Luke Jones and Nestor discuss final eight and visions of AFC Championship Game in Baltimore next Sunday. Would it be Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes? And most importantly: Will Taylor Swift be in Baltimore with retired Jason Kelce next to her?
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
ravens, week, play, game, team, win, year, talking, super bowl, weekend, kansas city, baltimore, buffalo, playoffs, home, houston, stadium, lose, josh allen, joe flacco
SPEAKERS
Nestor J. Aparicio, Luke Jones
Nestor J. Aparicio 00:01
Welcome home we are wn St. Am 1570 Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive.com Come on out and visit us here this week we got a heck of a football. Celebration really. We have a chance to do something here in Baltimore we haven’t done in 53 years and AFC Championship Game Houston, Texas coming to town this week. We’re talking a lot of football around here. Want to remind everyone we have suspended the Maryland crabcake tour. I know I am wearing my Pappus worldfamous crabcake shirt now open in Bel Air. We are doing crabcake row the week February fifth. We will have Maryland lottery I have a few Oh snaps a few peppermint payouts the left I gave some of these away at the Hollywood casino game a lot of Hollywood casino on Saturday night watching Joe Flacco get steamrolled and watching poor to a tongue of Allah realize he was no longer Hawaii anymore. Our friends window nation in conjunction with Jiffy Lube and the Maryland lottery put us on the road. We’re doing the biggest charity week we’ve ever done for the Maryland Food Bank. It’s gonna be the week of February 5. We’re calling it crabcake row, a cup of soup or bowl. We’re gonna be offering free soup for folks that come out and do good things in the community. I’m wearing my pappy shirt. We’re gonna be there on the Friday before the Super Bowl. That is February the ninth February 5. We’re going to start the party if at least an election to market on the sixth on Tuesday will be a cost this Wednesday will be a Coco’s in laurelville Thursday, we will be at State Fair in Catonsville. And on Friday, we’re going to be at the the aforementioned Pappas in Cockeysville. I need big locations Luke and the reason for that is I don’t know if you know, they might be in the Superbowl and you might be in Las Vegas running around on a junket at the end casino with JT the brick rolling dice. We’re not that far off. And here we go. And it feels like it’s been a little while since they played meaningful football. We sat around all night Saturday. Oh, my Sunday all night Monday, which felt like a Sunday then it snowed on Monday, Tuesday felt like a Monday that it snowed. So this thing topping up on us, it’s going to be cold as hell on Saturday, taxes aren’t going to travel well. I don’t want to say remains to be seen. If the stadium is full. I think it’ll be full. I think the people who thought they were going to scout their tickets don’t call and I did a whole segment last week on that for coal roofing about, hey, I’m gonna get rich on my tickets. No, you’re not, it’s gonna be 20 degrees. And you’re gonna be lucky that folks want to go out there and sit in it. And I think for all of us who sat and watched cold people over the weekend, and it’s gonna be cold here all week, whether it’s going to be a factor in this one. But, you know, over the weekend, what happened with Buffalo and Pittsburgh and moving games and all of that. It’s it’s been an interesting tournament and a bunch of really bad football over the weekend. This is the weekend where things usually shake out and we get better matchups.
Luke Jones 02:40
You certainly hope so because that was not a very compelling weekend other than the weather elements in Kansas City. And then of course in Buffalo, as you alluded to, with the postponement from Sunday to Monday, I mean, five out of six games were decided by multiple scores, and you know, a couple of those games. Okay, Pittsburgh lost by two touchdowns. Did it ever really feel like the Steelers were really in that football game, I guess maybe right after the block field goal. But beyond that, I mean, Buffalo was in control, you know, and I said to you, the only way the bills would lose that game would be it, the bills play with their food a little bit too much as they are apt to do it, which is one of the reasons why they were six and six at one point. But, you know, they, for the most part, took care of the football and they took care of business. But you look at these matchups, I mean, beginning with, you know, we’ve talked about Houston, but just the dismantling of the browns. And as much as the focus was on Joe Flacco and he threw the to pick sixes. And look, Joe didn’t play. Well. I mean, there’s no way to mince words about that. But they torched the brands pass defense, which was supposed to be so good and had been so good over the course of the year, and that ended up being such a lopsided affair. I wasn’t really surprised what happened with Kansas City against Miami. I mean, I’ve set it for a few weeks now the dolphins for as much as they have talent, and some special players on offense. The injuries on defense really caught up to them. huge, big time over the last few weeks. They just
Nestor J. Aparicio 04:11
had a bad show up and I thought that about TJ watt I’m thinking this defense is bait. I mean, could we lose row Quan Smith this week and still win the Super Bowl? Maybe Maybe? I don’t know. Depends on you know, with the matchup has probably changed things about Patrick mahomes and Travis Kelce next week, or you know where Josh Allen whatever you’re gonna see, but when you lose chubby, I felt that about the Steelers, I thought this might have been a fair fight on a cold night if they had their full complement of players in that they make make a mistake forced fumble balance throws the ball around a little bit. The weather wasn’t going to be good to begin with to be cold. But you can’t win without TJ why you can’t win without Bradley Chubb. You can’t win without Lamar Jackson as we found last year, you don’t win without your best players in January. I mean, your best guys gotta be on the field. Yeah, and I’d
Luke Jones 04:55
even add to that and this is why I didn’t get Pittsburgh even with TJ watt wasn’t giving them much but you As you can’t win without good quarterback play, and I mean, Mason Rudolph was a nice story. But limit limitations are evident. You know, I think that’s obvious. And even in the case of to a tongue of Iowa, for all the statistics, he put up, look, he had a chance to solidify his spot, so to speak, in terms of the quarterback hierarchy in the AFC and not just the AFC, but the NFL. And look at how he played, you know, he didn’t play well against the Ravens after you know, after the first 20 minutes or so, did not play very good football did not play well against Buffalo and, and was completely overmatched in Kansas City. And I get it, it was cold, but it was cold for the Chiefs too. And they couldn’t do it. So I think you’re right, the injuries are so key. And I think for Miami, you know, if they had been fully healthy when I’ve given them a better chance against Kansas City, sure. But at the same time, Miami proved over and over and over again this year, whenever they went up against a good team. They weren’t ready. They had one win all year against the team with a winning record. And it was a Cowboys and we saw how that played out for the Cowboys hosting Green Bay Hill on Sunday, which I mean, how about Jordan love? I mean, what a story that has turned out to be. And we talked about CJ Stroud and what he’s done in the AFC as a rookie, but Jordan love, not a rookie, but his first year as a starter. It looks very Aaron Rodgers replacing Brett Farr Vasque. You know, I mean, he looks like he can really play and it took them a little while took him about half a season to really get his bearings. But he’s been one of the better quarterbacks in the NFC, you know, for the better part of about two, two months now. I mean, go look at his numbers, from about what week 10 On week 11 on I mean, really, really impressive. And overcoming what has what is a flawed roster, you know, not not a very good Green Bay defense. So, you know, I think this weekend, really, you know, it illuminated just how important quarterback play is again, and not Not that anyone needed a reminder, we know that in this day and age. But between that, and then just seeing some of these teams that were a little more banged up. You kind of saw that exposed as well. But by and large, was not the best weekend of football in terms of these matchups. I mean, Lions rams was great. That’s the game I thought would be the game of the weekend. You know, I thought that all along. And in fact, I thought the Rams would upset Detroit. And you know, they came close to doing it. But lions good story, right. I mean, first playoff wins since 1991. I mean, you think about all the guys on that team who were not even born yet who contributed to that victory on Sunday night. That’s a pretty good story. And I think you look at the NFC now. The 40, Niners it’s a similar message for them as it is with the Ravens with the Texans, you know, don’t sleep on the Packers just because they’re the seventh seed. But, you know, if you look at how that all sets up, oh, it looks like it’s a, you know, a road to 40 Niners lions in the NFC Championship game, which I think will be a really good matchup. But other than that lions game, let’s face it, it was a pretty lopsided weekend overall. I mean, a couple of these games were games for a little while. But for the most part, the haves and the have nots were pretty evident over the course of the weekend. You know, I
Nestor J. Aparicio 08:26
think about these wild card games and I think about like weekends like when the Jaguars beat the dolphins like 52 to nothing and like really awful blowout games. What that Flacco game on Sunday, and whatever the Texans are, whatever they’re going to be this week, they had that moment at home and a season where you don’t think you’re gonna have it. The Lions their fans had their party, right. Cowboys showed up. Nothing happened. The Eagles Oh, my God. I mean, there’s some real steaming messes even amongst playoff teams. Tomlin jumping off the podium when he’s asked about his future, right, like, you lose these games, home or away playoffs. I mean, it’s one thing to be the Carolina Panthers or to be the Bengals where your quarterback gets hurt. And I had saw on the wilcots on this week or even the Jaguars you sort of spin it up at the end of the year. I had Sam of Arizona last week, who votes for the Hall of Fame trying to get Fred Taylor into the Hall of Fame now a Baltimore guy Woodlawn guy. So I’ve gone around the league and sort of licking the wounds of we didn’t make the playoffs. We were expected to Cincinnati Jacksonville, right. Or we’re a mess New England, the Jets. I mean, if you didn’t make the playoffs and you want five or six games, you’re a mess. You don’t have a quarterback, you’re a mess. You fired your coach, you’re a mess. Your fans are pissed off and nobody wants to come to the games. You’re a mess. So but then I see that they all got $380 million of television money and I realized why guys the Jets do throw me out and why they don’t care whether anybody comes to the game this week or whether They even plow their own stadium when they sold tickets for $500 apiece and whether you have a place to stand and what time the game starts and what they’re gonna do, like they are what they are Peacock, one word peacock. Well actually two words Hollywood casino because that’s where I went to watch the game, instead of getting Peacock, but, you know, all of the league’s excess greed. fandom, gambling lags bad officiating. Toss it in here, you and me we do. What else was I doing over the weekend, I sat here like everybody else. And I watched 10 hours of football Saturday, 10 hours of football Sunday, 10 hours of football on Monday, man watch 30 hours of football over the weekend. And I see it in all of it. And all of its coming through here this week. And we were kind of had the weekend off and it’s going to snow and get the plows and let’s watch the snow cam and in Orchard Park and all that. Now it comes here and it gets real heavy if you’re losing 10 to nothing as we found out for the 40 Niners as well, any I would even go into Sunday where I think Sunday night. Look, I think the ravens are when they’re 10 point favorites. I expect that at eight o’clock. I’m sitting around you’re watching Brock Purdy dirty and you know having a good time watching Jordan love and we’ll see how it goes out in Santa Clara on Saturday night. But I’m thinking give me the popcorn like Michael Jackson. We’re gonna sit here all Sunday night. And we’re gonna watch these heavyweights go at each other. And knowing that we’ll have to get one of them. And man, as far as the road paved to gold, if I’m writing Purple Rain three and I’m not but you can look, I got the purple ring twos and ones in the trunk if you want. And by the way. I would say that this it’s dreaming. I mean, even Andrews coming back. What’s going on with this team? Is they believe their I say destiny, right? I mean, somebody out there it might be Houston it might be probably not because it usually isn’t rookie coach, rookie, rookie quarterback or whatever. But there’s some good stories being authored including Jared Goff in Detroit, but San Francisco and ravens had the week off. Nobody talked about them. We’ve seen all the rest of this. The stories over the weekend in Tampa Baker Mayfield won a playoff game. He’s a one one overall, he’s not a joke. Right. And I think we saw if you don’t believe in Detroit, maybe you believe in Tampa, right? But this is going to be an interesting weekend football and it never goes to script. And I know we want the script to be Mark Andrews comes back and there’s a parade here on Valentine’s Day. And like, and Lamar believed that. Maybe that’s the way it is. But maybe this is Josh Allen Stein. Right? Or maybe it’s Patrick mahomes doing it on the road for the first time. Yeah,
Luke Jones 12:44
I mean, it’s you just said it doesn’t necessarily go to script. I mean, it’s that’s why we watch, right? I mean, as much as guys like me enjoy and appreciate analytics and DVOA. And, you know, we all sit there and argue about power rankings, even though we all fumble, right? Well, we all say we hate Power Rankings. But when we look at him over the course of the year, but you get to you get to these games. I mean, it’s a it’s a one game season, from here on out. It really is. I mean, we can sit here and talk. You just said it. I mean, we’re working under the assumption that the Ravens will handle their business on Saturday, I expect them to know, I’m going to pick them to win, you know, going out on a big limb there, right picking the best team in the NFL. But yeah, you do look in the opposite side of this AFC bracket. And it is fascinating from the standpoint of us Kansas City Buffalo and the Ravens know that, okay, they’re not gonna have to play both of them on their path to a Super Bowl, but they’re gonna have to play one of them, you know, if assuming they win and beat the Texans on Saturday. And it is interesting from the standpoint of as much as we’ve talked about the ravens and their path and you just said it. On paper, it doesn’t get much better than this right? Kansas City down, Buffalo had to win what six in a row just to get to this point. You know, that’s how little their margin for error was. Cincinnati is sitting at home because Joe burrow hurt his wrist in mid November. I mean, go down the list. Miami wasn’t ready for primetime, Joe Flacco turned back into a pumpkin I mean, go down the list of all these teams. But on the flip side, you have buffalo, who is looking at Kansas City in the same way that the ravens are right now. And they more so than the Ravens. They faced Kansas City in the playoffs a couple of times in recent years. And they fallen short. You know, they had the gone in 13 seconds a few years ago, and they lost to them, you know. So they’ve been in that position, but they’re looking at insane. We’re finally playing Kansas City in our building. And yeah, Patrick mahomes in that offense isn’t as explosive as it’s been in recent years. But, and I’ve said this to anyone who would listen and look, there are other people. I’m not the only one but for as much as people have been quick to be dismissive of the chiefs. It’s still Andy Reed. It’s still Patrick mahomes. And by the way It is a much better defense than Kansas City has had in recent years. So as much as the focus for the Ravens is on Houston this week, but for fans because fans media, we can look ahead because we’re not playing. But you do look at that. And the other side of the bracket, that’s, you know, there’s that’s interesting in terms of that dynamic with both Buffalo and Kansas City and Kansas City. I mean, I just think back to all the years, all the years, we would talk about Brady and Bella check, and now it’s finally over. And they’re not that good. And they, they can’t do this, or they can’t do that, or they’re really injured. And then how many times did you see them back in the AFC Championship or back in the Superbowl when you were talking about them again, on radio row all those years,
Nestor J. Aparicio 15:43
so, but there’s not many years when you’re the one and the two in the three are a one A and A one B and they have to go play each other. And anytime that happens if you can avoid that conflict, you win. You know, when you get Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton Manning going against each other, if you’re Tom Brady, you only get one of them. And this is that year. And that’s why I keep saying you better win, you better win, you better win, you better win. And I’m gonna be a prick about that you better win, because I’ve sat here and watched the Orioles win 101 games and knock it out of the way in October and then just think you’re gonna win under two next year. I don’t say never happens. It’s a 10% chance that last year is a stepping stone to next year win last year was a one seed like literally win last year was a one seed. If you think in this year, you’re going to be a one seed with a bullet. Man. That’s Yankee stuff. That’s that’s not reality. I mean, the gold standard for a while the Patriots did it for a while a couple of those elite teams, we’ve never had that around here, maybe Lamar is that. And maybe they’re gonna draft well enough and they have enough young players, they can control their cap, maybe they really can win 13 games, two out of the next three years, maybe they can, but somebody else might win 14 And it might be CJ Stroud, it might be Trevor Lawrence getting a defense and it could be anything. But people getting in the way and where Alan is and where Alan is perceived to be and where he’s been playing lately. Right? And we’ll get to him fake sliding because I don’t wanna let that go. You and I got to talk about that. And mahomes to only get one or the other. CJ Stroud aside as a rookie and a 10 point underdog this week on a cold day. Purple Rain three Dude, I got my, this pen. So you have these pens here. I do big pens. This one here actually has a purple in it. So I’m thinking my purple rain right now for you. Purple Rain three. This is how the book is written. I mean, this. Everything’s fairy tale so far for them right now.
Luke Jones 17:48
Yeah, but I’d also point out to you, Purple Rain one and two did not constitute a number one seed and be in the heavy favorite throughout. I mean that. So that right there shows how often it doesn’t go to script.
Nestor J. Aparicio 18:02
This script has never been written in this way here.
Luke Jones 18:04
Well, I think I mean, just look at the history of the franchise. Now. Of course, 2000. That was the first time they’d been in the playoffs. So you didn’t really have other than just saying that the Ravens hadn’t won anything in their first four years, you didn’t really have any kind of redemptive story, you know, it through, you know, on from an onfield standpoint, but 2012 I mean, think about what had led up to that. I mean, you go all the way back to 2006. And the failure there first time they’d ever had a first round by and what happened to them against Indianapolis, and how that was very quickly, you know, very rapidly. I don’t know, beginning of the end, however, you want to classify it for Brian Billick and that era of the ravens, right? But, you know, obviously the Ravens in 2011 they had the first round by they lost the New England Billy Cundiff Lee Evans. So 2012 They did have that redemptive story. So, you know, the Ravens have been in this position before in terms of being the favorite. But you know, does this, you know, it’s been this has been a four year story now, for Lamar Jackson, in this era, the Ravens after what happened in 2019. But, you know, the 2012 team, they were tenant six, we all know what happened that December, right? So, you know, it happens in different ways. So this is unique for the Ravens in the sense that, you know, they haven’t often been the team that you point to as being the hunted. You know, they haven’t been the team that’s been the heavy favorite in the way that this team is in the end. They’ve never made good on it in this era. Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, like I said, I mean, the other times, they’ve been the first round by look at how it’s gone. 2006 2011 They had a first round bye, which by the way, he hosted Houston in the divisional round that year. And if you recall, that was a choppy effort. You know that. That was the game where Ed Reed made some not so flattering remarks about Joe Flacco the day you know, a couple days after that, and there was a controversy for five minutes about that that was a little overblown, but at the time it was, you know, made some headlines. But no, and then there’s 2019. And we know how that turned out. So look, there’s no requisite. You know, it’s not as though you need to be the number one seed or, as you mentioned with the Orioles that you need to win 100 plus games to win the World Series, far from it. You know, the Texas Rangers prove that and reminded us of that this past year, even though
Nestor J. Aparicio 20:24
in the middle of the season, we all feel like we need to be number one in the Power Rankings. I know. What you need to do is have a home game, have healthy players and have a good matchup. And look at Yeah, and then go out and execute, do all the things that you’ve talked about doing. And the reason everyone I talked to you last week, you go through the full docket of all of these real, there wasn’t anybody I had on the show last year that hasn’t been doing this for 30 years, like literally, Clark, Judge Sam Cabarrus, Mike Flynn, I mean, the guests, we had all of them there is a level of expectation, because of how good this team has been DVOA. I had Aaron Schatz and Mike tear on last week, talking DVOA and talking about historically, that a team that has a lead at the two minute warning and every single game they play, and they could have closed it out in that way and been a perfect team in that way. And didn’t that they have never rolled that a bed on the wrong side where there there’s any thought that they’re going to be behind 13 to three at halftime this week, right? Like, That’s not. That’s not conceivable, because it hasn’t happened yet. But it’s conceivable, you get a punt blocked. you fumble, you throw a pick six, the ball squirts up in the air, you get a bad call, you know, like all of those things that we saw happen over the weekend that conspire to blow outs everywhere. I don’t expect that nobody expects that from the Ravens. And I think the other part that I get from everyone, and I don’t know whether this is even legitimate or not, because they didn’t play from behind at all, all year long. Like they just didn’t so, but the perception is they could if they needed to, and that’s a totally different place than where they were against Tennessee. Or the chart. I guess the charges were still in San Diego now they were in LA they were car everywhere. They they were in where they are now purgatory hardball Ville. But I would say for those games, trouble, begat trouble, begat trouble began, let’s go on fourth, and let’s not make it. They don’t play that way this year ever. It would be out of character. And if they were behind 13 to three and a halftime on a 21 degree day because they had three turnovers and Tucker missed the field or whatever. They could come out and they could overcome being down 10 points. Yeah,
Luke Jones 22:42
they can. That’s that’s still doesn’t mean you want to be in that position, though, because of what you just said. Because
22:48
your deposition?
Luke Jones 22:50
Yeah. Right. Well, I mean, they trailed for a good portion of the Rams game, you know, I think, you know, you kind of look at that as being and look, I mean, even that game went to overtime, they went on a punt return for a touchdown. So you know, you kind of look at how the season has played out. You’re right. I mean, there’s no question about it. I mean, but like I said, and I’ll keep coming back to this 2019 was, they hadn’t lost since what late September that season. You know, it was week four, when the Browns beat them. And, you know, might as well have been a different team at that point in time they traded for, you know, after that happened, they signed Josh Bynes. And they signed LJ for it and they traded for Marcus Peters. And, you know, we saw them rattle off 12 wins in a row and look dominant and doing it the point is, all it takes is one performance to be out of character. You know, you wake out a wake up out on the wrong side of the bed, you know, you come out a little overconfident and you come out a little slow out of the gate because you haven’t played a really meaningful game and two and a half weeks, three weeks. So those are just the potential pitfalls. I think that’s a big reason why John Harbaugh. They practiced all week they practice in pads on Friday, even though I don’t think it was this over the top hard hitting training camp like practice, but they did practice and pads. They went to the stadium on Saturday for an hour and a half practice. I think that was as much a mental and psychological thing for them as anything else to kind of go through, hey, let’s go to the stadium. Let’s practice let’s visualize being here a week from now hosting Houston or whoever they thought it was going to be at that point in time. So you do those things. You try to avoid those pitfalls as much as you can but still have to go out and play the game. And at this point in the season, yeah, even talking about Green Bay who barely got in even talking about you know, talking about the the Texans who needed to win at the end week 18 to win the division. bills
Nestor J. Aparicio 24:47
or the bills are hosting a home game now this week. They have mahomes coming in because they got their business done against Miami in the end because they were going to be the seventh seed. They were going to be out of the playoffs five weeks ago. Six weeks ago, now they’re hosting a game in Houston pulls off a miracle vacant host and AFC Championship game if they went right and they’ll be in a position to know that before the game starts on Saturday night as to whether they’d have a trip to Baltimore or Houston coming in. And that’s what the stakes would be for them. But they were they were given up for dead the bills were given up for dead when the eagles were 10 and one and the cowboys were nine and two and now look at it now look at it.
Luke Jones 25:27
Yeah, exactly. I mean, that’s why you know, we we always we joke about overreacting, week one and week two, right. You know, every every year we talked about that the overreaction in week one and week two, but really that that’s a year long thing. You know, we we talk about it’s a week to week League, but we always forget that it’s a week to week League and how we assess and how we react to what happens. And that’s why the ravens, they’re so highly regarded because week to week, they’ve continued to be the best team in the league, or one of the best teams in the league at any point over the course of the season. I guess. Okay, no one thought they were the best team in the league when they lost the Pittsburgh back in week five, you know, as we were getting ready to watch the Orioles and game to win the division series. And they had that inexplicable loss in Pittsburgh. Other than that, and certainly since then, they’ve been the best team in the NFL. And they’ve been that consistent. But that has to carry over now you have to continue that and you have teams who everyone’s good. Who’s left. I mean, even Green Bay Green Bay, you’re talking about them. They barely made it right nine and eight. And they didn’t look like a nine and eight team against the Cowboys. And look, the Cowboys are fraudulent as they are year after year after year. And they’re probably going to undergo a bunch of changes. But they still were the number two seed
Nestor J. Aparicio 26:40
it was that Green Bay put on when we went down there you and I remember that. Remember that little seance we had outside of the locker room? The boys they were already taxed.
Luke Jones 26:49
Right. Right. So and I mean, you look at Tampa Bay, even though I’m a little less inclined to compliment Tampa Bay too much because the Eagles are just disasters, disaster. I mean, boy,
Nestor J. Aparicio 27:01
they’re how does that unravel in six weeks that the coach is gonna get fun. I mean, what they were in the Super Bowl 5248 weeks ago, four weeks ago,
Luke Jones 27:12
they were regarded as the best team in the league for the first 1010 or 11 weeks. I I don’t know how you look at that without concluding that there are some very serious stuff going on behind the scenes and look, coaching. They lost both their coordinators. And I’m glad. I’m glad we shifted here. Because I think this is another important point for the Ravens as much as you’ve been sending
Nestor J. Aparicio 27:37
a whole segment on it where you’re about to go for sure.
Luke Jones 27:39
I think you look at where the ravens are right now. And let’s be clear, I don’t want to be alarmist about this. If you have a healthy and upright Lamar Jackson year after year after year, it’s been proven, you have a chance you have a heck of a chance. Anytime you play. That’s, we’ve seen that for five years now. That said, you have your defensive coordinator who’s been interviewed by what five or six teams at this point already interviewing, right? He’s getting the job, you would think so you would think so? You know, is it possible? Not this year, but he’s gonna get a job sooner than later. And it’s super
Nestor J. Aparicio 28:14
bowl. That’s when Monken is good. That’s when they take wildly 52 on Houston this week, right and Nicole, like all of this can unravel quickly to Marvin was gonna get a job that he’s back here coaching again, right, like you
Luke Jones 28:27
never know. Right? Right. But the point is, everything about this team moving forward now, coordinators, not just the coordinators, but I know, even some unreported you know, some off the record. There’s a lot of interest in there other assistant coaches as there should be when you’re talking about a team, that’s the best in the NFL and so highly regarded as far as their coaching staff. So it’s not just potentially your coordinators, but losing some guys that could potentially be replacements for them down the line. You have that salary cap situation, while it’s not the worst in the NFL, it’s not going to be easy, and it’s not going to be easy moving forward when you have a $260 million quarterback. That’s that’s just reality. That’s not an excuse. But it’s part of that conversation. You look at all the free agents they have. You look at Philadelphia, think about how highly regarded the eagles were. I mean, they lost by a nats eyelash to the chiefs in the Superbowl last February. I mean, it was that close, right? The upholding call, you know, defensive holding pass interference, whatever it was, and what was the sentiment at that point in time? Oh, I mean, this team set up so well. Then they lose their offensive coordinator, they lose their defensive coordinator. Some of their veterans on defense got old overnight over the course of this season. You know, they their quarterback who looked like you know, other than mahomes best in the league last year. Don’t look like the same guy this year. And I think coaching is a part of that. I do wonder about health as well. point is that the eagles on paper look like they were set up to be fine. And to win a couple of Super Bowls over the next four or five years. And now a year later, just a year later, we’re talking about the future the head coach, there coordinator situation has been a mess on, you know, with either either replacement, it hasn’t really worked out very well.
Nestor J. Aparicio 30:15
With the enemy left Kansas City that’s messed with them too.
Luke Jones 30:18
Sure. Yeah. I’ll hear that. You know, I mean, that whole, that whole debate about who called plays and, you know, is it Andy Reid or Eric B. And the point was, that was a collaborative operation, right.
Nestor J. Aparicio 30:30
He clearly, very successfully, right. So
Luke Jones 30:33
anytime you’re changing variables, you run the risk of something becoming lesser, you know, something that dissipates something that is, you know, regresses however you want to describe it. And oh, yeah. When you are in that position, teams are gunning for you. And teams are trying to figure things out. That’s one reason why Greg Rome, and after a while it ran its course, right. I mean, I think, you know, I’ll never subscribe to the idea that Greg Roman was their only problem whatsoever. But I think it was clear that it was time for this offense to evolve. It was time for someone else to work with Lamar Jackson, and Lamar Jackson needed to stay healthy. And that’s a big part of it, too, compared to the last couple years. But the point is for this team, I’m not sure it’s going to set up any better for them at any point here in the not in the future, you know, the next three, four years, it’s not going to set up any better than it is right now. Now, that doesn’t mean they can’t win. You know, if they lose in the AFC Championship, that doesn’t mean they can’t come back next year and have a redemption story. But chances are, they might not be the number one seed
Nestor J. Aparicio 31:38
they might be a wildcard they might play that redemption story. We’ll go back to being negative Nestor Lamar can’t win, which is Oh, you think you’re gonna go into the playoffs and play a home game and then go to Buffalo and then go to Kansas City. And when I tell you what, you know, Kansas City is trying to do that right now. Right? Kansas City is trying to we you know, we swatted away Miami in a lie below night. Now they’ve got to go to Buffalo. And if they survive that, they’ve got to come here and tell you what, to cities out in Vegas. And you won’t be out there. You’ll be with me to eat crab cakes and have some have some crab soup, like a good Maryland for you. You should be even though you’re Pennsylvania sort of kind of. I would say if Kansas City does that. You Doff your cap, if they’re in here next Sunday night at seven o’clock. And Patrick mahomes is going to another Super Bowl in a visiting Jersey in our stadium. They did something to go on the road and do that because that’s really hard to do. And Joe Flacco Well, you know, I know he’s no good. And he stinks. And he threw pics and he’s old and even like, he did it. I watched it. I was there. I watched him go out to Denver. I watched him go up to New England beat Peyton Manning beat Tom Brady. Beat to Hall of Famers on the road. It’s hard to do really hard enough to win from home. This team’s gonna find out the next two weeks. Yeah.
Luke Jones 32:58
And I mean, you say the same thing about Josh Allen. If you find if even if they’re playing in Buffalo, they finally take down Kansas City in January, which is something they’ve been trying to do and have been unsuccessful. And then they go on the road and beat the ravens and be a great story. But it’ll be a great story for the large accent even if they’re playing at home, you know, at this point in time, and again, they’ve got to take care of Houston. First, we understand that right? I mean, we don’t need to keep saying that. Like we’re players. You and I are not playing on Sunday on Saturday so we can look ahead. But if it’s Lamar Jackson, even if it’s at home, you’re finally taken down Patrick mahomes or Josh Allen, you know, in the case of mahomes You haven’t even played him in January, but the ravens, you know, he’s they’ve been in everyone’s way in the AFC ever since Tom Brady walked out and went the Tampa Bay. It’s been Kansas City. I mean, that’s just where it is. That’s the heavyweight fight.
Nestor J. Aparicio 33:46
I mean, sure. We all think we’re just going to win. We’re 10 Okay, great. We’re gonna win. We’re gonna sit around Saturday that eat popcorn, get ready, party. Get right, boy, Sunday night’s gonna be slobberknocker. And
Luke Jones 33:55
if you’re if you’re a Ravens fan, if you’re John Harbaugh, if you’re Lamar Jackson, you’re hoping that came is a slobberknocker to your point, and it goes into overtime. double overtime. You know, so I mean, that’s where it is. So, I mean, the ravens are at the advantage here playing at home. And also, and this is where we come back to it. You know, as much as we kind of talk about all these different paths that these teams have, you know, whether you’re a wildcard playing on the road the entire time as the Ravens frequently did in the first half of the Joe Flacco era as they have for most of their history and let’s face it you think about ravens playoff success it’s been on the road I mean, that’s that’s that’s their story. You know, some of their biggest disappointments have been their
Nestor J. Aparicio 34:37
own play. Oh, they’ve been hurt feelings at home, bro. Yeah, yes, exactly. So one playoff game matters you know the Colts game but not like, you know, we have walked out of the thinking we’re going to the Super Bowl and I think we’ve all to your point. We’ve done a lot of things around here. That’s one thing. In your case you haven’t seen the Orioles when you know as I look at World Series, press pins from time to time You know, just getting through this game, your whole pinch me moment would happen at seven o’clock, if you’re on the winning locker room this week, just knowing they’re gonna host an AFC Championship game next week, That unto itself would be a big accomplishment, a big achievement, no matter who comes in here and red or blue next week. I
Luke Jones 35:17
mean, it just, it would be special. We talked about this a couple weeks ago. I mean, it’s the best thing you can do in your own stadium, knowing that, okay, not talking about like the Rams winning a Super Bowl in their home stadium. But in terms of just like the regular setup of a run of the mill team in the NFL, the best you can do is to host the conference championship game and win a conference championship game in your own building, you know, again, acknowledging the Super Bowl scenario for some select teams. But for Baltimore, I mean, how special would that be? I mean, that’s that’s something again, hasn’t happened in 53 years. Think about what’s happened. I mean, that was another franchise ago. Right? Not just generations. It’s It was another team ago, as it pertains to Baltimore hosting that game. So there’s definitely a really special element to what the ravens are playing for, that goes beyond just this season and the excitement of this team and trying to win a Super Bowl for the first time in 11 years, and Lamar Jackson trying to win his first Super Bowl. You know, so there’s, there’s a lot on the line on Saturday, there’s no question about it. But to your point, you know, assuming they do take care business, and I expect them to, I think I fully expect them to take care of business and win on Saturday, then yeah, put your feet up. But be ready, because you’re going to have the winner of that game Kansas City and buffalo. Yeah, they’re going to be that’s a team that’s going to be very weathered, in terms of, you know, they’ve gone through something, they’ve really gone through something. So you know, what, we’ll see how it plays out, but shaping up to be a really fun couple of weeks here. The Ravens just have to take care of business, you know, and it’s gonna be a really fun couple of weekends here in Baltimore. And, yeah, there’s, I already said, and I’ll continue to say it, especially assuming the Ravens do win Saturday that the idea of a conference championship and AFC Championship in Baltimore, it’s another one of those bucket list items that I think a lot of fans even talking to one of my best buddies who went to the Super Bowl in New Orleans and has been to so many playoff games. You know, we talked about it on New Year’s in fact, and he said that, you know that that would be different, that would be special doing that in your home stadium, having that opportunity to raise the Lamar Hunt trophy, and know that you’re going to the Super Bowl. Even though the Ravens have done it, they’ve done it in on the road to do that at home. That’d be really special. So this is a really unique opportunity that we’ll go back to, we’ll continue to say doesn’t come around every year. So this is a chance to do something really special that they haven’t done before. So it’s gonna be a lot of fun on Saturday and you hope even more fun the following Sunday, we’re gonna be doing
Nestor J. Aparicio 38:06
something really special the week of February 5, it’s going to be cup of soup or Bowl week. All brought to you by the Maryland lottery junction with our friends at window nation and Jiffy Lube. I’ll be giving away. Ravens scratch offs Maryland’s with lottery scratch offs, not even scratch offs. Oh Snap scratch offs, also have some some peppermint pay offs, but also fresh ones as well. We will be doing a week of live broadcast to benefit the Maryland Food Bank. I’m gonna have a whole bunch of details about this. Coming forward. Just a little teaser, big appreciation to all of our sponsors and bringing this thing together that we so beginning the week of February 5 Come out say hello. Have a cup or bowl of Maryland crab soup or cream of crab soup. I did have a request for chicken noodle over the weekend. So I’m going to be working on that Marc Prensky, the blade one of the chicken noodle soup, so I’m like, Alright, that’s good for the soul from what I understand. Ravens football all week long around here. We’re gonna be talking with lots of lots of experts. Lots of football people. Luke’s gonna be out knowings Mills, there’s any breaking news. You’ll get it first on the wn S T tech service. I remind everybody to stay warm out there. This week. We will have a whole theme about warmth and hunger and abundance and all that stuff coming up in the month of February as the Ravens tried to bring back a third Lombardi trophy and the first one for Lamar Jackson who, who guaranteed us a Super Bowl just like Joe Joe Namath will love we’ll see. They are two hours of football away from playing in Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas. I am Nestor. He’s Luke. We are wn st am 1570, Towson Baltimore and we never stop talking. Baltimore positive
