[Music] Hey. [Music] What is going on everyone? It's your guy Cole Jackson back here on the Ravens Collective. As you can see, we are not joined tonight by our regular host Bobby Tauet. And we're going to be uh me and Jeff are going on we're going to go on the picket line tomorrow, take a look at these vacation benefits. Uh, Bobby's on vacation again. The guy vacations more than the Ravens play football games. Uh, so it's just gonna be me and Jeff tonight, so expect the typical technical malfunctions. I'm trying to work the app here. I don't know what I'm doing, but hey, we're going to talk some football. Jay-Z, my guy, how's it going?

>> Good, man. How are you?

I'm I've been under the weather a little bit. That uh 20 degree um 20 degree weather in Minnesota hit me kind of hard to be honest with you. But

>> feels a little bit like Canada, doesn't it?

>> Yeah. Some of us, some of us feel a responsibility to show up for fine listeners and to play through things and actually make this a priority. So, uh, here I am ready to talk some football.

>> There it is. Jay-Z, dedicated guy. Love it. Love it. Uh, so we got a lot to go through. I mean, uh, we're actually going to start with, uh, the news that just came out about Jer Alexander. uh just got announced about an hour ago that he's going to be stepping away from football to get right mentally and physically. Uh obviously the Ravens brought him in in the offseason. I think it was a one-year $6 million deal. Uh ended up trading him over to the Philadelphia Eagles. Uh the compensation was the Ravens got a sixth round pick in this upcoming draft. They gave away a 2027 seventh round pick. So did a one pick upgrade. Uh Jay-Z, did you kind of see this coming? Can you kind of tell us a little bit about what was going on with Jire and his kind of final weeks with Baltimore?

>> Yeah, you know, I didn't see this coming, but one of the things I had said when they made the trade is you could tell how taxing it was for Jaier Alexander to not be playing and to not have a role. And obviously, he was working so hard and he had kind of become upfront about the fact that he he felt like the time off after he struggled in week one was beneficial for him and he needed it. just coming to grips with his reality of trying to play with the bad knee he had and all that. And you know, it's I know people I've seen some people in my mention celebrating the fact that the Ravens pulled one over on the Eagles and and got a six round pick out of it. But I just think these situations are kind of sad when you have these athletes who are just great players and they're having to come to grips with the fact that they're probably not the same guy that they used to be because of injuries. and um you know people didn't want to hear it that you know they wanted to know why would you trade a serviceable veteran corner who's played in some big games even if he's inactive it's a good guy to have on your bench a good guy to have ready to play um when there's an inevitable cornerback injury as we now know there is one with Marlon Humphrey in his finger and you know even after Monday people were saying well it would have been nice to have Ja Alexander I just think they could feel it they really could it was really mentally taxing on him to not be playing and to not feel like himself. And here was an opportunity to get him in a good situation where he was supposed to play right away. And uh you know, the alarms went off this past week when they said he was going to stay home and not go to Green Bay and he was going to work out and he just needed a little more of an acclamation process. It's that didn't sound good. you make these trades when you're in contending and you have big games because you want these guys to be ready to play immediately and that they felt like he wasn't going to be ready to play in their first game. I I imagine that hurt even worse for him because it was in Green Bay where you know he spent the majority of his career. So, you know, you feel for Jaier. You hope he gets right uh physically and if he's dealing with anything mentally there too. Um I you know I don't think this impacts the trade for the Ravens perspective. He passed the physical. He was practicing there. I don't believe there's any conditions. He had to play a certain amount of games. But, you know, the bigger picture is here's a a player who's a a great quarterback in his prime who just has had these devastating injuries that have taken a toll on him physically and mentally, and you feel for him. You hopefully he gets right and gets back on the field. I have nothing but good things to say about him. I mean, he was a total pro. Uh really interesting dude. Whenever you talk to him, he's not afraid to say what's on his mind. Um, you know, Chuck Pagano sent out the glowing tweet when the Ravens released him. I think I don't think that was lip service. I think, uh, people were really sad to see it out and ended here because they were really impressed with how he handled himself and they could clearly tell he was fighting it. He was trying so hard to get on the field and be the player he once was. And he wanted it so bad, but it just wasn't happening for him because of the knee. So, um, all the best to Jaire. Hopefully, he figures some stuff out and and this is just a blip.

>> Absolutely. And it's one of those situations where it's really humanizing, right? Like >> as much as it's football to us, it's work to these guys. And you know, if if we're going through something mentally, physically, whatever it may be, it can be tough to get in there, go to work, go through the grind. Um so, you know, I hope that him stepping away is able to bring him some peace and uh not peace that he's going to be leaving the game, but give him kind of that that that space to not go through the weekly practice grind. Give him some time to get right. Uh and he definitely has the talent. That's why I was so excited about the signing. you know, he has the type of talent that, you know, there's no doubt in my mind he can work his way back to become, you know, a starter again. And, uh, I thought it would happen here in Baltimore. Unfortunately, it's just not the way the cards went. But, you know, I have so much respect for him. Uh, nobody ever had a negative thing to say about his attitude or how hard he worked. Uh, and I just think that's one of those things that you you just got to just a commendable approach for Gyra Alexander. So hopefully he can get right and get himself another opportunity in the league. Um, so we we wish him all the best. And before we dive into the rest, I should have mentioned this in the intro, but as I mentioned, I don't know how to host, so I'm pretty bad at this, but it is November 11th. It is Veterans Day down in the United States. It's Remembrance Day up here in Canada if we do have some Canadian listers. So to those out there that served either currently or have served, my big thank you to you um from us here at the Ravens Collective. Uh, so we have a lot to talk about. I mean, this is uh this has been what a whirlwind season, you know, we were kind of it was it's how many times do we have a state of the Ravens, you know, in the month of September and October? Uh, it's just one of those absolutely wild things that, you know, the Ravens hit their bye-week, they get some guys back and they've turned that into three straight and, you know, they're they're looking up. And so we kind of want to talk about um some of the key contributors to that, but I also want to do a check-in because the vibe around this team, especially after the Madabique injury, um you know, it it wasn't good. It it was it it was rough to kind of be around uh and now we're kind of seeing things turn around. So, what are you kind of seeing uh you know, behind the scenes in terms of the vibe around the team?

>> Yeah, I thought the most interesting thing after postgame on Sunday afternoon was Harbaugh admitting how emotional it was to him and you know he sort of went around the locker room talking to guys and he was feeling it. I I you this this season has taken a toll on a lot of people in the organization. There's been a lot of criticism, a lot of stuff that they're not used to dealing with the injuries early, uh, you know, a lot of things, right? And, you know, even Jaier Alexander veterans not playing like they usually do and having to come to grips with that. So, you know, they have a chance now. They put themselves in position to make something of the season. And I just think the totality of that probably hit Harbaugh at some point um after the game. There's no doubt this team feels a lot better than it did three weeks ago. That's for sure. I think they also understand there's a long way there's a long way to go for them. They still have to do a lot more digging before you feel good about where they stand. I think Lamar Jackson made that clear. I think after the game, you talked to some offensive players and there was a I think they were pissed off. Be honest with you, Cole. Lamar Jackson Lamar Jackson was pissed off after that game and Derrick Henry was not pleasant after that game and Ronnie Stanley was sort of dismissive about it. Like these guys know they need to be playing better. Um I think the defense is relieved. They feel like they're they're figuring some stuff out but they've I think commendable they're not really resting on laurels. I think, you know, they've they've been given several opportunities over the last t a couple weeks to pronounce themselves as back and and point fingers and say, "I told you so." They're the first to say, "We have a long way to go. We're still not doing things at a high enough level." And I think for all the criticism of John Harbaugh and a lot of it I think you know early season was certainly deserved and some of the stuff in the past you can't you can't dismiss that he still has a handle on this locker room and he still gets these guys ready to play and believing. Now you can question other decisions. I'm sure I I have these messages turned off because I don't need to listen to people and moan but I'm sure this is going to draw a response. But in that way, his stability and his positivity, I think, really helps them re, you know, I think he was a steadying influence as they've gotten themselves off the mat here. And and you could see the emotions he sort of was experiencing. His wife was in the media room with him, uh, which we don't see all too often. So, uh, you know, I the win was a big one for him. And I think one of the things for the Ravens that you look at is, yeah, there's still some things you don't feel that good about, right? I think there's still things the pass rush the offensive line the guard play still the inconsistency which relates to the other two things I you know you still could see it being fatal flaws for this team going forward in the end where you could see them kind of nipping them in the bud at the at the worst possible time but you are allowed to improve in this game and I think we're seeing improvement and you still need to earn the right to be playing in the playoffs and to get an opportunity And um I think this team will improve. I think this team is improving. Whether they could fix those issues, I don't know. I really don't. I mean, I'm sure we'll talk about some of it, but I do know they are getting better every week. I do know teams do not want to see them come into their stadium for a wild card playoff round. And they're not even playing all that well. But yet, I think we're seeing glimpses of how dangerous they they truly can be. And um it was a big win Sunday. I think uh one of the interesting parts is we've seen them lose that game. We've seen them lose a game where you thought they had no business >> and blow that lead, right?

>> Blow that lead and have their and have their coach >> abandon the run which I've Kevin O'Connell is everybody loves him or but but what was that like you know like and and I think >> they were killing them on the ground. I I I I went back through it and I was like, "Oh, we must have really shut down their run game." And then I started watching I was like, "Aaron Jones 12, Aaron Jones 20." And it's like, "What were what were they doing dropping back with JJ McCarthy 47 times like >> Yeah. And and I mean the the third and inches and throwing, you know, going up top and a jump ball. And I know it's hard to criticize any play that results in Justin Jefferson getting a target, but yeah, I mean, look, I it it was the Ravens who didn't commit the penalties. It was the Ravens who didn't turn the ball over. So, um, regardless, yeah, they got some help, but those are games they were giving away, and we've seen them give away before. So, uh, nothing wrong with celebrating getting a tough road win against a team that was also pretty desperate and coming off a big winner loan. a and they move on. Things are only going to get tougher as we all know.

>> That that false start or those false starts were giving me some some flashbacks to some dark days. So I definitely get that uh those pre- snap penalties and you know I no one's been harder on John Harbaugh than me. Uh absolutely. And this is one of those things that you know I always find it funny because it's like when they're doing bad the Harbaugh haters come out and then when they start winning the Harbaugh defenders come out. And it's you got to stand where you stand. And you know, I still stand by where my comments were. Um I hadn't seen a team in Baltimore play like that uh when when we look at the losing streak. But you know what? You're right. Like they did turn around. They came into a tough road matchup and uh you know, they came out slow, but then they locked in. And it it is one of those things where they put up 27 points and yet it still didn't feel like enough. And that's I think a good, it's obviously not a great position, but I think it's a good spot to be because I trust this offense to kind of find their groove. I think they're going to figure it out. Um I think they're going to have a tough one here on Sunday. We'll talk about that later. Uh but I I I found that just very interesting. And when you know, we'll go to a quick super chat here from Tongzy who dropped in 50 bomb for us. Uh but it's kind of focused on Yeah, I know. Tongzy coming in coming up big for us. All we needed to do was get Trit out of here and we're looking at 50 spots.

>> Cole, I've said this on Bobby and Sarah's show that nobody at the castle thinks we need offensive line help. Do you agree with me? Saw your latest video on the offensive line. Nice job. Painful to watch. And you know, it it's it's tough because I've I didn't I should have went into this more in the video, but I think the question is they you weren't going to find offensive line help at the trade deadline. If you look around the league, those guys just weren't traded. You know, no one wanted a Kevin Zitler more than me. But he's still a Tennessee Titan, and I kind of mentioned it last week. I don't think they were going to trade him because as much as their ship is sinking, they want to get some assets, they still need to protect a guy that they drafted first overall. So, it's just offensive line play across the league is tough to find depth for. So, that's why it's hard to trade for starters. Um, so it becomes who can they replace with internally? Is it a Ben Cleveland? Is it a Cory Bullock? Is it an Emry Jones? There's just a lot of concerns with all three guys. Ery Jones is a guy that is going to be tough to fit in there just because he's still, you know, he hasn't even played in an NFL game yet and you're just going to throw him out there when you're kind of in desperation mode to start. That's a tough one to battle with. Um, you look at a guy like Cory Bulock, a guy that I'm very high on, but he's also a better fit at center. You know, he's a little bit lighter. He's 313 pounds. um can he handle, you know, the size requirements that he needs out to be an offensive guard, especially again beside a guy like Tyler Linderbomb who's also a little light. Then you look at Ben Cleveland, has he ever really shown anything? Um, you know, it's it's just one of those things where I think if you put Falle beside Cleveland, you know, I I I prefer Cleveland, but I mean, they could just be two sides of the same ass. And it's like um so you know I just I don't know if that guy is here. And I think the real criticism is >> what happened in the offseason not bringing in enough competition on the offensive line. Um you know they went out and got Emory Jones and he just wasn't ready to play when they thought he would be. I think that's well worth the criticism. So we'll kind of move on from that. But I think that's my real Do you have anything to add there on the O line piece?

>> Yeah. You know one thing I will say I I didn't come I guess my expectations were low in Minnesota. I thought that was a really tough spot for that offensive line. I watched what the Lions what they the Vikings interior did to the Lions and that was ugly. And the Lions offensive line is certainly much better than the Ravens and I thought that the positives were one pre- snap penalty. I would if you'd have given me over and under on three, I would probably would have said over and to only have one early in the game, I thought that was a positive.

>> I don't think they were overwhelmed. There were some really bad reps as there always is with those guys, but I don't think they were really overwhelmed where

>> they handled the blitz well.

>> Yeah, they they I I just I I guess my bar is kind of low at this point, right? And I've said this to you off the air. I don't think the most discouraging part is of is that Daniel Fle is is still starting. I think the most discouraging part is they don't feel like they have better than him behind him. And I think people are going to have to come to grips with that. And that doesn't mean they're not right, right? Like that doesn't mean they can't be wrong, right? I mean, I think we've seen them not play certain guys, then all of a sudden they play and they're like, "Wow, I.e. Keaton Mitchell." So, I'm not I'm not saying that they're always right, but they clearly do not see Ben Cleveland as a starting offensive lineman. We have what is it, four years of evidence now that suggests this, and Emry Jones is not ready. He only started getting fully cleared to even pass block two weeks ago. It's just a lot to ask a kid who's a natural tackle. And then, you know, as you said, Corey Bullock is what do they call it? Light in the ass. you know, like that would be a tough spot for him as guard like and and you know, everybody wants off. I w I watched that game. I got back to my hotel on uh Sunday night and watched the the Chargers uh Pittsburgh game and man, Chargers are pretty below average at four or five offensive line spots. And now obviously they have the two stud tackles get hurt, but um you know, I I people don't want to hear it, but you got to find a way to overcome those guys. You got to hope they improve and try to find a way to overcome it. I mean, the running inside the tackles is painful at times, isn't it? I mean, especially since that's that's something they've done well in the past. And it's >> 250 pound running back. Like, this should be money. And, you know, I will say on that note, Todd Monkin came out and I think people were pretty I shouldn't say people, I was one of them. I was critical early until I really saw what he was trying to put together with that quick passing game. That was Lamar's sixth quickest TTT um in his career at a 2.61.

>> Give Lamar credit, too. He's taken a lot of heat. He's taken a lot of heat for not getting the ball out, and it clearly was a focus.

>> Absolutely. And you go back to the route combinations and the play calling. Compare that to uh Detroit and Kansas City that I think had pretty similar defensive approaches where they were playing those heavy linebacker groupings, um doing some blitzing, some spies, some delayed blitzes. We saw all of that from Minnesota and I thought they were much more prepared from a game plan perspective. So I think as much as the again this team just can't run screens and it's one of those things where it makes you wonder you know is it because that hasn't been the staple of their offense this being more of an air raid passing attack when they are throwing pushing the ball downfield. Is it the lack of reps that, you know, cause some of those hiccups early where they're just not they're just not used to running those types of play calls? And, you know, sometimes it takes Lamar a little bit to get into a rhythm, but then once he gets into a rhythm, um, you know, he was he was throwing dots out there. And, uh, you know, keep in mind when you look at his statistics, drop back drops from Andrews and likely had a drop in the end zone from Baitman, who Baitman made up for it later. Um, it was thrown behind him, but it had to be thrown behind him because of where the safety was. Um, but it still hit Baitman in the hand. So, I mean, uh, again, it just felt like, you know, maybe lack of repetitions led to them not getting there as quick. But, uh, you know, the real story in Minnesota to me was the defense. And, uh, you know, again, it's JJ McCarthy. They've nailed um, Caleb Williams, Tua, and JJ McCarthy since the by-week. Uh, so, you know, a little bit of hesitation for me in terms of what this means going forward, what's going to happen when they kind of face a top 10 quarterback. Uh which I guess when is that happening? Is it happening anytime? I guess Joe Burrow

>> Joe Burrow on Thanksgiving. Yeah.

>> Yeah. Like it's so they got a few um lighter tests in terms of the quarterback position over the next few weeks. But you know, I guess the question and kind of one of the themes in this one that we wanted to hit on was and we talked about this a lot during the losing streak. No one wanted to make a play on this defense and now you're getting your star players playing like star players. So, if we take a look at that defense, who do you Jay-Z has stepped up the most?

>> Oh, man. I Kyle Hamilton is a joy to watch, isn't he? Just how hard he's playing, the physicality he's playing, the versatility, obviously. I don't know that there's anybody on a on the football field right now doing more for a defense than Kyle Hamilton is doing for the Ravens. And and I don't know how you don't start with him when you're evaluating. I mean, that's one tangible change, right? I mean, that he changed four weeks ago and they've been a different team in those four.

>> He's playing Sam linebacker. What is going on out there? I've never seen anything like they talk about Derwin. They talk about, you know, Cam Chancellor back in the Legion of Boom days. We've never seen a safety being used like this. And and I mean honestly, you you see the impact that quarterbacks are finding him. You saw it with Tua a couple weeks ago. You saw it with JJ McCarthy. People now are starting to wonder where the heck he is on every play. And and that can only help the Ravens, too. He plays so hard and he plays so physical. I mean that one the throwback from Jefferson um over to McCarthy where you know Hamilton the ground he made up on that play to stop McCarthy from like two yards short and he just drilled them when he got there. He doesn't come in soft at all. You put out a a tweet Cole this week with uh a novel concept. There was like two or three pass rushing wins uh from the Ravens one rep and that's economy

>> and it looked like it it honestly looked like he went with a cross chop move Kyle Hamilton like

>> he bent the guard like

>> and the guy just whipped

>> tackle

>> against the guard and he just beat him cleanly like it was nothing and like he's rushed the passer before.

>> He's an insane talent and he's a locker room leader. He's emerging more and more as a big voice in that locker room. He's the best guy to talk to when you're when you're interviewing people about the state of the team. This is a face of the franchise type player on the defensive side of the ball. And we've seen in other shows people like Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis admire him and talk about him. This is a guy that could play in any era of football and be a star. And uh he's picked up his game over the last four weeks. Nothing's perfect. you worry about the wear down factor about like the physicality and how much he's being asked to do, but they need him right now and he and he's answered the bell and been everything you could possibly hope.

>> Absolutely. And uh, you know, someone put in the comments, you know, what what is this defense? Is it a 425? Is it a 34? Honestly, it's he's he's technically playing nickel, but he is more lined up as a Sam. So it it's really looks like a base 43, but they have a safety as that same linebacker. So they're able to adapt on the fly. Um, and you're actually seeing Kyle follow the running back a little bit more as opposed to the tight ends when they're in man coverage. So it's been a fascinating approach. I think Zach or deserves a ton of credit um for coming up with this. You know, again, a a guy that I've been hard on. I think the whole fan base has been hard on, but he's found a way to use his best defensive player to mass some weaknesses. And I think it's gone a long way in terms of helping Rocoan Smith and Teddy Buchanan and Teddy played phenomenal on Sunday. I thought that was his best game as a Raven. Uh I thought Rocoan played fantastic as well. Um so I think they deserve a ton of credit, but Zach Ward deserves credit too for you know people are constantly saying Zach's not putting these guys in a position to succeed. Credit him here. He's putting him in a position to succeed. And I thought his approach to um the Blitz game I thought was fantastic. And kind of where I'll go with one of mine is actually Draymond Jones. Um I know he's not a star player, but you know, talk about having a big impact after just, you know, landing on a new team. Not only was he fitting into some of the stunts and some of the line games that we had Zack War calling, but you know, they they he'd win outside cleanly, then they'd slide him into the three tech and he'd win inside cleanly. And I thought he did a really good job of winning his one-on- ones when he got them. And that's exactly what they needed. They needed someone to win reps. so damn bad. Like, and again, watch how that facilitates out. You get Mike Green, who we'll talk about here in a bit, you know, with that nasty spin move and not against some halfass backup. That was against Christian Darasaw. Um, so they're they're getting guys that are just stepping up and making plays. But one other guy I do want to hit on as well is Rocoan Smith, a guy that, you know, was taking a lot of flack, went through that injury, and, uh, I'm seeing a lot more physicality out of him. I'm seeing a lot more of that sideline to sideline speed. So again, defensive stars stepping up. And I think you have one more that you want to hit on as well.

>> By the way, that Rocoan clearing that guy out along the sideline on the fast interference call. I mean, I don't know what he was thinking. Well, I know what he was thinking. He he didn't see where the ball was and he just thought he'd take the guy out with him. But

>> what's the definition of uncatchable? You know what I mean? Like,

>> but he earned that penalty. And I thought it was I actually was chuckling in the press box because he crushed he crushed that guy. Yeah. I I think we've all seen it. This is a different team when Travis Jones is healthy, Cole. And people have long awaited this breakout of Travis Jones. And you know, I we haven't seen it really other than in flashes. He's put together a couple really good games that did I if I recall, didn't he doesn't he have seven quarterback hurries last week or against Minnesota or something?

>> PF credum he he got five the week before and then PFF credum with six. So 11 in his last 11 and two games and he got his mits on a few footballs. He was wearing them out inside and he was playing his ass off and he's playing I will say with a caveat he's playing too many snaps. It it has to worry you. I looked at his snap count and I think he was on the field for 75% of the Ravens defensive snaps uh the other day, Cole. And that's that's just too many. He played 46 snaps which was 71%. You don't want him on the field that much. But, you know, it's kind of the the what they have right now. And he's clearly their best guy in the interior. He's clearly getting a lot of attention without Namday Matabke. And I think he's playing extremely well. I thought he was one of the best players on the field on Sunday. Um, and they need it every week because they just don't have another answer in the interior there.

>> Absolutely. And uh, you know, a guy that I think can eat some of those snaps. And we're going to kind of switch into some of the young studs that I think have stepped up in recent weeks. One guy that really popped, I just did a film breakdown on him uh over on Road Graders if you guys want to go check that out. But CJ AOY stepping in last week and making some big plays in some big moments. Uh I was pretty excited about that. He only played 17 snaps. I was able to pull eight clips out of 17 snaps and put together a film video that talks about just how often he was winning. That's a guy that can come in and kind of eat some of those one tech snaps. And that's really why we're seeing Travis Jones snap count go up is you you just don't have a three tech that you're happy with on your roster right now. Um you saw Draymond Jones slide inside a little bit. Um you know, Peebles has still been inactive, but other than that, they basically just have a bunch of nose tackles. John Jenkins is a nose tackle. CJ's a nose tackle. Travis is a traditional nose tackle. Uh he Travis is athletic enough to slide out to the three, which is good. Uh but then you're left with kind just kind of Brent Urban. And uh you know, as much as I love Brent, he's going to make a splash play every game. Uh I don't know if you want him playing over 10 to 15 snaps a game. So they're they're missing Mabik. They're missing them bad.

>> Yeah. Two points. Uh one Cole, I think they're um Dennis Johnson, their defensive line coach, is a future star. I I think he's very highly thought of. He was highly thought of the college level. I think it was a really good hire from Harbaugh, and he's really wellliked in that building. He gets after guys. I think he's a really good coach and he's a type of guy who you could see being a defensive coordinator down the line somewhere. Second point is I I hesitate to even say stuff like this because then people uh you know get all hot and bothered and and get on the Ravens for, you know, always being in on guys and not making certain trades. But, you know, they understand it. They recognize that there was five or six guys they were in on in the trade deadline. You know what? None of them got traded. And um you know they they wanted they wanted that piece. They were out there making offers for that piece and and these players just didn't get traded. I think what was the one defensive lineman traded uh other than Quinnon which we talked about in depth last week? Was it Mazy Smith who went back to the Jets >> and that was just a throwin, you know. So the the they they were in on guys they didn't get them. I think they recognize this is a problem. And you wonder maybe Tavius Robinson comes back in a couple weeks and that gives you a little more um you know versatility to play Draymond inside even more. But that is an issue that you have to be concerned about. H but Travis Jones like he he's he's getting after people. I think people I you know everybody knows how important it is. You'd love to see him next to another stud to see the uh impact that could make.

numerous state of the Ravens. Uh, but a guy that was getting a lot of flack from Ravens fans was Malachi Starks, and this is a guy back-to-back weeks with an interception. Uh, last week's was a phenomenal center field play, exactly what you would have expected from a ballhawk safety. So, what have you seen from Malachi Starks?

Yeah, it just, it looks like the game's really slowed down. I don't think he ever looked overwhelmed. I just don't think he was playing as fast as you would like him to play and as you saw him to play on his college tape. And I, you know, as Kyle Hamilton said, God forbid a guy isn't ready after seven NFL games to suddenly be a star. You know, like I think there's such expectations, and they were only heightened when you come and play, you know, for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. A lot was put on Malachi Starks's plate earlier in the season. Um, he had to wear some of that, too. And there was going to be a learning curve. There still is, but he's been, you know, again, Gilman has kind of helped settle things down there. And I think he's also helped Malachi with the communication and just, you know, Gilman's a talker. He's a high-energy guy and and he's a lot like Tony Jefferson in a lot of ways. And, you know, like I reached out to Tony when they got Gilman and he said he's perfect for the Ravens. You know, he's just, he'll really settle things down there. Um, he just knows what he's doing. He's in the right place. And I think that's helped Malachi, too. But you got to give Malachi Starks some credit. I, you know, he didn't shy away from anything. He's kept working. Um, he's a really humble kid. This past week, he went up to Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey just to thank them for being so patient with him and being a mentor for him. And I mean, that's that says a lot about the character of this kid. And he wants to be great. He cares. I mean, you see the ball skills. He he feels punts in practice. Like he he he's not far back on their punt return depth chart either if they have an issue there. So, he has really good ball tracking and really clean, soft hands. Um, and we've seen that in these two picks he made, which were really athletic plays, but, you know, he went, he had some issues early, but he was mostly stable and and solid, but he's been a lot. I think he's given up two completions for 10 total yards the previous two weeks. And, you know, that again, he he's he's high on that list of guys that have helped key this defensive turnaround. He looks like a he looks like a much different and more comfortable player than he was earlier in the season.

Absolutely. And talk about a trade that's just kind of worked out for both sides. I mean, the Ravens, uh, ship Oway out. Oway's worked out pretty well for them. And, you know, kudos to him, uh, in a contract year and wish him nothing but the best. And I think, uh, Gilman has come in and and really settled things down. And again, it's allowed, uh, the coaching staff to have that confidence to move Kyle Hamilton to where they needed him. And I think that's what they needed. Uh, you know, and they've kind of needed that the last couple years. They tried to get it with Eddie Jackson last year, um, didn't didn't work out, and it just wasn't working out early this year. But Gilman's come in and been that stabilizing force and, uh, you know, three safeties is just, I think going to be a piece of this.

What happens if our Darius Washington comes back? Now you're really talking. Now you get another piece. That would be a lot of...

What if we just get 11 safeties on the field?

Oh, if if anyone will pull it off, the Ravens will try. You know that.

Damn right. Yeah. And I mean, that was that was you're you're right because that was a huge piece. I think Ardarius Washington was that stabilizing force after Eddie Jackson fizzled out last year. Um, as well as, you know, Marcus Williams getting benched. Uh, so I think he he was a huge piece of that safety room, uh, getting right down the stretch and I think he would have been a huge piece this year. Uh, but that injury obviously makes that, uh, makes that a little little challenging. And then, uh, you know, as we kind of move forward and kind of look forward, we're we're 42 minutes into tonight's episode. We got 450 people in here. If you guys can do us a favor, go hit that like button, hit subscribe if you're new to the channel here. We're coming to you every Tuesday night at 8:00 PM. Uh, myself, Jeff, and our, uh, tropical co-host, uh, Bobby Tet, who's again reaping all the benefit vacations. Um, so we, uh, I kind of want to talk about the AFC North because the picture and the playoff picture has gotten real interesting in a in a season where if you go through the stats of teams that start out one and five or whatever we were, um, you know, going to make the playoffs, it's it was really low, like 3% or something crazy. The Ravens are now just two games back of the Pittsburgh Steelers, uh, who lost again against the, uh, and imagine the Colts...

One game.

One game. Yeah.

Oh, right. It is one game. Yeah. I'm thinking two games to pass them.

Um, so, you know, it's gotten interesting real quick and, you know, two matchups coming up against them. And I think the real thing here to focus on is we have five games in the next, I guess the week, last week of the game, last week of the year is that Pittsburgh game. So, they got four divisional matchups in their next seven, next six. Yeah, I think six because they go, they go Cincy, Pittsburgh, Cincy, and then Cleveland this week. So the ASC North is getting interesting. Uh, what do you think about the Bengals getting Burrow back? Uh, especially with the target being that Thanksgiving game. I've seen a lot of the medical people out there just be like, that doesn't seem feasible. You know, what's kind of your view on that?

Yeah, you know, there was a big because that story had kind of broken when we were just got to the media room on Monday and uh ahead of Harbaugh's day after press conference and we're kind of talking about it and a lot of guys were like, what's the point? You know, if they lose the next one of the next two games, clearly doesn't look like he's already been ruled out this week against the Steelers and, you know, playing the following week against the Patriots, which is suddenly a tough game, also doesn't seem likely. So, if they lose one or both of those, they're either sitting with seven or eight losses and you're pretty much in win-out territory. And even if you win out, if you lose these next two, winning out probably doesn't guarantee you anything. So, what's the point? And I mean, look, the point is they could ruin the Ravens season. And, you know, how much that means to Joe Burrow. You know, how that much that means to Zack Taylor. So, if there's any shot he's gonna play, he's gonna play. And, you know, excuse me, they say it's not who you play, it's when you play them. And, you know, the Steelers better take advantage of this because they're going to face the Bengals twice without Joe Burrow and Trey Hendrickson. And the Ravens are probably going to get them both in both of their games. So, that is a big deal. You're talking about one of the best quarterbacks in the league and far and away their best defensive player. Uh, but hey, you know, that's part of it, right? And, um, it just, I think this this week's Steelers Bengals game is probably the most important game of the season in the AFC North just because look, if the Steelers get swept by the Bengals, suddenly you got Burrow coming back. Suddenly the Bang the division gets even tighter. The Steelers, the Bengals get a big win and the Steelers are coming back to the pack and you're one game probably away from getting Burrow back and they, there's no doubt they think they'll run the table once Burrow comes back. Their last three games, Coler against Miami, Arizona, and Cleveland. So, if they get through this next four or five game stretch and win a bunch of those games, they're going to be in it. But that's a lot to ask. It's going to have to start with the Bengals beating the Steelers on Sunday. Can Flacco pull off a sweep of Mike Conlin's Bengals on their home field? Um, and if they do that, then you you can have some realistic conversations about, well, wait a second, maybe the Bengals aren't out of this yet, but they have what are they? Three and six. So, you probably can afford to lose two games. Maybe maybe nine and eight is a huge maybe. I mean, if you look at the playoff landscape, Cole, I mean, Denver, Kansas City, and and Chargers all look like they're going to be in there. And then you obviously have New England and and Buffalo. So, that there might not be a second spot in the AFC North. It may be kind of for all the marbles. So, um, I don't necessar I know people are saying maybe nine and eight wins the division. Maybe it does. I still think 10 10 is the magic number. And if the Bengals lose Sunday, that's going to mean them having to win out. Uh, and that's a tough...

It's the same picture as the Ravens the way we've talked about it. Like we basically we have we have room for one loss, I think.

Yeah. And it's especially with the divisional games just because of how they're going to trade off. And this weekend's a perfect example because, um, an interesting stat that I saw out there today is since 2020 when Stfansky took over, the Ravens have not swept the Cleveland Browns. And that's why every year when I do my schedule prediction, I literally automatically put them one-on-one against every team in the AFC North because it's just that type of division. You know, we can't sweep and, and, you know, I remember 2015 the Ravens won five games. Two of those five were against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Uh, which I think is a hilarious stat just because...

That was the Ryan Mallet year, right? Beat him late in the season.

Yeah. I And I I I think he beat them twice. I don't think Flaco played them in his first six weeks. Um, on the Bengals though, and I'm sure this is going to get clipped and end up on freezing cold takes, uh, maybe on Thanksgiving, but I think I'm more scared of Joe Flacco than Joe Burrow. Joe Burrow coming back after all these weeks off with a bung toe. Um, I think I'd rather play him than play Joe Flacco. I know that sounds a little bit crazy, but, um, you know, it's not really the Bengals offense that's struggling right now. Their offense is fine. Flacco stepped in and he's kind of doing what he did for Cleveland last year in the regular season. Um, it's their defense. Their defense is absolute dog and it doesn't look like he's going to be getting better anytime soon. So, you know, I can't see them stepping in and and beating this Ravens offense, but I mean, that's what happened last year. It was two shootouts, right? And it kind of came down to the wire. Um, so we might not, uh, I would expect that, but I'd rather play, I'd rather play Burrow than Flaco. So, I mean, it's kind of your, it's a win-win. I don't really see it as being scared coming back. Uh, we'll kind of see how they they pan out. See if that defense can turn anything around, but I just, they can't stop a nosebleed right now. Um, so I'm not overly scared of them, but it's this, I'm having a hard time figuring out the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I know. I know.

It's just like...

I mean, they were, I I they were awful Sunday night. Like there was just like you kept waiting for...

It couldn't be that bad. Like they...

just kept waiting for that one. It's like, what do they call Steelers black magic where they just something happens like they get a turnover then all of a sudden they rattle off 17 and they win an ugly game, get a Watt strip sack.

How do they beat the Colts? Like...

so...

but yeah, they just, it did not look good. Um, you know, my question real quick on the Bengals and I, I know their front office is not known for this, but still, like, if I was a fan, I'd be asking myself, we knew Joe Burrow was coming back to practice next week and we sat on our hands, didn't add defensive help at the trade deadline. Like, um, I get it. I, trust me, I heard from Ravens perspective how hard it was to add defensive help. Um, but, you know, it's not only a current need, it's going to be a future need in Cincinnati. And if, you know, you'd have thought if they thought they were in it and they knew Burrow was going to be back in a couple weeks, you'd have thought they had taken a shot and added a guy, right, to help that defense, which has been dreadful. But yeah, the the Steelers, you just, I mean, look, even one of their wins was, what did the Steelers turn, excuse me, the Patriots turn the ball over four or five times, uh, in the when the Steelers beat him, uh, several times in the red zone. So, um, you know, they just, it's, it's, it's weird that you just never know what Steelers team is going to kind of show up. And you wouldn't think Aaron Rodgers is going to get better in the cold weather as he takes some more hits. Like you'd expect some sort of decline from a, you know, as good as he's been, but you expect some sort of decline later in the season for an older guy like that. But, um, that's why this Sunday's game is going to be really interesting to watch in terms of the Steelers Bengals because if if if the Bengals sweep them, all of a sudden they're feeling really good about themselves. They're, I think they would be three and oh in the division. They have the tie break over the Steelers. Their star quarterback's coming back in a couple weeks. The Patriots aren't unbeatable the next week. Joe is good enough playing well enough for them to beat anybody and put up any, you know, big numbers offensively. So, um, you know, but you'd have to think if they lose to go to three and seven, that would be pretty close to shovel and bury time. It's just, it just, that's a, that's a hard, three and seven is a really hard deficit to crawl out of.

I agree. And that's honestly how I feel with this Ravens team because, you know, this I think is going to be a really tough matchup and it's not so much Dylan Gabriel that I'm worried about. Um, I think the Cleveland's going to focus on getting that football ran by Quinn Sean Judkins, um, and trying to work through him. I think it's going to be a huge spot for this defensive line and front seven to step up. Uh, but, you know, that defensive line coming in against this offensive line that it, they absolutely just, and again, it was like, we beat them by what, 24? Um, so, I mean, it didn't end up mattering at the end of the day. And if you go look at the Cleveland Browns, it's kind of like at every game they've been in at halftime, they're either up by three or down by four and then they end up losing by 20. So, they hang around. Um, as much as they end up getting blown out, they usually give a team a really good first half. And, uh, you know, I'll be interested to watch the defensive game plan against Gabriel. Um, I think they're going to really try and, uh, um, really try and focus on forcing that ball into the middle of the field. Um, much like they did against Tua. I think I'm expecting that kind of funnel approach on defense, uh, where they can kind of do that, be a little bit more conservative on the back end and really focus on getting after Gabriel because he's a guy you want to move off his spot much like they did with JJ McCarthy where they kind of get him into, you know, second guessing. I think that's going to be the big advantage, but it's really going to come down into this game if the, uh, if the Ravens offense can get it going or not. And, uh, you know, they they moved the ball okay. It was just, you know, converting in the red zone. You almost prefer them to be 20 yards out than on the five-yard line. Like, it's, it's, it's been a bizarre thing to watch. And, uh, you know, you know me, I'm always looking at the O-line play, but their ability for one guy on this offensive line to blow a run play every time, and it's not always the same guy. It's, it's honestly almost impressive, uh, just because of the inconsistency there. You know, it's, it's always one of them, but it's just going to be someone different every play. But, you know, I think that's the real matchup to keep an eye on. It's the Baltimore Ravens offensive line against, uh, the Cleveland Browns defensive line because they're one of those teams that, um, can send four and get after the quarterback, and that's exactly what they did in that first matchup where, um, you know, Lamar ended up having a good game, but they got after him early.

Yeah, I mean, would you be surprised if we don't see, I mean, if we see Shador Sanders, if they get off to a slow start, I mean, they badly need some juice. Home crowd. People are begging for him as it is. You know, I know he's been battling what is it? A back injury or a hip injury or something that, you know, he hasn't practiced a ton, but yeah, I'll be, what's that?

Ego injury.

I'll be I'll be looking at his practice participation because there will be chance for him if Browns get off to a slow start. Look, Cleveland's beaten them three of the last four games in Cleveland. It's a tough spot. It's a very good defense. We've seen the Browns beat the Packers, right? And...

They're they're plenty capable. If their defense is forcing turnovers and they pop a couple plays, if they're if you're not stopping the run, you know, but it's a game you have to win. If you're serious about coming back and digging out of this hole and being in the playoffs, you have to win this game. And, um, you know, they've come a long way the Ravens in several weeks. I don't think complacency is going to be an issue. Um, I think complacency excuse is out the window now because they're it's such an uphill battle to get where they want to be now. So, um, but they have to execute and I don't, I I agree with you that first Cleveland game was, um, you know, that score was a little deceiving. They broke it open late, didn't, you know, wasn't there. I know Wiggins picked off Flaco at one point, I think. Um, you know, they broke and wasn't there, didn't Rocoan return a fumble for a touchdown or something? Yeah. Right.

Yeah. Tavius Robinson sacked Joe and and Rocoan picked it up. So, that game wasn't as...

They had 42 yards. They actually got outgained by Cleveland 323 to 242.

Yeah, exactly. And, um, you know, they had, they were banged up then too, Cleveland. So, it's going to be a tough game. I I expect it to be a relatively close game, but let's be serious. This is a game the Ravens need to win. They've they have more talent. Um, they're the Ravens have played are playing much better in all three phases than they were in week two. Um, you know, and everything's setting up for them, but they can't stub their toe in Cleveland like we've seen in the past.

We're having a state of the Ravens on Tuesday if they lose.

Classic. The question is, will Troset actually be here?

And, uh, before we kind of wrap up here, we do have a few super chats we want to get to. I'm actually kind of interested in your thoughts on this, uh, just because I know you're actually, you know, you're from New from New Jersey. Um, but you you were a Giants fan growing up. So, do you still follow them? And what are kind of your thoughts on on Dable being fired, uh, for getting his QB concussions in seven games? Should teams be considering less QB runs? That question from Clinton.

Yeah, you, um, I do follow him a little bit, but usually when the Giants or the Ravens are playing opposite of the Giants, actually, you know, my my brother and and and my father, they still they have season tickets to the Giants, so we still we still talk about it a little bit.

Um, and I pay attention a little bit. Um, you know, I and I said the other night like I can't, I I don't want to make any accusations because I haven't watched them from the beginning, but the amount of times he's getting hit for a young quarterback is very concerning. And reading, you know, reading what I mean, we saw the stunt where he tried to get in the blue medical tent, which was so minor league BS. You know, you can't do that. Everybody knows that. You know, they've just they've just not been a very well-coached team for several years now. Uh, you know, and and they're blowing blowing leads all the time and he's having some sideline meltdowns. You know, you could see that one. He probably should have been fired this past offseason, but they've gone through so many coaches and they wanted to give him another chance. But Dart looks legit, so they should be happy about that. It looks like they found their guy, but you need to protect him. He's just getting, I think somebody didn't, he's been in the blue medical tent for concussion checks four or five times this season. I mean, that's that's ridiculous. He's taken too many hits. Some of it's on him, too. He's got to need to learn to get down in a, he plays, he plays like Kandre Jackson plays special teams, you know, like you can't, you can't take...

Rubbing off on him. He's running looking for contact. That man is scary.

I know. You can't take that many hits as a quarterback. It's just there's just no way. And he's still way too young. And here he is. He's getting his butt kicked in a season where, you know, they're not going anywhere. And you're letting him get hit like that. That's, you know, sure. I I would have to think that had something to do with the decision-making.

Absolutely. And another one here from Andrew G. Great show. As always, guys, selfish me wants Marlin to move to safety and retire Raven. Unfortunately, he has a big cap hit next year. Yeah, I don't know your your thoughts on this. I'll be surprised if he's a Raven next year. I just, I I don't think it's going to work contractually, um, in terms of keeping him around. But at the same time, you can never have enough corners and, uh, you know, Marlin's taken a lot of flack, especially from me, um, on Twitter. Uh, you know, I did say after he got the interception, I'd let him have his podcast this week, um, which he was doing regardless, but, uh, you know, I I I think he's playing better. Um, he's one of those guys that I think stepping up and playing a little bit better. Uh, he's still playing physical, which I think is good, but, uh, you know, is he expected out long? Is it is this a multi-week injury? Do we know?

No, we don't. And, you know, Marlin marches to the beat of his own drum much like Lamar. So, you know, he also doesn't have an agent like Lamar. So, um, whether what he decides to do...

Could you imagine negotiating a contract with him?

Well, him and Dost are pretty close. So, I'm guessing it's not, I'm guessing, you know, they they kind of can find common ground pretty quick because they they they talk a lot. You see them talking a lot. But if if he has to miss some time, I don't think it'll be much. I think some of it will be he's going to have to just be prepared to play with some discomfort. And I don't know the exact nature of the the finger injury, but I do know he was not tackling with one arm. And if he had both of his arms, that game would have been over Sunday, long before it was because he had JJ McCarthy dead to rights on a fourth down play where he wind up throwing the big completion to Naylor. And if he sacks him there, that's a fourth down stop. I think there was like four or five minutes left and it would have been over then, but he kind of went in there and whiffed because he's not tackling with both arms. He you saw it a couple times along the sideline. He didn't tackle both arms and they let big plays happen. So that's why you didn't see him on the field at the end of the game. They needed to get Vikings down on the ground and keep the clock running and they had Keon Martin in. So we'll see. But I think if I think if you're the Ravens, you have to ask some questions. And one of the questions I would be is look, if the neither the Browns or the Jets have good passing offenses, we should have enough DBs to handle them. Is the best play not to get this done and be ready for the, you know, the the back-to-backs against Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. And keep in mind, the Jets just lost Garrett Wilson, so he won't be playing. I think he's out, I think he end up on IR, so he's out for four and they play him in two, so I don't think he'll be playing in that matchup with the Ravens. Uh, another one here from Samantha that came in. Uh, this is more of a can Carl Lawson take Jay Higgins spot? Um, I think that's exactly why Jay-Z mentioned uh IR as an option just because they do need a roster spot if they want to get Carl Lawson up. Is your expectation that Lawson's going to play this week? My expectation he was going to play last Sunday and I was a little surprised, but you know, you don't want to hear this, but I wonder if it's Tavin Bryan's roster spot because...

He's out of he's out of practice squad elevation. So if he's in the game plan Sunday, he has to be added. You could still use practice squad elevations on Carl Lawson.

Um, and look to his credit, Carl Lawson's been out there for the special teams portions of practice, like he he's trying to get his way on the field and maybe that's part of him playing. I don't really get it unless they're just not seeing it. And and I do say...

Jabo who's useless out there like...

Yeah. I do say this Cole, like this isn't against anything but Carl Lawson, but I'm seeing more angry fans about Carl Lawson. Like they're leaving Lawrence Taylor in his prime inactive. I mean, Carl Lawson was a pass rusher who was available at midseason and on the street and a team that he played for last year who badly need a pass rusher didn't resign him. So, let's let's chill a little bit. I, you know, like they're not leaving a first team all pro inactive, but given what they're not been getting from David Ajabo, I, it seems like a seamless switch there to get Carl Lawson some snaps, but Carl Lawson's really never played this style of defense either. He's used to be a 4-3 guy, so he has stuff to learn, too. So, I'm sure that's part of it. But, I would have had him up Sunday, and I certainly would have him up this coming Sunday. They need to take advantage of, you know, some of the tackle issues the Browns have had.

Yeah. And I think it's, uh, I, I again, I think it's more of replacing Ojabo rather than adding. I think you're right about Tav Bryan. It's one of those things where I can have all of my opinions in the world, but the Ravens show you what the what they think and they think Ten Bryan's part of it, right? Like you'd be dumb to say that, you know, that's not the correct picture. Is there's always what I would do and what I think the Ravens will do. I think I would land that in. I think from the Ravens perspective, Lawson replacing Ojabo, irring Jay Higgins and and putting in, uh, putting in Bryant would probably make the most sense based on what we've seen. Uh, we have a first time there. Told you we got folks in here. We absolutely love this. First time listener from Canada. Love that. Love the show. My question, King Henry doesn't look like the Henry from last year. Is it an O-line issue? I will say I find it interesting when you see Keaton Mitchell with his burst in the middle of the offensive line. Um, same type of blocking issues, but he's his ex, the problem I think this is, I don't know if you have a different perspective Jay-Z, is a lot of the issues that the guard play has been is losing leverage in the run game. So they'll start off with a good pop initially, and then they just can't maintain a block or drive anyone. And I wonder if Henry being more of a buildup runner versus Katon Mitchell's explosiveness, I wonder if that gives him a bit of a competitive advantage just because if you watch some of Henry's best runs, it's when you get that zone flow right where he can get out two, three, four steps, make his cut, and that's where Derrick Henry's at his best. But that's where these these guards are losing so consistently if you look at the issues in the red zone. So, I wonder if that's why Keat Mitchell, who he's just basically, you know, the, what's the dude in the in the in the cartoon? Road Runner.

Road Runner. Yeah. What? That was embarrassing. I'm a, I'm a, um, so he would just get the ball and just meet me, take off.

Um, so, you know, I wonder if that's part of it.

Yeah, it could be. I mean, I, I, in answering the question, the O-line is obviously part of it. Yeah.

But I'm not going to lie, Cole. And a couple times in the press box, it depends where our vantage point is. A lot of sometimes it's on like the side and you get like a back view and you could see a little bit of a hole and you say, "Oh, he's going to break one." And then he kind of gets tackled by one of the first guys and you're like, "I'm not used to seeing that from Derek Henry." Um, I also think in Minnesota the twice he had an alley and he fell. Like you don't really see, he's usually really balanced.

Did you see him change his cleat? I was...

I didn't notice it. I didn't notice it, but he, you know, he may have, but he fell twice and he, yeah, he was not happy after the game. He felt like he left a lot of yards on the field. Um, and I also wonder, Cole, if psychologically not wanting to fumble impacts some of the stuff he's doing, you know, like I I haven't heard that from anybody. I imagine he'd deny it, but that's got to be in the back of his head. He's so badly does not want to fumble. And you got other teams are going after the ball constantly against him because they know what happened and I wonder if that's making him a little more tentative than he has been in the past. But yeah, I mean, I think, you know, I think we've noticed it, but I don't think anyone's running with great success in between the tackles with that offensive line.

No, and it's one of those things where if Katon can just get a little bit of a seam, he's able to take off. But he did also have that toss play where the guard play was really bad and he got tackled for a loss of two. So, it's, you know, it's, it's tough when you're trying to assess running backs. And then one last super chat before we wrap up. And we'll just kind of...

Dable gets fired for blowing leads, but not Harbaugh. Lol. Sorry, I had to go there. Um, we're not firing Harbaugh.

Does he know Dable's career record? I mean, does he know Dable's career record? I think he was fired for a lot more than just blowing leads.

Yeah. Yeah. And, you know...

Did I think I saw he was two and eight for a fourth straight season or a third straight season?

Is it, I was, Am I crazy for being surprised he was fired? Is is that, I I honestly, I, I just, What's he have to work with there?

No, but I think look, look, the story came out, I forgot who wrote it last week, that, uh, they were about to fire him after the Denver loss after they choked that lead in Denver and and the ownership was talked off the ledge. You get one gimme after that and then, you know, to have that happen so quickly and then couple it with his embarrassing, uh, episode with the the blue medical concussion tent and and Dart getting hurt again and...

That's fair.

You know, it was going to happen. I, I mean, it was going to happen. I think the Giants are known not really known for rash moves. It's been stable ownership, but, uh, that's that's, you know, they had to move on at some point. It was going to happen in the offseason or it was going to happen soon. Makes sense.

All right, so we come to the end of tonight's episode. Again, as on your way out, please hit the like button, hit subscribe if you're new here. Uh, we hit 470. I think we're as high as 500 at one point, uh, in terms of having, uh, folks in here. So, big thank you from Jay-Z and I, um, and our Tropical Bobby. Um, so, you know, we'll be back here again next Tuesday. Big thank you to our sponsor, Sleeper. Big matchup for the Ravens this weekend. This is absolutely, uh, one of those games that it's going to be a really interesting one. One question I'll hit you with, Jay-Z, and I never ask you this. Do you have a score prediction for this weekend?

No. Uh, I haven't thought about it. I I picked them to win. I will say 26-14.

Oh, I like that. I'm going even tighter. I'm going like in a weird score. I, it's going to be a weird game. I'm saying like 25 to 19. It's going to be a slopfest. Yeah, I, I mean, I, I think there'll be some juice there. Um, you know, they hate the Ravens as we well know and, you know, but this is a game where they can't give them hope. I mean, it'll become a pretty ugly scene if if the Ravens jump on them early and the offense of the Browns is struggling. They need to come out. They, you know, they they didn't play a very good first half, at least offensively, against the, um, Vikings. They did not play a good first half against the Dolphins. They need to figure out a way to get off to a better start and put a number up early and make sure the Browns are the ones chasing, not give them a whole lot of belief because right now belief is kind of hard to find in that organization. You don't want to let them off the mat and and give them something to get excited about.

Extremely well said and a great way to close. So that's all we have for you good folks out there. Be good to yourselves, be good to each other. Peace out.

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Are Rolling Ravens POISED For Path to Playoffs?

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