss the Vikings’ recent performance, including their win over the Lions and the emergence of JJ McCarthy as their starting quarterback.
• Nestor expresses concern about the Ravens’ ability to win on the road against a talented Vikings team.
• Luke explains the Vikings’ offensive and defensive strengths, particularly their ability to shut down running games and the impact of their recent win.
• Nestor and Luke debate the Ravens’ chances of winning and the importance of maintaining their momentum in the final weeks of the season.

Offensive Line and Running Game Challenges

• Nestor and Luke discuss the Ravens’ offensive line, particularly the performance of Ronnie Stanley and the need for improvement in running the ball.
• Luke emphasizes the importance of early down success and the challenges of playing in a hostile environment against the Vikings.
• Nestor and Luke reflect on the Ravens’ recent success in running the ball and the need to maintain that momentum against a tough defense.
• Luke suggests potential strategies for the Ravens to improve their running game, including spreading out the offense and using more three and four wide receiver sets.

Defensive Line and Pass Rush Concerns

• Nestor and Luke discuss the Ravens’ defensive line and the impact of the acquisition of Draymond Jones on their pass rush.
• Luke explains the challenges of getting after the quarterback and the importance of having a physical presence at the edge rusher position.
• Nestor and Luke reflect on the Ravens’ defensive performance and the need for better pass rush to contain quarterbacks like JJ McCarthy.
• Luke highlights the importance of the defensive line in maintaining the Ravens’ playoff hopes and the potential impact of injuries on their depth.

Ravens’ Playoff Prospects and Long-Term Strategy

• Nestor and Luke discuss the Ravens’ playoff prospects and the importance of winning their remaining games to secure a playoff spot.
• Luke emphasizes the need for the Ravens to be better than 7-7 in the final months of the season to make a deep run in January.
• Nestor and Luke reflect on the Ravens’ long-term strategy and the importance of maintaining a balanced roster for future success.
• Luke highlights the challenges of managing high-priced contracts and the importance of making smart decisions in the trade market.

NFL Trade Deadline Highlights and Analysis

• Nestor and Luke discuss some of the notable trades during the NFL trade deadline, including the Cowboys’ acquisition of Quinn Williams and Sauce Gardner.
• Luke expresses skepticism about the long-term benefits of these trades and the impact on the teams involved.
• Nestor and Luke reflect on the Ravens’ decision to focus on defensive additions rather than offensive line upgrades.
• Luke highlights the importance of making impactful trades and the challenges of balancing short-term needs with long-term roster health.

Ravens’ Offensive and Defensive Line Needs

• Nestor and Luke discuss the Ravens’ needs in the offensive and defensive lines, particularly the lack of depth and the impact of injuries.
• Luke emphasizes the importance of having a strong offensive line to protect Lamar Jackson and run the ball effectively.
• Nestor and Luke reflect on the Ravens’ recent moves to address these needs and the potential impact of these acquisitions on their performance.
• Luke highlights the challenges of finding quality offensive linemen in the trade market and the importance of developing young talent.

Ravens’ Playoff Hopes and Remaining Schedule

• Nestor and Luke discuss the Ravens’ playoff hopes and the importance of winning their remaining games to secure a playoff spot.
• Luke emphasizes the need for the Ravens to be better than 7-7 in the final months of the season to make a deep run in January.
• Nestor and Luke reflect on the Ravens’ remaining schedule and the challenges of playing against tough opponents.
• Luke highlights the importance of maintaining momentum and the potential impact of injuries on the Ravens’ playoff prospects.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Ravens, trade deadline, Vikings, Draymond Jones, defensive line, offensive line, Lamar Jackson, JJ McCarthy, Minnesota game, quarterback, cap space, roster needs, playoffs, injury concerns.

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SPEAKERS

Nestor Aparicio, Speaker 1, Luke Jones, Speaker 2

Nestor Aparicio  00:00

Two. Welcome home. We are W, N, S T. Am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We are Baltimore. Positive it is a that’s a big week around here. Ravens heading out to Minnesota. We have a new baseball manager that Luke and I are going to get to. And we heard from David Rubenstein on the days this week. We’re also going to be hearing from our friends at the Maryland lottery. I’m doing double duty this week on the crab cake tour. Gonna be a Coco’s on Wednesday. Got some great guests. On Friday, we make our way back to Essex and pizza John’s, where they do have a crab cake by the way, it’s pretty good, but I’ll be getting to crinkle cut fries in the the gravy and a double revolone cheesesteak, and probably a pizza to go, because I haven’t had a pizza in a long time. We’ll also be thanking our friends at GBMC for sponsorship, and later in the month, I have this special medical procedure that I was shamed by a bunch of Italian men I Pappas the other night, because they’ve all said I had my colonoscopy. You got to get yours. So I am in line as a 15 or something, and people are mad at me because I waited too long. So I just want to say, if you’ve waited too long, go. Call GBMC, call your doctor. Take good care of yourself. It’s it is the season for me to be healthy so I can drink more eggnog, eat more Christmas cookies, and hopefully get this football team back into a position where a six loss would be just as devastating this week Luke as it was last week. And as we sit here and talk about this Minnesota team, this feels like a more difficult game than the next couple of games. I don’t know one from the other, but I do know I spent a little time out in Minnesota this week talking to some folks, Kevin Seaford on the show, and my dude, Paul Allen, just talking about this Vikings team and missing the quarterback, needing the quarterback, and what this is going to be. And the Ravens went out and at least got one member that might chase the quarterback around here by Sunday. Yeah, they did.

Luke Jones  01:41

I mean, Draymond Jones is going to be on the field. We’ve already talked about Carl Lawson and the likelihood of him being on the field as he’s been on the practice squad for just about two weeks at this point in time, John Harbaugh said earlier in the week that he’s probably ready to go. So it does change the complexion of their outside linebacker group. But at the same time, you and I were talking about more than just outside linebackers and edge rushers. We were talking about the defensive line. We’ve been talking about the offensive line, and the Ravens did not make any moves in those departments. Look, I think it’s important to when we’re talking about the trade deadline, it’s very easy to focus on Quinn and Williams, going to the Cowboys, sauce Gardner going to Indianapolis for two first round picks. I mean, those are the blockbuster moves that everyone remembers today. Those are the kind of moves that generally, generally speaking, don’t work out. I don’t think that’s going to work out well for the Cowboys in terms of what they’ve basically netted for Micah Parsons. Gwenny Williams is a really good player. He’s not Micah Parsons, and in Indianapolis, case, they just traded two first round picks. And who’s their quarterback again? And look, Daniel Jones is a great story this year, but are they sold on him being their quarterback? Because they they’re not gonna have first round picks here the next couple years now, right? Or or fewer of them. So it’s always, you know who wins the trade deadline in terms of making the splash at that point in time. That’s a stark contrast, typically, from who actually benefits the most from the trade deadline. And in the case of the ravens, as much as there’s fan frustration with Eric Decosta and look you and I’ve talked about it in recent weeks, I think in hindsight, his offseason hasn’t aged very well. I mean, that’s stating the obvious. When you traded away Jair Alexander in a salary dump and Cooper Rush is now the number three emergency quarterback, right? Those were two of their biggest offseason additions, not counting the draft. So I

Nestor Aparicio  03:45

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think a lot of, well, their biggest offseason edition was Hamilton, right by adding the money to him, right? Not in addition, but, like, from a financial standpoint, getting him locked sure was, was like, that was the most important thing that they were going to do in the offset. But I do want to give him credit for that in terms of improving Well, Michael Parsons is running out the back door to Green Bay. They don’t have that issue with Kyle Hamilton, right? Sure, there’s that, okay. So, but

Luke Jones  04:07

in terms of improving their football team, in terms of changes, additions, alterations to their roster, right? So, and the reality is, when you have multiple roster needs, or multiple position needs. The trade deadline is not really the place to do that. The off season is the place to do that. And so that’s where we look at this team. And as I’m writing at Baltimore positive.com I think the reality is, you look at the trenches, both sides of the football in the trenches for this football team, think it’s still too vulnerable in terms of not so much making the playoffs, but the big picture, making a run in January, making a deep run, getting to a Super Bowl right which those goals shouldn’t change, like we don’t lower the bar just because they start one in five. We were realistic about what one in five means and what that means for you. Rest of the way. But I think acknowledging all of that Draymond Jones and let’s not forget about a low he Gilman, better late than never. I would have liked a Louhi Gilman to be acquired or someone like him long before they were one in four, but they did relatively well for themselves given those two additions. You know, it’s not fixing everything that plagues their roster, but they were able to make a couple moves. And I’ll point out, look at some of the teams that didn’t make moves. I mean, Kansas City, there was so much chatter about the Chiefs adding a running back. They didn’t do that. Buffalo. There’s been plenty of chatter about what they would do at the trade deadline, they didn’t make any moves. Now, it is interesting

Nestor Aparicio  05:43

that there’s an expectation for a team to do something like, If you and I were sitting here laying the Ravens did nothing, I don’t you know, there’d be a point to say, well, they are three and five. How deep do they want to go in with draft picks? Right? Yeah.

Luke Jones  05:55

And I think that’s an interesting point. I think one, one reason there was some expectation created here. And I’m not saying this to blame fans by any means, because the Ravens did make some moves here to create some cap space. I mean, when they come out of the the trade deadline and they have roughly $14 million in cap space, you kind of say, well, you could have made a move or two. And I think that right there was a tell that Eric to Costa wanted to be in position to make a bigger move. But sometimes it doesn’t come together. Now, if fans want to sit here, and

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Nestor Aparicio  06:31

maybe Quinn and Williams was something that maybe you’re right. I mean, like, that’s the kind of money it would take to bring someone like that on without crushing yourself on the cap. You want to be able to acquire a quality player, and then you find out what the price is, and you’re like, Nah, right?

Luke Jones  06:47

And that’s, look, that’s what we’re talking about here. I mean, you wanted to be in position, and they put themselves in position to make a move like that, but it didn’t come to fruition. Now, I mean, you look at what the Cowboys gave up. Did you want the ravens to give up more than that, because I’m guessing crazy old Jerry Jones probably would have ponied up and increased his offer if anyone else was offering something comparable to that. So that’s where you look at this thing. And you remember, they have a high price quarterback. They, to your point, they just gave made Kyle Hamilton the highest paid safety in the

Nestor Aparicio  07:18

league. We have a high price quarterbacks. Gonna be a higher price quarterback at the end of this year, right? Like the cap number in the offseason, it becomes priority one, right?

Luke Jones  07:26

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And that’s what they need to address, right? So, so you look at all of this and well, that cap space is left over will help, right? Am I? Am I correct to say, no, they need this year next year. They need to read, well, yes, they can roll it over, but they need to redo Lamar steel. I mean, they need to extend them. I mean, that’s he can’t have a 70 plus million dollar cap number. If that, if that, if they can’t work that out by the start of free agency, then, yeah, you are going to be the

Nestor Aparicio  07:49

histories. He’s been wonderful to negotiate with well.

Luke Jones  07:53

But again, I understand fans being underwhelmed. I understand fans wanting them to do more. As I said, I don’t think Eric decostat had a very good offseason. What when it when you chalk everything up and see how everything is played out? Certainly you can’t account for losing namdi, Mata, BK, but at the same time, you and I talked about them needing more depth with their defensive line. This this draft, this past draft, was considered deep in defensive lineman. They waited till the sixth round the draft, draft Aeneas peoples, you know, I mean that that blew up in their face. So certainly not a perfect off season. But at the same time, this is an organization, and I don’t need to tell you this. You know this better than I do. Haven’t covered the team longer than me. They’re going to remain methodical before they turn maniacal when it when it comes to the trade deadline, or whatever they’re trying to do now out here saying, hey, well, Philadelphia got Jalen Phillips, you know, they got Jaylen Phillips from Miami for a third round pick. The Ravens could have done that. And sure they could have, or perhaps they looked at Draymond Jones and thought that was a better value for a fifth round pick, potentially, you know, becoming a fourth round pick in a conditional trade that they made. So I think Draymond Jones is a good player. I think he’s going to help. He gives them a little more of a physical presence at the edge rusher position. Probably might be their best run stopper out of that group, especially with Tavis Robinson on IR at the moment. He’s someone that has actually played some three technique and defensive line early in his career, that maybe they kick him inside and some obvious passing situations, and you can run some stunts and things of that nature. And I think there’s also a school of thought of adding Draymond Jones, maybe that takes a little bit off of Mike Green’s plate in terms of maybe allows Mike Green to maybe save some of his reps purely for pass rushing situations, and maybe that gives him a little more juice in those situations. So look, it’s not ideal. When you look at the state of where this defensive line is and where this offensive line is, I have my concerns about their. Depth in both, in both of those position groups and in the quality there’s, I’m not going to sugarcoat that at the same time, you can only make the moves that are out there. And I’ll continue to say, did you want the ravens to give up potentially, two first round picks for Quinn and Williams? I mean, if you did, then fine, like I’ll, I’ll hear that. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not sitting here saying that I wouldn’t have given up a first round pick for Quinn and Williams. That’s how good of a player he is. But the price for the cost was more than that. So, you know, I mean, the Cowboys gave up a first, a second and a player, albeit a failed first round pick. So you know, I get it, it’s we got rid

Nestor Aparicio  10:38

of our failed first round pick a couple weeks ago, sure, sure. And

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Luke Jones  10:41

again, I will go back to until I’m blue in the face and say that from the time that our Darius Washington got hurt in mid May, they needed a third safety. They got one, but they got one in week six. If they had a Louhi Gilman or someone of comparable stature, comparable play, comparable talent. Could that have avoided them? You know, could they have avoided a one in four start? Could they have been two and three, let’s say, and then they’d be in better position? We can argue that. Sure. But at the same time, you know, I think you still go back to the offseason and say, did they do enough with their offensive line? Did they do enough with their defensive line? From a depth standpoint, given the opportunity that the draft afforded, and they decided not to draft a D lineman until the sixth round. That’s what I would that’s where I would point my criticism to much more than this trade deadline, and specifically what they did or did not do in the final three or four hours on Tuesday afternoon. So we’re going to see how this plays out. I mean, there’s still a team that has Lamar Jackson, still has a lot of talent, still has a very favorable schedule, still has won two in a row, and brings it back to your original point, a big game Sunday in Minnesota against the Vikings team that kind of felt dead 10 days ago, and they they go on the road and they beat the lions. And JJ McCarthy shows some impressive poise when he’s barely played in the NFL and coming off of the injury. And all the chatter about just how hurt he was, or what the Vikings were doing, there were, you know, was it a soft benching like no, he was hurt, and he gave them some juice this past Sunday. So we’ll see what he can do this coming Sunday. And obviously the Ravens need to keep winning.

Nestor Aparicio  12:24

You talk about an organization going all in and by the way, Luke Jones is here. He’s Baltimore, Luke. You can find him out on the internet. My man, Kevin Seaford from ESPN in Minnesota, I’ve known 30 years. We covered baseball together here in the 90s. And you know, he covers the Vikings up close, and has for 30 years. The notion that McCarthy is the chosen one of O’Connell is very sort of indicative of where that franchise is going. Is to say they had other opportunities to bring in other quarterbacks. They could have kept Sam darnold around and picked him and paid him that this was hand chosen. And if O’Connell is going to keep his job and going to be the Vikings coach five years from now, this is going to have to work out. And you know, Billick always talked about being tied to the quarterback and all of that, that he’s tethered to this guy and getting him back out on the field. I’m concerned about this game just being a road game against the team that’s emerging a little bit. And I’m also just concerned in general that I don’t think the ravens are very good, like I haven’t seen that they’re very good that they you mentioned soft schedule, or aviation, that kind of ends in a couple of weeks. You know, the soft part of the schedule will go away once December starts, and we’re already into November, so they only have a couple of weeks here, and this soft part is where they got to get their season back. And I thought Minnesota was softer two weeks ago than it feels to me. They’re favored. That’s cool. I mean, they have a lot of talent to your point. They they can boat race these NFC teams from time to time, but no pass rush on the quarterback, the inability to really run the ball the way that they wanted to run the ball, just a lot of sloppiness that led to three and five. That brings them the year that I look at it and say, I don’t know how they’re favored on the road. I mean, you know, I look at it and say, What? Where are the lights for this? We’re halfway through the season. Some look kind of good in the first half against buffalo in the first game, and since then, they have not looked at all like the boat racing team that used to go into these NFC places and blow teams out and warranted being favored on the road.

Luke Jones  14:24

Yeah. I mean, I would say that third quarter in Miami, they came alive there. I mean, they scored touchdowns on the first two drives of the second half. They got a three and out in between those Lamar had the big scramble. Lamar and disputing

Nestor Aparicio  14:40

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that, but Miami is probably a three and 14. Like, yeah, I

Luke Jones  14:43

got you Well, I mean, and some of that is, you can only, you’re only playing the team that’s, there’s nothing

Nestor Aparicio  14:48

they’re going to do that’s going to be all that impressive the next three weeks. But winning in Minnesota is impressive to me.

Luke Jones  14:53

I’m just going to say, if you are talking in those terms, if you are thinking in terms of an eyeball test, I mean, you have a Vikings team. It’s coming off of a big win, a team that was teetering in terms of what you thought they were going to be, not that they’re all fixed, but they’re feeling way better about themselves, and they’re coming home Well, nobody knows what to believe in their quarterback or not, right and and that right there is why the ravens are favored. I mean, to break it down very simplistically, I mean, it’s not the only reason, but the Ravens have Lamar Jackson, and the Vikings have JJ McCarthy.

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Nestor Aparicio  15:23

The betters are daring, JJ McCarthy to go beat Lamar Jackson, exactly.

Luke Jones  15:27

Yeah, and obviously they’re not facing off one on one, but JJ McCarthy against the Ravens defense that has played better the last few weeks, I fully acknowledge that, and elohiy Gilman is a big part of that, and they’re hoping that Draymond Jones can help make it a little bit better, you know, in terms of their pass rush and everything, but, but, yeah, I think this is an opportunity for the ravens to not just get another win, which they obviously need, but of the next few weeks, anyway, because you talk about after that, you go to Cleveland. You know, Cleveland has sold off some more parts that that’s still a bad football team, albeit an AFC North opponent that you shouldn’t take for granted ever, because the Ravens have learned their lesson, you hope, the last few years, with still having lost a couple games against Cleveland, and then the Jets, who were already horrendous and and then just traded two of their best players on Tuesday. So, but, but, but of that stretch, yeah, this Minnesota game is a bigger test. I wouldn’t say it worries me in the sense that, oh my gosh, like the mighty, mighty Vikings, but in the sense that, yeah, you need to go on the road and play well, but you’re, you’re playing a team that was a playoff team a year ago. To your point, Kevin O’Connell has this reputation for being a quarterback whisperer, right? I mean, that that’s been talked about you, and I’ve talked about that in the past even, and they decided to let Sam darnold Go. And by the way, Sam darnold’s Playing MVP caliber football in Seattle right now. I mean, he’s been really, really good for them, so the spotlight, and Kevin O’Connell, he’s under the microscope that this JJ McCarthy thing needs to work, right? I mean, and granted, they drafted McCarthy before Donald had the season he had last year, right? I mean, they drafted him and then he got hurt as a rookie. But there’s they’re under the microscope for that. There’s no question. So they have plenty of skin in the game to make sure that JJ McCarthy is everything that they hope he can be. Certainly, he has impressive pedigree from college and what he did at Michigan, but he’s got what, just a couple career starts under his belt, so it is going to be interesting to see how he plays after not a spectacular performance, but I would say a poised performance he had against the lions this past Sunday. So what does that look like, and what can Zach Orr in this defense cook up against him? Right? I mean, when you’re talking about sim pressure, or, you know, simulated pressures and pre snap deception, and, you know, disguising your coverage and things of that nature. You’d like to think that you can do a better job confusing him than Josh Allen or Patrick mahomes or some of these, two weeks, three weeks, yeah, sure, exactly. So, yeah, this is a huge game. I mean, there’s no doubt about it. I mean, if that’s why I’ve said to you, you’ve talked a lot about the Ravens come December, they’re seven and seven, whatever they know. And I’ve said to you, they need to be better than seven and seven, because that final month is much more challenging on paper. They better be four and five on Sunday, because that’s all they can be, right, right? Exactly, exactly. And that’s really how you have to view it. I mean, as much as it’s coach speak and cliche, right? You do have to compartmentalize. You can’t. You can’t fix one in five with no matter how great the performance is, right? You can’t to your point. You can’t turn three and five into seven and five, no matter how many points you potentially could win by on Sunday. No, just win,

Nestor Aparicio  18:58

right? I might pick against them just to dare them to win. You know, at this point, you know, they this would be, this would be the impressive part where I believe that they can play in January again, I’ll believe that when they start, when they can win three in a row on the road, which, you know, even against bad teams or whatever, I don’t think Minnesota is a bad team at all, which is why this week trips me up. It scares me more than any of them. Do you know this month for sure? I’ll buy that they’ll win the rest of the month. I I don’t think they’re going to stumble against the Jets or the browns and and I think that they should be able to handle their own against the Cincinnati team with no defense. They should at least be able to run the ball enough to keep it out of Flacco hands. So I feel like the rest of the month, I’m I’m a big believer that there are three wins left in this calendar month. They just need to make sure it’s four because, because three wouldn’t be good enough.

Luke Jones  19:46

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Fair. Yeah, I’m not going to sit here and argue with you about that. I mean, you get to a point where you can keep projecting out what you think this team could be, what you think this team is going to be, or you just say. Go win a football game against I mean, the bike, I’m in agreement with you. I don’t think the Vikings are bad, but I don’t think they’re, I don’t know how good they are either, right? I don’t think they’re, I certainly don’t think they’re great. So, yeah, if you tell you on their offense to go up

Nestor Aparicio  20:12

there and play, and I think that, I think this will be, this will be as big of a challenge for the offense and operating in that environment, with the quarterback, with where they are, with there’ll be no Raven fans there. It’s not it’s not going to feel like Miami did last week. It’ll be purple. But, you know, people be breathing down on them on Sunday. And I’m telling you, that place is a hellhole to play. I’ve been in that building three or four times and and I’ve been in there when the Vikings have been good. But I just have a feeling it’s gonna be a long day for the Ravens offense on Sunday, if they if, if that offensive line isn’t doing what we don’t, we’re not sure it’s capable. By the way, how’s Ronnie Stanley? How’s the offensive line that I know we’re a couple days out of this, and you’ll be there next, rest of the week, but, like, that’s a bigger question for me than most of this is just in general, the offensive line has to kind of improve, not get injured, not be a tattered part of their team in the next three or four weeks. Has to be a strong part of their team.

Luke Jones  21:09

Yeah. I mean, you want to see them be more physical. I mean, we talked about it in the aftermath of the Miami game. Look, you can go someone who didn’t watch the game. You can look at the final numbers and say, Hey, Derek, Henry, had a big night. Hey, they ran the ball the average whatever yards per carry it was. It looked really, really good from a box score standpoint, but we all know they didn’t run the ball worth a jack, you know, worth jack for two and a half quarters, right? It wasn’t until they had already grown a two score lead in the third quarter that and it kind of felt like Miami had given up at that point. They didn’t start popping runs until then. I mean, Derek Henry, I think, was 11 carries for 34 yards, his first 11 carries of the ball game. So they’ve got to be better. They’ve got to be better on first down. They’ve got to be better running the ball in the first half when it’s a game neutral situation, okay, if you can run the ball when you have a lead, great. You’ll protect the lead. But that needs still needs to be part of their identity to build leads, right? I mean, you don’t want to put too much on Lamar Jackson, especially understanding that this offensive line is not great in pass protection either. So that’s still a part of the game they need to unlock. I’ve said it to you. I really think as much as I’d love to sit here and wish this offensive line to be more physical, I still think part of the the formula could be to spread teams out a little more and run from three wide receiver sets, run from four wide receiver set.

Speaker 1  22:35

Record well, but that’s not exactly what

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Luke Jones  22:39

I’m talking about here. I think part of the issue is they’re trying to be heavy and physical. I just don’t think they’re very good at it. So I think there’s something to be said for spreading out the opposition, get them out of a situation. You know, if you’re come out in three wide receivers or four wide receivers, and again, I’m not saying every single play, but more of that, you force a team to get out of putting eight men in the box, because they’re not going to leave wide receivers uncovered. I mean, Lamar Jackson, pretty good quarterback, right, to state the obvious. So I kind of wonder if the idea is to spread them out a little bit more and try to run that way, and then you can loosen up a defense in that regard, and then maybe come back to running from some of the heavier formations and what have you. So they’ve got to figure that out. I mean, and that’s one thing about the Minnesota defense. They they shut down an excellent running game. I mean, Detroit with Gibbs and Montgomery. I mean, that’s the best running back duo in the NFL. And go look at their numbers. They did next to nothing, and they’re playing at home, so it’s going to be a challenge. And I think what’s going to be key for this ravens offense. They have to be good on first down. You have to get yourselves in second and short, third and short, right if you’re in third and long, playing in that building, with that crowd noise, with that offensive line trying to pass protect and Brian Flores and that defense the way they want to get after you and Blitz and do different things. In that regard, that’s where there aren’t many situations where I don’t love my chances with Lamar Jackson, but those that set of variables I don’t love that, you know, not that Lamar can’t make plays and still do amazing things, but you don’t want to make things too difficult for him. So that’s where that’s going to be a challenge. And I still think they’re being able to run the ball is going to be critical for them. And Minnesota, I will say this. I mean, prior to this past Sunday, they’d had their issue stopping the run. So you don’t want to make too much of one game in the same way that Miami looked great against Atlanta. But if you looked at their previous what six games, or whatever it was, they were horrendous. So which team showed up more? So last Thursday night, the team threw their first five, six games, but it’s a team that’s going to be feeling good about themselves, and they’re going to have confidence in the plan at home, and that crowd’s going to be fired up coming off of a big win over a division rival. So it is going to be interesting in that way. So we’re going to see how it plays out. To bring it back to again, the app. Or math of the trade deadline. I I do like the Draymond Jones acquisition. I think he can help. I don’t think he’s a game changer that’s going to like move the needle dramatically, but I think he can be part of the equation there. So, you know, they need their defense to play sound football. They need to be, you know, they they certainly have become this bend but don’t break. And they’ve gotten way better at the not breaking part, when you consider how they played inside the red zone and on third down these last few weeks compared to earlier in the season. But there’s still a team that still has its flaws on defense, and that begins with not being able to get after the quarterback. So in the case of McCarthy, you know you’d like to pressure him, but I would also say he can move too. He can run, you know, he’s not Lamar, obviously, but he can get out of the pocket, and he can extend plays, and he can take off on you. And that’s the kind of quarterback that has given the Ravens some problems this year. So, you know, we’re going to see how that plays out. It’s, it’s a really interesting matchup in that way. I mean, I expect the ravens to win. You know, I’m not going to, but I’m not going to sit here and say that I’m picking the Vikings, but at the same time not sitting here expecting that it’s going to be this easy game, that they’re going to win by three touchdowns or anything like that. I mean, the Vikings, they’ve got some juice, and they still have a lot of talent. Quarterbacks, the big question mark for them, obviously, but their defense has gotten a little bit healthier, and you saw what their defense can do to a really good offense this past week playing on the road. So you can only imagine what it could look like playing in their own building. So ravens just they have to find a way to be better in early down situations. If they repeat their first half performance that they had against Miami, they’ll be in trouble. There’s no doubt about that. They’ll be losing. They’ve got to come out of the gate much better offensively. And again, that starts with an offensive line that I don’t have a great degree of confidence in, beyond Tyler linderbaum. And if, if Ronnie Stanley’s healthy, which think he is, you know, he got through this past game, and that was the first time he done that in a month. So that was good to see. But is that going to continue? That’s still one of the big stories for this football team as we get into the second half of the season.

Nestor Aparicio  27:10

You know, it’s a question about given the fifth round draft pick, where, whether you rather had Zeitler or whether you rather have Draymond Jones, right, like and for Tennessee specifically, and to say why they didn’t try to upgrade the offensive line, I don’t know. But, I mean, the defense was certainly much more in need, especially after OA one went out right like so, yeah, I’m not shocked. I thought they’d make more moves, though I did. I mean, they’ve added two defensive players, but also eliminated adafe away in that addition part of the last month, when they made the deal? I Yeah, I’m, I’m not underwhelmed by the trade deadline part of it, and I’m also cognizant that they’re three and five, that they are going to play with what they got at this point, right? I mean, that’s, that’s really the truth, right?

Luke Jones  27:54

And again, as I said, I think you saw the moves that they made to clear some cap space. I think they had themselves in position to make a bigger move. But you you make the move that you feel one is available to you, and two, you feel is going to be a net positive for you, not just for the rest of the season, but moving forward. As we’ve said, when you have a quarterback, when you have a safety, when you have a linebacker, when you have all these different you know, left tackle, who’s making 20 million a year when you have all these high price, big contracts, you do have to be mindful about where your money’s going to go, and also you need to be mindful about how valuable draft picks are going to be for you, right? And I know fans don’t want to hear that at the trade deadline, but it is Eric da Costa’s responsibility, just like any other general manager to maintain long term health as well. Well

Nestor Aparicio  28:45

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is Zeitler thing because of his contract, they would have lost a,

Luke Jones  28:50

I mean, right? I mean the compensatory, yeah, I’m less moved by that part of it, but I would just say, in general, how many offensive linemen got traded? Not many. Trevor penning was one of them, and he’s not considered to be very good at all, right? I mean, the Chargers are desperate for, we’re desperate for a couple, you know, a warm body, considering they just lost their the guy that replaced their left tackle from training camp who was their right tackle and was playing left tackle now he’s done for the year too. So when you’re talking about situations like that, you’re so desperate that you kind of need anyone with a pulse, right? But Trevor penning is not good. I mean, he’s just, he’s not so, you know, I get it, and I’m not going to sit here and I’m not giving the Ravens two thumbs up and doing cartwheels about what they did at the trade deadline when, as I said, I’ve been saying since mid May that they needed a third safety. I would have preferred not to have to give up an ED edge rusher to get he said third safety, although alohi Gilman has played well for them, alohi Goman, at this point, still could end up being one of the best. Wasn’t a deadline acquisition, in the sense that it was two days before the deadline, but an in season trade. I. That’s still looking for

Nestor Aparicio  30:01

any thumbs up on that deal. I mean, I noticed him. He’s making plays.

Luke Jones  30:04

It was, I’m thumbs up on him. I guess for me it was, you were one in four when you did that, right? They needed a third safety from the moment ardarius Washington got hurt, and instead, they went and got Jair Alexander, and that was an utter failure, right? So again, frustration about the trade deadline, I think, should be more appropriately directed towards what was an underwhelming offseason. You know that what few resources they had? I’m not sure they used very well. Cooper rush, right? I mean, Cooper rush and Jair Alexander. I mean, that was $8 million they kind of lit on fire, right? And they recoup 2 million of the Alexander, you know, by dumping his salary and creating a little bit of cap space. But, you know, again, you kind of go down this list, and Quinton Williams would have been great. But like I said, How much were you willing to give up for him? At least a one and a two, right? And again, Jerry Jones probably going to pony up more than that, you know, if there’s another team bidding to that degree. So if it had been a one, I think I would have done that more than that. You know, Eric TECOS is not going to do that, whether, whether you wanted them to or not. So we’re going to see how this plays out. This team still has a lot of really talented football players, and it just feels like this year more so than the last few years. You know, not not counting the Ronnie Stanley injury years, but you know, go back like last year, year before that 2019 although that was certainly a different iteration of the Ravens. At that point in time, they were much younger, except for Marshall, yeah, but, but a much different roster makeup even. I mean, you think how much his team has changed in six years. They have better wide receivers Now, sure, oh, no doubt, but, but I think this year they fall more into the category of, I’ll buy them being able to win the division, not saying it’s guaranteed, but I’ll buy that. I’ll buy them making the playoffs. I have a tough time buying the state of their offensive and defensive lines being good enough for them to make a deep, deep run in January. But I will continue to say this until I’m blue in the face. And I’ve said this many times over the years, the 2012 ravens did not look like a team that was well equipped to make a deep run in December. I mean, they had fired their offensive coordinator for goodness sake, right? I mean, they had lost four of their last five, and they got hot. So is this team capable of getting hot if they get in into January and Lamar exercises demons and the way that Josh Allen’s still trying to do in Buffalo, we’ll see, right? I mean, we’re gonna sit here and say it can’t happen. I mean, this AFC still feels very open, right? I mean, as much as we talk, you know, I can keep talking about Kansas City with the eyeball test. They’re five and four. I mean, they’ve got to get there first buffalo. They’re a wild card right now, right? I mean, it’s, it’s a really different looking AFC right now. And that’s where I think it’s fascinating. I don’t, I don’t like the price that they paid, but it’s fascinating that Indianapolis went and got sauce Gardner. Now the question for me is, is Daniel Jones going to continue to play like this, or is he going to turn back into a pumpkin, and then you’re going to say, oh my gosh, we we just gave away two first round picks, and we don’t have a franchise quarterback long term, right? So I think that’s where that was such an interesting move. But hey, it’s trades are fun, you know? I mean, I not going to sit here and begrudge action, you know, but I’ll certainly look at some of these deals and say, you know, in some cases, I think you’re going to see some pretty heavy buyers remorse. Quentin Williams is a great player. I don’t know what the Cowboys are doing, right? I mean, whoa. I mean, that’s been four decades, sure, three decades, right? I mean, it’s, I don’t know, I don’t think you have Netflix, but Netflix did a documentary on Jerry Jones and and the Cowboys. It was like, six parts.

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Nestor Aparicio  33:52

You mean, Jerry did a doll manager, Jerry, yeah, it was gonna be honest, no, but

Luke Jones  33:56

no, but it was. It was well done. And it is amazing to kind of see what they were in the late 80s through the mid 90s, and just how bad it’s been ever since. I mean, you have this dynasty.

Nestor Aparicio  34:09

And let me ask you a question, who’s making more money than me? Who’s making more money? Who’s Who knows how to make money?

Speaker 2  34:14

8

Yeah, well, that’s it. Jokes on the rest of us, right? But no, but so, I mean, that was a huge trade. I mean, that was the guy that a lot of Ravens fans had talked about. But like I said, for a first round pick, sure, like I said, Quinn Williams is a great player. You weren’t going to get him for a third round pick. So I would have been willing to do that, you know. But you look at the price that Dallas paid, first, the second and mozzie Smith of a former, former first round pick, albeit not a good one. I mean, a guy that’s kind of, you know, I think he’s even been a healthy scratch for them here in recent weeks. But were you going to give up more than that to Lynn Quinn and Williams? I Well, that’s why it’s very it’s very obvious why Quinn and Williams is an ear and if I knew Decosta any more, we were. The friends that we used to be, I would just text him and say where you went on him. He’d say, Yeah, I want it. That’s why we had the cap space. We thought, we thought we had a shot. And, you know, it’s like, you think you got a shot to draft somebody, and the team running a

Luke Jones  35:11

picks up, that’s it. I think for me, the only move that was made that felt like, okay, the Ravens could have done that. I mean, they could have, they could have sent Miami a third round pick for Jalen Phillips like Philadelphia. Did you know Jaylen Phillips better than Draymond Jones? I mean, yeah. I mean, he’s more of a household name that said, I think Draymond Jones could be a nice, sneaky, versatile piece for them. It’s not going to turn their pass rush into this great pass rush. Let’s be clear. I think you have to understand what he is. He’s a, he’s a good, complimentary kind of player. He’s not Terrell Suggs, right? But, you know, I think he was a nice player, and I hope he’s Jared Johnson. And I would also say like Jalen Phillips. I mean, Jalen, Jalen Phillips isn’t Lawrence Taylor, right? I mean, we’re not talking, you know, he’s not Micah Parsons. So we’re gonna see how this plays out again. I get it. I’m I’m not. Wasn’t overwhelmed by by what happened. And certainly would have liked to have seen a defensive tackle. I think for me, that was probably my biggest wish, because they’re just, they’re so thin on the D line, they have one more injury there, then I think that group could be kind of ugly, you know, down the stretch, if they, if they have to stay healthy there at this point. I mean, you cannot, cannot afford to absorb another injury there. I mean, with already losing Matta BK and Broderick, Washington’s gone long term, probably out for the year. So you know, it’s, it’s tough. But again, trade deadline is not the time that’s going to cure all of your roster.

Nestor Aparicio  36:41

Well, when you’re three and five, especially when you’re six and two, you pick up a piece, right? But usually when

Luke Jones  36:46

you’re six and two, you’re not going to have multiple issues with your roster, right? You might have one, right? And look the Ravens. They added a safety, they added an edge guy. Again, I would have loved the defensive tackle in a perfect world. I would have loved to bring back Kevin Zeitler. But again, offensive line, I’ve said it, and another part of this, look how many teams truly, truly ended up being sellers. Not that many. I’ve said it. You look at the state of the AFC in the NFC, I mean, the ravens, they’re in 10th place in the AFC. And we’re talking about them in terms of like, not that it’s a foregone conclusion that they’ll be in the playoffs, but that they have a great chance. We call them a contender. Yeah, so, but you look at all these other teams, especially teams that aren’t very smart, they’ll talk themselves into anything in terms of, like, an optimistic outlook. That’s why this, this is damning them with praise. Let’s be clear. I actually commend the jets for just saying we’re we’re losing games with sauce, Gardner and Quinn and Williams as it is, and they’re expensive, and we can get some assets, and maybe it’ll be different this time, but we’re clearly going nowhere right now. So what’s the point of keeping these guys around so they were smarter in that way can In contrast, in contrast to the cowboys who are out of it and they stink, and then they just gave up assets for Quinn and Williams. And it’s like, Hmm, I don’t know how this is really going to help you that much here over the next year or two, but Well, hey, you got Quinn and Williams. You got a really good defensive tackle,

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Nestor Aparicio  38:13

so good for you. Luke Jones is here. We got a really good Oriole and ravens Insider. He was doing Orioles things at the warehouse on Tuesday, we will talk Oriole baseball and Craig albornaz and David Rubenstein appeared in front of the media, not me, but the media at at the warehouse. So watch some baseball stuff here. We will not be talking a lot of baseball here in the coming weeks and months. Be a lot of football around here. My friend a curio wellness have sponsored our 27th anniversary and my tastiness treats. I should extend it to a holiday version, to go to all the holiday eggnogs that I’d be going through here the next couple of weeks. But big appreciation of our friends at curio wellness. I get Wendy back on the show as well. I’m wearing my curio gear here as I get my purple out also. Speaking of purple, these Raven scratch offs in the Maryland lottery are purple. I’ll be giving these away on Wednesday at Cocos. On Friday, we’ll be back at Pizza John’s in Essex. We’re also putting the Maryland crab cake tour back out on the road through the holidays, and we’ve been doing a lot of stuff. In December, I have the month kind of free and open. We’re going to go to some new places we haven’t been, go back to some old places we only been once or twice, and pick up the conversation as we we move toward the holidays, and hopefully there is a football season that continues after Sunday in Minnesota. He is Luke, I am Nestor. We are W, N, S T am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We never stop talking Baltimore. Positive. You.