January 2, 2025 • 40 mins
Team insiders Ryan Mink and Garrett Downing talk about why each of the nine Ravens made the Pro Bowl team, who got snubbed, and discuss whether this year's team is actually more talented than last year's. Plus, they break down what to watch in the Ravens-Browns regular-season finale.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome into the Lounge presented by DraftKings. I'm Ryan Mink
here with Garrett Downing, and we are going to give
you our instant reaction to the Ravens nine Pro bowlers
in this year's roster, as well as talk about the
upcoming regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns and what
you should be watching for in that game. So breaking
(00:24):
news this morning, Garrett, with the Pro Bowl rosters announced,
and the Ravens have the most in the league with nine.
They have more than they had last year when they
had a first round playoff by and this is the
most that they've had since twenty nineteen when they had thirteen,
which is just crazy. But nine Pro bowlers, the Ravens
are very well represented.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, I'll run to the list right here, and these
guys are all very deserving. Safety Kyle Hamilton, wide receiver's
Day Flowers who gets his first Pro Bowl invitation and
becomes the first player first receiver in franchise history to
make it to the Pro Bowl. At the receiver position,
you have cornerback Marlin Humphrey back in the Pro Bowl.
Defensive tackle Non dem Atabike, center Tyler Linderbaum, full back
(01:07):
Patrick Riccard, running back, Derek Henry, quarterback Lamar Jackson. I
think he was going to get in, and linebacker brook
want Smith. So there's your nine right there.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Yeah, I mean it's an impressive list. No surprise is
really on there. As you said, I think all really
well deserving. I think that the big the headline news
other than the Rave, the fact that the Ravens have
the most in the league is Zay Flowers. You know,
first time, as you said, the first time the Ravens
have a Pro Bowl wide receiver, and it's just awesome
(01:38):
for him. I mean, I think that this really proves that, hey, yeah,
he's one of the best in the league, and the
Ravens curses over, you know, never drafting one, and you know,
Zay's just in his second year, and I think this
is establishes him as one of the top guys in
the league and he could go for two more Pro
Bowls for years to come.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yeah, I think this was huge.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
If you haven't checked it out already, we posted a
video of the moment that Jay Flowers found out he
was a Pro Bowler and Eric Acosta called him to
his office, didn't tell him what he wanted to talk
to him about I just said I need to see
you in my office, which you could tell in Zay's
face when he first walked in, They're like, what am
I walking into?
Speaker 3 (02:16):
And then Eric showed the good news with things.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Like it's too early for an extension, what's going on here?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
He's even said he's like, I thought I was in trouble.
He can called it the principal's office, and so he
walks in there and he gets the news, and you
could tell in watching the video. I mean, go watch
it if you haven't already, but you can tell that
it means a lot to Zay and you can tell
it means a lot to Eric. And whenever, like from
Eric's perspective, whenever you draft somebody, you're you're taking a
chance and you're voting that.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
That guy is going to be successful.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
And there's a lot of factors that can that play
into whether a player pans out.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
And for it to go as well.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
As it has for Zay in his first two years
is obviously a testament to Zay and his ability and
the player and makeup and all this stuff. But of course,
as a GM like you're going to feel a sense
of pride of making that pick and seeing it coming
fruition like this, Like this is what you hope for
when when you draft say Flowers out of Boston College,
you're hopeful that maybe this guy one day will be
(03:10):
a pro bowler.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I mean Eric Tacosta said as soon as he laid
eyes on Zay Flowers in the pre draft process, he
knew that this guy was going to be a pro bowler.
And you know, Zay was part of that run of
four straight wide receivers drafted in last year's draft. Ye,
and he's the only one that's gone to a Pro
Bowl so far. Jackson Smith and Jigbo was the other,
Quentin Johnson of the Chargers and then Jordan Addison. So
(03:32):
bravo to Zay Flowers and bravo to the Ravens. You know,
Ravens fans have been waiting for this day for a
long time to say we got we have a Pro
Bowl wide receiver. And you know, I think for Zay,
he we all saw the town immediately last year. I
mean he got she sent set the Ravens franchise rookie
record for receiving yards. So he already had a great
(03:52):
season last year, and I think what helped him get
over a thousand yards for the first time and helped
him get into the Pro Bowl. Was you know, more
familiarity with in this offense, the next evolution of Todd
Mounkins offense, in the passing, the passing game. Of course,
Lamar having a fantastic season, you know, especially throwing the ball,
all those things. I don't know that Zay hasn't necessarily
(04:13):
and his game have changed all that much. Of course,
he became a better pro and all those things that
just come with time. But you know, gosh, the talent
is just there, and I think the pieces all around
him and he has risen to the occasion and all
that's come together to make for a special season.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
What stands out to me about Zay and making the Pro.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Bowl here is I think that it was very evident
from the time he arrived in Baltimore that there was
an appreciation amongst his teammates of how good he was, Like.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yeah, I see his viillity to stop on a time.
I mean, he is just incredibly shifty. That was apparent
immediately he just gets open.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
And then like the next level of that as a
rookie was when they had those joint practices against Washington,
and he was open the entirety of those two days beforectice.
Nobody could cover him, and then it just continues from there.
But I think that there's just great respect and admiration
amongst other players, and I think that so Jay was.
He finished tenth in the fan voting, but the Pro
Bowl voting is consisted of three parts. His fan votes,
(05:11):
it's player votes and coach votes, and I would venture
to guest that Zay did very well on the player
vote portion of this because other players look at him
in his game and they know how tough he is
to cover.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Like immediately when he.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Got here, veteran players were talking about how tough he
was to cover, like Marlon Humphrey and guys that had
to go up there and cover him, like this guy.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Is hard to cover.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
He is tough, and he's only gotten that's only as
he's developed more and understanding of the offense and the
field in the chemistry with Lamar Jackson, that's only become
more difficult to stop. And it's been great to see.
So it was a big moment for him and I'm
happy for him, and I'm happy for Eric ta Costa
as well.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
I think it's pretty cool. Also, another key part of
Zay's game has been durability, and he hasn't missed the
game yet in his career due to injury. Knock on wood.
And you know, availability, especially for a guy his size,
you know, that's that's certainly notable. He's been a dependable
game in game out receiver for this team.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
He the way people will always talk about Lamar Jackson
and his ability to avoid big hits, like Lamar's as
good as anybody I've ever seen at that. I think
Zay has some of those same characteristics as well.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Yeah, I would agree. And then we also had the
video of Derrick Henry finding out that he's a Pro bowler.
Not as emotional of a reaction, He's like, cool, Yeah,
I bet let's go, you know, And this is Derrick
Henry's fifth fifth Pro Bowl. So and obviously, you know,
you finish head and shoulders, you know, in the most
rushing yards in the AFC, second most in the league
(06:40):
behind Saquon Barkley. You have a pretty good idea you're
going in the Pro Bowl.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
But I meana, Derek Henry is probably going to maybe
be a Hall of Famer with his career is all
said exactly. He knows what it feels like to get
to a Pro Bowl. He's the difference when you're making
your fifth verst your first.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yeah exactly, but you know, different team, same result. And
for him to have he has the most second most
rush yards of his career now at thirty years old,
you know that certainly his point this offseason when the
Ravens signed him that yeah, yeah, teams think I might
be losing a step. You know that I don't have
too much left. He's proven his point about how much
gas he has left in the tank. So you know,
(07:15):
bravo to him.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
I think that when the Ravens signed Derek Henry it
could not have gone any better than he hass this year.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
And he's he's two hundred and seventeen yards away from
two thousand.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
I don't that'd be a big number to finish the
regular season off with it with that kind of a day.
I wouldn't necessarily expect that, but he is, like, he's
putting up historic type numbers and for him to have
this kind of success, it just could not have gone
any better. And he's answered all the questions about whether
you can succeed past thirty and whether you can do
(07:48):
it in a new offense and all this stuff, like
he has been everything in more than the Ravens envisioned
and for him to switch teams have the same result
be just as productive. Man, I think that there's there's
a lot that says a lot about him.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Yeah, sticking on the offensive side of the ball. Lamar Jackson,
it's his fourth Pro Bowl and he was one of
three quarterbacks. They take three quarterbacks him, Josh Allen is
the starter, and Joe Burrow. Patrick Mahomes did not make
the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career
since he took over as a starter.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Yeah, well, if you look at the stats, like Mahomes
has the ranks, of course, but you look at the
stats between those four guys and Mahomes sorry, Burrow, Allen,
and Lamar, they all have better stats.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Yeah, yes, and I think that's I think that's the
right vote. I think that's you know, Mahomes. Of course,
his magic in the postseason, we'll see, you know, he's
gonna be a tough out whoever plays him. But yeah,
those guys have had better regular seasons than Patrick Mahomes.
There's no doubt about it. I mean, Josh Allen might
win m VP here he and Lamar are jockeying for that,
and then Joe Burrow leads the league in passing yards.
(08:51):
You know, how can you take it away from him?
So I think that's the right, right vote.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Yeah, it's it's tough, like those four quarterbacks.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
It is.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
The Chiefs obviously have the number one seed and Patrick
Mahomes's guide to that that team to that spot. So
it's like hard to take him out, especially when he's
had the success. But when you just look at pure numbers,
the other three have better numbers, so it's not necessarily
a surprise from a pure stats standard.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Well that's also kind of just to go back to
wide receiver. It's hard to make it as a purple
wide receiver because there's just so many really great wide
receivers in the league these days, you know, I mean
you look at the four wide receivers he made it,
Jamar Chase, Jerry Judy, Nico Collins, and Zey. You know,
Tyreek Hill's not on that list. DeVante Adams isn't on
that list. Like some of these guys that have been
(09:34):
big time playmakers for many years. It's kind of the
new the new guard.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Yeah, like the mainstays to Iyreka and DeVante Adams have
been basically pencil him in.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
They're going to be in there, exactly exactly. It's the
it's the new guard at wide receiver in the AFC.
Which is really not to say the Tyree Kors DeVante
Adams couldn't be right back in next year, but like, hey,
these are these are the young up and comers that
are proving themselves at wide receiver in AFC.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Yeah, mother, young up and comers who are establishing themselves.
Are the guys who are the second year in the
Pro Bowl for the Ravens, and that would be Tyler
Lennardbaum and Kyle Hamilton. They they're now to me entering
into that category of you just are gonna expect those
two guys to be in the Pro Bowl every year.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
They're that good.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Two Pro Bowls in your first three years for both
those guys, both first round picks for Eric Tacosta. Again,
round of applause for Eric Tacosta. You hit Zay Flowers's
first pick round pick two years ago. And then gosh,
that Hamilton Linderbaum draft classes looking pretty darn nice too, that's.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Really driving the team on both sides of the ball
in a lot of ways.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
To have two Pro bowlers in.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
The same draft at the top of the draft, that is,
that's that's hard to do.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Absolutely. Plus you have nom the Madam Gay third round
pick of Eric Costa's traded for Rokwan Smith, pro bowler
every year since he's been to raven now and on,
and signed Derek Henry in the off season. Yeah. Yeah,
pretty darn good, Pretty darn good.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
So yeah, I think I think Hamilton and lindenbomb just
to focus on them for a second, like, I just
think that they are they're going to be in that
position where whenever there's you have the primetime game next
year it's Week four and they're on Sunday Night Football,
you do the ninety seconds Chris collins Worth talk about
Kyle Hamilton and how great he is and how he
does all these different things and how he's one of
the best players in the league, and the same thing
(11:18):
on the offensive side of the ball as well.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
With Tyler Lindbaum.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
You just say, the Ravens offense is great, and Tyler
Linnerbaum is a driver of the ship on this offensive line.
He's been a great player, first round pick, two time
Pro Bowler. He's going to be a guy that is
just a perennial both of them. I think both of them.
You're looking at multiple Pro Bowls in a row for them,
You already are looking at too straight for them, and
so I think that get used to seeing them with
Pro Bowl you know, notches next to their name.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Yep, Kyle Holton is the NFL's only defensive back to
post at least one hundred tackles, an interception, two sex
and two forced fumbles. So mister do it all? Yeah,
he did in the secondary. And I think that both
guys also proves something else this year. I don't want
to just say, like another great year for them. They
proved something new and Kyle Helents improves he can play
(12:03):
deep safety and go back to a more of a
traditional kind of safety role and has the range and
has the coverage ability to do that. It's not just
like I'm gonna be a big hitter in the box
and all those things. Like he proves something new this year.
And I think Tyler Linnenbaum also in the fact that
the Ravens had three new starters along that offensive line.
Both guard spots on either side of him, and Tyler
(12:25):
Linnenbaum was the glue. He was the anchor of that group.
And so I think that he really proved himself in
that way as from a leadership role in just his
third season.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
When Eric DeCosta talked about Tyler making it, he referred
to him as a blue guy yep. And that's a
pretty good description of what he does and what he
means to this offense and offensive lineman as you know,
like they don't get a ton of praise and it's
hard to totally assess offensive line play, but Tyler jumps
off his ability.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
His versatility is an off like he does a couple
of things.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
He does most things well, but he knows everything that's
happening in front of him, such a smart player. But
then he has his versatility where he can get out
in space and he can pull and he can do
different things as an offensive lineman. That gives the Ravens
and Todd Monkins some creativity and how they're scheming things up,
especially from a run game standpoint, are so good at.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
That on the screens and all that stuff.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
These toss plays, like you there's all these different highlights
where you see Tyler Linderbomble.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
So you're like, wait, why is he fifteen yards down
the field.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Right, There's not a whole lot of centers that you're
pooling right and that are are down the field picking
off linebackers and stuff. You know that's not easy.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
But his athleticism and his just he's so technical, technically sound,
all of that is has made him a great player,
So props to him.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
You look those two guys too, two Pro Bowls in
the first three years. They are going to get paid.
You think about who are going to get the big
next big extensions from the Ravens, the nine figure kind
of extensions, It's gonna be those guys.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
I think those are corner some pieces they have for
this team. Again, first round picks, multi time Pro Bowlers,
They're going to be cornerstones of the offensive defense moving forward.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
Yep. Absolutely. And then another mainstay, pat Ricard. Project Pat
is no project any longer.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
This guy just makes the Probole every year as a
pullback just pencil a man, he's gonna be ye like,
He's just gonna go pretty much every year deservingly.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
So he's him and him and.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Kyle Yuschek also drafted by the Ravens of course, Like
those are the best two fullbacks in the game.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Kyle Uschik has the most Pro Bowls of any fullback
in NFL history.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Yeah, project Pat for the both guys are deserving and uh,
football fullbacks are bred here in Baltimore, and it's awesome
for Pat to make it again.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Well, I think it's I think it's cool for him.
You know, obviously paved the way for Derrick Henry's amazing season.
The Ravens had the top rushing attack in the league,
well in terms of the yards per carry. Uh. And
I think what it's cool for Pat is like this,
he's being entrenched as one of the best fullbacks ever. Yeah,
to play in the NFL, which is quite an accomplishment
for an undrafted guy out of Maine who is a
(14:57):
defensive lineman. Yeah, pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
I also think for if you go back two years
ago when Todd Munkin comes in and the question is like,
is there gonna be a.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Role for Pad? Are they going to use a full back?
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Is he even going to be on the team, And
even at that point, like we had him on the
podcast and he was pretty open about this, he was
coming off pretty major hip surgery, and he was he
dabbled at guard a little bit in practice and should
I make the transition offensive line?
Speaker 3 (15:20):
And how's this going to go?
Speaker 2 (15:21):
And and all of a sudden, now you flash forward
to this point and he's made the Pro Bowl in
two straight years. The rushing attack is dominant and he's
a huge piece of that. He's the driver of it
as the lead blocker in front of Derrick Henry. And
for him to make another Pro Bowl is really special
to him, and I think that it further solidifies his
cases as one of the best to ever do it.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Then the final two guys will talk about nom the
Matabik and Rokwan Smith on defense, and you know, nom
the it's his second straight year reaching the Pro Bowl.
And you know, his production hasn't been what it was
last year he had thirteen sacks, finished the year with
thirteen sacks last season, has six and a half this year.
But I think that this is a nod that players
(16:04):
and coaches around the league know the kind of player
that the Madabik is. No.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
I mean, he's he's disruptive.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
I know the sack total isn't there when you watch
the games he's disruptive. If he gets in the backfield,
he makes tackles for loss. In the running game, he's
still a really productive player and he opens things up
for those other guys. So Kyle van noy I know,
we'll probably mention snubs, like Kyle van Noi would fall
into the snub category. But he's got eleven and a
half snacks.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Snacks sacks. It's a good amount of snacks.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
So he's got eleven and a half sacks, and Adafejoway
is knocking on the door of the double digits right now.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
Part of that, of course, they're successful in their run right.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Part of it also is that Mattabeke is attracting more attention.
And when we had Mattabik on the pod, he was
pretty open about the fact that it was a little
bit eye opening for him this year to realize all
the extra attention that he was getting from other teams.
And you say that, you think that's going to be
the case, but then when you get into games you're
getting double team to sometimes even triple teams, it's harder
(17:01):
to handle and to deal with that, and so I
think that was a struggle on him a little bit mentally.
And also just physically within those games to handle all
that extra attention. But I do think that he opens
up other things around him, and I think it's he's
been although the sack number isn't there from a year ago,
he's been incredibly productive this year.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
And the Pro Bowl vote is a nod to.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Yep, yep, completely agree. And then lastly Roquan Smith.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
And we have two more. Actually you're forgetting. There's Roquan
and Marlin.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Oh I'm sorry, Yes, you're right. Roquan Smith a starter,
you know again, leads a team in tackles, you know,
fifth in the NFL and tackles just a tackling machine.
Everybody recognizes the special player that Roquan is the leader
of this defense. And so he gets another nod. And
as I said, it's his third straight year ever since
he's been a Raven, he's been a Pro Bowler. So
(17:50):
we got a good thing going there.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
And then lastly is Marlon Humphrey who gets back in
the Pro Bowl this year. It's his fourth Pro Bowl
invitation and this one is I think probably pretty big
to Marlin. I know that he's made it multiple times.
So when you're a perennial pro bowler. It doesn't it's
not the same as your first time. But I think
that this was last year was a challenge for him.
It did not go the way that he wanted. He
(18:13):
was injured for basically the entire season, was never really himself,
and then this offseason he committed himself in a lot
of different ways to getting back to the player that
he was and could be. And we've seen it, like
we've had the conversation here about why are we not
talking about him as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
He had so many big plays for this team, turned
games around, leads the AFC in interceptions plays, so physically
(18:38):
is the number two cover corner in the NFL according
to Pro Football Focus. So he just he's it's been
the best season of his career, and I think that
it's I don't know where this team would be without him.
We actually got an email to us at the lounge
at Ravens NFL dot net, and this week we announced
the team MVP, which is voted on by the local media.
(18:59):
Lamarja was a team MVP. Big surprise there, But this
email from Jordan Fitchett. He says, look guys, I want
to say, I'm not disagreeing with Lamar being the MVP
of the team, but he's because he's the greatest quarterback
in Rivers history. But I think you want to go
outside the box, it would be Marlon Humphrey.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
All pro. Marlo.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
You need both hands to count the number of games
in terms of game changing plays and interceptions he's had
this year. Again, I know that Lamar Jackson is the
obvious pick, but I also think that Marlon Humphrey should
have some consideration there. So, like, Lamar's the MVP of
the team, of course, but I think that if you're
doing offensive and defensive, I think Marlon would be the
defensive MVP.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Yeah, as good as as Kyle Hamilton has been in
Rokwan and those guys, I agree, Like you look at
the clutch plays for Marlon. I mean, obviously, the pick
six against Pittsburgh basically won the game. Late fourth quarter
interception against Joe Burrow and the Bengals set up overtime
in that game. And you know the two interceptions in
Tampa Bay that game wasn't looking great for the Ravens
(19:57):
early on. Yeah, Marlon makes two picks and so big
time plays, big time plays for Marlin.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Yeah, and I just think that he's he's back to
the player that he was prior to the injuries last year,
and it's it's been great to see and as like
moving forward for this team, he's going to be a
huge player for this defense in the postseason, like he's.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
When you have somebody who's playing at.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
His level, who can be a shutdown corner, who can
also play inside and outside and has that versatility, it
just opens up things. And I think that his play
has really helped the turnaround and the resurgence of this
defense that's going on about six weeks now.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
One final point for me about this before we talk
about the snubs that you mentioned, is I think that
this shows, you know, more Pro Bowlers this year nine
than last year seven? Is this series team better? Like?
You know, we spent so much time wringing our hands
this offseason about all the talent lost on this team
(20:56):
via free agency and there was a lot a lot
of guys left and gosh, you come back and more
Pro Bowlers this year than last year? Like, is this
team more talented? Does it have more stars on it
than last year's squad?
Speaker 3 (21:10):
That's a good question. I don't know. I think that.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
It's pretty even, Like when you when you really break
it down and you look through the different the losses
from last year, and you look at where the Ravens
have made gains, and like look at Zay Flowers as
an example, same guy, but he's better this years, been
better as Marlin much. It's night and day, considering the
injuries last year. So I think that there's it's pretty
(21:40):
even when I really look at it.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Patrick Queen was one of the Pro Bowlers last year
that obviously is not on the team this year, right.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
So obviously that's a big difference. But I think that
it's it's it's hard for me to say what I
what I do think with this team that I think
will serve them well in the postseason, Like they dealt
with some adverse as we know, they struggled at times
this year, dropped some games they didn't expect to lose,
had that tough game against Philly, and the defense struggled
(22:07):
earlier in the year, and so this team had to
kind of do some gut checks at different points of
this season after tough games or tough losses, and so
they've been forged a little bit this year. Last year's
team was the number one seed and didn't even have
to play in Week eighteen because they had that thing
locked up, and so that it was more of a
smooth ride, I guess for the last season, and as
(22:31):
a fan, it's nice to have a smooth ride. It's great,
But I also think that there is some benefit to
having gone through challenges. And I think that I don't
know if this was what you had in mind when,
like you asked the question. Like the comparison I think
is often made like the twenty eleven Ravens team versus
the twenty twelve team. The twenty eleven team, I think
(22:51):
we both agree was actually a better team, just pure
roster construction and the talent that that team had. But
the twenty twelve team, of course won the Super Bowl.
Twenty eleven team did not. And I do think that
twenty twelve team was a little bit more forged from
the experience of the year before.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Yeah, and then they have switched offensive coordinators in the
middle of the year.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
They had some challenges that year, and I think that
those challenges served them well once it got to really
tough situations in the playoffs, and they had tough situations
in those playoff games, and I think that, like all
the experiences of the two years leading up to that point,
I think benefited them.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
So you're saying that's the case. So essentially, you're saying,
even if this year's team is not as talented as
last year's team, that you think this year seem could
go further. Potentially, I'm going to argue. I'm going to argue,
and I think that's that's a fair argument. I think
this team might be more talented than last year's I mean, okay,
you don't have Patrick Queen, but you got Derrick Henry. Yeah.
(23:47):
Has he made a big difference this year. That's that's
a big one, you know. And obviously, like we talked
about Zay being better and Marlin being better, how about
Lamar Jackson being better? The most important piece of this
being better, right, and so like and and I just
think year two and Todd Monkan's offense, the offense is
better that you know. The defense is where they lost
a lot of players, but now it's playing coaches and
(24:08):
coaches right, and now it's playing really well.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
So like I think it might be there's a strong
case to be made for that, and I can't even
really argue, Like I honestly can't argue either way on that.
I think that it's a pretty even look when you
when you really break down like all the nuance, different
elements of it.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Last year's team was awesome.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Like there's also a little bit of recency bias here,
like last year's team had the first round seed, and
like in.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
This year's team had a tougher schedule than last year's
Sea he did, and this is I think that's part
of it.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Did drop the games. Two of them that they dropped
are games that they shouldn't.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Have for sure, absolutely at least two of them.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
And yeah, and so I don't know, I think that
there's a case to be made. I can't really argue
either way on that because I think it's it's splitting hairs.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Yeah, all right, the conversation that everybody loves to have
when the Pro Bowl rosters come out. You're like, oh,
we have the most Pro bowlers, who got nine the
most in the league. Yeah, who should have gotten it?
We got ripped off? Yeah, right, And so I think
that there's three players. And it's what's really cool too,
is the Ravens have a lot of alternates on this
(25:10):
year's roster. I mean you have here's all the alternates.
There's seven. There's Kyle van Noy, Ronnie Stanley, Mark Andrews,
Nick Moore, Justin Tucker, Chris bord Is a special teamer,
and Daniel foul Lele, which is one of my favorite
parts of this whole thing. Yeah, that Daniel foul le
the guy that's gotten so much smoke from Ravens fans
on social media all season long, people bellyaching about file
(25:34):
Ale and wondering if Bank Cleveland should play and all this.
Hey guys, the Pro Bowl alternate. Yeah, okay, so you know,
the coaches and players around Lee, I don't think foul
Ale was blowing away the fan vote. I'm gonna guess
that the coaches and players around the league were like, hey,
you know what, this guy's pretty good. Yeah, you know
what I mean, even to be an alternate means you're
in the top third of the guards in the league
(25:56):
starting guards.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
So like, yeah, I think that's really to him. I
think that's gonna feel pretty good to him.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
And it was.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
It was cool when DaCosta told Derrick Henry that fall
Ailea had been named the Pro Bowl alternate, you could.
I think that players certainly were aware of the heat
that he was getting this year. Absolutely a couple of
times in the locker room where or in press conferences
where Lamar or Derrick Henry have sook Off stood up
for him. And I think that him getting that recognition
as an alternate is significant.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
And I think they both said it's big for his confidence.
Like you can see Daniel Fallallele, he's not the most
like outwardly cocky guy, you know what I mean. Like,
I think it's just big for him as he continues
to believe, Yeah I can, I can be a dominant guard,
you know. Yeah, And uh so that was really neat.
But talking about the snubs, I think Mark Andrews and
(26:45):
Kyle van Noy are at the top of my list.
I mean, Mark Andrews has the most touchdowns in the
league for tight ends with ten. Nobody else has more
than seven. Yeah, and so you know he he doesn't
make it now. You know, it's tough. It's tough at
tight end. You have Travis Kelce, who we all know
the Swifties are going to vote for him.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
Travis Kelsey had the most votes of any player amongst
the fans in the league.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
It's or shocker, right, So you know, I mean only
two guys go at tight end and then brock Bowers
led the led all tight ends by a very wide margin.
In receiving yards. The rookie for the Raiders had one
thousand currently has one and forty four receiving yards. So
Mark with his six nineteen was pretty far behind that pace.
(27:31):
But you know what matters most, you know, getting in
the end zone scoring points. The yards, yards don't win
games on the scoreboard touchdowns due, so I'm going to
beat the drump for my guy.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
Yeah, I think that Mark.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
I think what probably hurt Mark a little bit is
just a little slow out of the gate coming back
from the injury. The numbers the second half of the
season are much different than they were the first half
of the season, and so when the Pro Bowl money starts,
he didn't have monster numbers. He just collected touchdowns over
the past six weeks. Really, and I think that that
probably hurt him from a voting standpoint, But I think
there's a strong case for him still.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
To be there, yea. And I think there could have
been a pretty decent case for him to beat Kelsey
to be all in all honesty, you know, as we said, Kelsey,
but the fan vote, but it wasn't like Mark was
that far behind him and receiving its two hundred yards
behind him and receiving that's not a golf right, And
he has seven more touchdowns ten to three, you know,
so like and and Kelsey was the guy in Kansas City,
(28:30):
no doubt about it. The Ravens have a much more
diversified attack than Kansas City's had all season long.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
I think you do with any.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Pro Bowl voting is is a flawed process to like
there's whenever you've just had people, there's fan votes, there's
again fan vote, player vote, coach votes. And so Kelsey's
gone to the Pro Bowl, I don't know how many
years exactly. He makes it like he he's gonna get.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
A lot of votes, it's gonna be a Pro Bowl
tight end. He's he's awesome. It's nothing. Kelsey is a
great player. I'm just saying, like, if you get down
to the nitty gritty who had the better season this year,
it's you can go either way on that.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Yeah, and then van Noy, I think has maybe even
a stronger case as a guy who has eleven and
a half sacks this year.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
And for time for fourth most in the league.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Like, if you were to just ask somebody on the street,
like give me the five players who lead the league
in sacks, I don't think many people would say van
Noy And I think that that probably speaks to what
you guys talk with him on the podcast about this week,
is being overlooked for much of his career and underappreciated. Yes,
overlooked and undappreciated. That's kind of been the story of
his career. So this is this.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
Fits nothing new.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Yeah, he's used to being overlooked and wish for him
that he would have gotten in.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
I definitely think he has a strong case, yep.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
But well, the other outside linebackers, again, this is it's
tough in the AFC. You look at the leader board
and sacks in the NFL, just about everybody's in the
AFC at the top of the board and TJ. Watt,
I mean, obviously he's going to be a Defensive Player
of the Year, even though he doesn't have as many
sacks as a year ago. He's a candidate. And then
Nick Benito, the young Broncos linebacker, really kind of Cape
(30:05):
bursts onto the scene this year, has a production, had
a huge pick six to win them a game that
surely got a lot of attention. So he's a he's
a starter outside linebacker. And then really the one, if
you're arguing Kyle van Noy's case, which we are, it's
Khalil Mack, you know, And now Khalil Mack is Khalil Mack.
He has the name, recognition and all those things. But
(30:25):
if you get down to the stats, I mean, he
has six and a half sacks, six sacks this year,
and so Kyle van Noy has almost twice as many,
And you know, I think that's another case of like
both guys, you can't claim agism. Khalil Mack's up there too,
but I think he has just he's just generally seen
(30:46):
and appreciated as a Pro Bowl caliber guy, whereas Kyle
van Noy doesn't have that reputation as much as he
probably should. Yeah, back to back, it's not a fluke
for kyleve Anoy back to back years now with this
kind of production and over his career, he's just been
a productive guy.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
He also this year, earlier in the year was an
AFC Player of the month, and so he he like
I think he has got a really strong case. I
think he should have been a Pro Bowler and it's
it's disappointing for him not to make it, but again
I think that fits the fits the what he's dealt
with for much of his career.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
And lastly, I would say Ronnie Stanley, Uh, you know,
he's certainly returned to We've been saying it all year.
Return to Pro Bowl for him doesn't end up making
the roster. You know, the AFC has some great blockers,
Dion Dawkins and Larry Tunseell tunsall from Ronnie's draft class.
It's just been getting it done for years upon years
upon years, and this year has been no different. The
(31:42):
Bills have one of the best offensive lines, if not
the the best in the league, so Dean Dawkins is
going to be there, and then the young guy Ray
Shawn Slater is just a great talent for the Chargers.
So it's tough. As great as Ronnie's season has been,
I think it's just it's difficult for him to make
it given all the other talented offensive lineman. But he's
(32:03):
certainly proven himself this year.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
Yeah, I think it's really hard for offensive lineman to
there's not stats to go along with it necessarily in
the same way that there are for receivers and pass
rushers and these quarterbacks, and so I think that that
makes it a little bit challenging to assess the overall
offensive line play. And also, like players fans us even
it's hard. I haven't really like glued in on ra
(32:28):
Shaun Slater's play this year and the like how's he
played in comparison to Ronnie Stanley. It's a little just
tougher to evaluate comparison wise. But I think for Ronnie,
of course you want to make it. But this is
a guy who's been to the Pro Bowl, he's gotten big,
gotten the big contract. I don't think that that's really
the driver for him at this point of his career.
I think that like, this is a guy who is
(32:50):
he's looking to win a ring, and he got back
to playing at the level that he's capable of this year.
He knows it, the Ravens know it, and now he's
looking to get a little hardware.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
And one thing that Ronnie did miss out on, and
this is according to Brian McFarland at Raven's salary cap
there is a very big roster bonus attack might change
what I just said. Yeah, yeah, So according to Brian McFarland,
Ronnie in his renegotiated contract that we talked about this
this past all season, if he played at least eighty
(33:21):
five percent of the snaps, Ronnie's played in ninety eight percent,
so he cleared that hurdle. And if he made the
original Pro Bowl ballot, he was in line for seven
and a half million dollars that he would have gotten.
So that is a that's a lot of that's a
lot of change. It is and now I think Ronnie
either way has made himself a lot of money. Yeah,
(33:43):
this upcoming goal this upcoming off season, but seven and
a half million, so like that would have been on
the Ravens docket. That him missing out on the Pro
Bowl save the Ravens some money. Feel bad for Ronnie
obviously because he's been had a fantastic season, but that's
I think a note to get out there.
Speaker 3 (34:01):
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
So congratulations to all these guys, both alternates and the
players who made it to the Pro Bowl. All very
deserving and again the Ravens have the most Pro bowlers
in the NFL. And they are all hoping not to
be in attendance.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
That's right, that's right. We're gonna be in New Orleans.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Maybe they have other plans. So we'll take a quick
break and then we'll dive into the conversation around Saturday's
game against the Cleveland Browns. You're listening to the last
podcast we are coming to you from the Sea Geek Studio.
We also want to mention our partners with Draft Kings Sportsbook.
They are an official sports betting partner of the Baltimore
Ravens Draft Kings Sportsbook. The Crown is yours. So the
Ravens will welcome to Cleveland Browns to town this weekend.
(34:38):
They kick off the final weekend of the regular season,
first game of the weekend, YEP Saturday at four point
thirty and the math is simple for the Ravens. If
they win this game, they are AFC North champions. Don't
have to watch the scoreboard. You can have a stress
free weekend of watching the rest of the games around
the league. Win the game and the Ravens are back
to back AFC North champs, and then they get to
sit back and see who they will play in the.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
First to play.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
Yeah, So if the Steelers win later that evening against
the Bengals, then the Ravens will face the Los Angeles
Chargers in the first round of the playoffs. They'll come
to M and T Banks Stadium. The Ravens will be
the three seed, and the Chargers will be the six seed. Now,
if the Steelers lose to the Bengals and then the
Chargers beat the Raiders, it'll be the Steelers will drop
(35:21):
to the six seed behind the Chargers, and the Steelers
will come to M and T Banks Stadium, So that's
the other possibility. Then, of course, if the Ravens do
not beat the Browns and the Steelers beat the Bengals,
the Ravens are not AFC North champions, they would be
the five seed and that would mean going to Houston.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
So those are the three different options and possibilities there
for the Ravens. But of course they're just focused on
taking care of business. Ravens are big favorites in this game,
but they also know that they lost to the Browns
earlier this season, yep. And so while this is a
game that everybody's picking the Ravens to win, the Browns
have said Miles Garrett said They're out to play spoiler
and the Ravens are out to win the division, and
(36:03):
they do not. They know that this is a game
that they just need to take care of business and
play their kind of football and they should be in
good shape.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
Look, the Ravens are heavy favorites in this game. They
absolutely should win this game. But it's the Browns, right
and every time these two teams get together, it's a physical,
tough game, and I expect the same. The Browns are
not a team I think that playing against their rivals,
they're just going to roll over by any means. And
(36:30):
so but with that said, you know, the Browns are
dealing with a fair amount of injuries. Even Miles Garrett
David and Joku Denzel Ward, you know, some of their
top players Jordan Hicks all dealing with injuries. They're banged up.
The Ravens are in pretty good health going into this game.
And the Ravens have a lot to play for in
this one. They want to win the AFC North, there's
no doubt about it. You can talk about what's the
(36:51):
best matchup for them to get in the first round
and all that stuff. The Ravens want to be AFC
North champions. That is the goal.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
I mean John Harbaugh said it right this week to
kind of kick off the week. It's one of our
five main goals to win the division. Like that's when
they go at the start of the season. What do
you what's the goal? What are the goals?
Speaker 3 (37:06):
Winning the division is one of the first.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
Right, you think they want to see the Steelers be
aafsen or champs tech. No, they don't want to see that.
So the Ravens are playing and they're playing the Stars,
and they're they're playing the Zach Wrz said that I'm
not holding anything back from a defensive scheming, play calling standpoint.
We're going after now, which I think you hope for.
The ideal sentari in this game is you get out
to a pretty big lead and you pull the starters.
That's I think the hope, and I think the Ravens
(37:31):
have a decent chance of doing that. Look, the Browns
are dealing with issues at quarterback. We talked about the
other injuries. The primary ones at quarterback. Jamis Winston, who
beat the Ravens earlier this season, is dealing with a
shoulder injury. The reports are from Kevin Stefanski. The Browns
head coach that he will be the emergency third quarterback,
even though he's been limited in practice this week. That
(37:52):
leaves either Dorian Thompson Robinson, who's second year quarterback, or
Bailey Zappi, who hasn't started a game yet the season,
and as the Browns starting quarterback. I have a tough
time seeing with the way the Ravens are playing defense
right now, them scoring many points with those guys at quarterback,
and they should not, right And so thus I have
(38:13):
a tough time seeing how the Browns win this game
unless the Ravens were to beat themselves. If the Ravens
play their game, they should they should beat the Browns
pretty handily.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
Well, you go back to that game that they lost
to and now was Jameis Winston a quarterback, and he
has the ability to get hot, which he kind of
did in that game, and it's like, how do you
how do you lose a game that you are heavy
favorites to win.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
Well, Well, they dropped five interceptions in that game. I
mean that's I.
Speaker 1 (38:35):
Don't think it was quite five, but it was a lot.
Speaker 2 (38:38):
It was a number, and including one of the very
end of the game that would have just won it
and sealed it, and so I think that there's they
that's how you lose one of those games and you
make those mistakes. The Ravens have cleaned up. I think
that that type of play from a just mistake standpoint, like.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
They playing cleaner football.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
They have been over the past six weeks and especially
coming out of the bye week, when you play three
games in eleven days against tough opponents and the Ravens
are playing clean football. I think that those issues that
we saw against the Browns earlier this year, I don't
think those are going to creep up again in this game.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
Yep. Absolutely. The only the thing that I think you
have to watch is this Brown's defense can rise up
and be a really stingy, tough defense. It just can.
Like you get Miles Garrett, and if Miles Garrett plays,
which I assume he will in this game, he's always
capable of wreckon shop yep. And they are aggressive downhill,
they're gonna make you beat them. And now that aggress
in this you have to flip that and beat that.
(39:38):
But if you don't, it can be a long day
for you. Offensively, as good as the Ravens offense is
so they got to go out there and beat a physical, tough, good,
well coached brown team, and I think they will.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
The other part two on the for the Browns offense,
they have one of the other Pro Bowl wide receivers,
Jered Judy, had big time stats this year, put up
a lot.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Of especially near the end of the year. We said
what that one game was like three hundred yards something
some big.
Speaker 2 (39:59):
Time number this year. And so if you're looking at
their offense and now I know there's questions at quarterback,
which is the biggest thing for their offense, but just
keep Jerry Judy in check and don't let him get
the super hot the way he did in that game
where he put up monster stats. And so I think
that he's probably the biggest threat offensively for their group
and you need to keep him in check. And again,
(40:20):
the secondary's been playing really well, but that's I think
priority number one for the secondary.
Speaker 1 (40:25):
Yeah, I agree. It'll be a fun game. It's a
hats and T shirts game for the Ravens at M
and T Banks Stadium. Hope that we are wearing one
of those in the postgame press box, yes, and talking
about sizing it up and going into the playoffs, Healthy
and strong. That's the vision for the Ravens. So got
to take care of business and win that AFC North title.
Thanks for listening. As always, you can reach us at
(40:46):
the Lounge at Ravens dot NFL dot net and we
will be back with you after the game
Welcome into the Lounge presented by DraftKings. I'm Ryan Mink
here with Garrett Downing, and we are going to give
you our instant reaction to the Ravens nine Pro bowlers
in this year's roster, as well as talk about the
upcoming regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns and what
you should be watching for in that game. So breaking
(00:24):
news this morning, Garrett, with the Pro Bowl rosters announced,
and the Ravens have the most in the league with nine.
They have more than they had last year when they
had a first round playoff by and this is the
most that they've had since twenty nineteen when they had thirteen,
which is just crazy. But nine Pro bowlers, the Ravens
are very well represented.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, I'll run to the list right here, and these
guys are all very deserving. Safety Kyle Hamilton, wide receiver's
Day Flowers who gets his first Pro Bowl invitation and
becomes the first player first receiver in franchise history to
make it to the Pro Bowl. At the receiver position,
you have cornerback Marlin Humphrey back in the Pro Bowl.
Defensive tackle Non dem Atabike, center Tyler Linderbaum, full back
(01:07):
Patrick Riccard, running back, Derek Henry, quarterback Lamar Jackson. I
think he was going to get in, and linebacker brook
want Smith. So there's your nine right there.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Yeah, I mean it's an impressive list. No surprise is
really on there. As you said, I think all really
well deserving. I think that the big the headline news
other than the Rave, the fact that the Ravens have
the most in the league is Zay Flowers. You know,
first time, as you said, the first time the Ravens
have a Pro Bowl wide receiver, and it's just awesome
(01:38):
for him. I mean, I think that this really proves that, hey, yeah,
he's one of the best in the league, and the
Ravens curses over, you know, never drafting one, and you know,
Zay's just in his second year, and I think this
is establishes him as one of the top guys in
the league and he could go for two more Pro
Bowls for years to come.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yeah, I think this was huge.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
If you haven't checked it out already, we posted a
video of the moment that Jay Flowers found out he
was a Pro Bowler and Eric Acosta called him to
his office, didn't tell him what he wanted to talk
to him about I just said I need to see
you in my office, which you could tell in Zay's
face when he first walked in, They're like, what am
I walking into?
Speaker 3 (02:16):
And then Eric showed the good news with things.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Like it's too early for an extension, what's going on here?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
He's even said he's like, I thought I was in trouble.
He can called it the principal's office, and so he
walks in there and he gets the news, and you
could tell in watching the video. I mean, go watch
it if you haven't already, but you can tell that
it means a lot to Zay and you can tell
it means a lot to Eric. And whenever, like from
Eric's perspective, whenever you draft somebody, you're you're taking a
chance and you're voting that.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
That guy is going to be successful.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
And there's a lot of factors that can that play
into whether a player pans out.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
And for it to go as well.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
As it has for Zay in his first two years
is obviously a testament to Zay and his ability and
the player and makeup and all this stuff. But of course,
as a GM like you're going to feel a sense
of pride of making that pick and seeing it coming
fruition like this, Like this is what you hope for
when when you draft say Flowers out of Boston College,
you're hopeful that maybe this guy one day will be
(03:10):
a pro bowler.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I mean Eric Tacosta said as soon as he laid
eyes on Zay Flowers in the pre draft process, he
knew that this guy was going to be a pro bowler.
And you know, Zay was part of that run of
four straight wide receivers drafted in last year's draft. Ye,
and he's the only one that's gone to a Pro
Bowl so far. Jackson Smith and Jigbo was the other,
Quentin Johnson of the Chargers and then Jordan Addison. So
(03:32):
bravo to Zay Flowers and bravo to the Ravens. You know,
Ravens fans have been waiting for this day for a
long time to say we got we have a Pro
Bowl wide receiver. And you know, I think for Zay,
he we all saw the town immediately last year. I
mean he got she sent set the Ravens franchise rookie
record for receiving yards. So he already had a great
(03:52):
season last year, and I think what helped him get
over a thousand yards for the first time and helped
him get into the Pro Bowl. Was you know, more
familiarity with in this offense, the next evolution of Todd
Mounkins offense, in the passing, the passing game. Of course,
Lamar having a fantastic season, you know, especially throwing the ball,
all those things. I don't know that Zay hasn't necessarily
(04:13):
and his game have changed all that much. Of course,
he became a better pro and all those things that
just come with time. But you know, gosh, the talent
is just there, and I think the pieces all around
him and he has risen to the occasion and all
that's come together to make for a special season.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
What stands out to me about Zay and making the Pro.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Bowl here is I think that it was very evident
from the time he arrived in Baltimore that there was
an appreciation amongst his teammates of how good he was, Like.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yeah, I see his viillity to stop on a time.
I mean, he is just incredibly shifty. That was apparent
immediately he just gets open.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
And then like the next level of that as a
rookie was when they had those joint practices against Washington,
and he was open the entirety of those two days beforectice.
Nobody could cover him, and then it just continues from there.
But I think that there's just great respect and admiration
amongst other players, and I think that so Jay was.
He finished tenth in the fan voting, but the Pro
Bowl voting is consisted of three parts. His fan votes,
(05:11):
it's player votes and coach votes, and I would venture
to guest that Zay did very well on the player
vote portion of this because other players look at him
in his game and they know how tough he is
to cover.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Like immediately when he.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Got here, veteran players were talking about how tough he
was to cover, like Marlon Humphrey and guys that had
to go up there and cover him, like this guy.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Is hard to cover.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
He is tough, and he's only gotten that's only as
he's developed more and understanding of the offense and the
field in the chemistry with Lamar Jackson, that's only become
more difficult to stop. And it's been great to see.
So it was a big moment for him and I'm
happy for him, and I'm happy for Eric ta Costa
as well.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
I think it's pretty cool. Also, another key part of
Zay's game has been durability, and he hasn't missed the
game yet in his career due to injury. Knock on wood.
And you know, availability, especially for a guy his size,
you know, that's that's certainly notable. He's been a dependable
game in game out receiver for this team.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
He the way people will always talk about Lamar Jackson
and his ability to avoid big hits, like Lamar's as
good as anybody I've ever seen at that. I think
Zay has some of those same characteristics as well.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Yeah, I would agree. And then we also had the
video of Derrick Henry finding out that he's a Pro bowler.
Not as emotional of a reaction, He's like, cool, Yeah,
I bet let's go, you know, And this is Derrick
Henry's fifth fifth Pro Bowl. So and obviously, you know,
you finish head and shoulders, you know, in the most
rushing yards in the AFC, second most in the league
(06:40):
behind Saquon Barkley. You have a pretty good idea you're
going in the Pro Bowl.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
But I meana, Derek Henry is probably going to maybe
be a Hall of Famer with his career is all
said exactly. He knows what it feels like to get
to a Pro Bowl. He's the difference when you're making
your fifth verst your first.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yeah exactly, but you know, different team, same result. And
for him to have he has the most second most
rush yards of his career now at thirty years old,
you know that certainly his point this offseason when the
Ravens signed him that yeah, yeah, teams think I might
be losing a step. You know that I don't have
too much left. He's proven his point about how much
gas he has left in the tank. So you know,
(07:15):
bravo to him.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
I think that when the Ravens signed Derek Henry it
could not have gone any better than he hass this year.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
And he's he's two hundred and seventeen yards away from
two thousand.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
I don't that'd be a big number to finish the
regular season off with it with that kind of a day.
I wouldn't necessarily expect that, but he is, like, he's
putting up historic type numbers and for him to have
this kind of success, it just could not have gone
any better. And he's answered all the questions about whether
you can succeed past thirty and whether you can do
(07:48):
it in a new offense and all this stuff, like
he has been everything in more than the Ravens envisioned
and for him to switch teams have the same result
be just as productive. Man, I think that there's there's
a lot that says a lot about him.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Yeah, sticking on the offensive side of the ball. Lamar Jackson,
it's his fourth Pro Bowl and he was one of
three quarterbacks. They take three quarterbacks him, Josh Allen is
the starter, and Joe Burrow. Patrick Mahomes did not make
the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career
since he took over as a starter.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Yeah, well, if you look at the stats, like Mahomes
has the ranks, of course, but you look at the
stats between those four guys and Mahomes sorry, Burrow, Allen,
and Lamar, they all have better stats.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Yeah, yes, and I think that's I think that's the
right vote. I think that's you know, Mahomes. Of course,
his magic in the postseason, we'll see, you know, he's
gonna be a tough out whoever plays him. But yeah,
those guys have had better regular seasons than Patrick Mahomes.
There's no doubt about it. I mean, Josh Allen might
win m VP here he and Lamar are jockeying for that,
and then Joe Burrow leads the league in passing yards.
(08:51):
You know, how can you take it away from him?
So I think that's the right, right vote.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Yeah, it's it's tough, like those four quarterbacks.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
It is.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
The Chiefs obviously have the number one seed and Patrick
Mahomes's guide to that that team to that spot. So
it's like hard to take him out, especially when he's
had the success. But when you just look at pure numbers,
the other three have better numbers, so it's not necessarily
a surprise from a pure stats standard.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Well that's also kind of just to go back to
wide receiver. It's hard to make it as a purple
wide receiver because there's just so many really great wide
receivers in the league these days, you know, I mean
you look at the four wide receivers he made it,
Jamar Chase, Jerry Judy, Nico Collins, and Zey. You know,
Tyreek Hill's not on that list. DeVante Adams isn't on
that list. Like some of these guys that have been
(09:34):
big time playmakers for many years. It's kind of the
new the new guard.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Yeah, like the mainstays to Iyreka and DeVante Adams have
been basically pencil him in.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
They're going to be in there, exactly exactly. It's the
it's the new guard at wide receiver in the AFC.
Which is really not to say the Tyree Kors DeVante
Adams couldn't be right back in next year, but like, hey,
these are these are the young up and comers that
are proving themselves at wide receiver in AFC.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Yeah, mother, young up and comers who are establishing themselves.
Are the guys who are the second year in the
Pro Bowl for the Ravens, and that would be Tyler
Lennardbaum and Kyle Hamilton. They they're now to me entering
into that category of you just are gonna expect those
two guys to be in the Pro Bowl every year.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
They're that good.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Two Pro Bowls in your first three years for both
those guys, both first round picks for Eric Tacosta. Again,
round of applause for Eric Tacosta. You hit Zay Flowers's
first pick round pick two years ago. And then gosh,
that Hamilton Linderbaum draft classes looking pretty darn nice too, that's.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Really driving the team on both sides of the ball
in a lot of ways.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
To have two Pro bowlers in.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
The same draft at the top of the draft, that is,
that's that's hard to do.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Absolutely. Plus you have nom the Madam Gay third round
pick of Eric Costa's traded for Rokwan Smith, pro bowler
every year since he's been to raven now and on,
and signed Derek Henry in the off season. Yeah. Yeah,
pretty darn good, Pretty darn good.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
So yeah, I think I think Hamilton and lindenbomb just
to focus on them for a second, like, I just
think that they are they're going to be in that
position where whenever there's you have the primetime game next
year it's Week four and they're on Sunday Night Football,
you do the ninety seconds Chris collins Worth talk about
Kyle Hamilton and how great he is and how he
does all these different things and how he's one of
the best players in the league, and the same thing
(11:18):
on the offensive side of the ball as well.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
With Tyler Lindbaum.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
You just say, the Ravens offense is great, and Tyler
Linnerbaum is a driver of the ship on this offensive line.
He's been a great player, first round pick, two time
Pro Bowler. He's going to be a guy that is
just a perennial both of them. I think both of them.
You're looking at multiple Pro Bowls in a row for them,
You already are looking at too straight for them, and
so I think that get used to seeing them with
Pro Bowl you know, notches next to their name.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Yep, Kyle Holton is the NFL's only defensive back to
post at least one hundred tackles, an interception, two sex
and two forced fumbles. So mister do it all? Yeah,
he did in the secondary. And I think that both
guys also proves something else this year. I don't want
to just say, like another great year for them. They
proved something new and Kyle Helents improves he can play
(12:03):
deep safety and go back to a more of a
traditional kind of safety role and has the range and
has the coverage ability to do that. It's not just
like I'm gonna be a big hitter in the box
and all those things. Like he proves something new this year.
And I think Tyler Linnenbaum also in the fact that
the Ravens had three new starters along that offensive line.
Both guard spots on either side of him, and Tyler
(12:25):
Linnenbaum was the glue. He was the anchor of that group.
And so I think that he really proved himself in
that way as from a leadership role in just his
third season.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
When Eric DeCosta talked about Tyler making it, he referred
to him as a blue guy yep. And that's a
pretty good description of what he does and what he
means to this offense and offensive lineman as you know,
like they don't get a ton of praise and it's
hard to totally assess offensive line play, but Tyler jumps
off his ability.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
His versatility is an off like he does a couple
of things.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
He does most things well, but he knows everything that's
happening in front of him, such a smart player. But
then he has his versatility where he can get out
in space and he can pull and he can do
different things as an offensive lineman. That gives the Ravens
and Todd Monkins some creativity and how they're scheming things up,
especially from a run game standpoint, are so good at.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
That on the screens and all that stuff.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
These toss plays, like you there's all these different highlights
where you see Tyler Linderbomble.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
So you're like, wait, why is he fifteen yards down
the field.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Right, There's not a whole lot of centers that you're
pooling right and that are are down the field picking
off linebackers and stuff. You know that's not easy.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
But his athleticism and his just he's so technical, technically sound,
all of that is has made him a great player,
So props to him.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
You look those two guys too, two Pro Bowls in
the first three years. They are going to get paid.
You think about who are going to get the big
next big extensions from the Ravens, the nine figure kind
of extensions, It's gonna be those guys.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
I think those are corner some pieces they have for
this team. Again, first round picks, multi time Pro Bowlers,
They're going to be cornerstones of the offensive defense moving forward.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
Yep. Absolutely. And then another mainstay, pat Ricard. Project Pat
is no project any longer.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
This guy just makes the Probole every year as a
pullback just pencil a man, he's gonna be ye like,
He's just gonna go pretty much every year deservingly.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
So he's him and him and.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Kyle Yuschek also drafted by the Ravens of course, Like
those are the best two fullbacks in the game.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Kyle Uschik has the most Pro Bowls of any fullback
in NFL history.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Yeah, project Pat for the both guys are deserving and uh,
football fullbacks are bred here in Baltimore, and it's awesome
for Pat to make it again.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Well, I think it's I think it's cool for him.
You know, obviously paved the way for Derrick Henry's amazing season.
The Ravens had the top rushing attack in the league,
well in terms of the yards per carry. Uh. And
I think what it's cool for Pat is like this,
he's being entrenched as one of the best fullbacks ever. Yeah,
to play in the NFL, which is quite an accomplishment
for an undrafted guy out of Maine who is a
(14:57):
defensive lineman. Yeah, pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
I also think for if you go back two years
ago when Todd Munkin comes in and the question is like,
is there gonna be a.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Role for Pad? Are they going to use a full back?
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Is he even going to be on the team, And
even at that point, like we had him on the
podcast and he was pretty open about this, he was
coming off pretty major hip surgery, and he was he
dabbled at guard a little bit in practice and should
I make the transition offensive line?
Speaker 3 (15:20):
And how's this going to go?
Speaker 2 (15:21):
And and all of a sudden, now you flash forward
to this point and he's made the Pro Bowl in
two straight years. The rushing attack is dominant and he's
a huge piece of that. He's the driver of it
as the lead blocker in front of Derrick Henry. And
for him to make another Pro Bowl is really special
to him, and I think that it further solidifies his
cases as one of the best to ever do it.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Then the final two guys will talk about nom the
Matabik and Rokwan Smith on defense, and you know, nom
the it's his second straight year reaching the Pro Bowl.
And you know, his production hasn't been what it was
last year he had thirteen sacks, finished the year with
thirteen sacks last season, has six and a half this year.
But I think that this is a nod that players
(16:04):
and coaches around the league know the kind of player
that the Madabik is. No.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
I mean, he's he's disruptive.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
I know the sack total isn't there when you watch
the games he's disruptive. If he gets in the backfield,
he makes tackles for loss. In the running game, he's
still a really productive player and he opens things up
for those other guys. So Kyle van noy I know,
we'll probably mention snubs, like Kyle van Noi would fall
into the snub category. But he's got eleven and a
half snacks.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Snacks sacks. It's a good amount of snacks.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
So he's got eleven and a half sacks, and Adafejoway
is knocking on the door of the double digits right now.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
Part of that, of course, they're successful in their run right.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Part of it also is that Mattabeke is attracting more attention.
And when we had Mattabik on the pod, he was
pretty open about the fact that it was a little
bit eye opening for him this year to realize all
the extra attention that he was getting from other teams.
And you say that, you think that's going to be
the case, but then when you get into games you're
getting double team to sometimes even triple teams, it's harder
(17:01):
to handle and to deal with that, and so I
think that was a struggle on him a little bit mentally.
And also just physically within those games to handle all
that extra attention. But I do think that he opens
up other things around him, and I think it's he's
been although the sack number isn't there from a year ago,
he's been incredibly productive this year.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
And the Pro Bowl vote is a nod to.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Yep, yep, completely agree. And then lastly Roquan Smith.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
And we have two more. Actually you're forgetting. There's Roquan
and Marlin.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Oh I'm sorry, Yes, you're right. Roquan Smith a starter,
you know again, leads a team in tackles, you know,
fifth in the NFL and tackles just a tackling machine.
Everybody recognizes the special player that Roquan is the leader
of this defense. And so he gets another nod. And
as I said, it's his third straight year ever since
he's been a Raven, he's been a Pro Bowler. So
(17:50):
we got a good thing going there.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
And then lastly is Marlon Humphrey who gets back in
the Pro Bowl this year. It's his fourth Pro Bowl
invitation and this one is I think probably pretty big
to Marlin. I know that he's made it multiple times.
So when you're a perennial pro bowler. It doesn't it's
not the same as your first time. But I think
that this was last year was a challenge for him.
It did not go the way that he wanted. He
(18:13):
was injured for basically the entire season, was never really himself,
and then this offseason he committed himself in a lot
of different ways to getting back to the player that
he was and could be. And we've seen it, like
we've had the conversation here about why are we not
talking about him as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
He had so many big plays for this team, turned
games around, leads the AFC in interceptions plays, so physically
(18:38):
is the number two cover corner in the NFL according
to Pro Football Focus. So he just he's it's been
the best season of his career, and I think that
it's I don't know where this team would be without him.
We actually got an email to us at the lounge
at Ravens NFL dot net, and this week we announced
the team MVP, which is voted on by the local media.
(18:59):
Lamarja was a team MVP. Big surprise there, But this
email from Jordan Fitchett. He says, look guys, I want
to say, I'm not disagreeing with Lamar being the MVP
of the team, but he's because he's the greatest quarterback
in Rivers history. But I think you want to go
outside the box, it would be Marlon Humphrey.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
All pro. Marlo.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
You need both hands to count the number of games
in terms of game changing plays and interceptions he's had
this year. Again, I know that Lamar Jackson is the
obvious pick, but I also think that Marlon Humphrey should
have some consideration there. So, like, Lamar's the MVP of
the team, of course, but I think that if you're
doing offensive and defensive, I think Marlon would be the
defensive MVP.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Yeah, as good as as Kyle Hamilton has been in
Rokwan and those guys, I agree, Like you look at
the clutch plays for Marlon. I mean, obviously, the pick
six against Pittsburgh basically won the game. Late fourth quarter
interception against Joe Burrow and the Bengals set up overtime
in that game. And you know the two interceptions in
Tampa Bay that game wasn't looking great for the Ravens
(19:57):
early on. Yeah, Marlon makes two picks and so big
time plays, big time plays for Marlin.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Yeah, and I just think that he's he's back to
the player that he was prior to the injuries last year,
and it's it's been great to see and as like
moving forward for this team, he's going to be a
huge player for this defense in the postseason, like he's.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
When you have somebody who's playing at.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
His level, who can be a shutdown corner, who can
also play inside and outside and has that versatility, it
just opens up things. And I think that his play
has really helped the turnaround and the resurgence of this
defense that's going on about six weeks now.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
One final point for me about this before we talk
about the snubs that you mentioned, is I think that
this shows, you know, more Pro Bowlers this year nine
than last year seven? Is this series team better? Like?
You know, we spent so much time wringing our hands
this offseason about all the talent lost on this team
(20:56):
via free agency and there was a lot a lot
of guys left and gosh, you come back and more
Pro Bowlers this year than last year? Like, is this
team more talented? Does it have more stars on it
than last year's squad?
Speaker 3 (21:10):
That's a good question. I don't know. I think that.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
It's pretty even, Like when you when you really break
it down and you look through the different the losses
from last year, and you look at where the Ravens
have made gains, and like look at Zay Flowers as
an example, same guy, but he's better this years, been
better as Marlin much. It's night and day, considering the
injuries last year. So I think that there's it's pretty
(21:40):
even when I really look at it.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Patrick Queen was one of the Pro Bowlers last year
that obviously is not on the team this year, right.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
So obviously that's a big difference. But I think that
it's it's it's hard for me to say what I
what I do think with this team that I think
will serve them well in the postseason, Like they dealt
with some adverse as we know, they struggled at times
this year, dropped some games they didn't expect to lose,
had that tough game against Philly, and the defense struggled
(22:07):
earlier in the year, and so this team had to
kind of do some gut checks at different points of
this season after tough games or tough losses, and so
they've been forged a little bit this year. Last year's
team was the number one seed and didn't even have
to play in Week eighteen because they had that thing
locked up, and so that it was more of a
smooth ride, I guess for the last season, and as
(22:31):
a fan, it's nice to have a smooth ride. It's great,
But I also think that there is some benefit to
having gone through challenges. And I think that I don't
know if this was what you had in mind when,
like you asked the question. Like the comparison I think
is often made like the twenty eleven Ravens team versus
the twenty twelve team. The twenty eleven team, I think
(22:51):
we both agree was actually a better team, just pure
roster construction and the talent that that team had. But
the twenty twelve team, of course won the Super Bowl.
Twenty eleven team did not. And I do think that
twenty twelve team was a little bit more forged from
the experience of the year before.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Yeah, and then they have switched offensive coordinators in the
middle of the year.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
They had some challenges that year, and I think that
those challenges served them well once it got to really
tough situations in the playoffs, and they had tough situations
in those playoff games, and I think that, like all
the experiences of the two years leading up to that point,
I think benefited them.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
So you're saying that's the case. So essentially, you're saying,
even if this year's team is not as talented as
last year's team, that you think this year seem could
go further. Potentially, I'm going to argue. I'm going to argue,
and I think that's that's a fair argument. I think
this team might be more talented than last year's I mean, okay,
you don't have Patrick Queen, but you got Derrick Henry. Yeah.
(23:47):
Has he made a big difference this year. That's that's
a big one, you know. And obviously, like we talked
about Zay being better and Marlin being better, how about
Lamar Jackson being better? The most important piece of this
being better, right, and so like and and I just
think year two and Todd Monkan's offense, the offense is
better that you know. The defense is where they lost
a lot of players, but now it's playing coaches and
(24:08):
coaches right, and now it's playing really well.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
So like I think it might be there's a strong
case to be made for that, and I can't even
really argue, Like I honestly can't argue either way on that.
I think that it's a pretty even look when you
when you really break down like all the nuance, different
elements of it.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Last year's team was awesome.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Like there's also a little bit of recency bias here,
like last year's team had the first round seed, and
like in.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
This year's team had a tougher schedule than last year's
Sea he did, and this is I think that's part
of it.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Did drop the games. Two of them that they dropped
are games that they shouldn't.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Have for sure, absolutely at least two of them.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
And yeah, and so I don't know, I think that
there's a case to be made. I can't really argue
either way on that because I think it's it's splitting hairs.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Yeah, all right, the conversation that everybody loves to have
when the Pro Bowl rosters come out. You're like, oh,
we have the most Pro bowlers, who got nine the
most in the league. Yeah, who should have gotten it?
We got ripped off? Yeah, right, And so I think
that there's three players. And it's what's really cool too,
is the Ravens have a lot of alternates on this
(25:10):
year's roster. I mean you have here's all the alternates.
There's seven. There's Kyle van Noy, Ronnie Stanley, Mark Andrews,
Nick Moore, Justin Tucker, Chris bord Is a special teamer,
and Daniel foul Lele, which is one of my favorite
parts of this whole thing. Yeah, that Daniel foul le
the guy that's gotten so much smoke from Ravens fans
on social media all season long, people bellyaching about file
(25:34):
Ale and wondering if Bank Cleveland should play and all this.
Hey guys, the Pro Bowl alternate. Yeah, okay, so you know,
the coaches and players around Lee, I don't think foul
Ale was blowing away the fan vote. I'm gonna guess
that the coaches and players around the league were like, hey,
you know what, this guy's pretty good. Yeah, you know
what I mean, even to be an alternate means you're
in the top third of the guards in the league
(25:56):
starting guards.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
So like, yeah, I think that's really to him. I
think that's gonna feel pretty good to him.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
And it was.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
It was cool when DaCosta told Derrick Henry that fall
Ailea had been named the Pro Bowl alternate, you could.
I think that players certainly were aware of the heat
that he was getting this year. Absolutely a couple of
times in the locker room where or in press conferences
where Lamar or Derrick Henry have sook Off stood up
for him. And I think that him getting that recognition
as an alternate is significant.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
And I think they both said it's big for his confidence.
Like you can see Daniel Fallallele, he's not the most
like outwardly cocky guy, you know what I mean. Like,
I think it's just big for him as he continues
to believe, Yeah I can, I can be a dominant guard,
you know. Yeah, And uh so that was really neat.
But talking about the snubs, I think Mark Andrews and
(26:45):
Kyle van Noy are at the top of my list.
I mean, Mark Andrews has the most touchdowns in the
league for tight ends with ten. Nobody else has more
than seven. Yeah, and so you know he he doesn't
make it now. You know, it's tough. It's tough at
tight end. You have Travis Kelce, who we all know
the Swifties are going to vote for him.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
Travis Kelsey had the most votes of any player amongst
the fans in the league.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
It's or shocker, right, So you know, I mean only
two guys go at tight end and then brock Bowers
led the led all tight ends by a very wide margin.
In receiving yards. The rookie for the Raiders had one
thousand currently has one and forty four receiving yards. So
Mark with his six nineteen was pretty far behind that pace.
(27:31):
But you know what matters most, you know, getting in
the end zone scoring points. The yards, yards don't win
games on the scoreboard touchdowns due, so I'm going to
beat the drump for my guy.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
Yeah, I think that Mark.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
I think what probably hurt Mark a little bit is
just a little slow out of the gate coming back
from the injury. The numbers the second half of the
season are much different than they were the first half
of the season, and so when the Pro Bowl money starts,
he didn't have monster numbers. He just collected touchdowns over
the past six weeks. Really, and I think that that
probably hurt him from a voting standpoint, But I think
there's a strong case for him still.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
To be there, yea. And I think there could have
been a pretty decent case for him to beat Kelsey
to be all in all honesty, you know, as we said, Kelsey,
but the fan vote, but it wasn't like Mark was
that far behind him and receiving its two hundred yards
behind him and receiving that's not a golf right, And
he has seven more touchdowns ten to three, you know,
so like and and Kelsey was the guy in Kansas City,
(28:30):
no doubt about it. The Ravens have a much more
diversified attack than Kansas City's had all season long.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
I think you do with any.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Pro Bowl voting is is a flawed process to like
there's whenever you've just had people, there's fan votes, there's
again fan vote, player vote, coach votes. And so Kelsey's
gone to the Pro Bowl, I don't know how many
years exactly. He makes it like he he's gonna get.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
A lot of votes, it's gonna be a Pro Bowl
tight end. He's he's awesome. It's nothing. Kelsey is a
great player. I'm just saying, like, if you get down
to the nitty gritty who had the better season this year,
it's you can go either way on that.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Yeah, and then van Noy, I think has maybe even
a stronger case as a guy who has eleven and
a half sacks this year.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
And for time for fourth most in the league.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Like, if you were to just ask somebody on the street,
like give me the five players who lead the league
in sacks, I don't think many people would say van
Noy And I think that that probably speaks to what
you guys talk with him on the podcast about this week,
is being overlooked for much of his career and underappreciated. Yes,
overlooked and undappreciated. That's kind of been the story of
his career. So this is this.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
Fits nothing new.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Yeah, he's used to being overlooked and wish for him
that he would have gotten in.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
I definitely think he has a strong case, yep.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
But well, the other outside linebackers, again, this is it's
tough in the AFC. You look at the leader board
and sacks in the NFL, just about everybody's in the
AFC at the top of the board and TJ. Watt,
I mean, obviously he's going to be a Defensive Player
of the Year, even though he doesn't have as many
sacks as a year ago. He's a candidate. And then
Nick Benito, the young Broncos linebacker, really kind of Cape
(30:05):
bursts onto the scene this year, has a production, had
a huge pick six to win them a game that
surely got a lot of attention. So he's a he's
a starter outside linebacker. And then really the one, if
you're arguing Kyle van Noy's case, which we are, it's
Khalil Mack, you know, And now Khalil Mack is Khalil Mack.
He has the name, recognition and all those things. But
(30:25):
if you get down to the stats, I mean, he
has six and a half sacks, six sacks this year,
and so Kyle van Noy has almost twice as many,
And you know, I think that's another case of like
both guys, you can't claim agism. Khalil Mack's up there too,
but I think he has just he's just generally seen
(30:46):
and appreciated as a Pro Bowl caliber guy, whereas Kyle
van Noy doesn't have that reputation as much as he
probably should. Yeah, back to back, it's not a fluke
for kyleve Anoy back to back years now with this
kind of production and over his career, he's just been
a productive guy.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
He also this year, earlier in the year was an
AFC Player of the month, and so he he like
I think he has got a really strong case. I
think he should have been a Pro Bowler and it's
it's disappointing for him not to make it, but again
I think that fits the fits the what he's dealt
with for much of his career.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
And lastly, I would say Ronnie Stanley, Uh, you know,
he's certainly returned to We've been saying it all year.
Return to Pro Bowl for him doesn't end up making
the roster. You know, the AFC has some great blockers,
Dion Dawkins and Larry Tunseell tunsall from Ronnie's draft class.
It's just been getting it done for years upon years
upon years, and this year has been no different. The
(31:42):
Bills have one of the best offensive lines, if not
the the best in the league, so Dean Dawkins is
going to be there, and then the young guy Ray
Shawn Slater is just a great talent for the Chargers.
So it's tough. As great as Ronnie's season has been,
I think it's just it's difficult for him to make
it given all the other talented offensive lineman. But he's
(32:03):
certainly proven himself this year.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
Yeah, I think it's really hard for offensive lineman to
there's not stats to go along with it necessarily in
the same way that there are for receivers and pass
rushers and these quarterbacks, and so I think that that
makes it a little bit challenging to assess the overall
offensive line play. And also, like players fans us even
it's hard. I haven't really like glued in on ra
(32:28):
Shaun Slater's play this year and the like how's he
played in comparison to Ronnie Stanley. It's a little just
tougher to evaluate comparison wise. But I think for Ronnie,
of course you want to make it. But this is
a guy who's been to the Pro Bowl, he's gotten big,
gotten the big contract. I don't think that that's really
the driver for him at this point of his career.
I think that like, this is a guy who is
(32:50):
he's looking to win a ring, and he got back
to playing at the level that he's capable of this year.
He knows it, the Ravens know it, and now he's
looking to get a little hardware.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
And one thing that Ronnie did miss out on, and
this is according to Brian McFarland at Raven's salary cap
there is a very big roster bonus attack might change
what I just said. Yeah, yeah, So according to Brian McFarland,
Ronnie in his renegotiated contract that we talked about this
this past all season, if he played at least eighty
(33:21):
five percent of the snaps, Ronnie's played in ninety eight percent,
so he cleared that hurdle. And if he made the
original Pro Bowl ballot, he was in line for seven
and a half million dollars that he would have gotten.
So that is a that's a lot of that's a
lot of change. It is and now I think Ronnie
either way has made himself a lot of money. Yeah,
(33:43):
this upcoming goal this upcoming off season, but seven and
a half million, so like that would have been on
the Ravens docket. That him missing out on the Pro
Bowl save the Ravens some money. Feel bad for Ronnie
obviously because he's been had a fantastic season, but that's
I think a note to get out there.
Speaker 3 (34:01):
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
So congratulations to all these guys, both alternates and the
players who made it to the Pro Bowl. All very
deserving and again the Ravens have the most Pro bowlers
in the NFL. And they are all hoping not to
be in attendance.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
That's right, that's right. We're gonna be in New Orleans.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Maybe they have other plans. So we'll take a quick
break and then we'll dive into the conversation around Saturday's
game against the Cleveland Browns. You're listening to the last
podcast we are coming to you from the Sea Geek Studio.
We also want to mention our partners with Draft Kings Sportsbook.
They are an official sports betting partner of the Baltimore
Ravens Draft Kings Sportsbook. The Crown is yours. So the
Ravens will welcome to Cleveland Browns to town this weekend.
(34:38):
They kick off the final weekend of the regular season,
first game of the weekend, YEP Saturday at four point
thirty and the math is simple for the Ravens. If
they win this game, they are AFC North champions. Don't
have to watch the scoreboard. You can have a stress
free weekend of watching the rest of the games around
the league. Win the game and the Ravens are back
to back AFC North champs, and then they get to
sit back and see who they will play in the.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
First to play.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
Yeah, So if the Steelers win later that evening against
the Bengals, then the Ravens will face the Los Angeles
Chargers in the first round of the playoffs. They'll come
to M and T Banks Stadium. The Ravens will be
the three seed, and the Chargers will be the six seed. Now,
if the Steelers lose to the Bengals and then the
Chargers beat the Raiders, it'll be the Steelers will drop
(35:21):
to the six seed behind the Chargers, and the Steelers
will come to M and T Banks Stadium, So that's
the other possibility. Then, of course, if the Ravens do
not beat the Browns and the Steelers beat the Bengals,
the Ravens are not AFC North champions, they would be
the five seed and that would mean going to Houston.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
So those are the three different options and possibilities there
for the Ravens. But of course they're just focused on
taking care of business. Ravens are big favorites in this game,
but they also know that they lost to the Browns
earlier this season, yep. And so while this is a
game that everybody's picking the Ravens to win, the Browns
have said Miles Garrett said They're out to play spoiler
and the Ravens are out to win the division, and
(36:03):
they do not. They know that this is a game
that they just need to take care of business and
play their kind of football and they should be in
good shape.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
Look, the Ravens are heavy favorites in this game. They
absolutely should win this game. But it's the Browns, right
and every time these two teams get together, it's a physical,
tough game, and I expect the same. The Browns are
not a team I think that playing against their rivals,
they're just going to roll over by any means. And
(36:30):
so but with that said, you know, the Browns are
dealing with a fair amount of injuries. Even Miles Garrett
David and Joku Denzel Ward, you know, some of their
top players Jordan Hicks all dealing with injuries. They're banged up.
The Ravens are in pretty good health going into this game.
And the Ravens have a lot to play for in
this one. They want to win the AFC North, there's
no doubt about it. You can talk about what's the
(36:51):
best matchup for them to get in the first round
and all that stuff. The Ravens want to be AFC
North champions. That is the goal.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
I mean John Harbaugh said it right this week to
kind of kick off the week. It's one of our
five main goals to win the division. Like that's when
they go at the start of the season. What do
you what's the goal? What are the goals?
Speaker 3 (37:06):
Winning the division is one of the first.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
Right, you think they want to see the Steelers be
aafsen or champs tech. No, they don't want to see that.
So the Ravens are playing and they're playing the Stars,
and they're they're playing the Zach Wrz said that I'm
not holding anything back from a defensive scheming, play calling standpoint.
We're going after now, which I think you hope for.
The ideal sentari in this game is you get out
to a pretty big lead and you pull the starters.
That's I think the hope, and I think the Ravens
(37:31):
have a decent chance of doing that. Look, the Browns
are dealing with issues at quarterback. We talked about the
other injuries. The primary ones at quarterback. Jamis Winston, who
beat the Ravens earlier this season, is dealing with a
shoulder injury. The reports are from Kevin Stefanski. The Browns
head coach that he will be the emergency third quarterback,
even though he's been limited in practice this week. That
(37:52):
leaves either Dorian Thompson Robinson, who's second year quarterback, or
Bailey Zappi, who hasn't started a game yet the season,
and as the Browns starting quarterback. I have a tough
time seeing with the way the Ravens are playing defense
right now, them scoring many points with those guys at quarterback,
and they should not, right And so thus I have
(38:13):
a tough time seeing how the Browns win this game
unless the Ravens were to beat themselves. If the Ravens
play their game, they should they should beat the Browns
pretty handily.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
Well, you go back to that game that they lost
to and now was Jameis Winston a quarterback, and he
has the ability to get hot, which he kind of
did in that game, and it's like, how do you
how do you lose a game that you are heavy
favorites to win.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
Well, Well, they dropped five interceptions in that game. I
mean that's I.
Speaker 1 (38:35):
Don't think it was quite five, but it was a lot.
Speaker 2 (38:38):
It was a number, and including one of the very
end of the game that would have just won it
and sealed it, and so I think that there's they
that's how you lose one of those games and you
make those mistakes. The Ravens have cleaned up. I think
that that type of play from a just mistake standpoint, like.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
They playing cleaner football.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
They have been over the past six weeks and especially
coming out of the bye week, when you play three
games in eleven days against tough opponents and the Ravens
are playing clean football. I think that those issues that
we saw against the Browns earlier this year, I don't
think those are going to creep up again in this game.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
Yep. Absolutely. The only the thing that I think you
have to watch is this Brown's defense can rise up
and be a really stingy, tough defense. It just can.
Like you get Miles Garrett, and if Miles Garrett plays,
which I assume he will in this game, he's always
capable of wreckon shop yep. And they are aggressive downhill,
they're gonna make you beat them. And now that aggress
in this you have to flip that and beat that.
(39:38):
But if you don't, it can be a long day
for you. Offensively, as good as the Ravens offense is
so they got to go out there and beat a physical, tough, good,
well coached brown team, and I think they will.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
The other part two on the for the Browns offense,
they have one of the other Pro Bowl wide receivers,
Jered Judy, had big time stats this year, put up
a lot.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Of especially near the end of the year. We said
what that one game was like three hundred yards something
some big.
Speaker 2 (39:59):
Time number this year. And so if you're looking at
their offense and now I know there's questions at quarterback,
which is the biggest thing for their offense, but just
keep Jerry Judy in check and don't let him get
the super hot the way he did in that game
where he put up monster stats. And so I think
that he's probably the biggest threat offensively for their group
and you need to keep him in check. And again,
(40:20):
the secondary's been playing really well, but that's I think
priority number one for the secondary.
Speaker 1 (40:25):
Yeah, I agree. It'll be a fun game. It's a
hats and T shirts game for the Ravens at M
and T Banks Stadium. Hope that we are wearing one
of those in the postgame press box, yes, and talking
about sizing it up and going into the playoffs, Healthy
and strong. That's the vision for the Ravens. So got
to take care of business and win that AFC North title.
Thanks for listening. As always, you can reach us at
(40:46):
the Lounge at Ravens dot NFL dot net and we
will be back with you after the game
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