“What was John Harbaugh thinking calling that timeout?”

In a game full of exciting plays and an unlikely come-from-behind 41-38 overtime win over division rival Cincinnati, Luke Jones and Nestor discuss the continuously curious coaching decisions of John Harbaugh with timeouts and game and clock management.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Ravens comeback, Bengals game, Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Joe Burrow, Justin Tucker, game management, clock confusion, defensive issues, Baltimore win, Washington game, Maryland lottery, pizza giveaway, Maritime Magic, baseball wrap-up

SPEAKERS

Luke Jones, Nestor Aparicio

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

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Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T, tassel, Baltimore, Baltimore positive. We we talk sports even when we’re not on the air. Luke Jones and I, the Maryland crab cake tour is back after it it’s Friday. I’m putting new dates together. It is our birthday. Luke’s already a year older. Leonard raskins Birthdays this week, and mine is over the weekend on the 14th. So we’re going to chase it early on Friday. We’re going to be giving away the Raven scratch offs from the Maryland lottery. We’re going to be down to pizza. John’s all afternoon. Come by. My wife’s like, when are you going to be there? I’m like, I don’t know. Noon to five, one to four, two to five, however long people want to come by and eat cake, they will not run out of ice cream and they will not run out of pepperoni pizza. So come on down to pizza. John’s, our friends at the Liberty pure solutions, putting out the oyster tour as well. As our friends at curio wellness, you were a very magnanimous as our host at maritime magic on Friday night, we had a nice time down there. So a lot of friends, lot of local businesses, lot of cool people out having a good time as well. And Jiffy Lube, MultiCare always powering up Lucas, getting it back and forth to now, just Owings Mills, I don’t know, dude, when’s the next time you’re going down to the warehouse now that we’re about to talk some football, you’re like, is, is the baseball washed out, other than watching Manny Machado play?

Luke Jones  01:11

I think so. I mean, you know, even when they acquired Corbin burns last February, they just did a zoom. I mean, it was February, yeah, yeah. So at this point, I would assume, I mean, Michael, I said Brandon Hyde is back. They’re not going to call a press conference, even if they make some coaching changes. So yeah, I think it’s Owings Mills. And then, of course, the stadium on Sunday, as Washington will come to town, and we’ll get into that later in the week, but Mr.

Nestor Aparicio  01:39

Rubenstein was field side with his commanders. Passes on. I have a feeling Mr. Rubenstein is a sympathizer, if you know what I’m saying.

Luke Jones  01:51

I mean, maybe I don’t know at the same time. I mean, as you know, I’m pretty familiar with Philadelphia sports. Joshua Harris, the owner of the Sixers, owns the commanders, I mean, Philadelphia and Washington. I mean, it’s, I saw it Ted. Leon just

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Nestor Aparicio  02:04

told me the whole thing from Richmond to Boston is going to be one big Amtrak. He told me that when they were going to bring preseason Hockey here to Baltimore. So, yeah, I mean, but this is a fun week, right? Baltimore, Washington’s fun, and it’s a lot less fun when you’re two and three. It’s a lot less fun when they’re one and four, and they they’re good. But this game on Sunday is, you know, I mean, I three quarters away through the Game of the Year for action. We’re gonna be tearing this one down most of the week. But I love Baltimore washing it doesn’t happen often enough, man.

Luke Jones  02:36

It does. It does. But, I mean, what a game in Cincinnati on Sunday, we get so caught up in the emotion of the day and what’s going well and what isn’t going well. And there was plenty to like and there was plenty to not like whatsoever about that game from the Ravens perspective, but highest scoring ravens, Bengals game in the what, 20 or, you know, 30 plus year, you know, coming up on 30 years of ravens, Bengals. I mean, that was not an AFC North like game. I think we all agree on that with the number of points scored. But that was great. I mean, that was, you know, instant classic is something that gets thrown out there a lot, and I’m not sure that we’re necessarily going to remember it to that degree years from now. But as I wrote a Baltimore positive.com this very much feels like it has the potential to be a senior season defining kind of outcome for both of these teams. The Ravens doing what they did, overcoming a 10 point deficit multiple times in the second half, something that Lamar Jackson detractors have doubted his ability this offense’s ability to do

Nestor Aparicio  03:44

what you talking about, Luke, you talking to me, you, or anyone else. I

Luke Jones  03:49

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mean, you know I like to

Nestor Aparicio  03:50

say is, in the fourth quarter, they’re down 10 points, there’s eight minutes left, and they have to throw the ball. And you and I have gone back and forth to saying, Will this work? Will it? Will it not? And Lamar is going to run around and go in the phone booth, and it’s going to be designed run be designed runs for Lamar, because he stood still their best play, that’s still their home run. And then Derek Henry’s the home run hitter, like somebody around here also was really, really bullish on

Luke Jones  04:14

obtaining, wait a second, Barry the lead now, oh, I’m not What do you mean? Barry, the lead is that Zach Taylor is a terrible coach. That’s actually the lead, if I want to, if I want to give you my honest, unfiltered takeaway, Ravens fans should hope that Zach Taylor continues to coach the Bengals for a long time, because I don’t see it with that guy, and I get it. They made it to a Super Bowl now three years ago, right? Okay, it was three years ago and they lost. I mean, to sit there and you you’re gifted a fumble. I mean, Lamar just dropped the snap. I mean, the snap was perfect. This wasn’t like the Giants game a couple years ago, where the snap goes over his head hit him in the eight I mean it literally. I mean he just missed it. I mean, you could tell. I mean, even after the game, Lamar was that tick because he. Knew that they came that close to losing on what was a routine thing. But I mean Zach Taylor, instead of putting the ball in Joe burrows hands and a passing game that the Ravens didn’t really stop at all until Marlon Humphrey got the interception, which, you know, to his credit, to the defense’s credit, did allow the ravens to have a chance to tie the game, but kind of run it three times and settle for a 53 yard field goal. I mean, shame on you. I mean, that’s, that’s, that’s gutless. I mean, it was absolutely gutless. And you know, the ravens, hey, they stopped the run three times and made them kick and they missed it and and then Derek Henry closed. But don’t, just brush past the fact that what I had been talking about was at some point in time, defenses were going to start selling out to stop Derrick Henry, and the Bengals did that until that play at the very end of the of the ball game, and the Ravens still went out there and scored 38 points, and they were able to make plays through through the air, and Lamar Jackson had almost 350 yards and four touchdown passes. So you know, the the point I’m making here, and obviously you and I sparring back and forth. I mean, it’s pro wrestling, like at time at this point, but

Nestor Aparicio  06:08

I want to see Lamar coming back from 10 points down on the road. I don’t want to have to see it and when I but it’s going to happen. It’s hard for anybody. Hey, like, I can’t beat Lamar. I’m saying you can’t come back from 10 points down unless it’s his fault. They’re down 10 points in the fourth quarter, then I could start to point fingers. But in the case of Lamar, they’ve been ahead by so much. First down, as I always say, works, and once first down works, they keep the ball, they shove it up your ass, they shorten the game you’re losing by three touchdowns in the back of quarterbacks out and it’s over. I’ve seen them do this over five years so many times in the regular season that it’s perfect. What I haven’t seen do is what they did on Sunday, right?

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Luke Jones  06:46

And that’s, that’s my whole point about what’s encouraging about seeing that now at this point, are they going to see the Bengals in January? I mean, the Bengals are one and four, and their defense can’t stop anybody. Their offense is terrific. I mean, they Joe burrow since week one, has played at a high level, Jamar Chase and T Higgins. I mean, since Higgins came back from the hamstring, they they’ve been really difficult to stop. I mean, they have what, 25 plus points scored in the last four weeks, and they’ve won one of those games because their defense can’t stop anyone. So but for the ravens and everything you just said about the running game and stand on schedule and all of that, that that’s all true. I’m not. I’ve never disputed that. The point that I’ve made, and the point that you and I have argued about, was, if they find themselves in this position, at some point, you have to be able to do this. And look, no one, whether you’re a Patrick mahomes or whatever quarterback, Tom Brady, no one wants to be down 10 points in the second half. No one wants to be in a position where they’re down two scores and you need to be in two minute offense. But if you find yourself in that position, this was a great example of being encouraged and heartened that they can do it. I mean, they did it. I mean, it had been, what, three years since they’ve been in this position where they’ve come back from being down 10 points in the fourth quarter that Indianapolis Monday night game where Lamar threw for, you know, career high for passing yards, and they were down, think they were down 16 or something like that, in that game, in the second half or early in the fourth quarter. But, I mean, it was, you know that that was encouraging, that part of it. Now we’ll get into the defense. We’ll get into whatever the heck that was at the end of the first half with John Harbaugh’s game management or mismanagement. I mean, holy cow. But what they did through the air with two minute and yes, Derek Henry finished after Zach Taylor did what they did and, and McPherson missed the kick. But now I’ll also throw out there perhaps reports of Justin Tucker’s demise exaggerated because, I mean, he had a pretty big kick there, you know, 56 yards. I mean, that was, that was, you know, not really the way you wanted to, to try to one tie that game. And, you know, give it, give Cincinnati time to to try to win it with, what a minute and 35 to go. But Justin Tucker drilled it, and they got the by the

Nestor Aparicio  09:08

way, if I were going to have any guests that I could reach to through Chad Steele this week, I booked Sam Cook on and talk about how to like, how incredible over the course of time, the former wolf pack was and the hold the hold the hold the hold. Because the Bengals lost the game because their punter couldn’t hold the ball, like, literally, like, I think the kid might have made the kick. To your point, it was insane that they didn’t just come out with borough throwing the ball over their heads and try to end the game get down.

Luke Jones  09:40

I mean, I don’t know,

Nestor Aparicio  09:42

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horrible dude. I mean, they were almost half assed. They were almost like, the last one was like, trying to center the ball. It was low. That’s exactly you take it. Don’t fumble it. Fall down, dude, you’re at the 35 yard line. What are you doing, right?

Luke Jones  09:53

I mean, that’s what was crazy to me, and don’t get me wrong. I mean, you’re not gonna throw it over their heads, per se. But I. Do what worked throughout the day. I mean, and I get it, Chase Brown, you know, he popped a couple runs. It’s not like the running game did absolutely nothing, but it certainly wasn’t the reason why they were in the position they were in to win the game at that point. I mean, Joe burrow throwing for almost 400 yards and five touchdowns, and the fact that the Ravens couldn’t tackle Jamar Chase, and they couldn’t cover T Higgins, and those guys were completely carving them up to just go into complete turtle mode for a 53 yarder. And I don’t care how good your kicker is. And look at Evan McPherson. You know, he’s made some some kicks. I mean, he, you know, for someone who hasn’t been in the league a long time, he’s, he’s pretty well regarded. But I don’t care if you have Justin Tucker there. I don’t care if you have Adam in a terry or name your pick of your favorite kicker of all time. You know, you don’t settle for that. I mean, that was, that was insane to me, but, yeah, that’s what they did, and to their credit, and John Harbaugh did make this point, and I will at least agree with this. And we saw the Bengals do this very thing after the turnover, after Lamar drops the snap, it would have been very easy, considering where Cincinnati got the ball, for the defense to just completely let down there, right and and maybe then chase brown pops, a 15 yarder to make it more of a chip shot. But they did bottle him up. You know that it was very conservative, too conservative for my taste. I think we’re absolutely on the

Nestor Aparicio  11:22

same amenity level. The ball, the game was over. The Bengals have to win that game. I mean, to me, they moved to 99% you get a first down. Don’t kick from there. Don’t give it away. You’re not playing the clock. So why wouldn’t you pass? I mean, I I crazy, but your Give me your three best plays to get 10 yards and then three more, and end the game and the game, I mean,

Luke Jones  11:43

I but, but I’ll, but I’ll say on the flip side, then when the Bengals essentially turn the ball over when they miss the kick. And obviously the Ravens have good field position there, but they’re not in field goal range just yet, the ravens, or the Cincinnati defense, did what the Ravens defense did, which was let down, or what the Ravens didn’t do, which was let down in that spot, Derrick Henry nearly takes it all the way, and then Justin Tucker has a chip shot. So as I wrote, and look, I’ve heard a lot of coaches credited for this, but I think it was Casey Stengel was the first one to say more ball games are lost than one. The Cincinnati Bengals ultimately did a little bit more to lose that game, and the Ravens did plenty of great things, but also did some things that could have ended up losing the game, but the Bengals kind of were able to outshine them in that way. And look, the Ravens took advantage. It was a gutsy win, certainly not a perfect performance, but there was a lot to like to come out of that one. And when you consider where these teams are now, ravens, three straight wins via Pittsburgh, losing on late, I guess, early Monday morning, with the weather delay out in Pittsburgh for Sunday Night Football, now tied for first place. So all the talk about Owen two, and you know, where, where are they, and what’s going on here, and they can’t finish. I mean, they went through their advert, their fourth quarter, adversity early. It was more the late second quarter and the third quarter where they really went through that, where it felt like it was spiraling. But hey, give Lamar Jackson and this offense all the credit in the world for doing what they did in the second half. I mean, they played really well out of two minute. I mean, that’s Lamar. Lamar really operated at a high level, running two minute for most of the second half. I mean, again, it’s not what you want to do. No one, no one wants to be down 10 points. But if you find yourself in that position, whether it’s the first Sunday in October or late January, you like having an example that you can draw from to say, Hey, we’ve been here before, and we can do it. So that’s where I look at this. And again, feel like this could, this could end up being a season defining kind of win, but long way to go. But at the same time, ravens are in great shape now moving forward, certainly have things they need to clean up, specifically on the defensive side of the ball, and Cincinnati, I mean, one in four mathematically, it’s not impossible, but I really, really start to doubt now whether they’re going to be able to climb out of that early season hole, because I just don’t think their defense can stop anybody at the end of the day. And the numbers have really been bearing that out so far in 2024 he’s

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Nestor Aparicio  14:20

Luke Jones. Here’s Baltimore, Luke. We got a big week ahead here. We’re going to be doing a lot of wrap up with baseball, watching these other Phillies and Mets and Padres and who gets out of this week, and where the Dodgers are and where the Yankees are, and all of that stuff. And we’ll be breaking down football, I’m sure, all week around here, it’s our birthday week. We’re going to be pizza. John’s having to pizza, giving away some Maryland lottery tickets, hopefully some more winners. We’ve had a lucky batch with the fadelies and Costas the last couple weeks. I want to talk about hardball, and I want to talk because, look, we’re going to talk about Tucker and the kicking game. We’re definitely going to talk about the defense falling apart. We had a long conversation, but you really sneered at har ball’s coaching decisions. And I think there’s a. Point where, when you’re down 10 points in the fourth quarter, you start to evaluate, how did you get there? Now the defense hasn’t been good enough and, and that’s, that’s the bigger picture, but we didn’t you, and I’ve been doing radio 15 years, and I don’t know that we had a whole lot of snappy manager chats about show Walter, until Zach Britton said at the end of the bench. And then we’re like, Buck, yeah, Buck Buck, you touched every right button on every Darren O’Day, and now this right? Um, horrible, 17 years in. It’s kind of crazy how far we we can get into the 1617, years into this, right? And because I saw Tomlin with Tony Dungy and Tama looks older than Dungey, I would let him know that. I’ll just say that if I see him anytime soon, maybe the years he’s coached longer than Dungey now, I think now that’s gone through it, but I start to see these tenured coaches and dude, I’ve been on the radio a long time, like was one thing yell about Ted marchabroad at being senile, and at the end, he kind of was, or Brian and I sparring, mostly in good spirits over the course, he did become my partner. So I get he must not have hated me too much, but clock management, clock management, clock management. I’ve never seen a baseball manager fired more than Brandon Hyde on my timeline this week, which is absurd. I mean, like absurd. I don’t even know what these the baseball IQ, in the football IQ of some people here in regard to this. And I’m not here to fire hardball, but I am here to say like they’re parts of the horrible operation, including looking up at the at the home board with the red flag out ready to throw the flag there parts of this operation that, if pashadi were awake and running this like he were, it was Aerotech in his garage and he was still hungry, putting a suit on every day, instead of doing whatever he’s doing that, you look at har ball and say, we get the most out of what we’re getting the most out of because, I mean, it is amazing that they, they stole the game in Cincinnati over we literally, like they shouldn’t one they won. That’s great, and it helps everything. But I go back and evaluate the evaluation and fans want to fire horrible every minute of every day, especially knowing how much he’s lied to me personally and continues to on Wednesday, when you’re there and I’m not there, he’s lying to me and my family and all of my listeners, all of them, so but, but for me, the clock management part and what he has, and it feels like this confusion in games that like longer into this, you should have a guy for that, a helper for that, that there’s confusion, and that’s the part that confuses me. Luke, yeah. I mean, I don’t

Luke Jones  17:45

know if this situation was as much confusion. I mean, we’ve certainly talked about that in the past with certain challenges, or just with the clock, whatever this just felt when obviously Derek Henry gets tackled in the end zone. It’s 14, nine, the ravens, after that made Cincinnati punt. What was so odd about the end of the first half was that the Ravens defense had played well to that point, right? I mean, you look at the first half possessions, and I get it. I mean, Cincinnati scored a touchdown, but there were also three and out sprinkled in that first half. When you look at the drive chart and Cincinnati’s possessions through the first 25 minutes of that football game. So and if you break up first down pass, because they’re going to try to throw the ball, the Bengals were in tough D and DS, and made their way out of it. I mean, they, they are that offense because they have that kind of quarterback and that kind of passing game where they can, they can make a third and 12, and they’re not intimidated by it. Third 12 is a long way for the Ravens. Lamar is not not running.

Nestor Aparicio  18:47

I mean, I think, I mean, I just think, I mean, I and the Ravens don’t get into those down in distances unless sack never happens. Negative yards rarely happens. Now with Derrick Henry right and penalties. Penalties are the I’ve been the killer of down and distance for the ravens, because they run forward the Bengals, a first down, incompletion and a penalty, they’re going to punt. You know what I mean? Like, they’re going to be in bad situations. You have to make them pay for third and long, dude, especially when you get them

Luke Jones  19:19

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into it. Well, third and long didn’t matter in the third quarter. I mean, they were converting third and long against the Ravens defense come the third quarter. But you know, to go back to what I was actually talking about. They they had made the Bengals go three and out, then the Bengals score touched down on their second drive. Okay, three and out. Three and out. One field goal and they were out and punted in five plays. I mean, what about that tells you, oh my gosh, we’re in. We need to go into this mode where we can’t, you know, we’ve got to score and we’ve got to be hyper aggressive and all of that. So I even could forgive. Of the going for it on the fourth and a short one from their own 23 but what made no sense to me whatsoever, and I’m not saying I like that, let me be clear, but I can at least see, I guess, in some shape or form. But what didn’t make any sense to me was snapping it right before the two minute warning on third and five, on the play where Lamar scrambles to set up that fourth in a short one, and then the play that made zero sense, and to me, is completely indefensible, even the fourth and short a short one, the football analytics community will tell you, Hey, if you feel like you you’re good in short distance, the analytics will tell you to go for fourth and one just about anywhere on the field. I’m not saying I agree with that, but I can, I at least see that line of thinking in some circles to call a timeout when Justice Hill on a second and 10 run runs for no gain. I mean, when the whistle blew, everyone assumes Cincinnati called the time out there, right? So to then see that it was the Ravens who basically, not basically, they gifted Cincinnati another time out. And then, of course, Lamar throws incomplete, you know, tries to throw a deep ball to zay flowers. I mean, what was that? And people will say, Okay, well, when burrow threw the touchdown at the end of that, they still had a time out in their pocket. Well, they had a time out in their pocket there. That changes the play calling compared to if they have no time out there where they’re probably working the sideline just to try to get a, you know, a shorter field goal. So that was bad. I mean, that was awful. I and I know John acknowledged and kind of, you know, stepped around it a little bit, danced around it when he was asked about it in the post game, saying he was kind of aggressive. I mean, that doesn’t summarize

Nestor Aparicio  21:45

it that I say confusion was the word I used. It was a misstep, because he didn’t evaluate the situation for timeouts down in distance and the other side of the ball after the two minute warning, right? That is confusion. That is, I’m in the moment. Let’s do something, oh, I did the wrong thing, like when he tried to call a time out on top of the timeout and he’s yelling, F into the world, into his his thing, because he’s confused. And that goes back to Belichick confusing him in a playoff game. That goes back to him eating a time out when Billy Clinton’s out there having a fire drill in the middle of Foxborough for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. Tenure, confusion, that’s what I’m saying. Confusion, there’s no one there to calm him down and look you and I’ve been in a room with him. Could you or I calm John Harbaugh down once when he’s in red light mode? I mean, I don’t think so. He’s Ultra alpha, ultra all that like in that moment he needs, he needs his dad on the side. Let’s, you know, like, literally, somebody there calming it down for this situation, because they’re not managing the game well. I mean, that’s confusion, is my I don’t know. Maybe that’s the wrong word. You know what I mean, mis evaluation, under fire in the moment, in that second not having he’s thinking about the next play, not the clock, not the timeout. Somebody else needs to be there, that’s all. And I can’t believe that pashadi, who’s Mr. Management guy, watches this week after week. He didn’t hate horrible. He’s not gonna fight. They’re not firing John Harbaugh, they’re not firing Eric the guy. They’re not firing Chad Steele, they’re not firing site. They’ll fire anybody they I mean, Steve’s out the launch. This is it. He’s not rehiring any more coaches. So I’m not here to fire our ball. I’m trying to say if I were managing it, if John text me this week like he did last week, John bring in a Marvin Lewis, bring in somebody who’s coached. Bring it dick for meal. Bring it somebody to sit next to you and say, I’m watching the timeouts. I’m watching the clock. We’re going to do it this way. You’re not going to be confused about red flags. Manage the game. Will manage the clock. John, you know you’re a play guy. John, you’re in on plays and groupings, and that’s where your mind is. You’re a ball coach. Somebody else needs to manage the rest of the game. And that’s not me being critical of John, because I’m a one at a time guy. It’s a tough job, even though he’s being paid a lot for it,

Luke Jones  24:14

it is a tough job. And what’s funny is, you know, you mentioned other lots of head coaches stink at this, and that’s what’s kind of Well, Andy Reid, you’re gonna bring that up. And yeah, Andy Reid was terrible at this stuff until Patrick mahomes came along, and now that that’s deodorized him. And look, let’s be clear. I mean, I’m not, you know, he’s a Hall of Fame coach. I’m not suggesting otherwise, but I think for me, it’s not. I mean, you can use confusion. I’m not really good. There have been times where it’s looked confusing. I just feel at these moments they get caught in between thinking about it from a game theory standpoint, now I understand what they were trying to do from the standpoint of, it’s late in the first half since an. Has just made it a few minutes earlier, they had made it a 14 to nine ball game with the safety and Cincinnati gets the ball to start the second half. So the last thing you want to try to do, and we see this in basketball, when you get down to under a minute, right? You get down to 35 seconds on the game clock at the end of the quarter. And, you try to get a two for one, right? I mean, you try to do it so you can score, and then the other team has a 24 second. You know, you have the 24 second shot clock. You want to try to get another possession. It’s not terribly different than that, however. So I understand that part of it. I understand the idea that you’re trying to one score and two, try to keep the ball away from Cincinnati. But again, they got caught in between there at some point in time, and that’s why I said even though I certainly wouldn’t have gone for fourth and a short one from their own 23 I can at least follow what they’re doing there. But then after that, the play calling and the time out after getting nothing on second and 10 was just bizarre, because you ended up helping Cincinnati do exactly what you were trying to prevent them from doing in the first place, which was get the ball back at the end of the first half, score, and then score to start the second second half when they get the kick. So it was just bizarre. I mean, that was bizarre. So you

Nestor Aparicio  26:18

don’t lose a lot, right? So when they win like this, Luke, I mean, Eric’s watching this, Ozzy’s watching this, right? I mean, Ortiz is gone. But whoever’s got Ortiz’s job that like they’re all watching this, they all go back in. They break down tape. On the plane home, they’re breaking down tape. I mean, come on, you. You’re around this. I mean, John, it’s six in the morning. You and I are doing radio Monday morning. John’s already in the office. You know what? I mean, they’re looking at this. They’re thinking about this. I would just think, 18 years into this, when this continues every other Monday, even when they win, we’re sitting here saying, Well, that was a bizarre I mean, and I know they scrimmage all of this. They do this in April. It was, you know, self scouting in this situation, given this we’re in Cincinnati, we’re up, we’re down, we’re behind, where we kick in, what? What are our options, and how do we want to manage it? They do this all the time, and I would think they’re doing that today based on yesterday’s game. For at least a minute, because it’s all about Washington, Washington again, as it as it should be, right, but there’s got to be a minute where they look at it Monday the way you and I are looking at it on the radio, and say next time, we need to do that differently. And 16 years into this, they just win a lot, and I think it sort of covers the asses for everybody that they don’t go back and reevaluate. They don’t get better at it. You know, when they win games after stupid challenges and red flags, it never gets better. And that’s my criticism. You know, of a lot of criticism to John Harbaugh, honestly gets him ready to play. I don’t think he should be fired. You, like all of that crap, no matter how I feel about his integrity and his his Biblical verses at the end of everything, when I could screenshot it and send it over to him and say, just how you’re treating me. But I don’t, but I don’t want horrible fired. I want it improved, especially if I’m bashati, especially if I’m Ozzy or Eric, who are thinking the same things you and I are thinking, and I don’t know how that gets broached or approached, or even Todd Monken, who ran some programs as well, looking at it and saying, Yeah, we got to do that differently. We got to somebody’s got to have a hat on that to make sure we don’t do that again and make that mistake. I mean, why are we calling time out there? Who you can’t blame it on anybody else? Because nobody else is allowed to call timeouts on the sidelines anymore, even though they have,

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Luke Jones  28:39

yeah, I mean, and again, I It’s the, it’s the time out on third down that, just because, if you even look at it, and again, I’m looking at the game book right now. I mean, I haven’t had a chance to rewatch the game, as you and I are talking at the moment, but you they, they come out of the two minute warning. They run the tush push with Kohler, he gets the first down. Okay, great. You should have a you’re gonna be able to run out the clock here, right? Or you’re gonna force Cincinnati to call their timeouts and or, or you’re gonna be really hyper aggressive there, but they get the first down, and then they, they didn’t snap it, and they used the entire clock. So you’re thinking, Okay, well, then they did that just to be able to run the clock out. Okay, fine. Again, that was risky, but if you had the conviction that you can run that play and the Bengals can’t stop it, then great, you’re gonna run out the clock. But then you call timeout after Justice Hill runs for nothing on second and 10. I mean, it’s just, I don’t understand that. You have to explain that time out to me like I’m five. I mean, that’s I don’t get that whatsoever the play before this, when you go out

Nestor Aparicio  29:49

on Monday and say to hardball, explain that to me like I’m five, or in the nicest way, where you do it like Jameson, and you make a whole thing and make him feel smart, and then you throw it to him, What does he say? Okay, he’s got to say we messed up. We shouldn’t have done that. That was bad, and we talked about it today, and we’re doing this, and next time, we’re not going to do that. Like, that’s what I want to hear from my leader, if I own the company, if I’m a fan of the company, if I’m a journalist, I just to your point, it was insane, and I was with you, like, they’re slow playing the clock in case they don’t score a touchdown, in case they don’t get a field goal, in case they get a little aggressive, that there won’t be any time on the other side for them, and they’ll have to eat timeouts. And you do the math on three timeouts, and you’re like, All right, that’s a set of downs. Like, I get all of that, but I didn’t get any of it. And to your point, I wonder what John’s gonna say 16 years into this, when you’re making these mistakes, and all you need to do is get more help. I’m not looking to fire John. I’m looking to improve John.

Luke Jones  30:47

Yeah, again, I can still kind of sort of follow where they’re going. And even though I wouldn’t have gone for the fourth and one, I can still follow the thinking, even if I disagree with it, but to then the next two plays to do what you did and run time, but then call a timeout and think about it. It’s third and 10 from your own 25 yard line with 49 seconds to go at that point. What are you really trying to accomplish there? And you’re trying to get in a locker room. I mean, Lamar, Lamar throws deep there. So I don’t know, maybe you’re trying, you’re hoping for a flag. I don’t know, but that was just so odd to me at that point in time, where you know, but because again, the whistle blows and you’re saying, okay, Cincinnati’s calling the time out here. They’re trying to get the ball back. All of that being said, Jordan style punted 67 yards. Cincinnati got the ball their own 21 with 34 seconds to go. You can’t let them score a touchdown there either. So, I mean, just talk about an utter breakdown, coaching wise and their defense. And then obviously, the defense didn’t stop anyone until Marlon Humphries interception very late in the fourth quarter. So just, that’s why I said this game had a little bit of everything, right? I mean things to like, things not to like, some bizarre things, some crazy things, some lucky things. I mean that they lost the

Nestor Aparicio  32:14

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game three times over. They were down 10 points twice in the fourth quarter and won the game. So, I mean, it smells great. I mean, it does, and it’s, it’s a hell of a win. I mean, really, like, Oh, absolutely, let’s and really, how about that, right? And

Luke Jones  32:27

let’s be clear about that for all the flaws. And you know, whether it’s hardball at the end of the first half, whether we’re talking about the defense not being able to stop anyone, you know, I think there was a perception that, with the way that this defense played against buffalo last Sunday night that okay, they’re fixed. Clearly, it’s not fixed. And in fairness, I’ll say they’re going to face very few offenses moving forward that have the firepower that the Bengals do with, not just Joe burrow at quarterback, but two wide receivers that are, you know, in Chase’s case, one of the very best in the league. And in T, T Higgins case, a very pro, Pro Bowl caliber wide receiver, at the very least. So, you know, they have one and one a which very few teams have that. So I’ll say that much. But yeah, this this past defense, I think they’re 31st in the league. Now, you know, after five games, after they had improved against Buffalo, and I think, you know, they’re 25th 26th 27th some more like that. And points allowed. I mean, I hear it that they’re stopping the run, but if you’re gonna ask me, What, which do I prefer for my defense, stop in the run or stop in the past? I’m gonna take stop in the past, because the that’s gonna you know that you can’t stop the pass, then you’re gonna get gashed. So we’re gonna do a whole thing on the defense, because we’re gonna have to, and this gonna come up here, up the highway and run around. Luke is a Baltimore Luke. He’s luke@wnst.net

Nestor Aparicio  33:49

we’re both very available individuals, especially because we’re watching baseball on TV. Dude, I had a Peter, Luke. I mean, you and I were gonna go for Korean barbecue on Monday afternoon. Man, we were gonna do it up. We’re gonna take the train, you know, out of Manhattan, you know, take our little sweaters up at the Bronx and do all that. Instead, it’s um, reach for the refrigerator and get ready for Friday. It’s a birthday week for Luke. He’s a year older. I’m a year wiser, come later this week. But not Bub wiser. The Maryland lottery is presenting our, all of our crab cake tours, and this is the only one I have planned, is this week, this Friday at Pizza John’s in Essex. Come on out. Gets a pizza. They do have a crab cake. There, they have ice cream. There they have everything to wash it down with as well. We’ll be there on Friday afternoon. It’s all brought to you by friends at Jiffy Lube, multi care, the Maryland lottery, our friends at Liberty, pure solutions, keeping your water crystal clear and doing some great plumbing as well. And the big thanks to our friends at curio wellness and foreign daughter for helping put on one of the great charity events of the year, maritime magic. On Friday night, we went, we danced, we ate, we drank, not too much, and it was a beautiful night outside. It was actually like a summer night on a night when we dressed for fall. So it was a little weird, but big thanks to curio big thanks to Jay. Bond and everybody at maritime magic and living classrooms, foundation, so so many friends there. Our friends from faith leaves were there. Lots of sponsors and clients and friends and a great band. Good dancing too. So my thanks to everybody for participating in that. Luke and I are going to come back. We’re going to talk defense. Go talk kicking, gonna talk Lamar, gonna talk man. We haven’t talked King Henry. We haven’t talked King Henry enough. Because, you know, I was the biggest proponent and bringing King Henry in here. So Luke and I are going to have some sparring on that long before Friday. It’s a Washington at Baltimore. But before we get to that, we’re going to get some more residue of a, I call it a purple miracle in my column this this week, big win over the Cincinnati Bengals bearing Cincy in the cellar someplace they’re familiar with and all my friends that went out there, I recommended they not get the chili on the way out. It’s overrated. Back for more. Luke and I talking football. We’re wnst. Am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We never stopped talking Baltimore. Positive.