There’s plenty of calm and quiet right now in Owings Mills as new head coach Jesse Minter works behind the scenes and systems that inevitably involved Lamar Jackson. But as Luke Jones tells Nestor, the sounds and sights of Ravens OTA practices feel quite different without John Harbaugh, who has his own May problems in New York with player discord.

Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discussed the Baltimore Ravens’ offseason activities, focusing on the transition from John Harbaugh to Jesse Minter. They highlighted Minter’s hands-on approach with the defense and the new offensive system under Declan Doyle. Lamar Jackson’s involvement in practices was emphasized, noting his importance for the offense. The conversation also touched on the Ravens’ relatively easy early-season schedule, which could benefit the team as they adjust to new leadership. They concluded by mentioning upcoming Maryland Crab Cake Tour events and the importance of Lamar Jackson’s health and engagement in the offseason.

• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Receive and collect suggestions for new Crab Cake Tour venues via email at Nestor@baltimorepositive.com (invite listeners to submit venue recommendations)
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Host the Maryland Crab Cake Tour show at Sorrento of Arbutus on June 10 to kick off the World Cup (appear as announced)
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Appear at Gertrude’s and at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) later in June (schedule appearances and promote dates)
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Return to Green Mount Station in Hampstead for a Maryland Crab Cake Tour event (plan and schedule appearance)
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Publish and promote the ‘Maryland Treasures’ series (including Boardwalk, Pretty Birds, Assateague content) in June as part of the Maryland Crab Cake Tour programming
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Accept requests from political candidates who want to be on the show; direct them to contact Nestor via email at Nestor@baltimorepositive.com
• [ ] Be available as a point of contact for listeners who want to reach out via Instagram (provide responses and handle incoming messages)
• [ ] Cover Oriole baseball this weekend (provide reporting/coverage as planned)

Maryland Crab Cake Tour and Upcoming Events

• Nestor Aparicio discusses the Maryland Crab Cake Tour, mentioning new dates and locations, including Sorrento of Arbutus on June 10.
• Nestor talks about upcoming appearances at Gertrude’s, BMA, and Green Mount Station, encouraging listeners to email him for new locations.
• Nestor mentions the Maryland Treasures Series, which will feature Maryland crab cakes, Boardwalk, Pretty Birds, and Pretty Horses of Assateague.
• Nestor invites listeners to email him at Nestor@BaltimorePositive.com or contact him through various social media platforms for more information.

Ravens OTA Observations and Jesse Minter’s Role

• Nestor and Luke Jones discuss the Ravens’ OTA practices, noting the differences under new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
• Luke mentions Jesse Minter’s unique style, including his different attire and his hands-on approach with the defense.
• Nestor and Luke talk about the transition from John Harbaugh to Jesse Minter, highlighting the changes in practice dynamics and leadership styles.
• Luke emphasizes the importance of Jesse Minter’s role in improving the defense, comparing it to the previous defensive systems under John Harbaugh and Mike McDonald.

Lamar Jackson and Offensive Adjustments

• Nestor and Luke discuss Lamar Jackson’s comments on the new offensive system, describing it as a breath of fresh air.
• Luke explains the learning curve for the offense, particularly for Lamar Jackson, who is adapting to new terminology and play calls.
• Nestor reflects on the cultural and leadership changes within the Ravens organization, comparing them to other NFL teams and coaches.
• Luke highlights the importance of Jesse Minter’s teaching style and his ability to connect with younger players, which is seen as a positive change.

Jesse Minter’s Leadership Style and Player Interactions

• Nestor and Luke delve into Jesse Minter’s leadership style, noting his low-profile approach and the importance of building relationships with players.
• Luke mentions the limited media availability during OTA practices, which has allowed Jesse Minter to focus on internal team building.
• Nestor reflects on the differences between Jesse Minter and John Harbaugh, emphasizing the need for a fresh start and new leadership dynamics.
• Luke discusses the potential challenges Jesse Minter might face, including handling adversity and maintaining player motivation.

Ravens Schedule and Early Season Expectations

• Nestor and Luke analyze the Ravens’ early season schedule, noting its relative ease compared to the previous year.
• Luke emphasizes the importance of a strong start for the Ravens, given the new coaching staff and the need for players to adjust to new systems.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the potential impact of Jesse Minter and Declan Doyle on the team’s performance, particularly in terms of defense and offense.
• Luke highlights the critical role of Lamar Jackson’s participation in OTA practices, noting his importance as a leader and playmaker.

Lamar Jackson’s Health and Offseason Preparation

• Nestor and Luke discuss Lamar Jackson’s offseason preparation, including his workout regimen and the importance of staying healthy.
• Luke mentions Lamar’s comments on his age and the need to adapt his game as he approaches 30, emphasizing the balance between running and passing.
• Nestor reflects on the changes in Lamar’s approach to the offseason, noting the increased importance of his legs in the offense.
• Luke highlights the critical role of Declan Doyle in developing Lamar Jackson’s skills and ensuring a smooth transition to the new offensive system.

Ravens Division Competition and Playoff Potential

• Nestor and Luke discuss the competition within the AFC North, noting the Ravens’ potential to win the division based on talent and early season schedule.
• Luke mentions the challenges faced by other teams in the division, including the Bengals, Steelers, and Browns, and the impact of new coaches and quarterbacks.
• Nestor and Luke emphasize the importance of the Ravens’ health and the ability of the new coaching staff to navigate potential hiccups.
• Luke highlights the pressure on Jesse Minter and Declan Doyle to deliver results, particularly in the playoffs, and the need for a strong performance in January.

Final Thoughts and Upcoming Segments

• Nestor and Luke wrap up the discussion, reflecting on the key points covered and the importance of the upcoming season for the Ravens.
• Nestor mentions the upcoming Maryland Crab Cake Tour events and encourages listeners to follow along for updates and coverage.
• Luke highlights the importance of the Ravens’ early season schedule and the need for a strong start to build momentum for the rest of the season.
• Nestor and Luke express their excitement for the upcoming football season and the potential for the Ravens to make a deep playoff run under new leadership.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Lamar Jackson, Jesse Minter, Ravens OTA, defense improvement, offensive system, John Harbaugh, training camp, player interactions, coaching transition, team dynamics, early season schedule, playoff expectations, leadership style, player engagement, Baltimore positive.

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SPEAKERS

Nestor Aparicio, Luke Jones

Nestor Aparicio  00:00

You welcome home. We are W N S T A M 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We’re Baltimore, positive, positively getting the Maryland Crab Cake Tour out on the road. We really do have new dates, I swear. We are doing the show for the very, very first time at Sorrento of Arbutus, and I’m looking forward to that. That’s going to be on the 10th of June to kick off World Cup. I will have Maryland Crab Cake Tour specialty that I hope get this all summer. Maryland Treasures with the Boardwalk and the Pretty Birds and the Pretty Horses of Assateague. All this will be available coming up in June. I’ll be at Sorrento. I’m getting back down to some places I don’t want to give it away, but I’m going to be at Gertrude’s before the month is away at the BMA later on in June. We’re also going to get back to Green Mount Station up in Hampstead, but I’m looking for some new places. If you have any, email me, Nestor at Baltimore positive.com If you are running for office and you want to be on the show, Nestor at Baltimore positive.com hitting me on the backside of the messenger on the I am of the Facebook or the LinkedIn or the God forsaken TikTok’s or any of that stuff. Nestor at Baltimore positive.com or just call Luke on the Instagrams, he knows how to find me. Luke knows how to find Owings Mills, you know, Oriole Sweet, you know, keeps us relevant for the Jays this weekend, and it feels like it’s sort of resuscitated the patient a little bit, that I’m not as concerned about the Ravens center position as I may be. If there was nothing else to talk about at this point, we’d make things up. Lock and forward be working here, I don’t know, we have to do April Fool’s in June, but at this point, where are you with the Ravens, having been out there and sniffed around a little bit? What are your observations of observations, aside from your observations out of Baltimore? Positive, yeah, I mean, I can’t just say not much, obviously,

Luke Jones  02:00

but nothing earth shattering. I think

Nestor Aparicio  02:04

8

oxygen feel different with that horrible. I just.. I’m asking about

Luke Jones  02:07

that,

Luke Jones  02:07

does, but I’m also not going to sit here and make up that I thought the oxygen was bad a year ago. You know what I mean? Like, I mean, this is a team that everyone thought was going to the Super Bowl a year ago at this time. This is a team that Vegas is once again very high on, and I think obviously the notion of a healthy Lamar Jackson and an improved defense, and also looking at the Ravens schedule, I mean they have a quite a forgiving schedule compared to the first six or seven games last year, which we were talking about at this time a year ago, so yeah, of course it’s different, and I said to you last week, I mean, one of the biggest things that stands out when you’re out there for an OTA, and certainly will continue as we get into mandatory mini camp in a couple weeks, and and training camp in about two months at this point in time, is you have to look around for Jesse Minter, right? I mean, first of all, like, you know, he doesn’t dress the same as John Harbaugh would, you know, with, you know, not not the khakis like Jim, but you know, wore pants that were different than the rest of the staff, and John always would be just kind of camped up, you know, camped out, standing, posted up behind the offense, you know, when they’d go into 11 on 11, Jesse Minter is over with the defense, and he’s got the handset, and he’s calling the defense, because, well, he’s going to call the defense on game day, so

Nestor Aparicio  03:30

that is different,

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Luke Jones  03:31

right? That’s

Luke Jones  03:32

weird. It’s definitely different. I mean, it’s something that I’m still getting used to. I mean, that’s the biggest thing that stands out. I mean, you know, people have made observations, like, okay, the practices are different. Is there anything different to it that’s overly meaningful? I mean, look, I expect John Harbaugh’s practice to look different, even from Jim Harbaugh’s practice, compared to Andy Reid, compared to Sean McVay, Dan Quint. Go down the list of all 32 head coaches at the same time, Jesse Minter and this staff, they’re not reinventing the game of football either, right? So I think a lot of that is, frankly, eyewash, you know, that that that all the practices are so much different, you know? I think that’s something to talk about, just because, well, frankly, we need things to talk about when it’s late May and early June, and you’re still three and a half months from the start of the season, but it’s definitely different. There’s definitely an adjustment. I mean, Lamar Jackson himself, as he spoke on, went on Wednesday, talked about the idea of just how new it all is. I mean, it’s it’s a new system, it’s new terminology. I think for the defense there’s probably less of a learning curve, because keep in mind, I mean, the Jesse Minter defense is, you know, he was part of that group, along with Mike McDonald and Wink Martindale and Zach or, and some of those names, at that point, you know, kind of that post Dean Pease era, where they rebuilt the Ravens defensive system. Them, so I don’t think for the defense it’s a dramatic difference in terms of, oh my gosh, they’re having to learn this brand new defense, but there, there’s there are new wrinkles for them, but for the offense, I mean, like it’s Declan Doyle now, it’s you know, someone who worked with Ben Johnson, worked for years with Sean Payton, so there’s a little more of that, as you know. Lamar didn’t want to, you know, he didn’t really go into specifics when he was kind of asked what he liked about it, but it’s different, and it’s something that they all can kind of, you know, Lamar called it a breath of fresh air, and I’m sure some people will, you know, kind of try to equate that as taking a shot with John Harbaugh. I don’t really think it was, and Lamar was complimentary when asked about John, and said that he messaged him when John got the Giants job, for example, but it’s what we said about this whole operation at the end of last year, where you just said just feels like everyone needs a fresh start here, you know, something new to talk about and to focus on, and to not, you know, even though the same narrative is going to be there if they’re, if they have a good season, and they’re playing football in January. We’re going to ask, can this group of players finally break through, right? But we know that there’s a different leader, you know, there’s a different guy at the head of the class right now in Jesse Minter, compared to the guy that had been there for the last 18 years, so that inherently that’s going to be different. So

Nestor Aparicio  06:23

I think back in January, I looked, and I thought they don’t want a lot of change. That this guy smells like the furniture that they already have. This isn’t some big philosophical change in some way. I wonder what the changes are in Pittsburgh. What Mike McCarthy likes, how he likes things done after 20 years of doing it, 20 plus years of doing it, and Mike Tomlin doing it for 20 years, and looking at it and saying how they would do it, and how much of what John did was what Andy Reid did, and how much of what Jim did was what his dad did, like you know, and Minter had his dad, and I don’t. We all take on some people compare me to Charlie Eckman, you know, some people call me to compare me to Phil Jackman, or people that I grew up being mentored by John Steadman in a lot of ways, Steadman, my dad, you know, I mean, those are the voices I hear whenever, whenever I, whenever, you know, I mean, literally, I don’t even, I hear some Ken Rosenthal in me, and I, you, when he gets burned up at the Orioles last week, I feel a little bit of that, because I sort of was on the phone with him every night for six years of my life, when I was 17 years old, and I don’t think there’s any turning back from that. In the back of your head, you have your pastor, your dad, your football coach, a teacher you had, whatever it is, we all sort of have that, and I don’t know what mentor is, and I don’t, I’ll never sit with him, because I’m an effing leper, I’m a bad guy, so I’ll never smell it or taste it or feel it in the way that I felt John’s in sincerity when I felt it, but also felt like why he’s effective, you know, I don’t understand why Trump’s president, I don’t understand why anybody would vote for him, but I do see that people had a daddy like that, and they like voting that way, and that’s the way they think. And once you think that way, be very unhard to get your father out of you or mine out of me. And if my father was a ball coach, my dad loves sports and leadership, and all of that, and a lot of the best parts of where I’m a grinder, and I get out of bed, and I work hard, and all that. All the things that Jim and John are from their dad being a coach, all the things that mentors first guy in the building, because it’s like, how you became the head coach, that’s great. But then there’s the culture part of what’s going on in this building with Justin Tucker and Ray Rice, what continues to go on with Chad Steele and fans, and the gated part of all of this, and the fact that Minter is here for five months, and he hasn’t been at the barn the way Billick was 25 years ago. I don’t know inherently know the sound of his voice, or whether it’s going to be compelling enough to capture people to be interesting in the way that Mike Tomlin was always interesting to Steeler fans, even if they hated him. I think same thing with John. I mean, you need to sit up with John. I want to figure out what I’m gonna have to sit up on Wednesday for Jesse Minter, and what’s gonna happen. No offense, when the shit hits the fan and they lose a bad ball game, they’ll burr up. Am I gonna get all that what I got with John when I’d ask a legitimate question about his quarterback running the ball 21 times, like, like I don’t, I don’t know, I don’t know his countenance, I know when I’ve seen him in videos before he got hired, and when I watched him on the days, the days is a very corporate presentation, which makes me want to throw. Up, I don’t know the real guy. I don’t know if he likes golf. I don’t, you know, he likes his family, great, all that. Bill, like, famously had no hobbies, and now he’s golfing eight days a week. You know, Harbaugh was a fellowship of Christian athletes and a man of God, and you know, like, all like, I don’t know anything about mentor in that way. I don’t know that I felt compelled to try to know him through Garrett Downing, because I, I’m just, that really makes me want to barf, you know, when the guy who’s making no money is interviewing, interviewing the guy making $3 million and it’s his boss, like the whole thing is squishy for me as a media member, and as somebody that’s gotten to actually know all of the humans here over the course of years, and now I’m not afforded that privilege to smell their air. I do wonder what the air smells like. I mean, I literally do, because I’m.. I there has to be something different about him. There’s got to be a lot of things that are different about him than his dad, than his.. than Jim or John. It would be interesting for me at 57 to probe that, because I love that part of leadership. Almost wrote a book on it 15 years ago, and I went and set to talk to Frank Kush about that, and Jim Irsay, and a bunch of other people, and never used it. But I like those questions, and I like to know, and I know I asked John those questions in 2008 John had never read a passage about John Wooden. I remember he just didn’t know. I thought it was really weird that Brandon, I, but Asia went to UCLA and didn’t know any of the wooden, you know, like the things that would be coaching axioms, the things that your father would teach you about. Harbaugh always leaned into that Michigan Bo Schembechler, and when I wrote the book in Purple Rain Two, Harbaugh sat down and gave me Doyt Perry, but immediately Doyt Perry was a Midwestern coach, an idol to John, an idol, including his father, obviously, but you know they’re a family of coaches, including the sister that married Green, right? I mentors done nothing but this forever. I’m convinced in watching all of the videos and stuff, he’s a teacher. We talked about this earlier, you being a school teacher, and the Orioles changing the way they teach one on one versus classroom setting, you know, I don’t. It on his best day, Marvin Lewis, the day he met me, said, “I’m not a coach, I’m not an ass kicker, I’m not an exes, and I’m, I’m a teacher, you know, I mean, we have lesson plans and we teach them, and then the test is on Sunday at one, and you know, for mentor, I, I’m just trying to sniff it out, because it’s so different to me. It’s just hearing his voice on the radio as I’m driving down, just what he’s trying to say, how he’s saying it. I mean, everything about Harbaugh came off as conniving to me long before they threw me out. I mean, you’ve known me a long time, privately. What I would privately long before they threw me out. When Harbaugh was putting you and me in a taxi in Indianapolis, I would say to you, I don’t.. he’s not like a trustworthy guy, you know? He’s not a guy that I felt like was a straight shooter, and you did a lot of off the records with him, and I spent hours and hours of time with John Harbaugh, dozens and dozens of just me and him in a room alone, dozens, so it’s not something where I put a microphone in his face once and I feel like I know him a little bit. I mean, I sat for hours with him after I wrote the book, so I, the Minter thing, it, it’s going to be different oxygen, and I think if you read any book on leadership and you believe any of that, if you believe any of that, you like that’ll be the thing that carries them through, they’ll either win or lose, because of Jesse Minter, in my opinion, his ability to be the guy that can get them to win in January and not be the tight ass that John was, and not be the perceived of is he really going to take my press pass, like you know that’s where I am with him, like to think like that’s how untrustworthy he was, and I know how women were treated in that building, and Justin Tucker and Ray Rice, and the cover-ups, and you know, John Harbaugh was, oh my god, we got caught. What are we going to do to hide it? Let’s, let’s bury it. What can we do to what, like, and the whole place ran that way for 20 years to the point where you have a media pass and I don’t. So, like, lot of shit’s gone down in that building that was acceptable that I talked about upon the firing in eight and nine, that said culture change didn’t feel like they wanted a culture change when they hired him. I don’t know what they’re getting. I don’t know, I mean, I don’t even know if they have a good football team or not. I haven’t gotten to the center, haven’t gotten to any of that. I’ll buy that they’re the best team in the division, you know. I’ll buy that they should win a. 1111, or 12 games based on the talent they have. If he’s a great coach, they’ll win 14 or 15. If he’s not a great coach, they can still win 11 or 12. I mean, like, you know what I mean? Like, I don’t.. I, it’s very weird even talking about it, and I just soliloquid and chewed up a lot of time, saying a lot of nothing, other than they’re not going to play till September 13, and he can’t be judged till then, which is what I wrote three months ago, and as we sit here trying to be immersed in Oriole baseball, and you know, any Bruce Springsteen concerts at Merryweather, and you know, whatever else is going on in our lives, graduations, people that are into golf, people that are in Ocean City, it’s senior week somewhere for somebody who was excited as I was 40 years ago, but I can’t bite my teeth into this until I see scandal, reaction, wins, losses, injuries, whether he’s going to be a hiding guy, whether he’s going to be a Christian guy, whether he’s going to be a car salesman, whether he’s going to be.. I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know. And he’s, we’re five months into this, I know this, he’s kept a very low profile, and to your point, his family’s still in California, like that, he is fire hosing and trying to figure out his players and meet his players and know his players and figure out where, where Tosin is, and we’re doing Doc is, and like Registers Town, and trying to figure out all, all the Baltimore things, but there’s going to come plenty of time to judge him, but I don’t, I don’t even know that I’m listening to it at this point, you know what I mean. I’m more like I watch it in September more than listen to it now, but to your point, the part where he runs around with the defense and stuff, defense better be good.

Luke Jones  16:54

8

Look, I mean, that’s what we talked about a lot in the aftermath of firing John Horval, that it was an opportunity to go hire an expert on one side of the ball or the other, and not, you know, and I don’t want to disrespect John. John was an all-time special teams coach, that’s why a big reason why he got a head coaching gig right in a space,

Luke Jones  17:17

and they

Nestor Aparicio  17:17

even won a lot of games because they had Justin Tucker and Matt Stover. They lost the big one because they had John, because they had Cundiff and the Sam Tyler, you know, I mean, they had great special teams. I mean, if you’re just, if you’re going to call him a special teams coach, they had great special teams here, dude, for the time he was here, for the most part, and I’m sure it got special attention from him, because it’s like writing for me, I’m not really a radio guy, Luke, as much as people think I am. I’m not really a video guy, although I’ve gotten good at it. I’m a writer, man, and like that’s what I do. And I would think that, like, John’s a special teams guy, you know, and that, and you can look back on that, and the Giants will have good special teams, I would think, you know. But that being said, Billick’s offense is, if you go back, it’s one of the things Steve probably, you know, if you got Steve drunk and talk to him, he would bag on Billix’s inability to run on offense after being an offensive genius, right? I mean, that, that’s that would get you fired.

Luke Jones  18:16

Well, and more specifically, Kyle Bowler, I mean, Kyle Bowler is what got Brian Billick fired, I mean, like, not, not directly, but pretty directly, actually, if you want to just look at it very simplistically, but the point I was making was this gave you an opportunity to hire someone with an expertise on a side of the ball rather than the third phase that still carries value, but I think we would all agree, and John might burr up if he’s hearing this right now, but special teams aren’t as valuable as offense or defense. I mean, you, there are statistical studies that would reflect that they might have some high leverage moments, like when you’re needing to make a 50 yard field goal at the gun, of course, right, or a 44 yarder in Pittsburgh, when your season’s on the line, or

8

Luke Jones  19:04

Tucker

Nestor Aparicio  19:04

has to hit a dozen of them when it’s five degrees in Denver to keep your season alive

Luke Jones  19:08

over over the long haul, an offensive mind or a defensive mind, or more and more specifically the offense or the defense are going to carry more value, so they hire Jesse Minter, who had a level of expertise, we’ve heard various players, and I know Kyle Van Noy did a media tour during the.. I think this might have been even right before Minter was hired, it might have been right after, but he made the point that, as he, as someone who’s well into his 30s, and on, you know, in the November or December of his career, if not it being over for him. He made the point that a lot of younger players, you’d be surprised how many of them want to be coached, and not in the way that you think of the traditional rah rah win one for the Gipper kind of way. It’s much more what can you teach me in terms of. X’s and O’s. How can you make me a better player? How can you make this defense better? How can you make this offense better? How can you take my game from an average level to an above average level, or an above average level to a Pro Bowl?

Nestor Aparicio  20:12

8

That’s who Kyle Hamilton is. That’s who Ed Reed was. That’s exactly so.

Luke Jones  20:16

So, I think there was a perception that Jesse Minter on the defensive side of the ball could provide more of that in the way that a John Harbaugh could not, you know, and again, I’m not, you know, John won a lot of games, the formula they had here worked for a

Nestor Aparicio  20:30

really, John knew a lot about defense too, and he did, I think Kyle Hamilton didn’t look at John Harbaugh in the eye and say, you don’t understand defense, right? I think Lamar could look at John and say, you don’t know what I’m doing. Your brother would be a better guy for me on the sidelines. And having sat in that cockpit,

Luke Jones  20:46

John, John knew defense, and he, I mean, he was a secondary coach, even before he arrived in Baltimore. I mean, that was part of the John

8

Nestor Aparicio  20:53

being out with Roquan Smith and talking about hand placement and feet and where to be, and knowing the play. John does that as well as I don’t want to be dismissive of John,

Luke Jones  21:03

correct. And again, I’m not trying.

Nestor Aparicio  21:05

We want to be accurate

Luke Jones  21:06

8

about

Luke Jones  21:06

this, but how about this? Let’s say John had a college degree in defense. Jesse Minter is a master’s degree, maybe a PhD kind of guy, that’s how he’s perceived in defense. So, yeah, your defense better be a heck of a lot better, right? There’s no doubt about that. And certainly adding Trey Hendrickson and Jalen Hawkins and some other guys to the mix that they’ve added, they hope will pay those kind of dividends. They need their defense to be a lot better than it was last year. Wow, Captain Obvious, Luke, I know, but that’s a big part.

Nestor Aparicio  21:39

Well, the pass rush would be the biggest part there, and I mean, in the secondary, it’s about it’s about individual play, right? In secondary, it’s about, do you have good enough players? Sure, and scheme, like, count that in, but getting to the quarterback and stopping the run, that is coaching and scheming, and bodies being where they need to be, to not be surprised in reactive coaching, and that’s a different kind of thing, you know, that Rex Ryan and Mike Pett and those defensive guys, Marvin, they had a different frame of reference than even Brian had. Yeah, and now that I’m sitting talking about people who did this for a living, where I’ve had long conversations with them, the guys that you know, Brian and I did not talk a lot of secondary, but my God, could he scheme them up, I dream him up, because it’s what he did. So, you know, if you’re sitting and talking to Brian, you’re gonna be talking about offense, you know what I mean, like,

Luke Jones  22:34

right?

8

Nestor Aparicio  22:34

You just are, and I think the same thing would be true for Minter, and, and that might be, you know, from Lamar’s perspective, where he and Declan Doyle, if they’re going to win, I keep saying, if they’re going to win a Super Bowl, because that’s all that matters, they can host five AFC Championship games here and lose them all to Mahomes, Allen, go down the list, you know, Herbert Burrow, you know, all of those teams are capable of coming and beating them, even if they go 15 and two, so like for me the Super Bowl is where Minter has to go now, not different than Albert, who just has to win a have a friggin Delmon Young moment, you know what I mean, like way different, but I think for Minter he comes into a cockpit here with these players and a playoff week or two and going 12 and five and then getting your feelings hurt,

Luke Jones  23:21

they’ve been there.

Nestor Aparicio  23:22

Yeah, I mean, he’s in a different lane, and that’s about Lamar.

Luke Jones  23:27

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Well, it is, but you know, just to finish up what we were talking about. So, I think at face value, yeah, you’re expecting your defense to be not just better, but way better. You’re, let’s face it, we’ve talked about this. We talked about this a lot back in January and February. This was the move to kind of have the mulligan on Mike McDonald leaving. Right? I mean, if you had a crystal ball and you saw how everything played out, if Steve Busciotti had, you know, knew exactly how the next two years would play out, yeah, it would have been easy with, with hindsight, to say, oh, okay, John, we’re going to reassign you, we’re going to, we’re going to give you an Ozzie Newsome like title, and we’re going to promote Mike McDonald. Right? I mean, the idea that you know that that was never realistic at the time, but if you knew all that, sure, this is as close as you can get to doing that. Right, Jesse Minter to me feels like their idea of a mulligan for Mike McDonald, not just leaving and having success, but Mike McDonald having won a Super Bowl now in Seattle. So, so there’s that. However, when you start to look at this from a 30,000 foot perspective, it gets into what you were just saying, whether you’re talking about Lamar Jackson, but not just Lamar, I mean, the entire roster, what’s happened over the last, you know, we’re going on two months since the spring program began internally, even though we’re, we haven’t seen very much of it. I mean, only a couple OTAs have been open to this point, you know, very limited media availability, but internally there’s a whole lot of feeling out going on for everybody, right? I mean, and I don’t mean

Luke Jones  24:59

anything.

Nestor Aparicio  25:00

And base, right, that’s where I, that was my soliloquy, was I don’t know what to make of this, I know it’s that’s not a bad thing, I know it’s gonna be different, but I don’t know how much different, because they didn’t really want it to be a lot different, they really didn’t,

Luke Jones  25:12

I sure, I mean, I said this, I mean, I, I’ve told you this before, I mean, I write the Ravens preview for the Lindy’s Pro Football magazine that Howard Balser is the editor for. I even said my lead was that the Ravens were very much viewing this as a refresh rather than a full blown reboot, right? You’re getting the updated model, right? You get your, you still have an iPhone, but you got the iPhone. I don’t even know what the newest one is now at this point. I don’t have that, but

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Luke Jones  25:41

I think

Nestor Aparicio  25:41

they’re all 17 or

Luke Jones  25:42

eight, yeah, something like that. You’ve got the 17 when you had the, I don’t know, the iPhone 12 that worked really well for a long time.

Nestor Aparicio  25:48

8

I have a 12. How did you know it’s perfect?

Luke Jones  25:50

I actually have a 12 also, but, but, but I think all that.. I think what’s probably.. it’s funny what you mentioned. You know

Nestor Aparicio  25:58

what the iPhone 12 is now coaching the Giants,

Luke Jones  26:01

sure, sure, although spent a lot of money on a refurbished, but, but I, but I think, but in all seriousness, I think a lot of what you just mentioned, where, where Jesse mentors kept such a low profile, I’m guessing on some levels, both the organization, you know, meaning his bosses inside the building, and Steve Boschti, and also players, I think they like that, right? I mean, you just said it, I mean, John, very front-facing, right, especially now in New York, I mean, that that’s going to feed the beast of anyone who has any kind of, uh, perceived an ego, perceived or not, right, perception or reality, like that’s that market, the spotlight’s going to be on you, whereas Jesse Minter, behind the scenes to this point, and again, the stakes have been low, to your point, they haven’t even played as much as a preseason game, right, they haven’t even had their full squad on the field for a practice yet, right? I mean, you’re, you’re still in the voluntary phase, so it’s not as though the stakes have been high, where you could really judge any of this, but it’s kind of been, keep your nose to the ground and build, you know, build your program, right, and everything you just said a few minutes ago, How much of it is Rick Minter? How much of it is John Harbaugh? How much of it is Jim Harbaugh? Every stop, Jesse Minter, where he’s been, he’s taken someone, taken something from someone, right? And that’s how he molds himself. Are there going to be similarities to the horribles in various ways? Of course, there would be. I mean, how would there not be? And some of it might be, hey, here’s what worked, but here’s something that John or Jim did along the way that I would have done differently than that, and that’s okay.

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Luke Jones  27:49

Jesse

Nestor Aparicio  27:49

Pinter doesn’t have to ask how John did it,

Luke Jones  27:51

no, he doesn’t.

Nestor Aparicio  27:53

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He was in the building

Luke Jones  27:54

exactly, so there’s an advantage to that, but there’s also a hey, I understand I’m coming in here because Steve Body deemed that to be something that needed to be altered, to be at the very least tweaked, right. So, so, but I think the idea that, that he’s just had, you know, no, you know, head down and going to work. Lamar Jackson said it on Wednesday, he said one thing that stands out about Jesse Minter, and again, I’m reluctant to draw too much from this, because I think it’s really easy to compliment someone, but then that can be interpreted as a swipe on the former guy. It’s why John Harbaugh, if you recall, what was one of the famous things he always bristled at? Comparison questions, right? Because the idea that you say something about one thing that’s positive, that can be interpreted as a negative toward the other individual, but the thing he said about mentors, like, he just, he’s always, always has a smile on his face, and he’s just, he loves ball, and he just wants to get at it, and again, I don’t think that means John Harbaugh didn’t, but it’s different, it’s, it, there’s a newness to it, they’ve been able to change the plot here, even with the rest of the players left behind, where, yeah, they’re still facing that same narrative of January, January, January, and playoff failures and disappointment and all that, but Jesse Minter is not attached to that, right, Declan Doyle had nothing to do with that, so you’re looking at a group that is trying to change that narrative, but they’ve got a long way to go, and some of what you mentioned is spot on in terms of we don’t know yet how Jesse Minter is going to handle adversity, we don’t know yet how Declan Doyle is going to handle crunch calling plays in crunch time in a two minute drill, because he’s never done it before, when the stakes have been high, right? So, yeah, I think there’s something to be said about that newness, and I don’t want to say it’s like an apprehension, like, like that, it’s this, you know, but, but there is an unknown, and that’s where I think, if you look at the Raven schedule, it. Starts off pretty soft. Let’s call a spade a spade. That first month of the season is not what it was last year, but we can at least say that much. And she should be above water, and but that’s a good thing, because you do have a rookie head coach, you do have a first-time play caller as your offensive coordinator, you have a lot of new space that you’re navigating. Inevitably, there are going to be some hiccups, that’s why you know in our Oriole segment that we have done here, where we’re talking about how they played better over the last week, you know, it could be a variety thing, it could just be an aberration, because hey, you’re going to play better for at least a little while, any team is, but there’s also a new coaching staff, so the idea that mentor doing it for the first time at this, you know, in this role, the idea that Declan Doyle has, you know, a play calling gig for the first time, and, oh yeah, he has a two-time MVP quarterback who’s only a few months younger than him. I mean, think about that dynamic, not saying it won’t work, but that’s a different dynamic than Todd Monken in his 50s, coming in to work with Lamar Jackson, where there’s a very different space in terms of life experiences there, not you know, not that Declan Doyle and Lamar Jackson had the same upbringing, but you know they, there’s probably some advantages to culturally they might have some things shared, uh, interest, you know, like not that it’s going to be everything, but hey, they both grew up playing Madden, for example, whereas I’m guessing Todd Monk, and didn’t play video games a whole lot over the course of his life, so you know, it’s just I think a lot of it is, and this isn’t exciting to say this, but a lot of what you just mentioned, you kind of have to let this breathe, I mean, they’re feeling it out. I am interested. In fact, it’s funny you mentioned this, not so much in terms of losing a game or anything like that, but I’m really intrigued to see the first time that Jesse Minter blows his top on the field in front of the media, not at the media, but because some players are dogging it, or someone just messed up their assignment for the fourth time in five reps, or someone just jumped offside for the third time today, right? Those moments where you’re going to see him get hot, you know, to get his face get red, and he gets ticked off. I’m interested to see how that goes for him, and also, more importantly, how do players respond to that, then. Right, there’s a feeling out here, you know. I think he was a popular hire. I think players are excited about him. At the same time, they don’t know him in that way. There are only a few players on this team that are left from the time that Jesse Minter had been here. So, there’s a whole lot of feeling out that goes on, and that’s not a bad thing or anything like that, that’s just reality.

Nestor Aparicio  32:43

So, the guys would be Humphrey Stanley, the veteran guys,

Luke Jones  32:46

right? Yeah, I mean, they’re really talking about a few, right? I mean, well, I guess what Minter was here in 20, that was Clays Campbell’s first year with the Ravens, so he’d have a that might have helped the Ravens land Clays Campbell, for all we know. That said, I also don’t want to Andrews,

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Luke Jones  33:01

yeah, I’m just

Nestor Aparicio  33:02

trying to think, you know, like it is not many, though. No,

Luke Jones  33:05

it’s not. And, and even then, I mean, Jesse Minter did not have a high-profile job. I mean, one thing I said to you at the time, like, you know, I’d see some people on social media speculate about, oh, well, Jesse Mintra has a relationship with Lamar. I don’t think that relationship was more than seeing them in the cafeteria and saying, what’s up, Jesse, how you doing, like, or maybe there was a playful moment at practice between Lamar running the scout team as a rookie and Jesse Minter running the scout, you know, running the, you know, the scout team defense or something like that.

Nestor Aparicio  33:37

8

I think John worked hard at that and making sure they were eating with different people and doing different things, like they travel on planes together. I think that part of being on a team is, I mean, I played on Little League with guys for four months, 20 years ago, and you still know them, you know what I mean? Yeah,

Luke Jones  33:53

but at the same time, that doesn’t mean you built this meaningful, over-the-top. I think

Nestor Aparicio  33:59

it’s more people in the building, more secretary on the football side of the building, where you know he was in and out of the building, and even probably interacted with the people in PR and the people in, you know, Mark, just because he was a part of the franchise, man, you know,

Luke Jones  34:15

yeah, sure,

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Nestor Aparicio  34:16

they had Christmas parties, they had

Luke Jones  34:18

course

Nestor Aparicio  34:18

things in the that we don’t even know, picnics, we don’t even know about ice cream things that Harbaugh would do in the run with OJ, and like, there’s just.. there’s so many opportunities when you work together in a business where it’s a.. it’s not, you know, my wife’s company, Verizon, you know, I mean, like, I.. I do think that probably 60 70% of the people in the building had some familiarity, where, when he walked through, he knew young girls and young guys’ names that have the funny little shoes that Garrett Downing and those, like, he just knew people in the building, because you work with them and you have lunch with them,

Luke Jones  34:52

8

of course, and I’m not suggesting that that wasn’t an advantage for him, my point with the player specifically is. You know, he was not even like he wasn’t the head secondary coach, even when he was there, and you’re talking about a quarterback, you know, opposite side of the ball. I would venture to guess that Lamar Jackson did not have Jesse Minter’s cell phone number, because why would he? You know what I mean. So that’s what I’m saying. I understand there knew him, but right. So, so the point is, with all of this, is that’s why it’s so, that’s why it was so important that Lamar has been there as regularly as he has been, because there is very much a feeling out for him, that’s why it’s so important that Roquan Smith has been there, that Kyle Hamilton has been there, right?

Nestor Aparicio  35:34

I don’t think anybody would ever doubt that Lamar wants to win, of course, and a lot of this in the past was contract angling, and

Luke Jones  35:44

which is still there, by

Nestor Aparicio  35:45

probably bad advice he’s getting from a, you know, his mother or whoever his liaisons are, and I mean, like that goofy video he did, that that workout, like, you know, just sort of like

8

Luke Jones  35:56

we’ve kind of found, but we’ve kind of found out, you know, through, you know, some, the collusion stuff, and I mean, the NFLPA was advising Lamar, right, right, wrong, or indifferent, or were they giving him advice, and he wasn’t taking it, right? I mean, like, so, so that’s, but that’s still there, but in terms of just the football stuff, right now, in May, in June, and getting into training camp, like, this is such a critical time for them, I

Luke Jones  36:19

guess

Nestor Aparicio  36:19

everyone is, if Lamar perceives it as important to him winning, and he did, he would be here,

Luke Jones  36:25

8

and that’s why he’s been there for most of the spring, right? I mean, it hasn’t been 100% I never said it had to be 100% but don’t be, don’t let it be a case where you show up for a couple days in April, and then, okay, well, we’ll see you, man, you’re the leader of the team, be engaged. Well, and it’s, and people will say, well, Ray Lewis or Ed Reed, yada yada, it’s different for the quarterback, especially, and, and this is a point that I’ve heard others make, so I’m not taking credit for this. I’ll go back to what I just said. Declan Doyle is running the full show as an offensive coordinator for the first time in his life. I know he was the OC in Chicago. Ben Johnson was calling the plays. These

Nestor Aparicio  37:03

practices are important to him. They,

Luke Jones  37:05

it is, I would argue that it might be more important for Declan Doyle to have Lamar Jackson there than it is for Lamar Jackson to even be there, right? That’s how important it is for your first time play calling offensive coordinator to have his two time MVP there, so he can get to know him as well as possible. In terms of Lamar, what do you like? What do you like about that? Do we like that? Are we going to cut that out? Is that going to be something we try?

Nestor Aparicio  37:32

You get a head start, you get a head start. Yeah,

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Luke Jones  37:35

exactly. So, so, and look, everything

Nestor Aparicio  37:37

they were given the extra practices too, so they really are given a half, like a true head start, right?

Luke Jones  37:42

You get a couple extra weeks, you get an extra, you know, you get an extra, you know, veteran mini camp.

Nestor Aparicio  37:47

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So then you call Lamar and say, “Let’s use this dude, let’s get better.

Luke Jones  37:50

Of course, so look, the contract’s still there, right, and Lamar has got to stay healthy, you know. One thing that I asked Lamar on Wednesday, you know, is what I’ve said to you for months now, in terms of how do you approach the offseason? Do you tweak your workout regimen? You know, is there something that you need to add? You’re going to be 30 years old, like Lamar joked. He said, “You know, I’m not unk yet, which, you know, that’s, you know, a slang term that some of the younger players will call someone who’s a grizzled vet on the team, he’s not that, but he’s going to be 30, you know, in football terms, he’s not, you know, he’s not Joe Flacco or Aaron Rodgers by any stretch, or Matt Stafford, but he’s also not a young man anymore, right? 29 is not young in the NFL, I mean, certainly not even for a quarterback, you know, it doesn’t mean

Nestor Aparicio  38:39

we all knew at this point in his career, he’s going to have to be a better passer than a runner, that the stuff that he got away with five years ago, not only would he not get away with it anymore, or continue to get away with it before he got, he got slammed and injured, that they’re not, I don’t think Declan Doyle’s going to draw the plays up like Lamar’s 23 anymore, that’s fair, at the same, and they have Derrick Henry, by the way, too.

Luke Jones  39:02

At the same time, I would still argue that Lamar needs to be a bigger part of, you know, his legs need to be a bigger part of their offense than it was last year when he was playing through injuries. You know, that doesn’t mean run for 1200 yards. Let me be clear, but that doesn’t mean he’s setting another career low for rushing yardage, either. And you know, Lamar was asked about that. He said, “Look up, anything we need to do to win, you know, if I’m healthy and able, like I’m game for it, which is what you want to hear, right? With the new coaching staff, so we’re going to find out, right? I mean, it’s easy to talk about all these things in May and June, you know. It’s easy to talk about. Hey, well, we’re trying out these three guys as our starting center, or we’re trying out so and so at this position. All those things sound great until it gets real in September, so they’ve got a lot to figure out. But all things being equal, I’m with you in terms of you look at the division. If you’re asking me right now, who wins the division, I’m going to say the Ravens, but that doesn’t mean Cincinnati won’t be heard from, that doesn’t mean Pittsburgh won’t be heard from. I’m guessing Cleveland probably not, even though I certainly like Todd Monken and wish him well. I mean, is Deshaun Watson really going to be their quarterback? I mean, it sounds like that actually could be a thing, which I’m just kind of blown away by that at this point, but, but it’s going to be interesting, because there is so much new. I mean, there’s a lot of new for the Ravens to navigate here. That’s why, like I said, I think their early season schedule being more forgiving, boy, that’s even more important than usual for them, because Jesse Minor is going to have some hiccups, Declan, they’re going to have some hiccups. He’s going to mess up a challenge. Doyle’s not going to get a play in at the right time. It’s, you know, critical time at some point, and it might even cost you a football game, but that’s part of the learning process. And there will be some growing pains, but that said, all things being equal, with the talent that this football team has, if they’re healthier than they were a year ago, boy, they better be back in the playoffs. And then it goes back to your point, your point from the beginning, where, yeah, at that point it’s, can you break through, can you break through in January and win a Super Bowl? And that’s where, yeah, Jesse Minter and this staff, there is a lot more pressure, and you know, Brady’s dealing with the same thing in Buffalo, right? I mean, similar story there. Pittsburgh, I don’t think anyone thinks the Steelers are a Super Bowl contender. I don’t think anyone’s thought that for a long time, but when you go to one of these spots where they’ve let go of a very successful head coach to hire you, yeah, expectations inherently are going to be much higher, so it’s going to be fascinating to see how Jesse Minter handles that right now. Smooth sailing, but the first big injury, the first time you have a camp fight, the first time, like, like I said, you lose your cool, the first time you lose a game. How are you going to handle those moments? And you know, I have a suspicion that he’s going to handle himself pretty well, but no one really knows that. Right, everyone will have their advocates. You can go back and find experts talking about all any number of great offensive or defensive coordinators who they said, ‘Man, this guy’s going to be a great head coach, and then two years later that individual is back to being a coordinator, because it’s hard to do, and there are a lot of circumstances and variables that have to break the right way for you to have success. I think Jesse Minter is in a pretty good spot to have success, but they’ve got to go out and do

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Nestor Aparicio  42:36

it. He’s Luke Jones, he is covering baseball here this weekend, as much as we’re talking football, we’re going to get back at doing the Maryland Crab Cake Tour several times in June. We’re working in Green Mount Station. We’re going to get back to Gertrude’s to make our first appearance at Sorrento of our views. They have a delicious looking crab cake there. So I’m looking forward to meeting Harold Henry and the whole group over there. So brought to you by the Maryland Lottery. The Maryland Treasures Series will be out in June with me. Also, our friends at GBMC and Farnham and Dermer, there the comfort guys trying to keep you comfortable in these hot days. 410 36777 and Luke Pizza John’s hat you’re wearing, man, makes me like I’m thinking like I need, I need some pizza here before it’s all over. So we’re gonna get back to Pizza John’s, we can get the Coco’s and Costas and State Fair and all of our place. I gotta get over to El Guapo as well, and get a little work, a little tequila, and a little. I like the brunch over there on a Sunday, so lots of great things to do and see and be a part of here before the Ravens actually play football on september 13. We’ll be here talking about it. Any breaking news happens first with WNST Tech Service? It’s all brought to you by Cole Roofing and Gordian energy. He’s Luke. I’m Nestor. We are WNSD AM 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We never stopped talking. Baltimore positive,

43:48

we.