September 11, 2025 • 42 mins
Former Ravens TE Dennis Pitta joins team insiders Ryan Mink and Garrett Downing to talk about Joe Flacco's return to Baltimore with the Browns, why Flacco is still playing at 40 years old, how the transition from Flacco to Lamar Jackson went down, and share more stories.
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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 thrilled to sit
down with Dennis Pitta, the Raven's former tight end and
of course good friend to Joe Flacco. So you know,
we asked, and good friend of the Lounge and good
friend of Lounge, Dennis has had a number of appearances
on the Lounge.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
So Dennis, good to have you.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
We asked to get Joe.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
On the on the pod, and he declined, you know,
he's got a I guess he's got something important going
on this week.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I don't know. So we got his proxy.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
We got Dennis, who's like basically like the second best
thing to get in.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Joe on the pod. Yeah, so thanks for joining us,
Bundy anytime.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
You know, I'm glad that I'm best known as just
Joe Flacco's friend out there in Baltimore. Here's the thing,
I'm proud of you too, because man, it's been a
lot of years since I've been on this podcast, and
I've been on a handful of times. You know, this
has been a cute little podcast. I didn't think you
guys would make it this far and I've just impressed
(01:06):
this thing still going on, to be honest.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
Well, also the jokes haven't changed either.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
I think we've probably used that same joke previously what
we've had you on, so the jokes just keep getting
recycled over and over.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Now I don't think I've ever used that one. This
is all new material here. But you know, I didn't
think this would last. I mean I didn't think you
too what it took to make it in the podcast business.
Speaker 6 (01:27):
But to find the odds, baby, you guys are still here.
So proud of you too.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Thank you, Dennis, thank you, thank you, thank you, and
excited to have you come back for the Ravens' thirtieth
anniversary celebrations. So just you know, how pumped are you
for the game to come back and see a bunch
of the guys.
Speaker 6 (01:45):
Yeah, I'm excited.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
I mean, we live all the way on the opposite
side of the country and so getting to games is
never easy, but we always like to get out to one.
Speaker 6 (01:56):
Or two games every year.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
And I'm bringing my son and he he's twelve years
old now playing tackle football for the first time. So
you know, he loves the Ravens. He loves Lamar Jackson.
He's so excited to go, so it certainly means a
lot to him. And that's that's the most fun part
about it now, going back to the games and being
able to take him around and you know, give him,
(02:18):
give him a great experience at M and T Bank Stadium.
And it just so happens that the Ravens are playing,
you know, an old friend of mine, Joe Flacca, Joe's
first return to M and T Bank Stadiums and see
left for Denver, you know how many years ago. And
it's crazy that of all the teams that he's been on,
he's never played, you know, back in Baltimore. And he's
(02:39):
played Baltimore you know before a few times, but always at.
Speaker 6 (02:43):
Home with whatever team he was with. So this is cool.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
I mean, I know, Joe. I talked to Joe just
the other day. He has like fifty family members coming
to this game because it's the one opportunity I think
most of his family's going to be able to come
and see him play. So there's gonna be a good
little Joe flack go cheering section up up somewhere in
the stadium. And I'll certainly be you know, hoping for
(03:06):
Joe to do well. But I would not want to
see this Ravens team at home right now given the
latest debacle up in Buffalo. So it's going to be
tough sledding I think for the Browns this week.
Speaker 5 (03:22):
Yeah, you know, I do want to ask you more
about Joe, but just before we do that, in terms
of coming back to this game as part of the
thirtieth season celebration, Like, how cool is it for you
to have your place in Ravens's history and to be
part of a team that is celebrating that, Like you
were part of creating the history. It's still a relatively
young franchise, but now we're getting into this territory where
(03:44):
like you have some of these historical moments, many of
which you're a part of, and it's a team that's
now celebrating this relatively recent history.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
You need to be part of it.
Speaker 6 (03:55):
Yeah, it's always special.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
I mean when you look back at some of the
things that our teams were able to ACCOMPLI obviously the
Super Bowl win was was incredible. Being able to bring
a Super Bowl back to Baltimore for the second time.
Is it's something that you know will always be a
really special part of my life and certainly you know,
in Raven's history. So we had our what was it,
(04:17):
ten year reunion of that Super Bowl team a few
years ago out in Baltimore, and man, it was so
fun to be able to get back with that group
and celebrate those moments, those wins through the playoffs, obviously
that win in the Super Bowl, and and.
Speaker 6 (04:33):
Just be with those guys again.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
I mean, we're we're forever linked with each other because
of that win.
Speaker 6 (04:39):
And I just think that's.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Really cool when you finished playing football and you two
would never understand any of this because you didn't play football.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
So hey, oh, come on, Saint Matthew's sixth and seventh grade.
That was that was elite competition back there in Columbus, Ohio.
Speaker 6 (04:56):
Have you guys ever played organized sports in any My
guess would be no. But but that's besides the point.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
So when you when you're part of a team, there's
nothing like it when you win with with a team,
I mean, the camaraderie, the relationships, all that is just
it's it's amazing. And so the hardest thing I think
when you retire from football is not being a part
of that team. And shoot, I've been retired since twenty seventeen.
(05:25):
How many years is that. You guys are good at math,
making it more like math people.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
That's where we weren't playing organized sports if we were
doing math.
Speaker 7 (05:33):
Yeah, you know, it's been a it's been eight or
nine seasons now since since I was playing, which feels
like a lifetime ago, to be completely honest, it's been.
Speaker 6 (05:44):
Almost a decade now.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
But man, you miss being a part of that team
and being in the locker room and the camaraderie and
all that stuff. So anytime you get to come back
and be around those guys, it's really special. And I'm
excited to go out there. There's going to be you know,
a bunch of guys out there, and uh, you know,
obviously being able to go and support Joe and see
him coming back to M and T Banks Stadium and
(06:08):
see the reception. I think he's going to be welcomed
with open arms, to be completely honest, because you know,
Joe did a lot of good things in Baltimore, and
it's not like him leaving was controversial or he kind
of forced his way out or anything.
Speaker 6 (06:21):
I think Joe wanted to be a Baltimore Raven for life.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
And circumstances, you know, out of his control changed that,
and you know, rightfully so that I think the Ravens
obviously made the right move at that point in Joe's career,
moving off of him and going to Lamar. He would
he would certainly agree with that himself. But man, I
think he's going to be welcomed with open arms. I'm
excited for this game.
Speaker 5 (06:44):
Yeah, I mean, I think that hearing him talk this week,
he talked about how he's still got love for the
team and the city and the fans, and I think
that I certainly think he's going to get cheers. And
there's still a lot of people that you know, love
Flacco and and you know, he's got a he's got
his place in Ravens history, there's no doubt about it.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Are you definitely going to get cheered?
Speaker 6 (07:02):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (07:02):
I mean a couple of years ago when the Browns
were going into the twenty twenty three playoffs and like
there was Joe was red hot, and there was a
chance that the Browns and the Ravens were gonna meet in.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
The playoffs and have to face Joe.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Like I remember, I remember Ravens fans like being angry
to other Ravens fans for like cheering for Joe and
the Browns. They were like, god, like we might have
to face this dude, like why are you rooting for
Joe flatka, Like it was a big debate, like do
we root for him?
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Do we not? Like it's it's crazy.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
They beat the Texans, they were gonna come play in Baltimore, right,
I mean I was. I was rooting hard for that
to happen because I was gonna go to that game
and that was gonna be really really cool, especially with
everything at stake Joe. That would have been Joe's first
return back to Baltimore since he left, and in the
playoffs with the Cleveland brown I mean, it's just it
was kind of.
Speaker 6 (07:48):
You know, too good to be true.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
But unfortunately they they didn't get it done and that
didn't happen, so we had to wait a couple more
years to see that matchup. But I'm certainly excited to
see him come back, and yeah, I think people are
going to be cheer and for him. I think you're
gonna see a lot of dusted off old five jerseys.
Speaker 6 (08:05):
Around the stadium for this one. It's gonna be cool.
Speaker 5 (08:08):
Yeah, I agree, I also give Joe a lot of
credit because I think that like part of the reason.
Obviously the super Bowl and the success that he had
here is the main reason, but like part of the
reason I think there's still such good feelings towards Joe
is like when it ended like it was, it was
amicable on both sides, to the point that you talked
about and like in a lot of situations like that's
not the case, Like it gets nasty for a lot
(08:30):
of guys at the end of careers, especially when you
have like the new guy that comes in, and but
Joe is like a true professional during that time, and
him and Lamar are like like they have a great
deal of respect for each other. And Lamar talked about
that this week too, and I think that that's like
that speaks I think to the type of guy that
Joe is, and part of the reason that there's this
good the feelings towards him are still so positive.
Speaker 6 (08:52):
I think, Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I think you know, anytime there's a break like that
from the long time face of the franchise, it can
be tricky. It's like, you know, I compare this to
probably your dating life, Garrett, like you probably always would
say that the breakup was mutual, when in reality you
were getting jumped left and right by the girl.
Speaker 6 (09:13):
So, like, you know, I think in this case, it
truly was mutual.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
And I think you know, Joe knew, especially after they
drafted Lamar in the first round. You know, he saw
the writing on the wall. I mean, we we had
conversations about it. He knew that at some point they
were going to turn to Lamar and his time in
Baltimore was going to be done.
Speaker 6 (09:32):
And that's just the nature of the beast.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
And so you know, I think he handled it professionally,
like you said, and and it truly was kind of
a mutual separation.
Speaker 6 (09:42):
In this case.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
And so you know, he he went to a place
in Denver that he thought he would be able to
have some success and and the Ravens, you know, traded
him there and thinking it would be a good.
Speaker 6 (09:51):
Good match for both parties.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
And you know, Joe, four or five teams later, you know,
is on the Cleveland Browns of all of all places
and doing well. So you know, it's amazing to me
that Joe's still playing. To be completely honest, He's forty
years old and still throws it as well as I've
ever seen him. And you know, I don't know if
he's running around quite as much as he used to,
not that he was ever a runner by any means,
(10:15):
but man, he can still spin it, so it's fun
to watch.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Yeah, I was going to ask you that, are you
surprised that he's still playing this long? Like I thought
when he went to Denver and you know, it didn't
really work out great in Denver. I honestly remember saying
to Garrett, probably once, Joe's not a starter. I think
that he probably just hangs it up. Like, I don't
know that Joe's going to like hang around and be
(10:39):
a backup. You know, guy's got five kids, Like he
wants to be with his family. But but maybe the
five kids are the reason why he's still playing. I've
also like had that idea, like, so, are you surprised
that he's still, yeah, hanging around at forty years old?
Speaker 3 (10:56):
I mean part of me's surprised, Yeah, because I know
Joe's a prideful person and he always believes he's, you know,
the best quarterback in whatever room he's in, and which
is a good thing which has served him well throughout
his career and I think I think you have to
be that way to play that position.
Speaker 6 (11:14):
So I think I never.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Envisioned him, you know, going a long stretch kind of
as a backup and bounce around teams and that kind
of stuff. But man, tis credit. He has always said like,
I'm going to play as long as I can, and
I don't.
Speaker 6 (11:26):
Know that I ever believed him.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
But shooting, he's forty years old now and he's still going.
And I think, you know, having five kids at home
might be a little bit of motivation to keep playing.
Speaker 6 (11:38):
But here's the thing too, that you forget, like.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Joe's kids are now, he's got a thirteen year old,
a twelve or eleven year old, ten year old. I mean,
he's got you know, pretty much eddy every age at
this point. But he's got a bunch of boys that
love football. And there's nothing cooler than being able to
play in the NFL and have your boys come and
watch you and cheer you on and be.
Speaker 6 (12:02):
A part of that experience.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
And man, my son was four years old when I
retired in Baltimore, and if you know, if I could
still be playing now when he's twelve and he's playing
football himself, I mean that would just be the coolest
thing ever, in my opinion, And so I think there's
some kind of motivation there for him to like be
(12:26):
able to have his sons have this experience of him
playing in the NFL and be able to remember it.
Because my son he vaguely remembers kind of coming to
the games when he was four, but he doesn't really
really know what it was like. And so he knows
now that I've been retired going to the games, and
I don't think my son knows how good he has it,
because when we go back to games, you know, I've
(12:48):
been the legend of the game at times.
Speaker 6 (12:49):
We've been staying in the in the.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Tunnel next to Lamar and Odell Beckham and all these
crazy dudes. He's standing right next to him, like getting
ready to run out of the tunnel behind him, and
it's like, you know, he thinks that's normal.
Speaker 6 (13:03):
Life at this point.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
But how cool would it be if I was suited
up being able to still play and he was a
part of that.
Speaker 6 (13:09):
And I think I think that's some motivation.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
For Joe too, because you know that as a father,
you want to be the hero for your kids and
you want them to look up to you, and I
think you know that that's probably some level of motivation
for him as well.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
What's funny.
Speaker 5 (13:24):
CBS did that piece with Joe and his family this
offseason going into the year with the Deity, and I
cracked up at Joe's kids trash talking him. I forget
his oldest son's name, but he was like, my dad stinks.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Oh and that's and that's one of the best parts
of it because yeah, I saw that video too, and
I was laughing because his son, Daniel, he's actually the
second youngest, and you know, they just they just kind
of beat up on Joe left and right. But that's
what's so cool about it. It's like, yeah, my dad's
a backup. He stinks and he gets home. Why did
you throw that interception? Why did you do this? Why
did you do that? You know, deep downis side they
(13:58):
you know, they have a ton of admiration for him,
and you know, are so impressed by what he does.
But like, man, there's nothing better than just having your
kids bust on you for a couple of mistakes on
the field.
Speaker 6 (14:08):
And that that was funny. I enjoyed that one.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
And you know, I think his kids they put on
a good show, but they love being out there and
watching him play.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
What do you think Joe's emotions are like going into
this game.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yeah, it's a good question. I think you know, Joe's
never going to say, man, this is this is pretty cool,
this is big, this is whatever. He'll never admit that,
whether he believes it or not. And I think he
believes it.
Speaker 6 (14:34):
I think he knows it's gonna be It's gonna be
a great.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Environment to come back to Baltimore, to have the opportunity
to play in M and T Banks Stadium in front
of our home fans, I'll be in a different jersey.
Speaker 6 (14:46):
I think this is gonna be a special game for him.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
And you know, I don't expect the Browns to amount
to much when it comes to this matchup, to be
completely honest, I think this is gonna be a tough
matchup for them. But man, I think I think it's
gonna be a special day and he'll never admit that.
I'll admit it for him, but I think he's looking
forward to it.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
And for you, just knowing that you're gonna be watching
the game, is it at all kind of a weird
feeling for you? Like this is a guy that you
caught touchdown passes from, you won a Super Bowl with,
and now you're watching him in a Browns uniform, which
is gonna be weird to see in person. Of course
I've seen it on TV, but it's gonna be weird
to see him taking the field at Mt.
Speaker 4 (15:22):
Bay Stadium in a Browns uniform. Like what are are?
Speaker 3 (15:25):
Are?
Speaker 4 (15:25):
Are there any emotions or thoughts that you have about
seeing the thing playout on Sunday?
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Yeah, it's always weird for me when I'm watching Joe
on Sundays. And then you know, I talked to him
during the week and we're kind of breaking down what
happened in the game or just talking about whatever, and
and I'm like, dude, I cannot believe you're still playing, because,
like I said earlier, it feels like a lifetime ago
that I was taking the field playing with him on Sundays,
and so man, those times were special and it was
(15:51):
so much fun. But you know, I can't even remember
what it was like to take a hit or be
out there and run around and do all that kind
of stuff, and he's still doing it. And my wife
and I were just talking the other day as we
were watching the Ravens play on Sunday night, and we
were thinking, Man, how many of these guys did I
play with? And Ronnie Stanley I think was the only
(16:13):
one that you know, I think in my last year,
what year was Ronnie drafted?
Speaker 4 (16:17):
He was he was drafted in sixteen. Was your last
year sixteen or seventeen?
Speaker 3 (16:21):
My last year was sixteen, So maybe I was only
with Ronnie for like an off season before I got hurt,
But I do remember being with Ronnie for just a
little bit, and then I think he's the last standing
Raven now that our old kicker departed this last offseason
(16:41):
that I played with, which is crazy, and so it
just speaks to how old and how long I've been retired.
But man, it's you know, the team's totally different, but
it's crazy. You know, there's just some guys that I
still play at you know, you think about Kyle Yuschek
in the forty nine ers, who I played with for
four years, and and Morgan Cox in in Tennessee still
(17:04):
long snapping. We came in together as rookies and uh
and obviously Joe still still going at it. So there's
there's still a handful of guys that I played with.
Speaker 6 (17:12):
Around the league, but you know, not many.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
So it's it's it's fun to watch them, but also
takes me back to those days and a lot of
motions come up and it's gonna be you know, one
where I I watched Joe out there and thinking, man,
you know, I wish I could I could take the
field one more time and be able to play with
those guys out there.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
I think that there's like, uh, I think there's a
thirty percent chance that you could still catch a touchdown
from Joe.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
What do you think?
Speaker 3 (17:39):
Oh, I could definitely still catch a touchdown? Could I
could I? Could I take a hit? Probably not? Could
I uh? Could I last more than one play? Probably not?
Speaker 6 (17:53):
Could I block anybody? Definitely not.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Yeah, but I could get you throw me one up,
I'm gonna go catch it, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Can you tell me the story of the night that
that Lamar Jackson was drafted and the scene in the
basement I believe of Joe Flacco's house.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
You were in there with some.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Pals I think, and Joe and uh, yeah, tell me
tell me that story.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
Yeah, So, so we were sitting around, we were at
Joe's house, we weren't in the basement. We were just
sitting in the living room and our you know, our
kids were running around playing, our wives were probably in
the kitchen talking. Joe and I were sitting there on
the couch watching the first round of the draft, which
would have been what Thursday night.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
And.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
The Ravens drafted our tight end friend I'm totally forgetting,
all right, they draft Hayden Hurst and kind of we
and we knew going into this draft, like there was
some rumors that the Ravens might take a quarterback and
we didn't know how high.
Speaker 6 (19:01):
We didn't know what the case was going to be.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
But you know, the last couple of seasons hadn't been
the way that we wanted them to be in Baltimore.
And I had since been retired at this point, but
you know, we weren't consistently making the playoffs the last
couple of years.
Speaker 6 (19:17):
That we had been accustomed to doing, and so.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Joe wasn't getting any younger, and you know, who would
have thought he's still here playing now. But at the time,
you know, they we just knew that there was a
decent chance they were going to take a quarterback, and
they draft Hayden Hurst in the first round, and I
think we both look at each other and like, well,
doesn't look like they're going to take a quarterback. And yeah,
sure they might have taken one in later rounds, but
but there's a difference when you take a first round
(19:41):
quarterback versus yeah, you know, a second, third, fourth, you
know later in the draft opiction.
Speaker 6 (19:46):
Sure, you guys know.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
So we didn't talk a lot about it, but we
were just like, ah, it doesn't look like they're taking
a quarterback. And I'm sure there was a little bit
of relief on Joe's Joe's side, just you know, by
the nature of the beast in this business. And we're
not totally paying attention to the draft. We're kind of talking,
doing other things whatever, messing around with our kids, and
then all of a sudden, you see something flash across
(20:09):
the screen that the Ravens traded back in to the
first round with a thirty second pick. And we won't
look at each other like uh oh, because at that.
Speaker 6 (20:21):
Point, you know they're coming up for one reason.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
It's not for a left tackle, it's not for a corner,
it's not they're coming back into the first round to
take a quarterback, and sure enough, the pick goes in
Lamar Jackson gets taken, and Joe looks at me and
he just starts laughing, and we've both started just like
dying laughing. For whatever reason, that was kind of our reaction.
And you know, I don't know why we were laughing.
(20:48):
I think you know, at that point, shoot, they draft
Lamar Jackson, and Joe knew what that meant, you know,
and he didn't know how many seasons he would have
left in Baltimore. He probably thought he at least had
one more full season, maybe another, depending on Lamar's development
and all that. But man, he just started laughing because
because you know what that means. And you know, Joe
(21:10):
never takes anything too serious, I think, which is a
redeeming quality for him as a quarterback. And you guys know,
whether he throws a pick and or throws a touchdown,
he goes and sits in the same spot on the
bench and has kind of the same stoke look on
his face, and he can never really read what he's
what he's thinking, or what he's doing, and so you know,
for him to just kind of laugh at that moment
(21:30):
just speaks to you.
Speaker 6 (21:32):
Know, he understands the business.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
He understands how it goes, and he never takes it,
you know, too seriously.
Speaker 6 (21:37):
But you know, I think.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
It was just an interesting time because he knew that
the changing the guard was kind of upon him. And
uh and and like we said earlier, I think he
handled it with a ton of glass. He handled it
the right way. And a lot of quarterbacks could have
gone in the next day and and you know, demanded
a trade or done something crazy and you know, pounded
(22:03):
their fists on the table and said, why are we
taking a quarterback?
Speaker 6 (22:06):
We need you know, this or this or this.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
Joe was never that way. He understood, you know, his
place and his role. And he did so many incredible
things for Baltimore and and brought them a championship and
all that kind of stuff. And he'll always be, you know,
a massive star and legend in Baltimore. And I think
what makes it that much better is that he was
(22:29):
able to kind of walk away at the right time
for Baltimore for them to be able to take the
next step, and you know, he was able to continue
his career and he's still going. So yeah, I mean
that was kind of that night, and it was just
it was a it was a wild draft night, but
you know, Joe.
Speaker 6 (22:48):
Handled it well.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Yeah, well I think too. You know, he laughed in
that moment.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
But I remember sitting him down with him in that
training camp, you know, leading up to that season, the
twenty eighteen season, and you know, he's he's a competitive
dude too, Like, don't get twisted about Joe because he's
so like chill and nonchalant and all that, like, and
that's part of why he's playing at forty two, is like,
this is a competitive guy and he wanted to show like, hey,
(23:14):
I'm gonna hold off Lamar Jackson for as long as
I possibly can, you know, and uh, if it weren't
for the hip injury, he might have he would have
probably for longer.
Speaker 6 (23:23):
You know.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
It's kind of crazy how things worked out. But I
think that that like competitive side of Joe, even that
came out during that like twenty eighteen season, is part
of the reason why he's still playing at forty years old.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
You know, yeah, I agree, And let's not talk about
hip injuries. It's just it's still too soon, Okay. Funny
that it's funny that, you know, hip injuries ended my
career in Baltimore and a hip injury potentially ended Joe's
career in Baltimore.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
That is kind of you too, very different, very different
than connected.
Speaker 6 (23:53):
Literally quite literally.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
Yeah, I will venture to say my hip injuries were
worse than Joe's.
Speaker 6 (23:58):
Yes, I think that's accurate. I think that's accurate.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
So what are you up to?
Speaker 6 (24:01):
You? Man?
Speaker 1 (24:02):
You're you're still a fan favorite favorite of ours. How's
life treating you, Dennis?
Speaker 3 (24:06):
Oh, It's been great. I can't complain. And I live
in southern California. We're in San Clementy, California, and man,
I am like a full time Pop Warner football coach,
high school football coach. It's a lot. My afternoons are
slammed right now this fall, and I go from one
practice to the next, and I'm as busy as I've
(24:27):
ever been and not getting paid for any of it, unfortunately.
So it's so much fun though, I being able to
coach my son. This is his first year of tackle football.
He's twelve years old.
Speaker 6 (24:39):
Now is he playing tight end? He does not play
tight end. He plays quarterback.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
Okay, all right, you know when.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
You're young, I told him, when you're young, when you're
playing Pop warner. You want to be the quarterback because
the balls in your hands every play. When you play
tight end, you're just basically a glorified blocker at this level.
So you don't want to be a tight end. Even
in high school, you don't want to tight end. You
want to be a receiver. You don't want to be
stuck on the line. And so, yeah, he plays quarterback.
(25:07):
It's it's so much fun. I'm I'm the offensive coordinator
for his team, and so, you know, the coordinator quarterback
relationship is important. He pushes back a lot with my coaching.
He doesn't he doesn't think I know what I'm talking about,
which you know, at times I do. At times I
feel like I'm overqualified for this position. But it's it's
(25:28):
so much fun and watching him run around and play
and man, his first experience with tackle. It's it's cool
because he's been dying to play tackle for several years
now and I've been holding them off, like, dude, you
got time.
Speaker 6 (25:40):
Just wait.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
We've been playing flag football. He also plays a million
other sports, basketball and baseball, and.
Speaker 6 (25:46):
Been playing soccer.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
So I'm trying to get him to do to do
everything but football, just you know, being around it so
much with me and my career. He's always wanted to
play tackle, and so I finally let him this year.
Speaker 6 (25:59):
I think.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
I think when I was young, when I was twelve,
sixth grade is when I started playing, and so I said,
when you get to that age, you can play too.
But he was, he was excited to play. He's number
eight in honor of Lamar Jackson, and you know, he's
he is running around there, not quite to the extent
(26:21):
that Lamar Jackson is able to do, but he likes
to run around and pretend he's Lamar.
Speaker 6 (26:28):
So it's it's so much fun and I'm enjoying it.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
That's awesome.
Speaker 5 (26:32):
Well, well, maybe the goal here is maybe if he
becomes a tight end at some point, the goal is
for Flacco to play long enough so that he can
catch passes.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
He can throw passes to another pit in the NFL.
Speaker 5 (26:44):
He's got fifty year old Flacco out there, fifty five
years old throwing passes to your son.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
That's that's the new goal that we haven't plays here.
Speaker 6 (26:52):
Yeah, that that's a lofty goal. You know. It's like
it's like the lebron and Bronnie.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
James thing exactly, except I'm not playing, so I got
to get my son to play with some old TV. Yeah,
it feels like a sad version of that, but yeah,
I guess that's something to aspire to. I mean, if
Joe's still playing, my son's got a lot of years loud.
He's probably got ten more years till he But Joe's
going to be fifty seven records.
Speaker 6 (27:20):
I don't know if.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
I don't know if that one's going to come to fruition,
but certainly something to aspire to.
Speaker 6 (27:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (27:27):
Man, well, look, it's it's great to chat you.
Speaker 5 (27:30):
You might have the record for the most podcast appearances
here on the Lounge, so that.
Speaker 6 (27:34):
Right, I haven't got it in It might be it
might be eight years.
Speaker 4 (27:38):
No, we've had you, SI, we've had you six you.
Speaker 6 (27:40):
Got to I don't know about that.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
It's been a minute, but it's been a minute.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
But you are a favorite, real guess you've had a
real guests over the last eight years to keep this
thing afloat.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
Yeah, no, we have it anyway, Thanks for joining that.
It's it's always a pleasure, man.
Speaker 6 (27:56):
All right, guys, good to see you.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
All right, I see.
Speaker 5 (27:58):
Sunday, Welcome back into the Lounge Podcast for coming to you
from the Sea Keep Studio. We also want to mention
our partners with Draftking sports Book. They are an official
sports betting partner of the Baltimore Ravens Draftking Sports Book.
The Crown is yours, big, big thanks to Dennis Pitta.
You know, he's an okay guest.
Speaker 4 (28:14):
That's all right. You know, usually we say it's.
Speaker 5 (28:15):
I love talking to Pitt. I we'ld love connecting with
these guys. He's okay, he's fair, he's an average guest.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
He's awesome, he's great. That was a lot of fun.
Speaker 5 (28:26):
Yeah, it was fine, and uh, it'll be fun to
have him back along with a number of Ravens legends.
Speaker 6 (28:31):
Again.
Speaker 5 (28:32):
This game on Sunday is our celebration of our thirtieth
season uh here in Baltimore. So there's a lot of
festivities that are planned for that, including Ozzie Newsom, of course,
a longtime general manager who drafted both Joe Flacco and
Lamar Jackson. Ye along with Ray Lewis, Jonathan Ogden, and
Ozzie's going to be the legend of the game and
be introduced alongside ray Lewis and Jonathan in the first
(28:54):
two picks in franchise history, So that should be a
great moment. A lot of really fun stuff planned for
the games, So make sure you're in the stadium, in
the stadium early and give the team a great home
field of Vandis because they're gonna be fired up and
this is an important game for the Ravens to get
back on track after a disappointing loss on Sunday. So
just big picture wise, as you look at this game,
(29:15):
what do you think stands out as what the Ravens
in terms of what the Raves need to do to
get a win.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
Yeah, I mean the defense obviously needs to have a
rebound performance coming off of that that brutal fourth quarter
in Buffalo. I expect that that they will. You know,
I think that as we just got done talking about,
Joe Flacco can sling the ball, and he has some
good weapons, you know, Jerry Judy, David Njoku, the tight end,
(29:41):
you know, and so it's by no means a slouch
of an opponent. Like I think that they have enough
weapons to give you problems. You know, their running game,
their rookie running back quin Quinn Sewn Judkins is still
not on the field right, But like Dylan Samson was
a really good receiver out of the backfield. Like they
(30:01):
might come in here and Joe might throw the ball
fifty times. Wouldn't surprise me. I think last time, last
time the Ravens face Strove Flaco up in New York,
he threw it fifty nine, I think, right, And so
it wouldn't surprise me if they just try to air
it out against the Ravens, especially coming off that fourth
quarter where that's what Josh Allen did.
Speaker 4 (30:22):
Well in the opener.
Speaker 5 (30:23):
He was thirty one of forty five, two and ninety
passing yards, a touchdown, two interceptions, or pointing out that
both those interceptions bounced off for his receiver's hands.
Speaker 4 (30:33):
He was good in the opener. You know, I watched
that game. He looks good. He moved the ball.
Speaker 5 (30:38):
Probably should have won that game if those interceptions, you know,
don't get picked off and the receivers hold onto the
ball there. So again, he threw the ball forty five
times in their opener.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
Yeah, so this is what Joe does.
Speaker 5 (30:48):
I would be surprised by that to a degree, like
it would be I would. I just think that like schematically,
the Browns, like they they do want to be a
team that like establishes the run and gets the play
act working like that is when they're at their best.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
And so they don't have their their best running back
on they.
Speaker 4 (31:05):
Don't they don't have him.
Speaker 5 (31:06):
They have their own forward, you know, who's been a
thousand yard rusher a couple of years ago. So like
they you know, there's missing Judkins, who was the second
round pick. But I still just think that like Kevin
Stefanski wants, he wants to be able to run the football.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
He wants to, but I don't think they're going to
find a whole lot of success on the ground against
this Ravens defense. And it would not surprise me if
then they they just they just pivot.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
And they just pivot.
Speaker 5 (31:28):
Well, guy, the guy that you know, I would definitely
think that is certainly the Ravens in the past. And
I think that you got to have a close eye
on him is David Nijoku said tight end.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
He's been he's been a problem.
Speaker 4 (31:39):
He's been a problem.
Speaker 5 (31:40):
And as we know, uh as evidenced by the guy
we just talked to, Flacco loves stones to the tight end.
And so I think that Nijoku is going to be
a player to watch.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
Well, they have a rookie tight end, Harold fannin junior
who led them in targets last week.
Speaker 5 (31:52):
Yeah, he was like, oh okay, fact Flacco has the
guy that he's likes to throw to and like it was,
it was he got a lot of action, so he
could be someone as well.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Yep, yep.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
Now, if the Browns do go pass heavy offensively over
the course of this game, this is a game where
the Ravens pass rush needs to get cranked up. No
if stands or butts about it. This is not Josh
Allen back there, not nearly the mobility question. You know,
rush lanes were of incredible importance against the Bills. The
Ravens had too many letdowns in that department and letting
(32:24):
him get out. You're not really worried about Joe Flacco
taking off and running at forty years old, and so
this I think the Browns offensive line, you know, there's
has some question marks there. So this is a game
where I think the Ravens pass rush needs see it
get going.
Speaker 4 (32:41):
I think so too.
Speaker 5 (32:42):
I mean, look like Josh Allen is one of the
most mobile and elusive players in the NFL. Getting out
of out of the backfield and extending plays, and he's
pretty unique.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Like ridiculous how many times he was like in the
middle of a crowd last Sunday and you and I
were like, get down and it.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
Just pops out.
Speaker 5 (32:59):
Him and Lamar are probably the top two right in
that category. Mahomes is really good at it too, But
like those guys are at the top of the list,
and flac goes not at the top of the list,
And so I think that like this is an opportunity
for the past rush to get to him now. I
also think, as has been a talking point in discussion
over the course of this week, as past rush integrity,
sticking to your pass rush lanes, kind of sticking to
(33:21):
your assignment on those and so I think that that's
going to be part of the conversation for these pass rushers.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
But but it's a different assignment that it is a
different That was the game plan going into Buffalo, and
it was you know, executed to varying degrees. That's just
a different it's a different, different assignment in this game.
And so I think it was a Dafoe who I
was talking to this week and he put it as
you know, the pass rushers can be a little more greedy, right.
Speaker 4 (33:46):
I think that's a fair way of looking at it.
Speaker 5 (33:48):
And you know, they they they are going to have
They're going to be counted on, and I do think
that this is a chance that they could they can
make an impact, a big impact in this game. So yeah,
Oway is a guy that comes to mind as as
the potential of having a nice game and be curious
to see if Mike Green gets any increase and snaps
(34:09):
from what he saw from week one till we two.
Speaker 7 (34:11):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (34:12):
The other thing I'll point out too, just in terms
of the secondary, I'm sure the secondary has seen the
comments from Jerry Judy this week, who was asked about
The question to him was what kind of challenge does
the Ravens secondary pose? And he said, no challenge, And
so I'm sure that quote has made its way into
the Ravens locker room and to that secondary. But beyond
(34:34):
what Jerry Judy says, the secondary is focused on cleaning
up the mistakes that they had against Buffalo, and Marlon
Humphrey was you know, pretty critical and pretty blunt and
honest in his time with the media this week and
talking about how the Ravens need to be a more
mature team was the phrasing that he said, and they
and basically, if you're not playing well, you're not gonna
(34:55):
be playing for long.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
And that was the message that Zach Orr and John
hart Well delivered to them, was, you know, last year,
it took till mid season to get this thing corrected.
It ain't gonna be till the middle of the year
this season to get it corrected. There's gonna be changes
made faster than that. So if you're not playing well
and doing the right things, and you know, Marlon was
pretty explicit in saying, like we were in the right
(35:18):
calls for a lot of those those big Bills plays,
we just didn't play them well. And so if if
you're not executing the call, you're going to be executing
it on the bench.
Speaker 5 (35:30):
And so I think that was seemed like a pretty
blunt and honest message in conversation amongst the team. And
you know, Kyle van Noy also said the team defense
of the defense went out to a team dinner, which
you know was on the books, but they you know,
they had an opportunity to get together and hash some
things out. So I think that all though, like when
the question I think that a lot of people have
is what's being done to ensure what happened in Buffalo
(35:51):
doesn't happen again. Well, here's some of your answers. Like
they they are addressing the issues head on. The coaches
are saying to the players that if this continues, then
we're gonna find We're gonna make changes, personnel changes, and
the players are responding well to all of that.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
So of course there's more detailed corrections that are made
watching film.
Speaker 5 (36:11):
But yeah, these are some of the more like the
themes yes, that we're hearing from team leaders in van
Ney and Marlon Humphrey. So, uh, that's your answer on
some of those things. And I do think, like you know,
this is I think that last year's the way last
season started, where you lose a tough one in the
opener to the Chiefs and you come home and it's
(36:32):
a game everyone's picking you to win and then you
lose it to the Raiders.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
Last year.
Speaker 5 (36:35):
I think that memory for the players who are here
again this year, which is the majority of the team, uh,
I think that's going to serve as a reminder just
in terms of everything they've done over the course of
this week that they can't have a letdown at home.
It's like they'd happened last year, yep, so they know
they can't happen again this year.
Speaker 2 (36:50):
Yep. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
I think I think the two scenarios are a little
bit different. You know, that Chiefs game was like more
disappointing because last year's season opener, you know, you you
rallied back. It wasn't like the Ravens dominated that game.
They almost pulled off this like comeback win and literally
you know, a toenail away from it, and so it
(37:12):
was like really disappointing. The mood was different coming out
of that game. This is you're ticked. Yeah, the Ravens
are ticked that they dropped that game in Buffalo's. Like,
I think that's kind of what Dennis Pitta was speaking about,
you know, when he was saying, I I don't know
that the Browns. I don't I don't know that the
Browns are gonna muster a whole lot in this game.
(37:33):
What I read into that was like you come back
and you face a peed off team, you know, at
home in their home opener. Coming off that, like, yeah,
I hope it is right. Yeah, I hope so too.
And I think that this is a very highly motivated,
angry team. I don't I don't think this is like
a oh Man kind of vibes this week.
Speaker 5 (37:53):
Yeah, I think that's fair. And then you know, offensively,
like the challenge here is that the Browns have a
really good defense. They've got maybe the best defensive player
in football and Miles Garrett.
Speaker 4 (38:04):
They'd like it exactly.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
It's a very it's a very aggressive defense, and so
like if you're not on your game in being able
to counter punch that, you're gonna have a long day.
And they're gonna bring Jim Schwartz is gonna bring the heat.
He's gonna blitz at a high rate. They're gonna be aggressive,
and like the Ravens have had very good games going
against that, and like they've had some slogs where like
(38:26):
they just had trouble beating the blitz and so you
you gotta you have to play at a high level.
Like John Harball said, like they are a suffocating defense.
They try to suffocate you. You know, right when the
ball is snapped behind the line of scrimmage, it is
they're coming downhill, attacking aggressive, and sometimes that can hurt
you being too overly aggressive as a defense. But that's
(38:47):
the way they're gonna play, and so like you got
to be able to counter punch that.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
Well.
Speaker 5 (38:51):
Last year, again we talked about reminders. The Browns beat
the Ravens last year. Now, that was a game when
you talk about the defense, like the Ravens had like
five dropped in erceptions in that game, and that was
really the difference. But by no means was that like
an offensive explosion for the Ravens in that game. And
you talk about that good that that attacking Jim Schwartz
style of a defense. And so they they know these
(39:13):
things like those things are a reminder that as they
get ready for this game. And Miles Garrett is somebody
who is again he's one of the best in the business.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
I mean, he's a game wrecker. Like I think think
back to Week two last year, look at Max Crosby.
Speaker 4 (39:26):
Max Crosby won them that game. Well, Vonta Adams.
Speaker 1 (39:29):
Exactly won the Raiders the game. He was reckoned shop
up front. So like, you can't let Miles Garrett do
that this year.
Speaker 5 (39:36):
And I think in a lot of situations, the Ravens
have had good plans for Miles Garrett. You know, they
see him a lot more than Maxcrosby, but I think
that there's been like plenty of games where like they've
kept him at bay.
Speaker 2 (39:44):
But like if if.
Speaker 5 (39:46):
You're not doing it well, then you're right. I mean stripsacks,
huge plays like he can completely change a game. Yes,
he did it last week against Cincinnati. I mean he
was a force in that game against Cincinnati, And everyone
was talking about how the Bengals might have the best
offense in football if they put all the resources into
offense and they have Joe Burrow and these great receivers,
(40:07):
they struggled to move the ball.
Speaker 4 (40:08):
They put up seventeen points.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
They put up they had seven yards of total offense
in the second half, seven.
Speaker 4 (40:14):
And Miles Garrett was a huge piece of that. They
also have a good secondary.
Speaker 5 (40:17):
Denzel Ward's a really good player in the secondary, good
corner so I could see him matched up, you know,
against day Flowers for a good portion of the game.
So like it's not an easy defense to move the
ball against. And I think that like that's basically that's
what the Ravens need to avoid.
Speaker 4 (40:32):
I think is getting.
Speaker 5 (40:33):
Into a situation where it just becomes the slog and
it's like and then and then Miles Garrett can tee
off and if Joe hits big plays on the offensive
side of the ball, Like, those are the things that
can't happen for this team, and I don't think they will,
but like those that's the scenario that the Ravens need
to avoid.
Speaker 2 (40:53):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (40:54):
I mean, this is an AFC North game, Like as
much as the Browns have generally speaking struggled over the years,
they always play the Ravens tough. It's just one of
those games and rarely has it turned into like this,
like Ravens are runaway for a moment, all this.
Speaker 2 (41:13):
Stuff, like it is a slugfest.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
Yeah, and you hope, you hope, Like the Ravens are
blowing out the Bills before they came charging back and
the fourth quarter, you'd hope that you can have a
repeat except finish it against the Browns. But like you
can hope for that. But I don't know how in
an AFC North game like this with this team, how
realistic that it's gonna be.
Speaker 2 (41:32):
Yeah, I hope so.
Speaker 4 (41:33):
Yeah, Well, like like I said, I hope Pitt is right.
So yeah, it was great to talk.
Speaker 5 (41:37):
With him as always you could email us at the
lounge at Ravens dot NFL dot net.
Speaker 4 (41:41):
Again, make sure you're in your seats early.
Speaker 5 (41:43):
If we're going to the game on Sunday, get into
your seats by about twelve forty so that you're there
for all the pregame festivities in action because it's gonna
be a lot of fun as we celebrate our thirtieth season.
Also at halftime, got a really cool halftime show planned
with mixed reality and really cool your tribute, so make
sure that you check those out as well. It's going
(42:04):
to be a fun game on Sunday. As always, you
can email us the lounge at Ravens dot nfl dot net.
Thank you for listening. We will be back with you
after the game this weekend.
Welcome into the Lounge, presented by DraftKings. I'm Ryan Mink
here with Garrett Downing, and we are thrilled to sit
down with Dennis Pitta, the Raven's former tight end and
of course good friend to Joe Flacco. So you know,
we asked, and good friend of the Lounge and good
friend of Lounge, Dennis has had a number of appearances
on the Lounge.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
So Dennis, good to have you.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
We asked to get Joe.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
On the on the pod, and he declined, you know,
he's got a I guess he's got something important going
on this week.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I don't know. So we got his proxy.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
We got Dennis, who's like basically like the second best
thing to get in.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Joe on the pod. Yeah, so thanks for joining us,
Bundy anytime.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
You know, I'm glad that I'm best known as just
Joe Flacco's friend out there in Baltimore. Here's the thing,
I'm proud of you too, because man, it's been a
lot of years since I've been on this podcast, and
I've been on a handful of times. You know, this
has been a cute little podcast. I didn't think you
guys would make it this far and I've just impressed
(01:06):
this thing still going on, to be honest.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
Well, also the jokes haven't changed either.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
I think we've probably used that same joke previously what
we've had you on, so the jokes just keep getting
recycled over and over.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Now I don't think I've ever used that one. This
is all new material here. But you know, I didn't
think this would last. I mean I didn't think you
too what it took to make it in the podcast business.
Speaker 6 (01:27):
But to find the odds, baby, you guys are still here.
So proud of you too.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Thank you, Dennis, thank you, thank you, thank you, and
excited to have you come back for the Ravens' thirtieth
anniversary celebrations. So just you know, how pumped are you
for the game to come back and see a bunch
of the guys.
Speaker 6 (01:45):
Yeah, I'm excited.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
I mean, we live all the way on the opposite
side of the country and so getting to games is
never easy, but we always like to get out to one.
Speaker 6 (01:56):
Or two games every year.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
And I'm bringing my son and he he's twelve years
old now playing tackle football for the first time. So
you know, he loves the Ravens. He loves Lamar Jackson.
He's so excited to go, so it certainly means a
lot to him. And that's that's the most fun part
about it now, going back to the games and being
able to take him around and you know, give him,
(02:18):
give him a great experience at M and T Bank Stadium.
And it just so happens that the Ravens are playing,
you know, an old friend of mine, Joe Flacca, Joe's
first return to M and T Bank Stadiums and see
left for Denver, you know how many years ago. And
it's crazy that of all the teams that he's been on,
he's never played, you know, back in Baltimore. And he's
(02:39):
played Baltimore you know before a few times, but always at.
Speaker 6 (02:43):
Home with whatever team he was with. So this is cool.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
I mean, I know, Joe. I talked to Joe just
the other day. He has like fifty family members coming
to this game because it's the one opportunity I think
most of his family's going to be able to come
and see him play. So there's gonna be a good
little Joe flack go cheering section up up somewhere in
the stadium. And I'll certainly be you know, hoping for
(03:06):
Joe to do well. But I would not want to
see this Ravens team at home right now given the
latest debacle up in Buffalo. So it's going to be
tough sledding I think for the Browns this week.
Speaker 5 (03:22):
Yeah, you know, I do want to ask you more
about Joe, but just before we do that, in terms
of coming back to this game as part of the
thirtieth season celebration, Like, how cool is it for you
to have your place in Ravens's history and to be
part of a team that is celebrating that, Like you
were part of creating the history. It's still a relatively
young franchise, but now we're getting into this territory where
(03:44):
like you have some of these historical moments, many of
which you're a part of, and it's a team that's
now celebrating this relatively recent history.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
You need to be part of it.
Speaker 6 (03:55):
Yeah, it's always special.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
I mean when you look back at some of the
things that our teams were able to ACCOMPLI obviously the
Super Bowl win was was incredible. Being able to bring
a Super Bowl back to Baltimore for the second time.
Is it's something that you know will always be a
really special part of my life and certainly you know,
in Raven's history. So we had our what was it,
(04:17):
ten year reunion of that Super Bowl team a few
years ago out in Baltimore, and man, it was so
fun to be able to get back with that group
and celebrate those moments, those wins through the playoffs, obviously
that win in the Super Bowl, and and.
Speaker 6 (04:33):
Just be with those guys again.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
I mean, we're we're forever linked with each other because
of that win.
Speaker 6 (04:39):
And I just think that's.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Really cool when you finished playing football and you two
would never understand any of this because you didn't play football.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
So hey, oh, come on, Saint Matthew's sixth and seventh grade.
That was that was elite competition back there in Columbus, Ohio.
Speaker 6 (04:56):
Have you guys ever played organized sports in any My
guess would be no. But but that's besides the point.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
So when you when you're part of a team, there's
nothing like it when you win with with a team,
I mean, the camaraderie, the relationships, all that is just
it's it's amazing. And so the hardest thing I think
when you retire from football is not being a part
of that team. And shoot, I've been retired since twenty seventeen.
(05:25):
How many years is that. You guys are good at math,
making it more like math people.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
That's where we weren't playing organized sports if we were
doing math.
Speaker 7 (05:33):
Yeah, you know, it's been a it's been eight or
nine seasons now since since I was playing, which feels
like a lifetime ago, to be completely honest, it's been.
Speaker 6 (05:44):
Almost a decade now.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
But man, you miss being a part of that team
and being in the locker room and the camaraderie and
all that stuff. So anytime you get to come back
and be around those guys, it's really special. And I'm
excited to go out there. There's going to be you know,
a bunch of guys out there, and uh, you know,
obviously being able to go and support Joe and see
him coming back to M and T Banks Stadium and
(06:08):
see the reception. I think he's going to be welcomed
with open arms, to be completely honest, because you know,
Joe did a lot of good things in Baltimore, and
it's not like him leaving was controversial or he kind
of forced his way out or anything.
Speaker 6 (06:21):
I think Joe wanted to be a Baltimore Raven for life.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
And circumstances, you know, out of his control changed that,
and you know, rightfully so that I think the Ravens
obviously made the right move at that point in Joe's career,
moving off of him and going to Lamar. He would
he would certainly agree with that himself. But man, I
think he's going to be welcomed with open arms. I'm
excited for this game.
Speaker 5 (06:44):
Yeah, I mean, I think that hearing him talk this week,
he talked about how he's still got love for the
team and the city and the fans, and I think
that I certainly think he's going to get cheers. And
there's still a lot of people that you know, love
Flacco and and you know, he's got a he's got
his place in Ravens history, there's no doubt about it.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Are you definitely going to get cheered?
Speaker 6 (07:02):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (07:02):
I mean a couple of years ago when the Browns
were going into the twenty twenty three playoffs and like
there was Joe was red hot, and there was a
chance that the Browns and the Ravens were gonna meet in.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
The playoffs and have to face Joe.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Like I remember, I remember Ravens fans like being angry
to other Ravens fans for like cheering for Joe and
the Browns. They were like, god, like we might have
to face this dude, like why are you rooting for
Joe flatka, Like it was a big debate, like do
we root for him?
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Do we not? Like it's it's crazy.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
They beat the Texans, they were gonna come play in Baltimore, right,
I mean I was. I was rooting hard for that
to happen because I was gonna go to that game
and that was gonna be really really cool, especially with
everything at stake Joe. That would have been Joe's first
return back to Baltimore since he left, and in the
playoffs with the Cleveland brown I mean, it's just it
was kind of.
Speaker 6 (07:48):
You know, too good to be true.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
But unfortunately they they didn't get it done and that
didn't happen, so we had to wait a couple more
years to see that matchup. But I'm certainly excited to
see him come back, and yeah, I think people are
going to be cheer and for him. I think you're
gonna see a lot of dusted off old five jerseys.
Speaker 6 (08:05):
Around the stadium for this one. It's gonna be cool.
Speaker 5 (08:08):
Yeah, I agree, I also give Joe a lot of
credit because I think that like part of the reason.
Obviously the super Bowl and the success that he had
here is the main reason, but like part of the
reason I think there's still such good feelings towards Joe
is like when it ended like it was, it was
amicable on both sides, to the point that you talked
about and like in a lot of situations like that's
not the case, Like it gets nasty for a lot
(08:30):
of guys at the end of careers, especially when you
have like the new guy that comes in, and but
Joe is like a true professional during that time, and
him and Lamar are like like they have a great
deal of respect for each other. And Lamar talked about
that this week too, and I think that that's like
that speaks I think to the type of guy that
Joe is, and part of the reason that there's this
good the feelings towards him are still so positive.
Speaker 6 (08:52):
I think, Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I think you know, anytime there's a break like that
from the long time face of the franchise, it can
be tricky. It's like, you know, I compare this to
probably your dating life, Garrett, like you probably always would
say that the breakup was mutual, when in reality you
were getting jumped left and right by the girl.
Speaker 6 (09:13):
So, like, you know, I think in this case, it
truly was mutual.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
And I think you know, Joe knew, especially after they
drafted Lamar in the first round. You know, he saw
the writing on the wall. I mean, we we had
conversations about it. He knew that at some point they
were going to turn to Lamar and his time in
Baltimore was going to be done.
Speaker 6 (09:32):
And that's just the nature of the beast.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
And so you know, I think he handled it professionally,
like you said, and and it truly was kind of
a mutual separation.
Speaker 6 (09:42):
In this case.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
And so you know, he he went to a place
in Denver that he thought he would be able to
have some success and and the Ravens, you know, traded
him there and thinking it would be a good.
Speaker 6 (09:51):
Good match for both parties.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
And you know, Joe, four or five teams later, you know,
is on the Cleveland Browns of all of all places
and doing well. So you know, it's amazing to me
that Joe's still playing. To be completely honest, He's forty
years old and still throws it as well as I've
ever seen him. And you know, I don't know if
he's running around quite as much as he used to,
not that he was ever a runner by any means,
(10:15):
but man, he can still spin it, so it's fun
to watch.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Yeah, I was going to ask you that, are you
surprised that he's still playing this long? Like I thought
when he went to Denver and you know, it didn't
really work out great in Denver. I honestly remember saying
to Garrett, probably once, Joe's not a starter. I think
that he probably just hangs it up. Like, I don't
know that Joe's going to like hang around and be
(10:39):
a backup. You know, guy's got five kids, Like he
wants to be with his family. But but maybe the
five kids are the reason why he's still playing. I've
also like had that idea, like, so, are you surprised
that he's still, yeah, hanging around at forty years old?
Speaker 3 (10:56):
I mean part of me's surprised, Yeah, because I know
Joe's a prideful person and he always believes he's, you know,
the best quarterback in whatever room he's in, and which
is a good thing which has served him well throughout
his career and I think I think you have to
be that way to play that position.
Speaker 6 (11:14):
So I think I never.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Envisioned him, you know, going a long stretch kind of
as a backup and bounce around teams and that kind
of stuff. But man, tis credit. He has always said like,
I'm going to play as long as I can, and
I don't.
Speaker 6 (11:26):
Know that I ever believed him.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
But shooting, he's forty years old now and he's still going.
And I think, you know, having five kids at home
might be a little bit of motivation to keep playing.
Speaker 6 (11:38):
But here's the thing too, that you forget, like.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Joe's kids are now, he's got a thirteen year old,
a twelve or eleven year old, ten year old. I mean,
he's got you know, pretty much eddy every age at
this point. But he's got a bunch of boys that
love football. And there's nothing cooler than being able to
play in the NFL and have your boys come and
watch you and cheer you on and be.
Speaker 6 (12:02):
A part of that experience.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
And man, my son was four years old when I
retired in Baltimore, and if you know, if I could
still be playing now when he's twelve and he's playing
football himself, I mean that would just be the coolest
thing ever, in my opinion, And so I think there's
some kind of motivation there for him to like be
(12:26):
able to have his sons have this experience of him
playing in the NFL and be able to remember it.
Because my son he vaguely remembers kind of coming to
the games when he was four, but he doesn't really
really know what it was like. And so he knows
now that I've been retired going to the games, and
I don't think my son knows how good he has it,
because when we go back to games, you know, I've
(12:48):
been the legend of the game at times.
Speaker 6 (12:49):
We've been staying in the in the.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Tunnel next to Lamar and Odell Beckham and all these
crazy dudes. He's standing right next to him, like getting
ready to run out of the tunnel behind him, and
it's like, you know, he thinks that's normal.
Speaker 6 (13:03):
Life at this point.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
But how cool would it be if I was suited
up being able to still play and he was a
part of that.
Speaker 6 (13:09):
And I think I think that's some motivation.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
For Joe too, because you know that as a father,
you want to be the hero for your kids and
you want them to look up to you, and I
think you know that that's probably some level of motivation
for him as well.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
What's funny.
Speaker 5 (13:24):
CBS did that piece with Joe and his family this
offseason going into the year with the Deity, and I
cracked up at Joe's kids trash talking him. I forget
his oldest son's name, but he was like, my dad stinks.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Oh and that's and that's one of the best parts
of it because yeah, I saw that video too, and
I was laughing because his son, Daniel, he's actually the
second youngest, and you know, they just they just kind
of beat up on Joe left and right. But that's
what's so cool about it. It's like, yeah, my dad's
a backup. He stinks and he gets home. Why did
you throw that interception? Why did you do this? Why
did you do that? You know, deep downis side they
(13:58):
you know, they have a ton of admiration for him,
and you know, are so impressed by what he does.
But like, man, there's nothing better than just having your
kids bust on you for a couple of mistakes on
the field.
Speaker 6 (14:08):
And that that was funny. I enjoyed that one.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
And you know, I think his kids they put on
a good show, but they love being out there and
watching him play.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
What do you think Joe's emotions are like going into
this game.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yeah, it's a good question. I think you know, Joe's
never going to say, man, this is this is pretty cool,
this is big, this is whatever. He'll never admit that,
whether he believes it or not. And I think he
believes it.
Speaker 6 (14:34):
I think he knows it's gonna be It's gonna be
a great.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Environment to come back to Baltimore, to have the opportunity
to play in M and T Banks Stadium in front
of our home fans, I'll be in a different jersey.
Speaker 6 (14:46):
I think this is gonna be a special game for him.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
And you know, I don't expect the Browns to amount
to much when it comes to this matchup, to be
completely honest, I think this is gonna be a tough
matchup for them. But man, I think I think it's
gonna be a special day and he'll never admit that.
I'll admit it for him, but I think he's looking
forward to it.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
And for you, just knowing that you're gonna be watching
the game, is it at all kind of a weird
feeling for you? Like this is a guy that you
caught touchdown passes from, you won a Super Bowl with,
and now you're watching him in a Browns uniform, which
is gonna be weird to see in person. Of course
I've seen it on TV, but it's gonna be weird
to see him taking the field at Mt.
Speaker 4 (15:22):
Bay Stadium in a Browns uniform. Like what are are?
Speaker 3 (15:25):
Are?
Speaker 4 (15:25):
Are there any emotions or thoughts that you have about
seeing the thing playout on Sunday?
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Yeah, it's always weird for me when I'm watching Joe
on Sundays. And then you know, I talked to him
during the week and we're kind of breaking down what
happened in the game or just talking about whatever, and
and I'm like, dude, I cannot believe you're still playing, because,
like I said earlier, it feels like a lifetime ago
that I was taking the field playing with him on Sundays,
and so man, those times were special and it was
(15:51):
so much fun. But you know, I can't even remember
what it was like to take a hit or be
out there and run around and do all that kind
of stuff, and he's still doing it. And my wife
and I were just talking the other day as we
were watching the Ravens play on Sunday night, and we
were thinking, Man, how many of these guys did I
play with? And Ronnie Stanley I think was the only
(16:13):
one that you know, I think in my last year,
what year was Ronnie drafted?
Speaker 4 (16:17):
He was he was drafted in sixteen. Was your last
year sixteen or seventeen?
Speaker 3 (16:21):
My last year was sixteen, So maybe I was only
with Ronnie for like an off season before I got hurt,
But I do remember being with Ronnie for just a
little bit, and then I think he's the last standing
Raven now that our old kicker departed this last offseason
(16:41):
that I played with, which is crazy, and so it
just speaks to how old and how long I've been retired.
But man, it's you know, the team's totally different, but
it's crazy. You know, there's just some guys that I
still play at you know, you think about Kyle Yuschek
in the forty nine ers, who I played with for
four years, and and Morgan Cox in in Tennessee still
(17:04):
long snapping. We came in together as rookies and uh
and obviously Joe still still going at it. So there's
there's still a handful of guys that I played with.
Speaker 6 (17:12):
Around the league, but you know, not many.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
So it's it's it's fun to watch them, but also
takes me back to those days and a lot of
motions come up and it's gonna be you know, one
where I I watched Joe out there and thinking, man,
you know, I wish I could I could take the
field one more time and be able to play with
those guys out there.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
I think that there's like, uh, I think there's a
thirty percent chance that you could still catch a touchdown
from Joe.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
What do you think?
Speaker 3 (17:39):
Oh, I could definitely still catch a touchdown? Could I
could I? Could I take a hit? Probably not? Could
I uh? Could I last more than one play? Probably not?
Speaker 6 (17:53):
Could I block anybody? Definitely not.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Yeah, but I could get you throw me one up,
I'm gonna go catch it, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Can you tell me the story of the night that
that Lamar Jackson was drafted and the scene in the
basement I believe of Joe Flacco's house.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
You were in there with some.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Pals I think, and Joe and uh, yeah, tell me
tell me that story.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
Yeah, So, so we were sitting around, we were at
Joe's house, we weren't in the basement. We were just
sitting in the living room and our you know, our
kids were running around playing, our wives were probably in
the kitchen talking. Joe and I were sitting there on
the couch watching the first round of the draft, which
would have been what Thursday night.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
And.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
The Ravens drafted our tight end friend I'm totally forgetting,
all right, they draft Hayden Hurst and kind of we
and we knew going into this draft, like there was
some rumors that the Ravens might take a quarterback and
we didn't know how high.
Speaker 6 (19:01):
We didn't know what the case was going to be.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
But you know, the last couple of seasons hadn't been
the way that we wanted them to be in Baltimore.
And I had since been retired at this point, but
you know, we weren't consistently making the playoffs the last
couple of years.
Speaker 6 (19:17):
That we had been accustomed to doing, and so.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Joe wasn't getting any younger, and you know, who would
have thought he's still here playing now. But at the time,
you know, they we just knew that there was a
decent chance they were going to take a quarterback, and
they draft Hayden Hurst in the first round, and I
think we both look at each other and like, well,
doesn't look like they're going to take a quarterback. And yeah,
sure they might have taken one in later rounds, but
but there's a difference when you take a first round
(19:41):
quarterback versus yeah, you know, a second, third, fourth, you
know later in the draft opiction.
Speaker 6 (19:46):
Sure, you guys know.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
So we didn't talk a lot about it, but we
were just like, ah, it doesn't look like they're taking
a quarterback. And I'm sure there was a little bit
of relief on Joe's Joe's side, just you know, by
the nature of the beast in this business. And we're
not totally paying attention to the draft. We're kind of talking,
doing other things whatever, messing around with our kids, and
then all of a sudden, you see something flash across
(20:09):
the screen that the Ravens traded back in to the
first round with a thirty second pick. And we won't
look at each other like uh oh, because at that.
Speaker 6 (20:21):
Point, you know they're coming up for one reason.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
It's not for a left tackle, it's not for a corner,
it's not they're coming back into the first round to
take a quarterback, and sure enough, the pick goes in
Lamar Jackson gets taken, and Joe looks at me and
he just starts laughing, and we've both started just like
dying laughing. For whatever reason, that was kind of our reaction.
And you know, I don't know why we were laughing.
(20:48):
I think you know, at that point, shoot, they draft
Lamar Jackson, and Joe knew what that meant, you know,
and he didn't know how many seasons he would have
left in Baltimore. He probably thought he at least had
one more full season, maybe another, depending on Lamar's development
and all that. But man, he just started laughing because
because you know what that means. And you know, Joe
(21:10):
never takes anything too serious, I think, which is a
redeeming quality for him as a quarterback. And you guys know,
whether he throws a pick and or throws a touchdown,
he goes and sits in the same spot on the
bench and has kind of the same stoke look on
his face, and he can never really read what he's
what he's thinking, or what he's doing, and so you know,
for him to just kind of laugh at that moment
(21:30):
just speaks to you.
Speaker 6 (21:32):
Know, he understands the business.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
He understands how it goes, and he never takes it,
you know, too seriously.
Speaker 6 (21:37):
But you know, I think.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
It was just an interesting time because he knew that
the changing the guard was kind of upon him. And
uh and and like we said earlier, I think he
handled it with a ton of glass. He handled it
the right way. And a lot of quarterbacks could have
gone in the next day and and you know, demanded
a trade or done something crazy and you know, pounded
(22:03):
their fists on the table and said, why are we
taking a quarterback?
Speaker 6 (22:06):
We need you know, this or this or this.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
Joe was never that way. He understood, you know, his
place and his role. And he did so many incredible
things for Baltimore and and brought them a championship and
all that kind of stuff. And he'll always be, you know,
a massive star and legend in Baltimore. And I think
what makes it that much better is that he was
(22:29):
able to kind of walk away at the right time
for Baltimore for them to be able to take the
next step, and you know, he was able to continue
his career and he's still going. So yeah, I mean
that was kind of that night, and it was just
it was a it was a wild draft night, but
you know, Joe.
Speaker 6 (22:48):
Handled it well.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Yeah, well I think too. You know, he laughed in
that moment.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
But I remember sitting him down with him in that
training camp, you know, leading up to that season, the
twenty eighteen season, and you know, he's he's a competitive
dude too, Like, don't get twisted about Joe because he's
so like chill and nonchalant and all that, like, and
that's part of why he's playing at forty two, is like,
this is a competitive guy and he wanted to show like, hey,
(23:14):
I'm gonna hold off Lamar Jackson for as long as
I possibly can, you know, and uh, if it weren't
for the hip injury, he might have he would have
probably for longer.
Speaker 6 (23:23):
You know.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
It's kind of crazy how things worked out. But I
think that that like competitive side of Joe, even that
came out during that like twenty eighteen season, is part
of the reason why he's still playing at forty years old.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
You know, yeah, I agree, And let's not talk about
hip injuries. It's just it's still too soon, Okay. Funny
that it's funny that, you know, hip injuries ended my
career in Baltimore and a hip injury potentially ended Joe's
career in Baltimore.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
That is kind of you too, very different, very different
than connected.
Speaker 6 (23:53):
Literally quite literally.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
Yeah, I will venture to say my hip injuries were
worse than Joe's.
Speaker 6 (23:58):
Yes, I think that's accurate. I think that's accurate.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
So what are you up to?
Speaker 6 (24:01):
You? Man?
Speaker 1 (24:02):
You're you're still a fan favorite favorite of ours. How's
life treating you, Dennis?
Speaker 3 (24:06):
Oh, It's been great. I can't complain. And I live
in southern California. We're in San Clementy, California, and man,
I am like a full time Pop Warner football coach,
high school football coach. It's a lot. My afternoons are
slammed right now this fall, and I go from one
practice to the next, and I'm as busy as I've
(24:27):
ever been and not getting paid for any of it, unfortunately.
So it's so much fun though, I being able to
coach my son. This is his first year of tackle football.
He's twelve years old.
Speaker 6 (24:39):
Now is he playing tight end? He does not play
tight end. He plays quarterback.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
Okay, all right, you know when.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
You're young, I told him, when you're young, when you're
playing Pop warner. You want to be the quarterback because
the balls in your hands every play. When you play
tight end, you're just basically a glorified blocker at this level.
So you don't want to be a tight end. Even
in high school, you don't want to tight end. You
want to be a receiver. You don't want to be
stuck on the line. And so, yeah, he plays quarterback.
(25:07):
It's it's so much fun. I'm I'm the offensive coordinator
for his team, and so, you know, the coordinator quarterback
relationship is important. He pushes back a lot with my coaching.
He doesn't he doesn't think I know what I'm talking about,
which you know, at times I do. At times I
feel like I'm overqualified for this position. But it's it's
(25:28):
so much fun and watching him run around and play
and man, his first experience with tackle. It's it's cool
because he's been dying to play tackle for several years
now and I've been holding them off, like, dude, you
got time.
Speaker 6 (25:40):
Just wait.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
We've been playing flag football. He also plays a million
other sports, basketball and baseball, and.
Speaker 6 (25:46):
Been playing soccer.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
So I'm trying to get him to do to do
everything but football, just you know, being around it so
much with me and my career. He's always wanted to
play tackle, and so I finally let him this year.
Speaker 6 (25:59):
I think.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
I think when I was young, when I was twelve,
sixth grade is when I started playing, and so I said,
when you get to that age, you can play too.
But he was, he was excited to play. He's number
eight in honor of Lamar Jackson, and you know, he's
he is running around there, not quite to the extent
(26:21):
that Lamar Jackson is able to do, but he likes
to run around and pretend he's Lamar.
Speaker 6 (26:28):
So it's it's so much fun and I'm enjoying it.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
That's awesome.
Speaker 5 (26:32):
Well, well, maybe the goal here is maybe if he
becomes a tight end at some point, the goal is
for Flacco to play long enough so that he can
catch passes.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
He can throw passes to another pit in the NFL.
Speaker 5 (26:44):
He's got fifty year old Flacco out there, fifty five
years old throwing passes to your son.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
That's that's the new goal that we haven't plays here.
Speaker 6 (26:52):
Yeah, that that's a lofty goal. You know. It's like
it's like the lebron and Bronnie.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
James thing exactly, except I'm not playing, so I got
to get my son to play with some old TV. Yeah,
it feels like a sad version of that, but yeah,
I guess that's something to aspire to. I mean, if
Joe's still playing, my son's got a lot of years loud.
He's probably got ten more years till he But Joe's
going to be fifty seven records.
Speaker 6 (27:20):
I don't know if.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
I don't know if that one's going to come to fruition,
but certainly something to aspire to.
Speaker 6 (27:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (27:27):
Man, well, look, it's it's great to chat you.
Speaker 5 (27:30):
You might have the record for the most podcast appearances
here on the Lounge, so that.
Speaker 6 (27:34):
Right, I haven't got it in It might be it
might be eight years.
Speaker 4 (27:38):
No, we've had you, SI, we've had you six you.
Speaker 6 (27:40):
Got to I don't know about that.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
It's been a minute, but it's been a minute.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
But you are a favorite, real guess you've had a
real guests over the last eight years to keep this
thing afloat.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
Yeah, no, we have it anyway, Thanks for joining that.
It's it's always a pleasure, man.
Speaker 6 (27:56):
All right, guys, good to see you.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
All right, I see.
Speaker 5 (27:58):
Sunday, Welcome back into the Lounge Podcast for coming to you
from the Sea Keep Studio. We also want to mention
our partners with Draftking sports Book. They are an official
sports betting partner of the Baltimore Ravens Draftking Sports Book.
The Crown is yours, big, big thanks to Dennis Pitta.
You know, he's an okay guest.
Speaker 4 (28:14):
That's all right. You know, usually we say it's.
Speaker 5 (28:15):
I love talking to Pitt. I we'ld love connecting with
these guys. He's okay, he's fair, he's an average guest.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
He's awesome, he's great. That was a lot of fun.
Speaker 5 (28:26):
Yeah, it was fine, and uh, it'll be fun to
have him back along with a number of Ravens legends.
Speaker 6 (28:31):
Again.
Speaker 5 (28:32):
This game on Sunday is our celebration of our thirtieth
season uh here in Baltimore. So there's a lot of
festivities that are planned for that, including Ozzie Newsom, of course,
a longtime general manager who drafted both Joe Flacco and
Lamar Jackson. Ye along with Ray Lewis, Jonathan Ogden, and
Ozzie's going to be the legend of the game and
be introduced alongside ray Lewis and Jonathan in the first
(28:54):
two picks in franchise history, So that should be a
great moment. A lot of really fun stuff planned for
the games, So make sure you're in the stadium, in
the stadium early and give the team a great home
field of Vandis because they're gonna be fired up and
this is an important game for the Ravens to get
back on track after a disappointing loss on Sunday. So
just big picture wise, as you look at this game,
(29:15):
what do you think stands out as what the Ravens
in terms of what the Raves need to do to
get a win.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
Yeah, I mean the defense obviously needs to have a
rebound performance coming off of that that brutal fourth quarter
in Buffalo. I expect that that they will. You know,
I think that as we just got done talking about,
Joe Flacco can sling the ball, and he has some
good weapons, you know, Jerry Judy, David Njoku, the tight end,
(29:41):
you know, and so it's by no means a slouch
of an opponent. Like I think that they have enough
weapons to give you problems. You know, their running game,
their rookie running back quin Quinn Sewn Judkins is still
not on the field right, But like Dylan Samson was
a really good receiver out of the backfield. Like they
(30:01):
might come in here and Joe might throw the ball
fifty times. Wouldn't surprise me. I think last time, last
time the Ravens face Strove Flaco up in New York,
he threw it fifty nine, I think, right, And so
it wouldn't surprise me if they just try to air
it out against the Ravens, especially coming off that fourth
quarter where that's what Josh Allen did.
Speaker 4 (30:22):
Well in the opener.
Speaker 5 (30:23):
He was thirty one of forty five, two and ninety
passing yards, a touchdown, two interceptions, or pointing out that
both those interceptions bounced off for his receiver's hands.
Speaker 4 (30:33):
He was good in the opener. You know, I watched
that game. He looks good. He moved the ball.
Speaker 5 (30:38):
Probably should have won that game if those interceptions, you know,
don't get picked off and the receivers hold onto the
ball there. So again, he threw the ball forty five
times in their opener.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
Yeah, so this is what Joe does.
Speaker 5 (30:48):
I would be surprised by that to a degree, like
it would be I would. I just think that like schematically,
the Browns, like they they do want to be a
team that like establishes the run and gets the play
act working like that is when they're at their best.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
And so they don't have their their best running back
on they.
Speaker 4 (31:05):
Don't they don't have him.
Speaker 5 (31:06):
They have their own forward, you know, who's been a
thousand yard rusher a couple of years ago. So like
they you know, there's missing Judkins, who was the second
round pick. But I still just think that like Kevin
Stefanski wants, he wants to be able to run the football.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
He wants to, but I don't think they're going to
find a whole lot of success on the ground against
this Ravens defense. And it would not surprise me if
then they they just they just pivot.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
And they just pivot.
Speaker 5 (31:28):
Well, guy, the guy that you know, I would definitely
think that is certainly the Ravens in the past. And
I think that you got to have a close eye
on him is David Nijoku said tight end.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
He's been he's been a problem.
Speaker 4 (31:39):
He's been a problem.
Speaker 5 (31:40):
And as we know, uh as evidenced by the guy
we just talked to, Flacco loves stones to the tight end.
And so I think that Nijoku is going to be
a player to watch.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
Well, they have a rookie tight end, Harold fannin junior
who led them in targets last week.
Speaker 5 (31:52):
Yeah, he was like, oh okay, fact Flacco has the
guy that he's likes to throw to and like it was,
it was he got a lot of action, so he
could be someone as well.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Yep, yep.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
Now, if the Browns do go pass heavy offensively over
the course of this game, this is a game where
the Ravens pass rush needs to get cranked up. No
if stands or butts about it. This is not Josh
Allen back there, not nearly the mobility question. You know,
rush lanes were of incredible importance against the Bills. The
Ravens had too many letdowns in that department and letting
(32:24):
him get out. You're not really worried about Joe Flacco
taking off and running at forty years old, and so
this I think the Browns offensive line, you know, there's
has some question marks there. So this is a game
where I think the Ravens pass rush needs see it
get going.
Speaker 4 (32:41):
I think so too.
Speaker 5 (32:42):
I mean, look like Josh Allen is one of the
most mobile and elusive players in the NFL. Getting out
of out of the backfield and extending plays, and he's
pretty unique.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Like ridiculous how many times he was like in the
middle of a crowd last Sunday and you and I
were like, get down and it.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
Just pops out.
Speaker 5 (32:59):
Him and Lamar are probably the top two right in
that category. Mahomes is really good at it too, But
like those guys are at the top of the list,
and flac goes not at the top of the list,
And so I think that like this is an opportunity
for the past rush to get to him now. I
also think, as has been a talking point in discussion
over the course of this week, as past rush integrity,
sticking to your pass rush lanes, kind of sticking to
(33:21):
your assignment on those and so I think that that's
going to be part of the conversation for these pass rushers.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
But but it's a different assignment that it is a
different That was the game plan going into Buffalo, and
it was you know, executed to varying degrees. That's just
a different it's a different, different assignment in this game.
And so I think it was a Dafoe who I
was talking to this week and he put it as
you know, the pass rushers can be a little more greedy, right.
Speaker 4 (33:46):
I think that's a fair way of looking at it.
Speaker 5 (33:48):
And you know, they they they are going to have
They're going to be counted on, and I do think
that this is a chance that they could they can
make an impact, a big impact in this game. So yeah,
Oway is a guy that comes to mind as as
the potential of having a nice game and be curious
to see if Mike Green gets any increase and snaps
(34:09):
from what he saw from week one till we two.
Speaker 7 (34:11):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (34:12):
The other thing I'll point out too, just in terms
of the secondary, I'm sure the secondary has seen the
comments from Jerry Judy this week, who was asked about
The question to him was what kind of challenge does
the Ravens secondary pose? And he said, no challenge, And
so I'm sure that quote has made its way into
the Ravens locker room and to that secondary. But beyond
(34:34):
what Jerry Judy says, the secondary is focused on cleaning
up the mistakes that they had against Buffalo, and Marlon
Humphrey was you know, pretty critical and pretty blunt and
honest in his time with the media this week and
talking about how the Ravens need to be a more
mature team was the phrasing that he said, and they
and basically, if you're not playing well, you're not gonna
(34:55):
be playing for long.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
And that was the message that Zach Orr and John
hart Well delivered to them, was, you know, last year,
it took till mid season to get this thing corrected.
It ain't gonna be till the middle of the year
this season to get it corrected. There's gonna be changes
made faster than that. So if you're not playing well
and doing the right things, and you know, Marlon was
pretty explicit in saying, like we were in the right
(35:18):
calls for a lot of those those big Bills plays,
we just didn't play them well. And so if if
you're not executing the call, you're going to be executing
it on the bench.
Speaker 5 (35:30):
And so I think that was seemed like a pretty
blunt and honest message in conversation amongst the team. And
you know, Kyle van Noy also said the team defense
of the defense went out to a team dinner, which
you know was on the books, but they you know,
they had an opportunity to get together and hash some
things out. So I think that all though, like when
the question I think that a lot of people have
is what's being done to ensure what happened in Buffalo
(35:51):
doesn't happen again. Well, here's some of your answers. Like
they they are addressing the issues head on. The coaches
are saying to the players that if this continues, then
we're gonna find We're gonna make changes, personnel changes, and
the players are responding well to all of that.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
So of course there's more detailed corrections that are made
watching film.
Speaker 5 (36:11):
But yeah, these are some of the more like the
themes yes, that we're hearing from team leaders in van
Ney and Marlon Humphrey. So, uh, that's your answer on
some of those things. And I do think, like you know,
this is I think that last year's the way last
season started, where you lose a tough one in the
opener to the Chiefs and you come home and it's
(36:32):
a game everyone's picking you to win and then you
lose it to the Raiders.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
Last year.
Speaker 5 (36:35):
I think that memory for the players who are here
again this year, which is the majority of the team, uh,
I think that's going to serve as a reminder just
in terms of everything they've done over the course of
this week that they can't have a letdown at home.
It's like they'd happened last year, yep, so they know
they can't happen again this year.
Speaker 2 (36:50):
Yep. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
I think I think the two scenarios are a little
bit different. You know, that Chiefs game was like more
disappointing because last year's season opener, you know, you you
rallied back. It wasn't like the Ravens dominated that game.
They almost pulled off this like comeback win and literally
you know, a toenail away from it, and so it
(37:12):
was like really disappointing. The mood was different coming out
of that game. This is you're ticked. Yeah, the Ravens
are ticked that they dropped that game in Buffalo's. Like,
I think that's kind of what Dennis Pitta was speaking about,
you know, when he was saying, I I don't know
that the Browns. I don't I don't know that the
Browns are gonna muster a whole lot in this game.
(37:33):
What I read into that was like you come back
and you face a peed off team, you know, at
home in their home opener. Coming off that, like, yeah,
I hope it is right. Yeah, I hope so too.
And I think that this is a very highly motivated,
angry team. I don't I don't think this is like
a oh Man kind of vibes this week.
Speaker 5 (37:53):
Yeah, I think that's fair. And then you know, offensively,
like the challenge here is that the Browns have a
really good defense. They've got maybe the best defensive player
in football and Miles Garrett.
Speaker 4 (38:04):
They'd like it exactly.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
It's a very it's a very aggressive defense, and so
like if you're not on your game in being able
to counter punch that, you're gonna have a long day.
And they're gonna bring Jim Schwartz is gonna bring the heat.
He's gonna blitz at a high rate. They're gonna be aggressive,
and like the Ravens have had very good games going
against that, and like they've had some slogs where like
(38:26):
they just had trouble beating the blitz and so you
you gotta you have to play at a high level.
Like John Harball said, like they are a suffocating defense.
They try to suffocate you. You know, right when the
ball is snapped behind the line of scrimmage, it is
they're coming downhill, attacking aggressive, and sometimes that can hurt
you being too overly aggressive as a defense. But that's
(38:47):
the way they're gonna play, and so like you got
to be able to counter punch that.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
Well.
Speaker 5 (38:51):
Last year, again we talked about reminders. The Browns beat
the Ravens last year. Now, that was a game when
you talk about the defense, like the Ravens had like
five dropped in erceptions in that game, and that was
really the difference. But by no means was that like
an offensive explosion for the Ravens in that game. And
you talk about that good that that attacking Jim Schwartz
style of a defense. And so they they know these
(39:13):
things like those things are a reminder that as they
get ready for this game. And Miles Garrett is somebody
who is again he's one of the best in the business.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
I mean, he's a game wrecker. Like I think think
back to Week two last year, look at Max Crosby.
Speaker 4 (39:26):
Max Crosby won them that game. Well, Vonta Adams.
Speaker 1 (39:29):
Exactly won the Raiders the game. He was reckoned shop
up front. So like, you can't let Miles Garrett do
that this year.
Speaker 5 (39:36):
And I think in a lot of situations, the Ravens
have had good plans for Miles Garrett. You know, they
see him a lot more than Maxcrosby, but I think
that there's been like plenty of games where like they've
kept him at bay.
Speaker 2 (39:44):
But like if if.
Speaker 5 (39:46):
You're not doing it well, then you're right. I mean stripsacks,
huge plays like he can completely change a game. Yes,
he did it last week against Cincinnati. I mean he
was a force in that game against Cincinnati, And everyone
was talking about how the Bengals might have the best
offense in football if they put all the resources into
offense and they have Joe Burrow and these great receivers,
(40:07):
they struggled to move the ball.
Speaker 4 (40:08):
They put up seventeen points.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
They put up they had seven yards of total offense
in the second half, seven.
Speaker 4 (40:14):
And Miles Garrett was a huge piece of that. They
also have a good secondary.
Speaker 5 (40:17):
Denzel Ward's a really good player in the secondary, good
corner so I could see him matched up, you know,
against day Flowers for a good portion of the game.
So like it's not an easy defense to move the
ball against. And I think that like that's basically that's
what the Ravens need to avoid.
Speaker 4 (40:32):
I think is getting.
Speaker 5 (40:33):
Into a situation where it just becomes the slog and
it's like and then and then Miles Garrett can tee
off and if Joe hits big plays on the offensive
side of the ball, Like, those are the things that
can't happen for this team, and I don't think they will,
but like those that's the scenario that the Ravens need
to avoid.
Speaker 2 (40:53):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (40:54):
I mean, this is an AFC North game, Like as
much as the Browns have generally speaking struggled over the years,
they always play the Ravens tough. It's just one of
those games and rarely has it turned into like this,
like Ravens are runaway for a moment, all this.
Speaker 2 (41:13):
Stuff, like it is a slugfest.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
Yeah, and you hope, you hope, Like the Ravens are
blowing out the Bills before they came charging back and
the fourth quarter, you'd hope that you can have a
repeat except finish it against the Browns. But like you
can hope for that. But I don't know how in
an AFC North game like this with this team, how
realistic that it's gonna be.
Speaker 2 (41:32):
Yeah, I hope so.
Speaker 4 (41:33):
Yeah, Well, like like I said, I hope Pitt is right.
So yeah, it was great to talk.
Speaker 5 (41:37):
With him as always you could email us at the
lounge at Ravens dot NFL dot net.
Speaker 4 (41:41):
Again, make sure you're in your seats early.
Speaker 5 (41:43):
If we're going to the game on Sunday, get into
your seats by about twelve forty so that you're there
for all the pregame festivities in action because it's gonna
be a lot of fun as we celebrate our thirtieth season.
Also at halftime, got a really cool halftime show planned
with mixed reality and really cool your tribute, so make
sure that you check those out as well. It's going
(42:04):
to be a fun game on Sunday. As always, you
can email us the lounge at Ravens dot nfl dot net.
Thank you for listening. We will be back with you
after the game this weekend.
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