After a big scare at training camp this week with cornerback Nate Wiggins, Luke Jones and Nestor discuss the Ravens’ secondary depth and everything to watch when watching fake football over the next three weeks as the Eagles start the week when the real hitting happens in Minnesota for mid-week scrimmages. All things #RavensFlock here for everyone looking to get caught up…

Injury Outlook

• Luke said Nate Wiggins being carted off initially looked serious, but later reporting indicated no major structural damage.
• Jesse Minter said both Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey were trending toward returning next week or early the following week, with Week 1 still about a month away.
• The main conclusion was that the team likely avoided a major setback, but the episode highlighted how vulnerable the secondary could become if multiple corners miss time.

Depth Questions

• Nestor pressed on the scenario where Wiggins and Humphrey are unavailable, asking what the second level of the cornerback group looks like.
• Luke said the top outside trio of Humphrey, Wiggins, and Chidobe Awuzie compares well on paper, but age, expiring contracts, and injury history make Wiggins especially important.
• The biggest open question was whether T.J. Tampa can be trusted as the No. 4 outside corner and whether Bilal Kone can emerge as usable depth.
• Luke argued that for this defense to thrive, Wiggins needs to develop into a true outside corner who can hold up on an island against top receivers.

Preseason Focus

• The first preseason game against Philadelphia was framed less as entertainment and more as an evaluation tool for depth players and the new staff.
• Luke wants to see T.J. Tampa, Bilal Kone, Jacoby Lane, Anias Peebles, Rayshon Benny, and Zion Young look like viable contributors against backup competition.
• He also noted concern about the current tight end group, saying he has been underwhelmed by Mark Andrews, Matt Hibner, and Josh Cuevas so far in camp.
• Beyond roster evaluation, the game matters for first-year head coach Jesse Minter, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, and Anthony Weaver as they test play-calling, communication, challenge decisions, and game-day workflow.
• A final open question was whether the favorable early schedule should produce at least a strong start; both hosts suggested anything materially worse than 4-2 or 5-1 would raise concerns.

• Bring and distribute free Maryland Lottery scratch-off ticket samples at the Fishmonger’s Daughter event on Wednesday the 19th. (@Nestor Aparicio)
• Produce additional content this week highlighting The Baltimore Sun’s ‘Losing the Bay’ coverage and other local ownership issues on WNST AM 1570, including collaborating with Mike Brillhart. (@Nestor Aparicio)

Injury Updates

• Luke described the Nate Wiggins practice injury as an early scare that later appeared minor.
• Jesse Minter indicated Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey were both trending toward returning soon.
• The discussion treated the episode as a reminder that health is the biggest preseason risk.

Cornerback Depth

• Nestor asked what the defense looks like if Wiggins and Humphrey are unavailable.
• Luke said the top outside group of Humphrey, Wiggins, and Chidobe Awuzie is solid on paper, but the depth becomes a concern quickly.
• Key depth questions centered on T.J. Tampa and Bilal Kone.

Preseason Evaluation

• The Philadelphia preseason game was framed as a test for backup and bubble players rather than starters.
• Luke highlighted T.J. Tampa, Jacoby Lane, Anias Peebles, Rayshon Benny, and Zion Young as players worth monitoring.
• He also wants stronger signs from the tight end room, including Mark Andrews, Matt Hibner, and Josh Cuevas.

Coaching Transition

• The game is also important for the new staff, especially Jesse Minter in his first head coaching setting and Declan Doyle in his first play-calling role.
• Luke said preseason reps matter for communication flow, challenge decisions, sideline versus booth process, and overall game management.
• Both hosts agreed the early regular-season schedule looks favorable, so a weak start would raise larger concerns about adaptation under the new staff.

Nestor Aparicio 0:01
Welcome home. We are WNSTA of 1570 Towson, Baltimore, back from the beach. We are Baltimore positive. Big weekend ahead. Football, baseball, Orioles kind of up against it here if they’re going to keep the season alive. But it is the end of August by now on the weekend, and by next Wednesday we’ll be in Catonsville. We’re doing the Fishmonger’s Daughter. We’re the friends at the Maryland Lottery. I had a long segment with Seth Elkin of the Maryland Lottery about where all the money goes and all that stuff. We did that at Mako. I will have freebies of the Maryland Lottery on the 19th at Fishmonger’s Daughter, and then on the 26th we will be at Koco’s Pub in Laraville. All of it brought to you by GBMC and our partners at Farnin and Dermer, who are heating up the the summer season here for all of our coverage of baseball and football, and Luke has been in Owings Mills all week. The Ravens will be playing the remnants of the Philadelphia, the remnants of the Ravens, and the remnants of the Philadelphia. I don’t know. It’s fake football. It’s kind of gross once it starts. You get worked up, and I don’t know. Maybe you got some bean dips, some beers, some nachos. I don’t know. Some some crabs, whatever you’re having on Saturday night, it’ll be better than the football will be. Luke is here to talk about big scare on the Wiggins thing, right? Like, I mean, that didn’t look good for a couple hours. Humphrey, we you know, I did a long segment earlier in the week about aging players and where where that will fit and suit the Ravens this year, from Kaleus Campbell down through Derrick Henry and Ronnie Stanley and all that, but it’s too hot out there, right? But it is summer.

Luke Jones 1:32
It’s been a very mild as training camps go, and Owings Mills are going back to the day in Westminster. I mean, it’s been a very mild camp. And like

Nestor Aparicio 1:41
Flacco, you’re an old two-a-day guy,

Luke Jones 1:42
and I am. And and it’s funny. I’ll I’ll hear some of the younger reporters or less experienced reporters. Someone will utter something about the weather, it being hot, and I just kind of, you know, I won’t say anything. I’ll just shake my head. I’m like, you should have felt those

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Nestor Aparicio 1:56
backfields at McDaniel College, young man in ’98.

Luke Jones 1:59
I always say, you know, because I I did the last two years that were at McDaniel, and I always say you haven’t really understood what it means to cover training camp until you’ve covered a two a day when they practice. I think it was like 830 in the morning, something like that. That would be the main practice, right? Typically, and then there’d be a special teams practice at 230, and it’s so hot, and the the field they’re practicing on has no shade, and and no breeze. There are only three or four reporters out there because it’s not the you know most of those two a days. I mean, by that point in his career, Ray Lewis wasn’t taking part in most of those afternoon sessions, but it’s three or four reporters out there. You’re basically babysitting to make sure like no one suffers a catastrophic injury. But man, compared to how it is now, where you know, I I think the longest practice so far this summer has been, I don’t know, two hours, 15 minutes. I mean, you know, it hasn’t been these three-hour sessions or anything like that. It’s not what it used to be, that’s for sure. And Joe Flacco’s alluded to that on the player side, but but from a media coverage standpoint, it’s certainly not that. But overall, I mean, you said, I mean, the the big scare of the week was Nate Wiggins being carded off, and it was one of those one-on-one matchups against wide receivers Jacoby Lane, who of course has made so many headlines as the rookie, making all these highlight catches. There was nothing to it. Their feet kind of got tangled up a little bit, and then Wiggins went down and was in a lot of pain. You don’t have replay, right? When you’re out on the field, there’s no video board to look up to and see what exactly happened. So you don’t know if it’s something where you know you you think back to Keaton Mitchell in that Sunday night game a few years back where his knee just buckled and he tears his ACL. You don’t know if it has to do with how he landed, but it was you know it was scary because he was in a lot of pain and you know carded in you know they they helped him to the card all all of that but you do come to find out a couple hours later you know no major structural damage Jesse Minter said on Thursday that you know it sounds like Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey who left the following day, albeit not nearly as as serious looking or anything like that. That was more of a, you know, I I don’t know if he got dinged up a little bit or or whatever, but that was more just walked off the field, went inside with a member of the training staff. But Minter indicated both those guys are trending toward being back at some point next week, whether it’s next week or early the following week. Yeah, we’re still close to a month away from from week one. I think it’s pretty evident that there’s no concern about either of those guys in that context. But that’s summer, right? This time of year. Now it’s a little bit different this year with the new coaching staff, and I think there’s an added interest to this first preseason game, but. Because it’s Jesse Minter’s first as a head coach, it’s Declan Doyle’s first as the the play caller as the offensive coordinator, and even Anthony Weaver. You know, he we asked him about his role, and he kind of said, you know, we’re feeling this out how it’s going to work on game day, but beyond a year like that, it’s about injuries, right? This time of year, every single team in the league, yes, you’ve got to get your work in. You can’t just put guys on ice, but at the same time, you know that the only thing that really happens of great consequence here and now, the first couple weeks of August, is potentially something that could change the the conjec, you know, the trajectory of your season, and fortunately for the Ravens, it feels like they dodged the bullet with Nate Wiggins because, as I said, that did not look good when it initially happened.

Nestor Aparicio 5:52
Let’s talk about the the depth of the of that position, right? I mean, that it begs that. I mean, you know, when when the carding happened the other day, I hit you. We’re like, let’s see how it goes. Whatever. Have we jumped into this in the aftermath? Let’s pretend they’re both hurt week one. Let’s just, I mean, just for let let let’s let’s volley this like we would if we’re Eric DeCosta and John Harbaugh. What if they can’t go? What what does the second sheet look like? What what are the options here? Because there’s going to be plays they can’t go. There’s going to be times they can’t go. I think we’re still questioning whether Marlin Humphrey where his real role is. I think we’re also questioning Wiggins where the ceiling is for him and what might the floor be. And I certainly, you know, I hope both these guys play 21 games this year, right? Like whatever, right? But in a general sense, when things go wrong, we discuss this with the offensive line, dude. One of the real downsides of the Ravens this year would be well, we don’t think the offensive line’s good enough, and we don’t even know who the second team is, and we don’t want to know. And on an offensive line, you’re always going to know. You’re you’re always going to one or two spots where the starter ain’t going to be there. The secondary kind of works the same way with hamstrings and toes and knees and movement and all of that, and you’re never too deep at cornerback or too deep at safety anymore. You’re now six to eight deep at that at that position in the secondary, and when you lose first round draft picks, Humphrey and Wiggins both were first round draft picks. What usually sits behind that is either an emerging Ladarius Webb kind of guy you drafted late who came on, and they’ve had a litany of those around here. But in the general sense, it it tests you, and it might not test you against the Colts who stink, against the Saints who stink. I mean, they have a stinky September. They’re going to be able to kind of get through some of this, but once they start seeing Josh Allen and Joe Burrow for real, if Aaron Rodgers is still upright and still not getting his vaccinations in December, you know maybe he would be the kind of guy that could could pick apart a lesser defense. But Wiggins is, I would say, a special player, but certainly a starting caliber guy. That if you lose that guy or a guy like that, I don’t care who you are, you’re in trouble.

Luke Jones 8:08
Yeah, I mean, I think look, it’s tough to say where Nate Wiggins ranks on this team currently in terms of if you’re just ranking the most valuable, most important. I’m

Nestor Aparicio 8:18
unsure about him as a player. I don’t know how good he is. I really don’t know. But I

Luke Jones 8:22
think the upside, the talent. He’s like

Nestor Aparicio 8:26
Jackson Holiday to me. Is that does that is that fair?

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Luke Jones 8:28
He’s

Nestor Aparicio 8:29
he’s further along, but

Luke Jones 8:31
I think he’s further. I mean, it’s it’s so. But I don’t know what to make of him. I don’t know

Nestor Aparicio 8:35
if he’s going to be an offshore. Sure. I think that’s fine.

Luke Jones 8:38
Yeah, and I can’t tell him. Be

Nestor Aparicio 8:39
I I don’t know that he’s going to be a second contract guy. I guess is my point. But but as it

Luke Jones 8:44
pertains to this football team in 2026 and moving forward, he kind of needs to be that guy because Marlon Humphrey’s in the last year of his deal. Chenobya Wuzier is in the lat is in a one year deal, and both those guys are on the wrong side of 30, and both those guys have injury. I mean, especially a Wuzzier, but Marlin the last few years more of an injury. You’re not getting 17

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Nestor Aparicio 9:08
out of those guys.

Luke Jones 9:09
I mean, even if you do, you’re. It might be just this year, right? Wiggins has another, you know, at least one more year on his rookie contract after this year. Presumably, you want him to play well enough that he’s a fifth-year option guy, but but yeah, regardless of where he ranks, if you are saying rank the best players on the team in terms of most in you know the the guys that are least dispensable, guys that you can at least afford to lose, I think Wiggins is really high on that list because of what, how you want him to profile, right? The idea of him, the potential, the ceiling for him. Look, I think Jesse Minter’s defense, with his system and his defensive acumen, I think the secondary is going to be in a much better space than it was last year, assuming it stays. You know, at a reasonable level of good health, right? And that that applies to any team, but because in a salary cap era, you’re not going to be incredibly deep at every single position. So there’s always a breaking point. But assuming they don’t reach that breaking point, I think the secondary is going to be much better. That said, you still need a dude that can hold up on an island, right? You still need someone who can cover on the outside. You know, whoever the other corner is, you know, you can play it different ways, right? Or zone, you can shade a safety there. Yeah, kind of the guy that’s more the boundary corner. But who’s the guy that on the far side of the field can play and win on the outside on an island. Who can match up with the best wide receivers, including some of the best wide receivers that reside in this division twice a year? You’re you’re going to see. I mean, Nate Wiggins, obviously Lamar’s in a space by himself in terms of guy the guy you can least afford to lose. I mean that’s obvious, but you know Kyle Hamilton. I would say Roquan Smith, just because of again depth and what else is at that position. I think until Carson Vinson proves otherwise, Ronnie Stanley still that important to them. So the point is whether Nate Wiggins has done enough to justify from a you know credential standpoint to be in that space, it’s the idea of what they need him to become. That’s where you look at it and say Wiggins is on the short list of guys you can least afford to lose. And obviously, there’s some projection that goes there with him that you know that you’re not talking about with Lamar or Kyle Hamilton or the other most valuable four

Nestor Aparicio 11:40
down guy. Yeah, guy that should be out there every snap if he can, and he’s not winded and he’s not, you know, but he doesn’t turn something. But when that happens, when he comes off the field and Plan B comes in,

Luke Jones 11:52
that’s where that’s when

Nestor Aparicio 11:53
Joe Burrow’s gonna gonna pick on that guy, whoever that guy is,

Luke Jones 11:57
and and just like Lamar Jackson’s gonna do that if if the Jew’s top corner comes off the field, right? I mean, that’s just kind of how it works. You know, there’s no hiding. You know, if if you have major deficiencies, there’s no hiding it. You know, you can do it a little bit, you can get away with it a little bit, but but there’s also a step down at that position in the same way when Lamar doesn’t play. Sure, Tyler Huntley’s just not going to be it. It’s not just not going to look that way. I think, and this goes back to you know not just Wiggins, but now you add Marlon Humphrey and Awoozier into that conversation. I mean, you look at the top three, the cornerback trio. I’m talking to outside guys, right? Because we know Hamilton is going to take the lion’s share of those nickel snaps, and then you have other guys like Keon Martin, Chandler Rivers, the fifth-round rookie, like those are more your slot nickel options. We’re talking about the outside guys. Those top three, I mean, their credentials stack up favorably against just about any team in the league, right? I mean, Marlon Humphrey’s a four-time Pro Bowl corner. Nate Wiggins is a first-round pick. Awwuzier is is a guy that’s played in the league a long time, including playing in some high-profile games, going back to his days in Cincinnati. So, on paper, it’s not as though those that trio looks inferior to other teams around the league. But I think you do look at the reality of Marlon Humphrey, 30 years old, has had some injuries the last few years. Certainly, he’s coming off the worst year of his career, by his own admission. A Wuzzier had a really nice season for them last year. I mean, he was arguably their most consistent corner last year. But look at his injury history. I mean, going back the last six, seven years. So you look at those three and you say, okay, the non-negotiable here is you need Nate Wiggins to be as close to healthy all year long as can be, because he’s the guy that has the number one potential at this point. Regardless of the fact that Humphrey’s the four-time Pro Bowler, I think everyone’s kind of looking at it through the lens of for this defense to thrive, they need Wiggins to be as close to a legit number one as you can get, and I think you’re hopeful that with a new system, new defense, new coaching in place, Marlin being healthier, that he could still be a heck of a number two corner, right? I mean, like that’s not. I don’t think that’s unrealistic to think that that can happen. However, they’ve got to stay on the field, right? And they need to be healthy, and you need to fight off father time, and and and you know, especially with Humphrey and with the Woozy A, because they are on the wrong side of 30 now. But those are your top three. But to your point, and this is where I think this week, when your top two corners leave the field on back-to-back days with, you know, even what turned out to be minor injuries.

Nestor Aparicio 14:39
Yeah, we’re not the only ones having this conversation this week. Oh no doubt, no doubt. I mean, this is

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Luke Jones 14:43
again when we point out these things. I think you know some fans who want to be really optimistic this time of year. Every team in the league has these discussions. Every team in the league has the what ifs. Every team in the league has at least a few position groups on either side of the ball where you say. We’re thin. How are the what ifs here? And for me, that’s where I, you know, and this is where we can transition into what we see Saturday night. Marlin and Wiggins, neither one of those guys were going to play anyway, right? I mean, they weren’t going to play in the preseason opener. The more and more I I get the sense that Jesse Minter is going to play the preseason, I think very in a very similar fashion to how John Harbaugh had the last few years. I don’t think you’re going to see many starters. I think the ones you are going to see are not going to be out there that long,

Nestor Aparicio 15:31
dude. This is basic management of your assets, right? Yeah. Like I mean, like

Luke Jones 15:34
even like for example, he was asked. Minter was asked about Van Gouane, and I’ll get back to the corners in a moment. But he asked was asked about Yoane, the first round pick, going to be the week one starting right guard. I mean, I don’t think there’s any. I don’t think there’s been any doubt about that since we saw him lining up at right guard rather than left guard back in May, right? I think that’s been a fait a complete, assuming nothing really bad happened. You know, assuming this wasn’t like, oh my gosh, this guy’s a bust, you know. Like I so even he he’s going to play a little bit, and I think he needs to, right? I mean, you don’t want to have someone who’s never played in the NFL not play in the preseason at all. But that said, I don’t think he’s playing more than a series or two, and I I think it’s quite possible you get to the third preseason game, and and he’s logged at that point. I don’t know, 26 preseason snaps in the over the first two games, or something like that. You know, some maybe a little more than that. I think at that point you probably say, all right, he’s good. You know, we don’t need to play him against Washington in the last one. But but well, the point this is

Nestor Aparicio 16:37
next week are really the big.

Luke Jones 16:39
Yeah, I mean that’s for the veterans and and and for someone like him, yeah. I mean, you’re you’re going to be going up against Minnesota two days. And I know

Nestor Aparicio 16:44
you don’t want to go to Minnesota, but at least that’s the place you go, or you know, Grand Platte, Wisconsin, or something to have temperate practices next week. Yeah. So I haven’t checked the weather in Minneapolis next week. Or it was at Eden Prairie. Is that where they they practice? Right. I um. Do they still though? I don’t know. I don’t know. So many of these teams have just moved. I got a facility next week. I don’t know. Yeah. So many

Luke Jones 17:06
of these teams have just moved to their facility, especially as you get a little bit deeper into the summer, right? I mean, we’re at the point now where the open camp with fans is like the Ravens have one more practice. Nobody goes to the

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Nestor Aparicio 17:18
homestead in Virginia anymore, huh?

Luke Jones 17:20
Not many, right? I mean, there there just isn’t much of that that goes on. Greenville

Nestor Aparicio 17:24
do that with Tennessee and Belichick. It must have been something about that. I don’t, I don’t. But I remember they were doing some weird. Harbaugh took late. Harbaugh

Luke Jones 17:32
took the Giants to what Greenbrier in West Virginia. Oh, he did. He did. He did. That’s

Nestor Aparicio 17:36
the place. Okay, yeah. But

Luke Jones 17:37
there was a reason for that. Like their their facility was being renovated, so. But I know John. My understanding, he actually pushed for the Ravens to do that at some point over the last five years, and was basically told, “Now we’re not doing that. So, fan engagement, all that. But, but, but to go back to, you know, what I was talking about with Saturday night, and we come back to the cornerback position. I want to see T.J. Tampa look good, right? I mean, this is a guy who is in his third year now. He got his feet wet a little bit. You know, he played like 140 snaps defensively last year, especially early on when they were having some of their injuries. You know, in the midst of that one and five start. But T.J. Tampa right now is your number four corner on the outside, and when you consider Marlon Umphrey’s point where he is in his career and his not extensive injury history, but he’s gotten nicked up more the last few years, and especially with the Wuzzier who has had quite a few injuries over the course of his career. They need T.J. Tampa to look like someone where you say, “All right, he’s not our number one corner, but we have a certain degree of confidence that if he needs to fill in, we feel like he can do a nice job for us, right? So, with that being said, and assuming you know the the assumption is we’re not going to see many of the Eagles starters, right? I mean, not expecting Jalen Hurts, certainly not expecting Devontae Smith, all those you know the main guys on that Eagles offense. This is where I will say, as much as I poke fun at the lack of entertainment value for a preseason game and fake football, and we say, oh, you know, it’s a buzzkill. You get excited and then you realize, oh, this isn’t the real thing. There is value to this, to wanting to see your backups and backups that you’re counting on to be viable depth, not just guys on the depth chart. You want to see them stand out, right? I mean, you want to see T.J. Tampa lock down whoever he’s covering. You want to see that, and if he does, then you say, hey, you know that looks better if he’s our number four corner. When you have a couple guys ahead of him that are older, chances are he’s probably going to have to play a little bit over the course of the season. How does that look, right? I mean, big name that I’ve mentioned to you, and and I’ve said that it’s tested every fiber in my discipline as a vet. Reporter to not get overhyped about what Jacoby Lane has done in practices. You know the rookie wide receiver. He’s six four. He’s made all these highlight catches. I want to see him understanding that no, Lamar’s not going to be out there. Zay Flowers isn’t going to be out there. It’s not going to be most of the Eagles’ starting defense. I don’t think, although they could play some of their starters, but if Jacoby Lane is going to be ready to potentially be a legit number three wide receiver instantly from day one, if he’s going up against backups, I want to see him make a couple plays then, right? I, I, you know, even if it is Tyler Huntley or you know one of the other back end of the roster quarterbacks throwing to him, I want to see a flash or two. You know, it doesn’t need to be eight catches for 120 yards, but I also don’t want it to be four targets, one catch for four yards, right? So, so that’s where I there is some value in the preseason. That yes, you’re talking about backup guys, but if you’re looking for guys that are going to be impact depth for you, you want to see your backup stand out against the other team’s backups. So, but but I think you know, bringing it back to the corner discussion, T.J. Tampa, you know, Bilal Kone, their sixth round pick from last year, who tore up his knee in the preseason opener last year, he’s playing. He’s done some nice things here and there.

Luke Jones 21:21
Now, granted, it’s second and third team work, but how does he look? Does he look like someone who can be your number five or number six corner? Because we’ve seen it, and you said it, Ozzie Newsome said it so many times over the years. You can’t have enough corners. I mean, it’s just, it’s too important in this league to to not to not have at least a couple serviceable depth guys behind your starters because you’re going to need them whether it’s for a series or two because someone turns his ankle or if it’s a worst case scenario where someone suffers a a multi week serious injury or a season ending injury so that’s what you’re looking for in this preseason game, I mean, is the entertainment value going to be through the roof? No, of course not. Especially when you kind of look at the quarterback position, because I don’t think the Ravens want Tyler Huntley to play that much either. So you’re looking at Joe Fignano, the undrafted rookie, and Austin Reed, who they just signed because Skylar Thompson got hurt. It could be a really really hard watch just from a quarterback perspective, but it always

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Nestor Aparicio 22:25
is. Yeah, right, right.

Luke Jones 22:27
But I’m saying even in compared to normal is what I’m saying. But you want to see some of these backups, some of these guys at positions of interest. You know, whether we’re talking corner, I think the defensive line because you know Madabike is not going to play, Clayus Campbell’s not going to play. Travis Jones isn’t going to play. You know, you want to see what does Anias Peebles look like. You know, what does Rayshon Benny, their late round draft pick, look like? Do they look like guys that can make the roster, or do they look like guys that are going to be waived and maybe they’re just on the practice squad at best, right? I mean, this is a big opportunity for some of those guys. You know, I I want to see Zion Young rushing from the edge and looking like, hey, that looks pretty good. That that looks like a guy that can be at least part of, let’s say, the early down rotation, even if he’s not going to line up on third downs. You know, with Trey Hendrickson being out there, and and I’m hoping Mike Green’s going to be ready to pop in in year two. So there’s still plenty to watch, you know. I I make fun of the preseason as much as anybody, right? I mean, I’ve called it fake football for years, all of that. But in all seriousness, putting all the the shtick aside, there there’s value to wanting to go out there and seeing some of those backups, seeing some of those young guys look like they belong, and we’ve seen it, right? We’ve seen guys that we, you and I weren’t even talking about at this point in the summer, and then two and a half weeks later, they’re on the 53 man roster. In part because, yeah, they practiced well, and you’re not going to have guys who don’t practice well at all, and then they just happen to make a play in the preseason. Like that’s not going to make the roster. But if you’re practicing well enough, and then you take it to another level in the games to get notice to garner some attention. That’s when we see that. I mean, Michael Pierce was one of those great examples. He had a huge third. I guess at that point it was still four preseason games, but had a big time preseason finale performance. And the coaches even said after the fact, like he was a guy that was on the bubble, and that that put him on the team. So you know some of that occurs. So even through the three and outs and drop passes and guys not knowing where to line up and pre-snap penalties and all the sloppiness that you come to expect in in the first preseason game, and they’ll they’ll be that they’ll they’ll be some of that. You are looking for some of these things, and like I said, especially with this week, you know, with what happened with Wiggins and Humphrey, you know, I want to see T.J. Tampa look like a guy that can play. You know, a guy that you say if he needs to be pressed into action, he. He’s he’s going to hold up. He’s going to he’s going to give you a representative effort out there that your defense isn’t going to completely collapse. You want to see potential from Bilal Kone. You you want to see it from some of these other young guys. So you know, looking at it through that lens, that’s what I’m looking at in terms of the score or or how units look across the board, John Harbaugh never lost a preseason game. That’s, I mean, he he did, but for a long time he didn’t, which was just crazy. But but yeah, and you know, I mean, and maybe this is since you mentioned John Harbaugh. I mean, Jesse Minter. I mean, this is his first opportunity with live bullets to manage a game. No, you’re not going to manage it like it’s the divisional round of the playoffs. But if there’s a call that’s that’s worth being challenged, you want to practice going through your process of okay, who’s looking at that upstairs? Who’s communicating with you to say hey, throw the red flag? Or no, this is this doesn’t make sense.

Luke Jones 25:59
Or are you in a situation where it’s 50-50, and you say, “Hey, it’s worth it, considering the the game leverage spot to throw the flag and take a chance here. So there’s that. You know, for Declan Doyle, he’s already talked about it. I mean, this guy’s calling plays for the first time in in his career as a coordinator. So he is actually over these first couple games, he’s going to be up in the booth, or be in this-you know-he’s going to alternate, you know, one game up in the booth, one game on the sideline, and then kind of make his decision. You know, Anthony Weaver, what’s his game day role going to be? He’s not calling the defense, but he’s not just going to sit there, you know, eating popcorn on the sideline and say, “Good call, Jesse. You know that there’s going to be a process that that works there. So it’s funny for me. Yes, the young guys, the unprovens, the backups, the bubble players, the long shots that are playing for a job somewhere. Yes, there’s always that, but there’s an added sense of value for the coaching staff when you consider that newness that I’ve talked about that they have to navigate. You know, one of the reasons that’s made me take pause about this team from a Super Bowl potential standpoint is how much new there is for this coaching staff. These games are important in that way. You know, they they can they need to iron out their various processes in terms of calling plays or communication. Who’s upstairs? Who’s downstairs? How’s that communication go? All of those things. That’s where there there is a you know that’s not going to be at the forefront as people are watching, but that’s certainly going to be an important part of this game that Jesse Minter gets that comfort level as far as what he needs to do as a head coach and as a defensive play caller, right? I mean, already right off the bat, very different than how John Arbaugh would approach a a game day. You know, how does Declan Doyle approach? You know, how’s his communication with Lamar Jackson? How’s his communication with you know relaying the play call in? All that you know, being upstairs, seeing the field compared to being on the sideline and having a direct line of communication, but at the same time, you can’t see the field in the same way there. So there’s a lot of that to iron out for a new coaching staff, where these games are way more important for them, not just the evaluation that’s there every year, but for their own process. That that’s kind of an underrated part of these couple preseason games for me that again won’t necessarily be what they’re talking about during the broadcast, but will be very very important as it pertains to being ready for week one and beyond.

Nestor Aparicio 28:30
Luke Jones is here. What do you think they’ll talk about during the broadcast? Like in a general sense, when it comes to this team, when you’re seeing nothingness, I think this whole 30 minute chat we’ve had about depth and about losing players, I guess that’s more the story, right? In a general sense, the Jacoby, like these handful of names we’ve talked about, who may be on the field and may play-I don’t say a critical role, but a critical role at certain points in the season-that will notice three or four of these players on the field Saturday night will be make a big sack, make a big play, make an interception. You know, have to be guard at left tackle if Ronnie Stanley or whatever. If anything happens to anybody,

Luke Jones 29:15
yeah, yeah. I mean, I it’s it’s typically the depth spots. Jacoby Lane is a great jumping off point. You’ve heard me talk about him. The fact that I brought him up speaks to how well he’s, you know, how impressive he’s been during training camp. But now it’s the next step, right? So, not just him, but Elijah Sarat, the his fellow rookie draft pick at wide receiver, and the two tight ends. You know, I haven’t talked about this a whole lot, maybe with you, but I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say I was really underwhelmed by what I’ve seen at tight ends so far, and that’s including Mark Andrews. Now we’re a week. We’re we’re not a week. We’re a month out from the start of the season still. I wouldn’t have given Mark

Nestor Aparicio 29:55
Andrews the money. Let’s go with that. So

Luke Jones 29:57
you know I wouldn’t have either. That that’s. Said you need him to be productive, right? Whether he’s going to be the guy that he was four or five years ago, no. I mean, no one’s expecting that. But you’re hoping there’s some rebound from where he was last year, which was not all that productive. But I I don’t want to overreact to that. But considering he’s coming off of a down year, I was hoping to see. I was hoping to see a little more. I’d be lying if I if I didn’t say acknowledge that at least. But you know, I want to see more from Matt Hibner. I want to see more from Josh Quavis. They’re two draft picks. I mean, Durham Smythe’s going to be the blocking tight end, and I think the comfort level is there for him. I think he’s going to play a lot. I think it’ll be interesting to see how they rotate their tight ends, but because keep in mind, this is not a team that’s going to deploy a conventional fullback. I think when they use a fullback, it’s going to be Durham Smythe lined up there or Josh Cuevas lined up there on occasion. You know, they’re not going to run a lot of. You know, you’re not going to see them running 22 personnel in the way that they would even you know certainly under Greg Roman, but even Todd Monkin. I mean, you know you don’t have that Pat Ricard guy that you’re devoting an entire roster spot to a fullback. So so I think it’ll be interesting to see how that works out. But you know I want to see these young tight ends flash too. You know I mentioned Jacoby Lane. I mentioned T.J. Tampa at the corner spot. Show me something, you know. And I will say, over the last couple days of practice, I’ve seen a little more from those guys, so that’s been good to see. I do think their heads been spinning a little bit, and they even acknowledge that. I mean, the one thing about this offense in general, Nestor, we’ve talked a lot about Doyle. We’ve talked about how young he is. Talked about the fact that you know anyone who’s watched his press conferences, you can see he’s an impressive guy. I mean, he is, and Sean Payton loves him, and Ben Johnson really, really liked him in their one year together. But this is his first time running the show. This is his offense now. This isn’t. I’m working for Sean Payton. This isn’t. I’m working for Ben Johnson and working in his system. This is the Declan Doyle system, and there’s unknown to that. We’re expecting elements of those two offenses for for him to make it his own, but ultimately we don’t know what that’s going to look like. But the sense you’ve gotten from players, and he’s even said it. This has been a challenge for these guys to learn the offense, and I don’t-I’m not saying that in a way that oh my gosh they’re doomed, but there’s just a learning curve to it. And even look back at the Bears last year, but yeah, which Declan Doyle was in Chicago, they got off to a slow start, and it wasn’t really until they got to about October, where they really started taking off as a unit. You know, I’m not saying it’s going to be exactly that way for the Ravens, but I think especially for the young players, you know, Declan Doyle’s asking for a lot out of this offense, and I do think for the young guys that is where you take a little more pause. But but you look at tight end, like they need one of those guys. You know, whether it’s Hibner or Cuevas, they need one of those guys to look like a a contributor this year, right? I mean, it’s got to be something, right? You can’t get nothing from either of those guys and then expect Mark Andrews is going to do it all by himself in terms of tight end production. You know, even if this offense is a little more slanted towards wide receivers than what we’ve seen in the past, right? I mean, most of Lamar’s, most of this Lamar Jackson era, it’s been such a tight end friendly offense.

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Luke Jones 33:33
I’m not saying it won’t continue to be tight end friendly, but I do think there’ll be a little more emphasis on wide receivers than there’ve been in the past. You know, I, I just think that’ll be the case, and part of that is, I mean, Zay Flowers is their best pass catcher by a mile, so yeah, it’s going to be kind of centered around him, but, but I do think, and we’ve seen it the first couple weeks of training camp. If you ask me right now, who’s had the clear edge, offense or defense? It’s defense. It’s been very a very distinct edge most days. You know, it’s not to say Lamar’s been bad. It’s not to say that the offense hasn’t had its moments or its good days because they have. You know, I’m I’m not concerned about Lamar one bit, but you can tell there’s been a learning curve for them as a unit to take the next step and being an off being an offense that’s a little more expansive, a little more multiple. One thing that I’ve loved seeing from Lamar Jackson is the amount of communication, like the amount of times he’s going to teammates between reps. You know, when when the first team does six plays and then the second team rolls in, you know how anyone who’s been to training camp, you know there’s a flow to it. First team, second team, and then third team usually gets a couple, and then it’s back to the first team. But in between those periods, when the first team’s out there, you’ve seen a really engaged, involved Lamar Jackson going over things with the young wide receivers, going over protection with a couple of the linemen. You know, they had the iPads out. They’re you know what you know tablets out there looking at the plays right they could bring up the play from that happened two minutes earlier and they can go over and say hey this wasn’t right our alignment here needs to be different you know our something about this needed to be adjusted you’ve just seen a little different in the Billick era right yeah oh no doubt but but you’ve but you’re seeing more of that from Lamar and that’s you know some of that. I I don’t think that’s necessarily all Declan Doyle compared to Todd Monk, and I think some of that is year nine Lamar compared to year two or three. You know that’s just the natural progression for a quarterback. You know you’re seeing him take ownership of this offense. I think he really likes it. I mean he’s you just see him smile so much when he’s asked about this offense. I, I think he really likes Declan Doyle. Now, as I pointed out, I wrote this in my most recent 12 Ravens thoughts@baltimorepositive.com. We’re still in the honeymoon phase. We all we all understand that Jesse Minter hasn’t lost a game yet, but you know what? He also hasn’t won a game yet. So when you’re hearing as much buy-in from the players, I mean, guys going above and beyond when they’re asked about it to tell you how much they like it, that’s encouraging. You know that doesn’t guarantee that they’re going to go 13 and four, but it does it does make you think that this the players really like the coaching staff and they really feel like these guys. Everyone’s bought in, and they trust each other. And you know, I think it’s pretty evident the way last year went. Not that that was broken beyond you know beyond repair, but that certainly wasn’t as cohesive as you’d like it to be because they didn’t play like it, right? They didn’t play like a well-coached team last year. I mean, whether it was the players, the coaches, or combination of both, which I think it was a combination of both, they didn’t play like a well-coached team last year.

Luke Jones 36:48
So the fact that you’re hearing players talk about coaches in certain ways, as far as ways that they’re helping them get better, and you’re hearing coaches talk about the buy-in that they’re getting from players going above and beyond, you know whether it’s Lamar, whether it’s Ronnie Stanley working with Carson Vincent, the backup left tackle in his second year, whether it’s seeing Trey Hendrickson work with some of the offensive linemen when they’re off to the side, and you know they’re they’re going over hand placement and different things. You know Trey Hendrickson mentoring some of the Yo linemen and saying, hey, try this. You know when when I when I use this pass rush move, you know. Put your hands here like that. You’re seeing a lot of that, and again, I don’t want to be the guy to say that you didn’t see those things in the past because that would be baloney. But the fact that you’re seeing as much of it as you’re seeing, to me, that’s indicative of a team that feels like it’s on the same page. Which, boy, you better be before the season starts, right? I mean, I want to say, like, if you’re not, then that’s a bad thing. But then

Nestor Aparicio 37:44
you’re the Raiders. But I would, right?

Luke Jones 37:46
But then I would, I would also say that that’s not always the case around the league. So, so I think looking at it through that lens, it very much has been so far, not just so far so good. I think it’s been so far very, so very good in that way. But again, we are still in the honeymoon phase, and you know, even if they lose Saturday night, no one’s gonna have, no one’s gonna be panicked over a preseason loss, right? So we’re still in that phase. But you know, again, I think understanding they’ve dodged a couple of the early injury bullets, they haven’t had any major injuries to this point, you know that’s going to happen at some point, whether it’s next week or next month when they’re playing games for real. It’s inevitable that they’ll lose a player or two of of significance. But I hope there’s

Nestor Aparicio 38:32
not more than one or two. Yeah.

Luke Jones 38:33
Oh,

Nestor Aparicio 38:34
sure.

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Luke Jones 38:34
No doubt. I mean, there’s one or two. There’s always a breaking point, and you hope it’s not at the absolute worst position for it to happen, right? Meaning, like you don’t have depth. I mean, quarterback-that’s everywhere, right? No one, no one wants, no one can afford to lose their franchise quarterback unless their franchise quarterback isn’t any good. But, but I, I just think you know where they stand right now. I think they’re in a good spot, and you know, I’m not sure how much we’re going to glean from this first preseason game. Also in a

Nestor Aparicio 39:02
good spot because they get a lousy schedule in September too, so it feels like that helps steal a couple of games. Yeah, especially three and 02, and one feels like the pathway this is going to go. I

Luke Jones 39:10
mean, it better be right. I mean, if anything worse than that, then you start to wonder, oh, are they just not that good then? So I mean, yeah, I mean, you look at the first few weeks, I mean, it’s at Indy, New Orleans, Dallas in Brazil. Okay, you know, I mean, I’ll I’ll hear that one. I mean, the Cowboys neutral side, all that, but home against Tennessee at Atlanta. I mean, Atlanta, what what’s going on with their quarterback position?

Nestor Aparicio 39:36
Five and one, better be at

Luke Jones 39:37
Cleveland, right? I mean,

Nestor Aparicio 39:39
five and one. If they’re five and one,

Luke Jones 39:41
I mean, if they’re anything, you know, okay, even if it’s four and two, and one of those teams is three,

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Nestor Aparicio 39:47
we got a lot of splaining to do. Yeah, if it’s

Luke Jones 39:49
three and three, I mean, I’m wondering what the heck’s going on. Like, I’m wondering, are you as injured as you were early last year, and are a couple of these teams way better than you thought? All that. I mean, you never know, right? There are always teams that come out of nowhere, especially after the

Nestor Aparicio 40:02
Orioles blow this. You know, this week and the season’s over, they they at least better give us a season into October. These guys and I

Luke Jones 40:09
and I think they. I mean, they will. I do think this is going to be a good football team. Oh yeah, I’m I’m not ready to say they’re the favorite in the AFC or they’re one of the top two teams in the AFC. I mean, there’s a lot that we need to see before that. They better be

Nestor Aparicio 40:22
playing in January. That’s all. Yeah.

Luke Jones 40:23
Oh, yeah. I mean, yeah. I mean, they’re the

Nestor Aparicio 40:25
wild card at you know 10 and seven because the Bengals win 12 games and this is their year and their defense figures it out. And Burrow, I don’t think that’s the Steelers, and I know that’s not the Browns. So,

8

Luke Jones 40:36
but I would also say, I mean, what kind of 10 and seven is that a 10 and seven? But they they’re looking really better and better in late December, dude. I just made them

Nestor Aparicio 40:45
six and 06, and one, five and one. I mean, they they well, I mean, you never know what’s going to happen next week. If they lose three or four of those, they got real problems. If they

Luke Jones 40:54
lose three or four of those, like like if you just told me that right now, I’d say did Lamar get hurt? I mean, like seriously, I’m not trying to be flippin’ I mean, I just, but it is a new coaching staff, and there is, there’s a challenge to navigating that. I mean, I just think there is. That’s why I said these preseason games are as important for the coaches and just those guys getting comfortable in their new roles as any of these backup players that we’re going to be talking about or overreacting to, underreacting to, whatever it is. I mean, dress rehearsal for them. It really is. Like, like I said, that is an important part to this. That I’m not sure we’re going to get a ton of details about that, but you know, behind the scenes, that’s going to be really important for those guys to get comfortable because this is

Nestor Aparicio 41:38
how we do things.

Luke Jones 41:39
Last thing you want is to get to these games that are real, and you’re gumming things up from a game management standpoint. I mean, it’s going to happen at some point. Every coach has something with a guy that has gave $100 million to everyone. It will. It it it was still happening 18 years into his career, right? I mean, like part of that is it’s really tough to do when you’re in real time, because things happen, you know, communication, radio goes go down, whatever it is. But again, you want to be as prepared as possible. And like I said, one of the things that you continue to hear the players talk about is the attention to detail, how prepared these guys are. I mean, Declan Doyle. I mean, he’s a guy that’s over prepared. I mean, he he he quoted Bill Walsh the other day when he was asked about. I’ll leave you with this because I just thought it was a neat little anecdote. But he was asked about scripting plays, right? The idea of you know you script out your first 10 or 15, and you know teams still do that. But that I don’t know if that’s quite as rigid as it used to be. If I’m being totally honest and talking to some coaches around the league at various times, but he made the comment. He said, “You know, I read a book by Bill Walsh a long time ago. He said, as many decisions as you can make ahead of time in the air conditioning, compared to being out there in the heat of the moment and going off gut and feel, the better you’re going to be as a football team, and that impressed me. Yeah, you’ve got to have feel in the moment, but part of that is you’ve scrimmaged those scenarios so many different times in meeting rooms and on the practice field that your gut’s going to go back to, hey, we practiced this in this scenario, and the players liked this, and it looked well, looked really good. We’re gonna use that. So kind of like

Nestor Aparicio 43:23
everything the Orioles forget about spring training when they can’t hit the cutoff, man.

Luke Jones 43:27
Yeah, yeah. But I just thought, I just thought that Declan Doyle story. You know,

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Nestor Aparicio 43:33
practice. It is the repetition of of muscle memory and in the here and now and in the mental part too. Yeah, where you need to be, and and all athletes live that way. That’s not just a that’s not a football thing or athletes,

Luke Jones 43:46
and you want your coaches, specifically your play callers, to be able to do that as well. And that’s where again another example where Declan Doyle’s been so impressive. We’ll see. You know he’s going to call plays for the first time, but I I’m I’m excited about what this offense can be, especially as the year goes on, but got to stay healthy, got to put in the work, and they’ve got to go out and execute.

Nestor Aparicio 44:07
Big football Saturday night right here in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens heading out to Minnesota next week for some practices and a game out there. We will be a fishmonger’s daughter on Wednesday the 19th with the Ravens scratch offs, the Kiss Bird and big winnings did a big segment this week down at Mako with Seth Elkin on where all the money goes and all the benefits here for the Maryland Lottery. Also met all the 1-800 gambler folks as well this week, so we’ll be talking about that into September as well. 26, we were at Koco’s Pub in Laraville. They are back open and making the coconut shrimp that I love so much. All of it brought to you by our friends at GBMC, as well as Farnham and Dermer. They are the comfort guys. 410 367777. I’m wearing my long sleeve Costas Inn Dundalk, established 1971. We’re gonna get back down to Costas over to Pizza John’s. We’re gonna be at State Fair soon as well. As the football season begins, we’re also celebrating 28 years here of incredible sports radio that y’all have been a part of and participating here. Certainly, I I’m going to give a lot more oxygen to losing the Bay and other local ownership of local radio here this week. I think Mike Brillhart’s going to be joining me as well. So lots of things going on. Loose covered football. We got a baseball team in the middle of the soup right now with Tampa and the New York Yankees, and tons of stuff you will hear from Mako in Ocean City, where I went down, spent time with the mayor of Ocean City, spent time with our Senator Chris Van Hollen, did 40 minutes with him on where all this federal money is going and what he’s fighting for in D.C. So it’s been a very very active week. We’re going to get into some rock and roll here in a couple of weeks. We’re going to get into the beginning of football season as well, and I’m going to be mixing things up because we are WNST AM 15 70,000 Baltimore, and we never stop talking. Baltimore, positive. Stay with