Luke Jones and Nestor the discuss the burden of being Super Bowl favorites for Ravens and a 2nd MVP trophy for Lamar Jackson after a beatdown of the San Francisco 49ers on Christmas night in Santa Clara.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
ravens, game, team, year, super bowl, played, talking, point, niners, week, win, miami, baltimore, monday night, conversation, joe flacco, andy reid, christmas, eagles, football
SPEAKERS
Nestor J. Aparicio, Luke Jones
Nestor J. Aparicio 00:01
Welcome back wn S T Towson Baltimore and Baltimore positive we are positively celebrating the post holiday spirit around here I’ve got my I’m a blunt person shirt on we’re gonna be doing some Greatest Hits but for now we’re gonna talk some football and big Raven victory over the 40 Niners are we’re gonna be giving away Raven scratch offs down at fade Lee’s on the 27th. That’s Wednesday. And if you hear some conversations hear from at any point during the year, very very proud of all of our work your Baltimore positive and all the conversations we’ve had all year long, including our intimate football conversations. Luke Dennis isn’t around this week but this is a quote MBA day this is this is a Greek desert. I want to plug ya yas bakery over on Route seven right by a ways to live over by six Community College off King Avenue and I’ve got some delicious I’m not Greek even though Nestor is a Greek name was a Greek god of wisdom and you can have that all day long here on a holiday week as the year ends as to my wisdom but I am wise enough to know to get myself to wise mark and do my ham I got my rewards ham last week and I’m wise enough to get the royal farms to get a little bit coffee in my cup. I had this really cool Dundalk throwback couple like two guys letters. That’s the role arena that’s where I used to chase girls back in the 80s. Listen in Eagle songs and whatnot. So I have a fun holiday mug Dundalk mug, I’ve got Greek cookies. I’ve also got some chocolate chippers from Woodley as well but man Tis the season to be jolly. And when the Ravens can play like that on Christmas night for everybody. Wherever you are watching the game, whatever your state of ham Turkey, roast, Beast, veggies, whatever you are having crabcakes eggnog friends family now eight o’clock on a Christmas night. And you know I would have been out in Santa Clara had I had a press credential because I cover the team and but watching it on TV, watching the holiday watching all day football, then all day football, then all day more football. So 23rd 24th 25th Watching Flacco watching all these other teams and having the anticipation for the game of the year, and have it go as well as it went. I saw the spreads after the game loop in regard to hurty for MVP versus Lamar before the game, and then after the game betting on it. And now you’d like the ravens to win the Super Bowl. Yeah, got the Hollywood Casino. So does everybody else. So now all of a sudden the ravens are the hunted? There’s no doubt about that. There’s an anticipation that they shouldn’t we’ll beat Miami at one o’clock, you know, on Sunday, because there’s one in San Francisco back in the night. How can they lose the Miami, you know, I mean, and then they’re going to be expected to win the Superbowl. And dude, I’ve been doing this a long time. We’ve had 25 years. And by the way, we’re celebrating all of our 25 stories of glory. I’m releasing all of them. And we’re counting down the number one which will be radio row week in Super Bowl week. And just as an aside, you can let Chad know. And I’ll let John and Eric know that. Yes, they make the Super Bowl. I’m planning a different kind of radio row here for great cause that week. So we have big, big plans for radio row here this week. But we are fully expecting the Baltimore Ravens to be participating, right like for the first time, maybe 19. We felt this way, Luke and I’ve known you a long time. Maybe you really felt that Christmas week when they’re steamrolling teams, they’re going to win the Super Bowl, they’re going to be in the Super Bowl. It’s certainly hard to dispute that as the year ends, and we get ready for New Year’s and Miami comes in this week that you really start thinking like, where am I going to be Super Bowl week and I know where I’m going to be and I’m going to be telling everybody where we’re going to be.
Luke Jones 03:48
I mean, I think that third quarter on Monday night. I think everyone’s looking at their calendar, double checking when the Super Bowl is going to be in luck. We’re gonna throw out all the different things that you throw out because it is the NFL and it’s a week to week League and the Miami Dolphins can come in and beat the ravens and we’re having a much different conversation a week from now. But in terms of how they’ve looked how they look Monday night, how they’ve looked really since early October. I mean they’ve lost one game. Since the Orioles were still playing playoff baseball. I’ll be briefly against the Texas Rangers. They’ve lost one game since then. I mean, that’s what we’re talking about that that Steelers lost came the weekend of the division series starting I mean, that’s that’s where we are at this point I was a long time ago. You know, we’re gonna be talking about spring training, you know, in about six weeks.
Nestor J. Aparicio 04:34
I mean, all they do is win win win no matter what, what what. So, so yeah,
Luke Jones 04:38
the expectation should be that and I’m not going to look, fans get all hot and bothered about this all you’re looking ahead. I don’t play for the team. We don’t play so we can look ahead and we can go I’ve worn the
Nestor J. Aparicio 04:52
purple bird hat and that wasn’t good enough. I’ve been a fan I’ve been a reporter. I’ve been a critic. You know, I’m still a critic of Sashi Brown and them getting $480 million of state run money for a stadium that they’ve banned me and on Christmas light wouldn’t let me in but it wouldn’t let you in. Had you decided to leave your family and go out to Santa Clara. So I’ve reported on all of this from the very beginning. And I’ve seen the purple cities pop up here 20 years ago when everybody had a tent and everybody had to have a Festivus shirt and we hosted shows and Trent Dilfer came. There’s not much of that they don’t get out much these days, and they got focused on their games and whatnot. But there should be that kind of excitement, whatever, whatever your excitement level was, if you’re a fan and there were $3 tickets 10 days ago, I’m going to continue to point that out and the Dolphins are playing this week and whether the weather’s good or bad. I saw empty seats in Kansas City. And it was Christmas Day, right? So I don’t know, like, this league doesn’t care about your religion. It cares about your wallet. It has won religion money is the league’s religion and playing Christmas Eve night and expecting people to show up half of Philadelphia, you know, like it’s a holiday like I don’t I don’t know what point you serve that the NBA plays all day and whatever. But I have never spent a Christmas and gone to bed on a Christmas night more. Sort of assured that they’re going to a Super Bowl than now. That’s oh six. That’s 19 Couple years they’ve had really really good teams, but they haven’t signature beaten down the best team in the league Yellin Mike Florio’s name, you know, for what that’s worth. I don’t know that they’ve ever been the betting favorite in this way that the way they’re about to be. And the reason for that is, even when they were good, Tom Brady was still there, and Ben Roethlisberger. Like you start to look down the roster now and the way the Chiefs played over the weekend, and I know we’ll make a bill’s case. And maybe the bills will be the big bad wolf in the end, I don’t know. But the ravens are the best team. And they’ve proven it week after week after week, even when they’ve lost. They’ve given games away. They they feel incapable of laying the kind of turd the 40 Niners laid, or the kind of turd that the Seahawks or the lions laid against the Ravens mean, just beat downs, the Ravens have beaten down these NFC teams. Yeah,
Luke Jones 07:20
I mean, look, there are always going to be potential pitfalls. And this is how it was at the end of 2019. And anyone who says otherwise, we’re just trying to change how it played out because it’s disappointing that they lost the Tennessee. I mean, they were the best team in the NFL, they were the favorite. They we were talking about them in the same exact terms. And it’s not a knock on this year or 2019. It’s just where it was, you know that they were that team. And you made you made the comparison to go back to 2006 ravens now, they weren’t the number one seed, but they were the number two seed first time they’d ever had a buy in franchise history. So yeah, that was there were some high expectations there. Whereas 2012 Yeah, at this point, we are still talking about Jim Caldwell replacing cam Cameron 2000 Thinking remember plank? Yeah, yeah. Oh, absolutely. I was in fact, I was even making that mention to to my brother in law, but because the Eagles made a not a complete defensive coordinator change. But obviously they made a change. And I said, well, the Ravens made a coordinator change late and in mid December. And look how that turned out for them. Over a
Nestor J. Aparicio 08:22
decade ago, the bills as well, by the way this year. Yeah,
Luke Jones 08:25
but And just to finish my thought there. I mean, the 2000 Ravens. There was this confidence and excitement because they were going to the playoffs for the first time and we all knew that this. This was a pretty historic, great defense. But because they had never even been to the dance. I don’t know if anyone was full blown expecting them to win the Super Bowl until the Tennessee game then I think everything changed. You know when when Ray takes the ball away from Eddie George Anthony Mitchell returns the BlackField Kevin and
Nestor J. Aparicio 08:55
I were together and the 30 yard line on the roof jumping up and down. Yeah, and I’m like, you’re gonna win the Superbowl. Right. I mean, like as Ray Lewis was carrying the ball to the endzone and as Anthony Mitchell like, in that game, you felt that in that moment, in the same way that my wife and I were four feet from Ozzy and Eric freezing our asses off when the ball went up in the air. And I saw Jacoby Jones running under him like, Oh my God, he’s gonna catch it. You know, you have those moments. I don’t feel like that moment happens against the San Francisco 40 Niners when Brock Purdy throws his fourth pick, you know or whatever. But there is a feeling of if they get to the Super Bowl and it might be the Eagles. It might be the lions. It might be the 40 Niners I mean, I don’t know who else it could be, you know, on the NFC side, right? You’re gonna have this well, the ravens are gonna be seven point favorites. If the Ravens get to the Super Bowl and 40 Niners get to the Super Bowl. Five weeks from now the Ravens will be they were six and a half. We favored a game like that. They went from four to six and a half. Mike Florio wasn’t the only one just dissing the Ravens. Everybody in America was betting against them. And the more points you gave them, the more they bet on San Francisco was crazy. Yeah,
Luke Jones 10:09
yeah, it was. I mean, but but everything you just laid out there. I mean, where this team is right now, as I said in our previous conversation, I mean, it’s Super Bowl is the expectation. Now, it just is. And that’s a good thing, that that’s a compliment to them. You know, this isn’t a case of, well, you know, if the brakes go their way, and by the way, that still applies. To win a Super Bowl, you’re still gonna have to have some good fortune along the way. A ball bounces the right way. I mean, you mentioned Jacoby Jones, I mentioned Anthony Mitchell on a blocked field goal, you know, that gave them the lead in Nashville in the 2000. Post season. I mean, you have those plays along the way. I mean, 2000 Shannon Sharpe against the Broncos have the ball batted up in the air. I mean, you all that still applies. And when you’re the Super Bowl favorite, that doesn’t mean that it’s 100%. Or even that it’s 80%. Or even that it’s 60%. You know, it’s still
Nestor J. Aparicio 11:01
with the Patriots made good on that every year, right? Like and the Colts never did, right? And the Eagles back in the buddy Ryan air, you know, like, like, there have been teams and Lamar better make sure he’s not that guy. I mean, the bills are still, you know, four years later, still trying to figure it out how to win it, and getting there and losing and the awfulness of all that they can talk to Jared Goff about that. And Matt Ryan, about that. And all of these guys who Cam Newton who got that, you know, couldn’t even fall on the football didn’t even fight for the football in a Super Bowl, and has to live with that. Right? Because his career is that mean? Like, it happens quick. And, to your point, if you’re helping me write my columnist this week, Luke, thank you very much for that. Just. You better do it. Better do it. And that that would also be the case of you were pretty snippy about the Orioles were in the playoffs for like a minute. And we remembered and then they’re like, did they make the playoffs? They won a lot of games that a hell of a year. And it’s been eight weeks, and
Luke Jones 12:03
we’ll talk about it around here anymore. Because
Nestor J. Aparicio 12:06
you know, it’s just you can’t bring it up, like bringing up that San Diego loss or that Tennessee loss. Like, I know, you’re mister nerd, you played it at your mind when it comes on NFL Network, you might watch it again or whatever. Boy, boy boy, like I haven’t thought much about those games at all. But we’re gonna be thinking about those games in two weeks, and so’s Lamar. And so it’s Marlon Humphrey and so is Ronnie. So it’s everybody who was in the locker room when it didn’t go well, after those games. Yeah.
Luke Jones 12:33
And what’s crazy is you go back and look at the roster construction. I mean, there aren’t all that many guys left, even from the 2019 team. It’s like, as far as guys that are active right now. So you know, okay, Mark, Mark Andrews. Yep. Tyus Bowser, guys that aren’t active right now. But it’s about 10. What is it? 10 or 11? Guys? I mean, it’s not many you have for only being four years. I mean, we say it all the time, not for long NFL. Right. So, uh, but yeah, the expectations are, are there and they should be. And you know, what you said about Lamar, I mean, look, that’s, that’s every quarterback in the league not named Patrick mahomes. Or Matthew Stafford, or I guess now we throw Joe Flacco into that conversation because of what the Browns are doing. But this is this is looking like. And let’s be clear, this is by no means their last chance or anything like that. I mean, that would be silly, crazy talk. But when you are talking about some of the free agents they have, knowing the reality of having a quarterback with an AAV of $52 million, same thing for any team that has a quarterback in that in that bracket. When you have other you know, when you have, like I said, free agents and other positions that, you know, look at the offensive tackle position. For example, Ronnie Stanley Morgan, Moses another year older, where are they going to be? You know, you have all these different things that you can point to and say, this, this feels like the year that is going to be not their last best chance, but maybe their optimal chance for the next two or three years, let’s say and I don’t know. I mean, if they draft a couple more Kyle Hamilton’s then, ya know, it won’t matter, you know, because they’ll replace whoever leaves as a free agent. And, you know, so there’s always that you can always continue things. I mean, look at the Rams, how they built their roster in a much different way than the Ravens do things. I mean, they did the all in thing. And now Matthew Stafford’s much more in the November of his career than Lamar Jackson, but they’ve drafted well, and you know, they made some savvy moves here and there, and they’re back to being a playoff contender again. So there are lots of different ways to do it. Point is so much is sitting there for this team to go do this now. And 2019 Okay, they were less experienced. Lamar Jackson was, you know, he was 22 years old. You know, that January, I mean, you’re talking about, I mean, that was incredible to think how young some of those guys are and You know what, they’ve kind of had to go through the last four years to get back to the same point where they can clinch a number one seed and have the first round by and be in a position where they can play an AFC Championship game in Baltimore for the first time in 50 years, you know, 50 plus years. You’d be talking since the Colts last hosted?
Nestor J. Aparicio 15:17
Yeah, man. Um, how did we get 20 minutes into this and we’re talking about we’ve never played an AFC Championship game here, really never even had the threat other than in the second half of you know, not beating a Tennessee right. I mean, like, so I would look at this and say all of this opportunity for it to be the greatest January in the history of the franchise. And that’s, that’s, it’s getting heavy. Now, that starts to get heavy. Is it? Should they be Miami? I mean, it’s heavy already, because they gotta go play Miami on short renders. And this isn’t going to, I mean, we’ll come back in a little bit after you know, I get through the cookies and all that right, and get on my next couple ROFO coffee here that will Miami’s real too, and these AFC teams. I’m not worried about getting to the Super Bowl in Vegas and who’s going to be there? I pointed that out. You better be worried about Josh Allen or Joe Flacco or Patrick mahomes or whatever. Whatever. These two games, you’re gonna have to win. If you beat Miami, you beat Miami gotta win two games, you’re in the Super Bowl, you lose the Miami, things get a little crazier, because the Steelers start lathering up and you know, here we go, you got it, then you gotta go win another game and injuries, things happen throughout all of that.
Luke Jones 16:27
You just said it, things happen. You know, there’s always the caveat. But what if this happens? Or what if that happens? That that always applies? I don’t care who it is. I don’t care if we’re talking about the best team in the league, or the best team in the conference or the team that’s going to be the number seven seat although, you know, I look at Indianapolis right now. I say they don’t feel like much of a threat if I’m being perfectly honest. Right. No one in the AFC South has better not lose a playoff game to them. Yeah, yeah. Well, sure. Sure. Yeah. I mean, if we’re talking something like that, and boy, we’re having a different conversation come mid January.
Nestor J. Aparicio 17:01
And you get them or something. Come on, you know. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So
Luke Jones 17:04
but I mean, yeah, look, and I said in a previous conversation, I’ve said this for a while now. I’m still not sold on Miami as a serious Super Bowl contender. I’m just not because well, then
Nestor J. Aparicio 17:18
this Sunday should be it should be a cakewalk done. Right. Because there’s no way you wouldn’t lose them if they’re not serious.
Luke Jones 17:24
Well, but nothing’s a cakewalk. Right. I mean, you have to go out and do it. Right. And look, they have they have players they have talent, I think where if you’re the ravens, where you do take some optimism here is Mike McDaniels coming. He’s from the same tree of the Shanahan offense, you know, he’s a branch from that. And you look at how well they did against Brock Purdy to a tongue of Aloha, who is not the same exact quarterback, but it’s also an anticipation quarterback, right, you know, kind of anticipates making the throw ball coming out quick, you know, not all predetermined. Again, that would be too simplistic, but a lot of times an idea of where it’s going. And the Ravens we saw how they handled that against San Francisco. So that’s where you, despite the fact that you’re talking about Tyreke Hill, and a team that runs the ball really well. You’re still talking about an offensive the Ravens did very well against but it’s the next challenge. Right? It is. And I saw, I think it was Aaron shots may have made this point, late Monday night, actually making the point of not talking about winning the Super Bowl here. But in terms of getting there kind of made the point of that the 40 Niners might still have the best odds from the standpoint of which gauntlet do you consider to be more difficult the NFC or the AFC now? Yeah, it’s not as though you know, the NFC still as Detroit. Now they’re still Philadelphia, although the Eagles did not look very impressive on Monday, and they’re still searching for the best version of themselves that even exists at this point, relative to last year. The Cowboys, how they can’t win on the road. I mean, it’s just that simple for them. But you look at that compared to the Ravens with I think the ravens are the best team. You know, I’m confident I have a lot of resolve in saying that the ravens are the best team in the NFL, but certainly the best team in the AFC. However, you do have Miami, you do still have Patrick mahomes and Andy Reid, who have three, three weeks to try to figure this thing out, because they were a disaster on Monday. Just awful offensively. I mean, what was that, but it’s still Patrick mahomes and Andy Reid. And unlike any other team in this AFC field, they’ve done it. You know, they know what it takes to do that in January. So from that standpoint, they’re still a team to be reckoned with. But Cleveland with their defense and Joe Flacco is playing the best football that he’s played since leaving the Ravens. I mean, that’s pretty clear. But for me, the team that I really point to, and you know, obviously, I was talking about this five weeks ago with the bills and for me, the big question then was, is the math going to add up because they did have a challenging schedule? They had given away Too many games early in the season. And that’s where you kind of looked at them and said, are they going to get in? Well, it’s sure looking like they’re gonna get in. So now it is a case of Josh Allen, who I think, is playing at a very high level, and a team that’s been better defensively than they were midway through the season. And to your point, you made the mention of the change at offensive coordinator, they found a running game. And you know, James Cook has really been an X factor for them. So of all the teams in this AFC playoff field, acknowledging mahomes And Andy Reid and the Chiefs have the experience, you know, they have the, the experience factor where they’ve done it. So you know, they’re the new patriots, right. But beyond that, beyond that acknowledgement, Buffalo is the team I look to right now and say, of all these teams coming into Baltimore that I think pose the biggest threat, it’s probably them now. All these teams are all saying, Wow, we got to beat the Ravens in Baltimore. Now, that’s the conversation they’re having right now. So it speaks to where the ravens are, in terms of not just being the number one seed, but how they’ve looked, how they’ve played over the course of the full season, three losses, that all could have been wins with one or two plays being made that weren’t. So yeah, I mean, this is this sets up for them to do everything you dream of doing back in March and April. And certainly when you’re going through, I almost said two days, two days don’t exist. But what you’re going through training camp in late July and August, this is what you’re this is what you’re dreaming about to be in this position. And they’ve got to but they’ve got to go out Sunday and take care of business. And I will throw this out there. The Ravens have a handle. And I want to say this with the caveat that the Ravens have handled these scenarios throughout the year very well. But a Monday night road game out on the West Coast, long flight, you’re getting back Tuesday morning, trying to get some rest. But it’s a quick turnaround. And we haven’t even mentioned this because you know, with the holiday but this game didn’t get flex to 425 or eight o’clock as some people were thinking it might it’s a one o’clock kickoff. So it is a quick turnaround in Miami played at home this past Sunday on on Sunday regular week for them. So not saying that that you know I’m picking the Ravens I’m spoiler alert, I’m not even going to leave drama, but they those are some factors that you have to consider that, you know, it is a quick turnaround. So there is a little more of a challenge for the ravens, and especially with some of the guys that got banged up on Monday night. So very critical for John Harbaugh on this coaching staff to kind of balance getting these guys enough rest as far as getting them fresh and back to ready and ready to play come Sunday with a quicker turnaround. And at the same time acknowledging that even if you’re not the biggest believer in the dolphins, which I’m not just yet not a playoff team, I don’t know I’m not I’m not being dismissive, that they’re not good. But in terms of them being you know, potentially the number one seed you know, I’m still not entirely sold on them while they’ve got their chance, just like the Ravens did against the 40 Niners on Monday night they had their chance to go out and prove it and certainly the Ravens need to be ready because that team I’ll say this, even if I’m not the biggest believer overall in them long term as far as a Super Bowl, serious Super Bowl contender, they still have a lot of talent so I mean, Tyree kill best wide receiver in football I mean, you better be ready, you know that that defense is gonna have to be ready for challenge just like they were absolutely ready for it on Monday night against the 40 Niners he is look
Nestor J. Aparicio 23:33
Jones he is Baltimore low key will be in Owings Mills as long as they allow him this week as we welcome in 2024 and playoffs and a Festivus for the rest of us. And obviously the Miami Dolphins coming in here this week as well. We’re going to be faced with the Maryland crab cake tour. I have my purple Oh snaps out tis the season. For all that’s leftover eggnog I got cookies to eat here. I got cookies in my teeth right now it’s Morial farms coffee in my cup. We’re heading into the new year with big big plans for radio row week. No matter where the ravens are going to be we’re going to be doing something that’s going to be probably the coolest thing we’ve done here. We’re celebrating 25 years of wn st and Baltimore positive with our stories of glory. The countdown has begun i hope you all are enjoying that if anybody has old pictures old videos, please email me I would love to get copies of stuff that I don’t have still looking for that Deion Sanders tape I’m gonna find it Luke I swear Dion game there’s pictures there’s evidence there’s an interview somewhere in there, you know test the I get after 32 years when I can’t find an archival piece of history. It drives me crazy, but I have most of it some of it you’ll hear this week. This week will be some best stuff but more modern stuff from this year in the crabcake tour. And you know at some point I’ll throw some of the old stuff out but radio row week’s gonna be legendary and we can only hope that the Ravens continue to do their part in the lift to get the Las Vegas ins St Luke will continue on with more Christmas holiday spirit and more of my blunt conversations we are wn st am 1570 Towson Baltimore we never stop talking Baltimore positive
