Qadry Ismail Talks Maxx Crosby & Ravens

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2:06Now, back to you, better you bet with Nick Costos on Westwood One Sports. CBS courtesy of the call, our friend Andrew. Catalong. Max Cosby now takes his talents to Baltimore with the Ravens. He led the show with this. I love it from a Raiders perspective. And I absolutely adore it from the perspective of the Baltimore Ravens. Joining us right now to break it down. Will this get the Ravens over the up and back to the Super Bowl, where unfortunately for me as a Giants fan, our guest who will join us right now, just destroyed my favorite team in Super Bowl 35. From WJC in Baltimore, the great cadre Ishmael on Twitter. I am cadre Ishmael here on You Better You Bet. My friend, welcome back to the show. How's it going? Appreciate you having me on as always. And let me just say this. We'll quickly be Giants should, fan base should thank us because we paid the way for you guys

3:06to then therefore have an Eli Manning whooping up on Tom Brady, hoisting up the Lombardies for your future. See, so we had to set the tone to whoop up on you guys. Then you were able to set the precedent on how to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. I love it. That spin zone is absolutely epic. Audrey, I've told this story before just to tell one more time. My father passed away. We used to watch every Giants game together. And when Super Bowl 35 started, the Giants received to start the game. And the camera does a close up of Kerry Collins. And my dad turns to me and goes, his eyes are as wide as dinner plates. We are totally screwed. And of course, they were as the Ravens, honestly, should have been a shutout. If not for the Rendixson, kick return touchdown. Ravens 34, Giants 7. That is a story for another time. Let's take it to present day, Audrey. And I love this for Baltimore. Like not no status quo. Let's try and get over the hump.

4:06Haven't traded her first round pick for her player before. How about two to bring Max Crosby into town? What does Codrey Ishmael think of Max Crosby joining the Ravens in exchange for two first round picks? Honestly, I think when you look at Steve Boshotti, the team's owner saying that he's not interested in developing the team into future years. And worrying about who, where, when, why, and how when it comes to draft picks that you want to develop. I think this is a great deal. I think this is Eric DeCosta. Okay. I know what happened last year when my head coach sat with team owners, Steve Boshotti. And they said that, again, I think we're built to go and win a silver. I'm looking forward to it. And then, of course, John Hobel kind of downplayed it. I think when that happened, of course, Eric was listening. And it was like, okay. I think this year I need to break out of the traditional more of what I think we should do with our draft picks.

5:06And what we typically do in free agency, which is not to make a big splash. He did the exact opposite. He recognized Jesse Mentor as the new head coach. Let's go ahead and get an impact player on defense because we, we literally had no impact plays in key moments last year. That was the demise of our team. I will not allow that to happen again. You go out, you get Max Prozzi. Jesse Mentor and Anthony Weaver should be very happy about now. I, I, I love this for the Baltimore Ravens. In country, if we're going to play this out, and there's a lot of offseason to go, the Ravens still have moves to make. And we can talk about like the future for Tyler Lindorbaum and others in a moment. But, you know, just our show sponsor is Ben MGM. And it's very early in the process. But the Ravens right now are about minus 160 to win the AFC North. Now, I'm not going to ask you for like a best bet or anything like that. But I'll give my opinion, you know, it looks like the Steelers are going to bring back Aaron Rogers.

6:06Not 100%. I, I, I am not enthused with the Mike McCarthy higher. Cincinnati's defense, I think is going to be garbage yet again, even if I love Joe Barrow. I think the Browns are pretty clearly not going to be good this season. I look at Baltimore and say, it would be crazy if they didn't win the, if you could have said the same thing last year. I think the Ravens are going to win the division. I think they'll be playing in January. Do you see this the same way that Max Crosby could be the guy to get the Ravens over the hump? Here's my cautionary tale. When you saw all of that last year and you thought that the Ravens, you might as well just plug them in and let them win the season. Well, now, they're offence aligned. They're D line totally disappeared and they started off the season one and five. I think this year again, Eric has what 10 picks in the draft. I know that he traded away the first round pick, number 14 pick. Whatever they do was their board that they set up to identify their top 150 players. They need to be as creative as possible

7:08to get impact players. At the same time, for agency wise, I am hoping that he still has some negotiating power up his sleeve to secure Tyler Linderbaum. It is seemingly trending that he is going to be into for agency and there are a slew of teams like, for example, the Las Vegas Raiders who have a large cap and can spend the money to get Tyler. But I think ultimately, you've got to replenish that offence align and you still have to look at the depth of the D line. Then and only then can we even start talking about AFC North and talking about playoffs. You just, you can't do it. I don't want to crown them this off season like, everyone crowned them last off season. Yes, Max is a huge, huge piece to the puzzle. But they're not done yet. And they have a long ways to go.

8:08I'm anxious to see how this year's draft will turn out. To contrary, lay it out for us. What do you think happens here over the next few weeks for the Ravens? It sounds like you think Tyler Linderbaum is going to sign elsewhere. What do you think the Ravens are going to do then? Some players you think they might sign. They need a pass catcher. I think certainly also maybe going to lose a couple tight ends. What's next year for the Baltimore Ravens over the next few weeks? Yes, so I think the two priorities, obviously is Lamar Jackson lowering his cap number and getting some some relief in that department. I think the both sides have been holding things close to the vest. But I believe that there's going to be some good news coming down. The pipe as far as that. And because of that, I would not be surprised that like they did with Lonnie Stanley, who was their last tackle last year and was in that contract negotiation, they didn't get a deal done. I am hoping that they did a deal done with Tyler

9:08and this is a moot point. Through the tight end position, I know that they have Charlie Kohler. I know that they have Isaiah likely. Both guys set to go to free agency. One of the two has to come back. I don't think it's Isaiah. I think Isaiah is in a position where he had a injury last year to his foot. He got healed up, but obviously the season was pretty much lost. But he made significant plays to continue to show that he's that bona fide threat. So in my mind, there's going to be a team that's out there that's like, wow, we put him on our team. We're going to elevate our production on often. So that leaves Charlie Kohler. I think that that is something that needs to be addressed. And then defensively, I think that there are some interesting contract negotiations that can go on, whether it be a real cost Smith, whether it be Marlon Humphrey. I'm curious as to see what Eric Costa will do with both of those contracts. Those guys did not perform up to the level of their contract.

10:10So I'd be curious to see how he's going to handle that. And then yeah, like I said, again, from a drafting aspect of things, it has to be online, online, online. And are you going to, for example, I'm just going to name a Kevin Zitler who was a razor before, but would you entertain the opportunity to bring a veteran like him back and really bolster down a office aligned that now has Office of Line coach doing ledsword. I think his system is a different, but more dynamic system than what John Harbour had. And I think that you need some balls. You need some big boys up front to go ahead and protect Lamar Jackson. You better, you bet on this Monday, Westwood One Sports, Nick Costos, and you joined here by Codre Ishmael, former NFL wide receiver, Super Bowl 35 champion, WJZ television in Baltimore. Codre, what type of coach will Jesse Minter be for the Baltimore Ravens?

11:12You know, his opening press conference and the opportunity to meet him, visit with him, he kept emphasizing the word relationship. And when you talk to other players, that was the first thing that came out of their miles like, man, like he just connected with me. He understood me. He got the best out of me. You know, he was the reason point. Here's a buffet, O.A., who was first round pick for the Ravens and was really just never able to live up to the building that a lot of people and the fan based stuff that he would be capable of doing here in Baltimore. And they trade him to Los Angeles and the chargers take him. Jesse Minter, long as I'm getting the best out of him, and he runs up having very, very productive second half of the season after the trade. Like, wow, just a new dude. With that said,

12:12I think for Jesse, it's about now as a hit coach and he has a really good, you know, strategic staff of young and not too old, but some coaches that I think have his enthusiasm and mindset about relationships. And so I think that's the main thing to get the best out of players. You need to be able to connect with them. He seems like he has that connection vibe. Let's see how it works when we first see him with the guys in their mini-camp and then obviously in OTA and into training camp. I'm curious to see how the practices and the progression of the teaching and the implementation of the offense, of the defense, how it looks special teams. You had 18 years worth of the same that you kind of understood, but now is it a situation where, okay, Jesse, here's how you're doing things that's going to help this team

13:13be the best version of what they can be when the regular season starts up. Final question, cadre. This is going to be an impossible question to answer. I'm sure, and like, this can be pencil, not pen. You reserve the right to change your mind whenever you want. And legal tampering hasn't even started yet, so a lot still has to happen. But if I made cadre Ishmael right now, pick the AFC champion next year, the team that will go to Super Bowl 61 in Los Angeles, Bills, Patriots, Ravens, Texans, Jaguars, Chargers, Broncos, Chiefs, probably from one of those teams, who would you take right now you can change your mind whenever you want? But as of right now, who do you like and why in the AFC? You're just, you know, I'm going to show my purple and black and say the Ravens. Again, all that I just finished saying, align the line, all those things need to be set in place.

14:13But if I had to say, okay, kind of, take away the Ravens, took off your purple glasses and did another team just for kicks. For whatever the reason, I'm just looking at Denver and just saying that they got that, that it factor, and yes, they blew it at home in the divisional round. But man, I just think that there is something to be said for the Denver Broncos, being able to get it done and be that, that, that team that is on, because they got it on the opposite side of the ball and a decent side of the ball, mother of pearl. I just think if Bullnicks never got hurt, I think it's just a, it's a different ball game. I really do. I think that in my mind, defensively, they seem to really play extremely well, fly around to the football, and shot Peyton. As much as he let his staff take the heat of them losing,

15:14I think ultimately this year, they can re-energize themselves and get back into the playoff hunt and be that AFC representative. I love it. I love the choice there with Denver. And in contrary, I said earlier on the show that the chargers would be my pick right now in the AFC West, but the Broncos actually have a proof of concepts, having won some games in January with the chargers have not been able to do. The good news for Ravens fans, I do think the Ravens will be back playing playoff football next January with Max Crosby now on the defensive line. Really appreciate the time. Stay well and we'll catch up with you soon. Sounds like a plan. Appreciate you having me on. Kajray Eschmael joining us here on you better. You bet. Even if the Ravens don't bring back Tyler Linderbaum, and the expectation is the Tyler Linderbaum will sign elsewhere. You can get an average center play in the NFL. The trade for Crosby is a swing for the fences, which after all the playoff failures

16:16and last season's failure not even making the playoffs, again, I will keep saying it, a worthy swing of the bat and a worthy role of the dice for the Baltimore Ravens. Power Hour final hour coming up on the other side. We will bring you any other NFL news as it breaks. Our bets for tonight will close the show. Rob Dostner will join us on the other side from the field of 68. We will talk all things college basketball off the final weekend of the regular season, heading into conference tournament week. And I will also hit all of you with some of my favorite fits in NFL free agency. Some of the biggest players out there on the market and where I think they might sign and where I want them to sign legal tampering. An hour and six minutes away now, a 10.54 AM Eastern time on this Monday. One a week on the way in the world of sports. So quick break, and again, coming up next, Rob Dostner from the field of 68, talking all things college basketball. You better, you bet. Westwood One Sports with Nick Costos,

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