Latest / AFR Saints / Ravens-Saints Preview: Jonas Shaffer Breaks Down Baltimore’s Injuries & Jesse Minter Era

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Ravens-Saints Preview: Jonas Shaffer Breaks Down Baltimore’s Injuries & Jesse Minter Era · AFR Saints

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• 0:26
  Speaker 1: it again. Try it again. I mean, first time I
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  Speaker 1: think we ever had a guy on the show named Jonas.
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  Speaker 1: So we're coming out with, my name is Jonas. Jonas
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  Speaker 1: Schaefer covers the Ravens for the Baltimore Banner. Thanks for
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  Speaker 1: the time, man. How are you?
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  Speaker 2: I'm doing well, guys. I'm sorry about that car situation here.
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  Speaker 2: I was going to say that I'm disappointed that you
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  Speaker 2: didn't have Jonas Banker on before you had Jonas Schaefer.
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  Speaker 1: You know, okay. That's, first of all, are you familiar
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  Speaker 1: with the song? Yes.
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  Speaker 2: I'm a 90s baby, so definitely.
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  Speaker 1: Same. So how old are you?
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  Speaker 2: I was born in 1990, so I just turned 36.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so you're there. So I'm 44, so big Weezer fan, obviously.
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  Speaker 1: That was high school for me, so love that. Great song,
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  Speaker 1: and it obviously came out, I think it was on
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  Speaker 1: the Blue Album right after Buddy Holly, so it was like,
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  Speaker 1: you always heard the beginning of My Name is Jonas
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  Speaker 1: because everybody listened to Buddy Holly. But anyway, have we
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  Speaker 1: had Sanker on the show? Now you have me thinking
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  Speaker 1: we might have had him on the show after he
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  Speaker 1: was drafted. but do we have a muse i'd have
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  Speaker 1: to go back and look that was a good draft.
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  Speaker 2: We got a lot of the guys on from that.
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  Speaker 1: Year jonas the thing is like i don't remember what
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  Speaker 1: i talked about five minutes ago i've done this for
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  Speaker 1: so long like i i have no shot of pulling
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  Speaker 1: like who i ever had on this show so uh
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  Speaker 1: maybe we have had jonas sanker i might have to
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  Speaker 1: stand corrected here and shame on me for not playing
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  Speaker 1: that song if we had jonas sanker we didn't play
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  Speaker 1: okay uh issue at hand saints ravens this weekend um Jonas,
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  Speaker 1: I would assume that the storyline has to be the
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  Speaker 1: wide receiver injuries there. Can you just catch us up
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  Speaker 1: on what's going on and how big of a deal
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  Speaker 1: that is for this team?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, today Ravens put Jacoby Lane, rookie third-round pick from USC,
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  Speaker 2: who probably had the best camp of any of the
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  Speaker 2: wide receivers on injury reserve with a wrist injury, so
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  Speaker 2: he's obviously going to be out for this one. At
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  Speaker 2: practice today, we did not see Zay Flowers, who left
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  Speaker 2: the game Sunday late in the second quarter with a
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  Speaker 2: hamstring injury, something he's been dealing with, you know, for
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  Speaker 2: the past, I guess, month or so. He kind of
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  Speaker 2: got a little bit nicked up in camp. And, you know,
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  Speaker 2: we thought he was 100% going into week one, but,
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  Speaker 2: you know, came up from that fifth final catch that
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  Speaker 2: he had with a little bit of tightness, it looked like,
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  Speaker 2: in that left hamstring. You know, the word out of
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  Speaker 2: the Ravens facility was like if it was a playoff game,
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  Speaker 2: He could have gone back in, but the fact that
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  Speaker 2: he's got a long season ahead, the fact that he
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  Speaker 2: wasn't practicing today, to me is a pretty pessimistic sign
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  Speaker 2: about his availability for Sunday's game in that home opener,
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  Speaker 2: which means that the Ravens' top receiver on paper is
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  Speaker 2: Rashad Bateman, who's a former first-round pick. but has really
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  Speaker 2: had kind of an up-and-down and more down career in Baltimore.
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  Speaker 2: Despite the Ravens going for 500 yards on Sunday, he
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  Speaker 2: did not have a single catch. The one that he did,
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  Speaker 2: it was called back because of a penalty. So it's
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  Speaker 2: a little bit of a tenuous situation. You know, Mark
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  Speaker 2: Andrews isn't what he once was as a tight end.
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  Speaker 2: Dave Flowers was doing a lot of heavy lifting on
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  Speaker 2: that offense last year and certainly on Sunday as well. So,
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  Speaker 2: you know, you have faith in this run game, I think,
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  Speaker 2: but it really does– to kind of give the Saints
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  Speaker 2: a little bit more optionality in terms of what they
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  Speaker 2: want to do coverage-wise.
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  Speaker 1: If you stay with the Ravens offense for a second
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  Speaker 1: before we flip it, I mean, I still see Lamar Jackson.
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  Speaker 1: I still see Derrick Henry. I still see an offense
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  Speaker 1: that should be really good, even with these injuries at receiver.
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  Speaker 1: Am I missing it?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, like, it is just kind of the
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  Speaker 2: big three coming into camp or coming into the season.
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  Speaker 2: It was Lamar. uh you know with Declan Doyle being
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  Speaker 2: the first time coordinator making a lot of headlines with
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  Speaker 2: all the play designs that he had in Sunday's game
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  Speaker 2: Derek Henry you know looks immortal still and they was
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  Speaker 2: averaging like 13 yards per outrun or something in Sunday's
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  Speaker 2: game before he got knocked out and that was enough
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  Speaker 2: to to carry that offense to like 300 plus yards
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  Speaker 2: of a total offense in that first half and you
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  Speaker 2: know things slowed down a little bit in the second
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  Speaker 2: half but they still put up a a couple of
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  Speaker 2: touchdowns there or one touchdown on a field goal. So
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  Speaker 2: it's just going to be a kind of open question
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  Speaker 2: as to what this passing game looks like if they,
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  Speaker 2: and Jacoby as well, are the missing.
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  Speaker 1: Odd that we didn't start with Jesse Minter. It was
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  Speaker 1: the first time in like two decades. It's not John Harbaugh.
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  Speaker 1: It's Jesse Minter. So the early results are really good
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  Speaker 1: when you go on the road and kick the hell
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  Speaker 1: out of Indianapolis. But what's it been like there in
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  Speaker 1: Baltimore with a change like this for the first time
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  Speaker 1: in two decades?
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  Speaker 2: It's been weird. It's been different. I think Jesse definitely
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  Speaker 2: has a different kind of temperament as a coach than
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  Speaker 2: John Harbaugh. Obviously, you know, a lot of this kind
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  Speaker 2: of Ravens school of defense was engineered under John Harbaugh,
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  Speaker 2: even though he himself is not the kind of defense
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  Speaker 2: of mine that Mike McDonald, you know, Wink Martindale, and
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  Speaker 2: now Jesse Minter all are. But I think he's given
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  Speaker 2: these Ravens more empowerment as a team. You know, they...
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  Speaker 2: They kind of moved training camp out of the beating sun.
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  Speaker 2: They shortened it. It does seem like a more player-friendly environment.
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  Speaker 2: Of course, I say that acknowledging that things can change
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  Speaker 2: if they hit a bit of a rough patch. But
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  Speaker 2: defensively is obviously where they've made their mark. They were
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  Speaker 2: lights out in the preseason without having to play really
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  Speaker 2: any starter. And then on Sunday, it wasn't a perfect
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  Speaker 2: day for that defense, especially run defense-wise. But I think
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  Speaker 2: the stat that I found was that was the fewest
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  Speaker 2: for a Daniel Jones start in Indy since he arrived there.
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  Speaker 2: And that's a pretty good way to kind of kick
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  Speaker 2: off your tenure.
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  Speaker 1: At Jonas underscore Schaefer. If you want to give him
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  Speaker 1: a follow, Baltimore banner covers the Ravens. The other thing
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  Speaker 1: that's interesting, Jonas, I didn't realize, I think I was
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  Speaker 1: maybe looking at your Twitter earlier today. I didn't realize
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  Speaker 1: the Ravens had just three wins at home last year.
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  Speaker 1: They were bad at home. What gives?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. That was a sore spot for John Harbaugh. I
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  Speaker 2: think maybe when he started to feel some of the pressure,
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  Speaker 2: some of the heat on him, I asked a question
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  Speaker 2: that I thought was kind of innocuous at the end
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  Speaker 2: of last year about just protecting their home turf because
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  Speaker 2: it was not pretty. I don't know how closely you
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  Speaker 2: guys followed their aides last year, but they got their
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  Speaker 2: butt kicked by the Texans in Baltimore in Week 5
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  Speaker 2: last year. Very rarely do you come to Baltimore. and
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  Speaker 2: blow the Ravens out. They had that game against the Patriots,
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  Speaker 2: I think, was their home finale. It was like a
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  Speaker 2: primetime game. They go up, you know, double digits. Then
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  Speaker 2: Lamar gets hurt with that back contusion. Drake May leads
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  Speaker 2: the comeback in the fourth quarter, and the Ravens lose
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  Speaker 2: the game that they really had to win. So there
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  Speaker 2: was a lot of talk today about just taking pride
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  Speaker 2: in restoring this home field advantage to MNC Bankspadia because
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  Speaker 2: going 3-6 last year, the worst mark in franchise history,
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  Speaker 2: you just really didn't feel– like this was the fortress
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  Speaker 2: that the Ravens wanted to be and expected to be.
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  Speaker 2: So I know, obviously, you know, with the kind of
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  Speaker 2: advances in modern medicine and technology and everything, like, you know,
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  Speaker 2: the Lions and Vegas are no longer plus three for
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  Speaker 2: a home game. It's closer to one and a half
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  Speaker 2: or two. But you still shouldn't ever, you know, go, what,
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  Speaker 2: 33% winning percentage when you're a team that talented as
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  Speaker 2: the Ravens were last year. So they're definitely looking to
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  Speaker 2: get off to a a better start on Sunday against Orlando.
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  Speaker 1: Saints have played in Baltimore just five times in their history.
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  Speaker 1: Saints are two and three there in Baltimore. They won
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  Speaker 1: back in 2002, and the last time they were there
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  Speaker 1: in 2018 with a great team that was no call
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  Speaker 1: away from making it to the Super Bowl. Let's flip
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  Speaker 1: and talk defense there in Baltimore. I mean, obviously, that's
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  Speaker 1: been the hallmark forever, and that's Jesse Minter's thing. So
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  Speaker 1: what do we know about this Ravens defensive unit, where
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  Speaker 1: the strengths are, and where they might be vulnerable?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. All through training camp, there was not really a
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  Speaker 2: lot of deep passes up the middle allowed. Kyle Hamilton
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  Speaker 2: is obviously one of the best nickelbacks in the entire NFL.
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  Speaker 2: Malachi Starks and Jalen Hawkins are really strong, solid safety duo.
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  Speaker 2: Roquan Smith had a great game at middle linebacker on Sunday.
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  Speaker 2: I think he was PSF's highest rated linebacker. He had
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  Speaker 2: a pick. Had like 11 tackles. He just kind of
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  Speaker 2: looked a little bit quicker, a little more athletic than
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  Speaker 2: he did last year when he did struggle a little
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  Speaker 2: bit in space. And then, you know, I think you
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  Speaker 2: feel good about where their cornerbacks are. Nate Wiggins did
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  Speaker 2: not have a great season last year. He got some
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  Speaker 2: off-season surgery that he felt like he really needed. Marlon
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  Speaker 2: Humphrey really had a strong bounce back week one after
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  Speaker 2: just having a dreadful 2025. He forced a fumble. So
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  Speaker 2: for me, just the questions are, can those guys hold
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  Speaker 2: up against someone like Chris Olave downfield? Ravens last year
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  Speaker 2: were one of the worst teams in the NFL. against
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  Speaker 2: downfield passes. And, you know, can this pass rush be
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  Speaker 2: enough to bother Tyler Shook? You know, Trey Hendrickson was
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  Speaker 2: missing practice today. I don't think it's anything too serious,
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  Speaker 2: but there really is a bit of a drop-off from
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  Speaker 2: him to that number two pass rusher. And we don't
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  Speaker 2: know if Dominic Matapike is going to be kicking his NFL,
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  Speaker 2: you know, comeback on Sunday. And if he does, I
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  Speaker 2: don't know if you can write it in stone that
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  Speaker 2: he's going to look anything like he did before he
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  Speaker 2: got hurt with that neck injury last year.
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  Speaker 1: Jonas, before you go, I mean, forever, we all got,
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  Speaker 1: and again, from the Saints and Ravens just play so infrequently.
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  Speaker 1: It was Justin Tucker forever as one of the greatest
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  Speaker 1: kickers in the history of the league. It's Tyler Loop
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  Speaker 1: now who won the job last year. If it comes
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  Speaker 1: down to a kick, which I don't know that it will,
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  Speaker 1: but if it does, how confident are they in Baltimore
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  Speaker 1: that they got their guy?
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  Speaker 2: I think even with him having a pretty nice Sunday,
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  Speaker 2: making a 50-plus yarder and another 40-plus yarder, if you
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  Speaker 2: were to take a straw poll of Ravens fans at
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  Speaker 2: M & T Bank Stadium at like 3.45 p.m. Eastern
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  Speaker 2: on Sunday, I think you would probably find more people
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  Speaker 2: pessimistic than optimistic. I mean, one of the kind of
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  Speaker 2: great ironies of how last year ended was that there
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  Speaker 2: were so many Ravens fans eager to push John Harbaugh
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  Speaker 2: out the door, but the way that it happened with
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  Speaker 2: Tyler Luke missing that kick against Pittsburgh as time expired. People,
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  Speaker 2: understandably so, have really helped just how that kick unfolded
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  Speaker 2: against him. So he didn't have a great preseason. The
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  Speaker 2: results in the preseason didn't really line up with what
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  Speaker 2: he was doing in training camp, where he was a
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  Speaker 2: lot more accurate. But if this season starts or continues
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  Speaker 2: like last season started as a rookie... then I think
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  Speaker 2: you can feel okay about him. You know, he needs
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  Speaker 2: to be better kicking conditions. I don't think he missed
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  Speaker 2: a kick last year until October, his longest kick of
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  Speaker 2: the year. Last year was week one. He had a
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  Speaker 2: career-long 57-yarder on Sunday. So with them cutting Jake Moody,
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  Speaker 2: I think that's somewhat of a sign that they feel
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  Speaker 2: pretty good about Luke, but there's still a widespread concern
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  Speaker 2: a sense of agitation and unease that the Ravens didn't
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  Speaker 2: do more to address that position after how last year
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  Speaker 2: ended the title loop.
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  Speaker 1: Jonas Schaefer covers the Ravens for the Baltimore banner, Saints-Ravens Sunday,
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  Speaker 1: noon central. See if the Saints can go get on
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  Speaker 1: the board. It's going to be tough. They're an eight-and-a-half
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  Speaker 1: point dog. Jonas, we appreciate it, man. Thank you for
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  Speaker 1: the time. Thanks, guys.
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  Speaker 2: Appreciate you having me on.
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  Speaker 1: It's our pleasure.