THE RAVENS JUST MADE A SURPRISING DECISION WITH ONE OF THEIR LONGEST-TENURED PLAYERS…

Now, this could be something or it could be a bunch of nothing, but I want to ask you how you feel about it. So, Jesse Mentor, we know that he's been changing a lot of stuff from the previous regime with John Haw. One of the biggest changes that he made just got announced a couple of days ago to where we will have team captains, not game byame captains that rotate every single week, but captains for the entire season. So, that's something brand new, and I saw a lot of Ravens fans reacting to that in in a positive way. They felt like that was a good change for the team and that represented some consistency as far as the captains and those guys were as following. It was Lamar Jackson. Of course, it's Lamar Jackson. Uh but it's Rocoan Smith, Kyle Hamilton, we see Derrick Henry and Kausas Campbell. So, I'm like, okay, those are captains. But then they also announced a leadership team. that leadership team. It has all the team captains, but also it features Mark Andrews, Zay Flowers, Nick Moore, the long snapper, Ronnie Stanley, and Trey Hendrickson. So, I'm like, okay, that's our team captains and leadership council, but a name that I was looking for, especially as a team captain, who is the second longest tenored Baltimore Raven on this team because he got drafted in 2017 in the first round. He's a former pro bowler, former allp pro, and that's Marlon Humphrey. And I had to double take, I had to triple take, and he was nowhere to be found on this list. So, I started trying to come up with scenarios in my head like, why is Marlon Humphrey not there? It could be that maybe they asked him about, hey, Marlin, you want to be a captain? Maybe he just said no. So, this could be a bunch of nothing. Then I thought, hm, he's somebody that's been around for such a long time. He's somebody that's had such a huge impact on this football team. He's somebody that if he hung it up right now, if he decided to retire today, then he would certainly go into the Ravens Ring of Honor. But for him to not be on either as a captain or even on the leadership team, I wonder if that's saying something. I wonder if it's saying anything. So you you know what? I I bet he'll probably address this on his podcast very very soon because you know the thing about Maron Humphrey that I appreciate is that a lot of us will be thinking something but Marlon Humphrey, he'll actually say it. So maybe I should just wait until he has his next episode and see what he has to say at that point. But I just thought it was maybe a little bit weird. And he is in the last and not that the two are correlated at all, but he is in the last year of his contract. He's in the last year of his deal. And when we heard the front office speak about him last week, it just sounded like this was it. Now, of course, things could change. And again, maybe I'm just looking way too much. Maybe I'm reaching. Maybe this is something that again, it's a bunch of nothing, but I just found it a little peculiar. What about you? Now, we've made it to my favorite part of the videos where we get to hear from you. Subscribe to the channel. Click that thumbs up button. Leave a like on the video. If you want to show some extra love to the channel, go to patreon.com/engraven. Become a team. Keep it clean. Patreon. Let's get straight into it. The first question that came from a patron I got Gary. He said, "Hey, Graven, how's things with you and your family?" Hey, we are officially, as of this video, we are one week away from being able to see We one week away, man, from getting ready to see the Ravens play. Literally one week away. And if you somehow just somehow watching this video at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time, that is, then we are exactly one week away from watching the Ravens play. Regardless, we we right there, man. We so close. Anyway, he said, "I hope everything is going well. I hate to toot my own horn, but I knew this new head coach was going to put in captains. I'm really happy with everything I've seen so far. I just wanted to say that I'm hyped." And all love to all of you and team family. No, no, no. Tot. It's okay. Do your thing. And you know what's crazy? Maybe you must be related to the coach or something. you must be an insider and you ain't telling none of us. Because this was literally his question on August 28th. He said the following. He said, "Uh, with this new coaching staff, do you think we need to have captains for accountability as we have not done this as a team?" That was his question on August 28th. Literally a day or two later, it got announced that the Baltimore Ravens, they are having captains and they're also having the leadership team. Now, initially when I read his question, he said, "Do do you think we need to have captains for accountability?" I thought he meant like a a full squad of guys who are just the the accountable department. Like, hey, and I didn't think he meant captains. Either way, I didn't think it was going to happen. And I was like, "No, that that that ain't going." And boom, couple days later. So, shout out to my guy Gareth. Mate, you need to start your own channel cuz you calling something so specific like that out. Yeah, you need to be the one with the camera and the microphone doing this cuz you could do this way better than I could. Next question came from my guy Michael. He said, "Hey, Raven, this is Mike again. I know this may seem off topic. I work at all my son's moving and storage, but I ran into this customer who is grieving over her son that she lost to cancer like a month ago. Oh, that's tough, man. That's man. He said she was a really nice lady. She tipped me $100 and gave me her son's Ravens bucket hat. Well, that that was nice of her. And that that's crazy that um that takes a real strong person to be going through something like that. but to still be nice to you, to still be nice to other people despite them having every reason in the world to be upset, every reason in the world to be angry, every reason in the world to be frustrated, to be ticked off, to be just hurting. And I'm sure she still is hurting cuz like you said, she's grieving badly, but she still decided, you know, you know what? Here, here, Mike, you have his hat. You have his Raven. Yo, you a Ravens fan. You have this hat. That that that's that's real right there, man. So, shout out to her, man. Um, he said, "I'm really sorry for her loss, but was happy for receiving that hat. Uh, my heart goes out to her, and I will pray for her in her time of grief." Yeah, man. Uh, she deserves that, and that's she she deserves to just have comfort, um, have peace, and I'm sure her doing something nice for somebody else that appreciated something that her son obviously appreciated, too, that that makes her that much happier. even as tough as I'm sure it is right now for her cuz that's something that parents as parents you don't expect that you don't you don't ever expect anything like that. So that's just it's it's got to be a different type of pain man. Um but it's nice. It sounds like when you did interact with her um especially if she's tipping you like she's doing multiple nice things for you and you helping her move and whatnot. Um, but I'm sure that even on your part, because I'm sure maybe going into the situation, you probably didn't know what was going on, but you were nice to her. So, that had a positive impact on her, and then she had a positive impact on you, and it's just it it was a cycle. So, I I appreciate you sharing that, Mike. Thank you, man. Next questions came from my guy J. Dub. He said, "Contract year for Lamar." Well, before we even read what you wrote, the only way that this is a contract year for Lamar is if he wants it to be. Cuz remember, Lamar got all the power. Ravens want to trade him. Cuz that's what a lot of the people been talking about. A lot of these media analyst, all that stuff, they've been talking about it. Oh, this could be a big year for Lamar as far as a contract and whatever. If Ravens want to trade Lamar, Lamar got to give them the okay. They can't just trade him. If Ravens want to franchise tag Lamar Jackson after next year, they can't do it. He got a no tag, no trade clause in his contract. And and that cap hit is what, like 80, like almost $85 million, something like that. So Lamar got the power, man. He he he got the power. So Ravens, they could mess around and try to do something. But hey, they're like whatever Lamar wants to happen next year, if he want to still be a Raven, please Lamar, stay with the Ravens, please. And I I know sometimes, look, EDC, that's my I know sometimes the front office be tripping and whatnot when it come to your money, especially what we went through last time. My goodness. Wow. But please, Lamar, we please. So, we we need you. We need you. And we know we could get this thing done. Jesse M. He gonna he gonna help us get over that hump cuz we've been just we've been close plenty of times but obviously not close enough. It's time man. But anyway, um Lamar holds the power uh in that. So, but anyway, you know what? I'm over here jumping to conclusions. Let me just read your question. He said uh what's up man? What's up, Jub? Look at me. I'm all talk. We done talked for like 20 minutes and we ain't even read a single part of your question yet. That that's on me. Anyway, he said, "Do you believe that this year is a make or break year for Lamar Jackson when it comes to his regular season playoff run MVP racing Super Bowl?" No, not this year specifically. I feel like that's every year. Every year is make or break for that because you want to make it, but the Ravens obviously they've been breaking, but then they come back the next year. Hope hopefully they make it, but they've been breaking. Then hopefully the next year they make it, but then they've been breaking. So, I don't think this is a make or break year at all. I I I do think it as it should be. Super Bowl or a bus. If you don't make it, yeah, it's it's a failure. If you don't win it, it's a failure. Especially for the Ravens, even with a new coach. Last year, even with a previous coach with John Harbaugh, it was Super Bowl or bus. And then that that clip always stays in my mind, man. Oh, people talk about a Super Bowl of Bus. They never won anything. What? What? Anyway, uh but yeah, this this year, just like all the other years, you you either win it all or you fell short. he fell short. So, and I know like you can say, "Oh, first year head coach, say if the Ravens made it to the divisional round, they got past the wild card, made it to division round, and they lost." Some people be like, "Oh, no, that's not a failure. They had a brand new head coach." No, it would be a failure. It would be It would be a successful season. Like, obviously a winning record, made the playoffs, won a playoff game. But like this team and when you got the best quarterback in the world, you got the best safety in the world. You got like, no man, like that that wouldn't be good enough. That and Jesse Mentor said it too. Jesse Mentor ain't been walking around here like so, oh man, hey guys, this is my first year. Take it easy on me with the expectation. No, it's been the exact opposite of that. Jesse Mentor ain't been on no like oh some no timid stuff. No man, Jesse Mentor been like, "Hey, no, hold us accountable. We trying to get to the Super Bowl. We trying to make this thing happen now." So he ain't been walking in here like, "Oh, I never done this before. Oh, I never been in this position before. Oh, I'm nervous, guy." No, he ain't been on none of that. So we shouldn't be either. But anyway, continuing. He said next off seasonason Lamar would be at an $83 million cap hit knowing that EDC would not want to pay Lamar that much money. Um he wouldn't want Lamar's cap hit to be that high cuz if they pay Lamar be a whole lot more $83 million if he get that next contract from the Ravens. Hopefully he get that next contract from the Ravens. Oh boy. next year is going to be hopefully it don't we we don't reach that point to where we but cuz the season's about to be here and they ain't got no contract figured out yet. So unless they get something done in the next couple of days because once Tuesday rolls around, season started and especially since and I wonder if Lamar would give EDC like a P. Like if EDC come up with something that nice if Lamar be like, "All right, let's do it. Let me sign the papers." Cuz the season don't start technically till Sunday, but I I I wonder. But I'm thinking that Tuesday will be the cut off time because that's when like, hey, they in regular season mode. They preparing for the Colts and Yeah. So we'll see. Um, so yeah, when when you say EDC wouldn't want to pay Lamar that much money, it's not that he just wouldn't want to have his cap hit at no 80 nothing meal cuz that's that'd be a crazy cap. But anyway, he said, "Are you worried about Lamar and EDC not getting a deal done in Baltimore?" Yes. Yes. Yeah, I am. I am. Because the last the last time Lamar Jackson the for him to get his deal, he had to jump through all these hoops. He had to go through all this drama and it was like why? For what? They they tried to make him look like a fool. They did it. A lot of the other teams in the NFL, they did it and they all colluded against Lamar Jackson and tried to make him look like a fool, man. So with how and I I hate to keep bringing it up, but one of the things that was the most frustrating about it is that you you saw so many other quarterbacks who are not touching Lamar Jackson. They ain't even have they ain't even had to ask to get their deals. They were just handed them. They had to go through all that craziness to get that. Oh no, here you go. Justin Herbert, here you go. And Justin Herbert's really good. But Justin Herbert here. Trevor Lawrence Taw. Hey, take take the deal, man. TA. HEY, TAKE THIS MONEY. do it. No, you have it to. They had to fight for nothing. But Lamar Jackson had to go through all of that just to get paid. And he's somebody that was already proven. So then he goes out and gets paid. And what does he do his first year after getting paid? Oh, MVP. And it Oh, boy. That this man almost got two unanimous MVPs. He got 99 out of a 100 votes for MVP and that's combined in the two years that he won MVP and the one vote the one vote that didn't vote for him for MVP voted for Josh Allen and it was cuz it was a Bills fan and it was out of pity in the year that Lamar Jackson won MVP. Then of course the next year Josh Allen literally got the Pity MVP award. But that's again another conversation. So, yes, I am worried that a deal could possibly not be done. And I know I I I I see a lot of people they try to, oh, man, you worried about that. You ain't no real Ravens fan. No, no, no. That that's not the case at all. Because we under we understand what happened last time. We saw what happened last time and we know in this NFL business, anything can happen. Anything is possible. And I always get reminded, who would have ever thought that Pton Manning would ever play for a different team other than the Colts? Nobody would have ever thought that. Pton Manning who broke so many records. Oh my. Oh my. All that annoying stuff. You would have never thought he would play for another team besides the Colts ever. And then on top of that, Tom, who would have ever thought Tom Brady would play for another team besides the New England Patriots? I man I remember when they first even started talking about that possib like oh they just running their mouths man that ain't going down. What happened? Boom. Yeah. So it could definitely happen. It's not like it's out of the realm of possibilities. It's not like oh man that that never has a chance of happening. It certainly does. It s certainly does for sure. We hope that it doesn't, but there's a chance that it it can. And it is a 50-50 chance. Why is it a 50-50 chance? Because they either agree to a deal or they don't. It ain't no middle ground. It's either a yes or it's a no. So, it's going to go either way. It's going to go either way. So, it's a 50-50 chance. It ain't like it's a 75 25. Nope. It ain't like it's 5149. Nope. It ain't like it's 6040. Nope. It ain't even 7030. Nope. is 5050. It could literally go either way. So, it's just something to think about and something to hopefully not, but possibly to be prepared for. Oh, if that happens, that that that would hurt my heart big time. Oh, I would be hurting. I would be hurting. You know, I'm going still be rocking with Lamar, too, now. Like, Raven, you know, Raven's my guy. I'm still be rocking with Lamar. But anyway, let's let's just wait it out and see what happens. Uh he also said uh Loop or Moody. Okay, let's see what he talking about. He said, "Do you believe Jake Moody is a threat to take Tyler Loop's spot?" No. No, I don't. I don't. But he said, "Do you think uh do you believe Jake Moody is a threat to take Tyler Loop's spot as kicker if Tyler Loops continues to struggle during the season?" Now, if he continued to struggle, you know what? I'mma say yeah. I'mma actually say yeah. If like if he's like really really doing really bad, like really really bad. It's just not looking good at all. I don't think you can stay with him. Cuz initially when they first brought in Jake Moody, we looked up Jake Moody's his resume and whatnot. I'm like, is this really is this really a threat? Is this really competition? Is it truly compet? I don't know, man. I don't think so. But then after reading a lot of y'all comments, saw a lot of people say that this with Jake Moody, he could possibly be like a confidence booster for Tyler Loop. Um, oh, okay, that's something. But then when you think about it to like if if if so with your question if Tai Loop is doing that bad then yeah I could see a scenario where Ravens are just like you know where Jesse Mentor is just like because Jesse because of what Jesse Mentor said when he spoke about when they first signed Jake Moody and he talked about in the presser and he did not commit to Tyler Loop past week one but honestly he ain't even commit to Tyler Loop for week one. He didn't say oh Tyler Loop is definitely going to be okay in week one or Tyloop's going to be okay. said, "We expect Tyler Luke to be our kicker heading into week one." He said, "They expect it." So that stood out to me just again, just like with Jesse, they Marley Humphrey ain't no old captain. That stood out to me, too. But again, maybe it's nothing. Who knows? Could be looking too deep into it. But when he didn't commit to Tyler Loop past week one, even for week one, it's like we we'll just see. Tyler's going to be kicking week one, but still there was a lack of commitment there. And he continues to say, "Hey, we'll do what's best for the team. We looking at that. Oh, we were looking at Jake Moody for a while. We had our eyes on him for a while." So, yeah, man. Anyway, he said the Ravens let go of Billy Kund for Justin Tucker after the miskick during the AFC title game. No, no, they didn't. They let go of Billy Cund for Justin Tucker. The next season when they brought in Justin Tucker as undrafted rookie free agent from Texas and there was truly a kicking competition and then they let go of Billy Kundiff. They let him go for that ALC championship game. If they would have let him go for that AFC Championship game, he would have not even been on the roster in the offseason of 2012. But he was Justin Tucker came in, knocked him out the spot. But anyway, um he said, "I'm hoping the best for Tyler Loop since he since the Ravens decided to keep him after missing a kick to get to the playoffs last season and could have made the Ravens AFC North first three repeat champs." Oh, wow. Really? Yeah, cuz Oh, it would have been 2023. That's where we got the number one seed. 2024. We won a division 2024. I just remember the the Bills game and that being that tragedy. Um, who do we play 2024? 2023 we played the Texans. We We had a bye-week. Then we played the Texans in the division. Then we played the Chiefs at the crib. 2024. Did we have a We had no by-week, right? No. I don't think so. Why can't I remember what hap cuz I remember the Bills. That was the divisional game because that wasn't Bills wasn't a wild card game, was it? Oh my good. I really cannot remember what happened in 2024 for the first the game before the Bills. Oh my goodness. My mind is I'm drawing a blank. This is crazy. I really can't remember. I know somebody's typing in the comment section probably yelling at the video right now. Uh I do not remember right now. Let me see. Wow. If this was trivia, I would have failed. I would have failed like right away. All right, let me see. Ravens 2024 schedule. Looking it up right now. Oh, Pittsburgh. Oh, that game Pittsburgh where we had jumped out cuz we beat them 2018. We jumped out to a big lead on P. We were whooping them and then it looked like they might maybe start coming back but then we pulled out a little bit more and and we just end up controlling that game through that was okay that was annoying man cuz I had to look it up cuz I'm like I just could not remember but all right cool it makes sense then all right anyway um yeah so that was nice I completely forgot about that game all all from 2024 that I remember was the Bills game and yeah Uh yikes. So yeah, but yeah, man. Um I again I hope that Tyler Loop just goes out there and does an amazing job so all these conversations that we've been having about him, they can be he can issue a cease and desist and be like, "Hey, y'all stop talking about me because I'm out here killing it. The flock flies to the wise. It's a wonderful day. Look what vision and commitment is and some discipline brings. When eight becomes one, the moon swings and the flock sings for another ring. Man, we tuning in. Engraving vids in that scene tonight. Team keep it clean. Hold it down. The sparks ignite. A name in the lights. A north star. Ain't far when you run that north every year. Let's just set the point. Heat.