The Wave

139: SB 59 Preview. Ravens Free Agents: Who Should We Keep? Chuck Pagano and Adam Jones BACK in Baltimore.

It’s SUPER BOWL WEEK! The boys are back after their hiatus last week to talk about the big game (that the Ravens are not playing in -- we’re fine we promise). Before doing so, Josh catches us up on his life and just how well it’s going “in the streets” and eloquently wraps this part of our discussion with a hall of fame twitter thread reading. As always, we are very thankful for our friends at Huega House -- use code “Dante” for 15% off all orders; and Captain Coffee -- use code “Wave15” for 15% off everything. Jumping into the big game, the boys are setting the table. Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts, and the hungry dogs from Philly take on the big bad wolf in Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Andy Reid, and the back-to-back champion Kansas City Chiefs. The last time these two met in the Super Bowl, they combined for the second-most points EVER in Super Bowl history. The boys both give their thoughts on the game and why they believe in their predictions. Dante takes a stab at just how Philadelphia’s offense can counteract what Steve Spagnuolo is inevitably going to throw at them, and if it will be enough to stop the potential three-peat by KC. Moving towards our teams, the Ravens have a very long list of impending free agents, so Josh and Dante give their thoughts on who they believe should be prioritized, and who is most likely going to test out the open market. Also, Dante has one FA that, surprisingly, he believes should be higher on the Ravens’ list than most people. More on the personnel front for the Ravens, beloved former defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano is back! Chuck has been hired by John Harbaugh as the senior defensive backs coach, and the boys explain why this is a great move (and also that we may have called this in October). The Ravens also hired rising sensation Tyler Santucci from Georgia Tech to fill their open Linebackers coach position. Cooper Kupp and Myles Garrett have both made headlines this week stating that they are looking for a trade partner, and the boys have some thoughts on both and their potential to end up in Baltimore. Across the B/C parking lots, the Orioles have made a move! Not for a player (like we’ve all been waiting for) but still positively, Adam Jones is back! We’re unsure of his role exactly, but he will be joining the Orioles’ front office in what will undoubtedly be an immensely net-positive addition to the team. The boys give a few programming notes for the upcoming future of the show, and we send you all into the weekend. Remember: this is the last football game until September. Enjoy it. Cheers!

138: The Ravens Season is Over. Josh Allen and the Bills Move On to AFC Championship. Why Can't The Ravens Get Over The Hump? Ohio State Wins the National Championship.

The boys are back this week and to kick off the show, Josh tells the group about his first arancini experience. Spoiler: it went exactly how you’d expect. Our guy celebrated his 28th birthday on Monday and, albeit under unfortunate circumstances, it was a good one. Unfortunately, the Ravens’ season is over much sooner than we all would have hoped. The Ravens were beaten by the Buffalo Bills 27-25 in their AFC divisional round matchup. The boys started out using this episode as a therapy session (as they did last year) and tried to flush out the question “why do the Ravens do this every year?” Ultimately, the boys explain why they view this year as slightly different than years past, and why they believe there should be little to no questioning around the coaching staff as there often are after losses like this. Lamar Jackson had some extremely high moments, such as marching the Ravens 88 yards downfield on what should have been a game tying drive with less than 2 minutes left in the game, as well as some lows including his two turnovers. We all believe that, while it was certainly not the game we would’ve liked to see from Lamar, he did enough to win the game. Mark Andrews had two extremely costly drops, one of which was the game-tying two point conversion attempt, and a lost fumble in the fourth quarter. Josh and Dante explain their thoughts on Andrews’ game and why his uncharacteristic lack of execution was ultimately the difference in this matchup. Dante dives into the numbers in this game showing that the Ravens significantly outgained, out rushed, out passed, and out performed the Bills in almost all facets. Josh also adds that the Ravens did not punt once in this game. To put a bow on the Ravens season, the boys are asking and trying to identify what do the Ravens need to get over the hump, and Dante’s answer may be a bit surprising. EDC has a long list of impending free agents that the boys will address on next week’s episode. The Ohio State Buckeye are the 2024-2025 CFP national champions. Dante is not disappointed by what he saw out of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Marcus Freeman has done all but solidify that a former Irish coach was dead wrong in thinking it wasn’t possible to win a ring at Notre Dame. Lastly, the boys have a few music recommendations, and we send you all into what is hopefully the best weekend of your lives. Cheers!

137: Derrick Henry is an Alien. Ravens Walk Through Steelers in Wild Card. What is Up With the Steelers? Ravens @ Bills AFC Divisional Preview. The Fighting Irish are in the National Championship

The boys are back this week and have a groundbreaking message of news: it’s cold. Dante is battling the freezing temperatures of the Baltimore area, and apparently bars in North Carolina have to close early to prepare for snow. Josh and Dante recap their weeks as Dante locked down the fort with a Steelers fan in his camp, and Josh tells us about his adventures to a few shows. Also, shoutout to Bekkv (“Bekka”) for absolutely crushing her set this weekend. The boys dive into their recap of the Ravens AFC Wild Card win over the Mike Tomlin-led Pittsburgh Steelers. They were both stunned at the lack of effort and heart shown by Pittsburgh, as it’s very uncharacteristic of a Mike Tomlin team. Nevertheless, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry showed just how tough to stop they are, running for almost 300 yards as a team with 188 coming from the King. Rashod Bateman continues to have the best season of his career adding two catches and a TD, as he is constantly open for Lamar. The absence of Zay Flowers was definitely felt, but thankfully it wasn’t too detrimental for the Ravens in this one. All eyes turn to Buffalo as the Ravens head up to New York for a matchup with Josh Allen and the Bills. Arguably the two best QBs in the NFL this year, these two will go head to head for a chance to play in the AFC Championship. Josh and Dante take a look at the overall health for both sides, as well as how Buffalo’s units have fared throughout the year. Dante and Josh both give their keys to victory, and Dante explains why the Ravens defense should have a very specific key number in this one. Lastly, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are in the CFP National Championship, and Dante is happy about that. Thank you all for coming back and listening to us. We love you all and are eternally grateful for all of you. Cheers, and go Ravens!

136: Ravens Lock Up AFC North Title. Nate Wiggins, Michael Pierce INTs. Lamar is Historic. Ravens vs Steelers AFC Wild Card Preview. Notre Dame Sticking it to the CFP Comittee?

The boys are back this week with another fun filled episode starting exactly where we thought they would: discussing socio-geographic cultural stereotypes and which NFL team represents a historic country. The answers… will shock you. As they jump into the actual ball talk this week, Josh and Dante spend a bit of time recapping the Ravens vs. Browns week 18 game. The Ravens did exactly what we hoped they’d do and took care of business, beating Cleveland 35-10. Nate Wiggins secured his first NFL interception which he took for a touchdown, Lamar Jackson added to his already legendary season with a few more passing touchdowns, Derrick Henry closed the season just shy of 2,000 yards, and the game was kissed to bed by the sweet treat of 370-pound Michael Pierce intercepting Bailey Zappe becoming the third-heaviest player to ever record an INT. Dante believes that, despite all the good displayed by the Ravens, that this game was actually far from perfect and the Ravens have some kinks to iron out ahead of their playoff matchup this upcoming week. Thank God we played against Bailey Zappe and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Lamar finished the season with the fourth highest single season passer rating of all time, trailing only Aaron Rodgers (twice), and Peyton Manning. Which then, of course, spurred the boys into another debate surrounding the MVP debate and who they believe should win the award. Moving on to the task at hand, the Ravens have a rubber match against the PIttsburgh Steelers for the AFC Wild Card this upcoming weekend. The boys cut a few promos and explain why every able body in Baltimore should be part of the noise at the bank this Saturday night. Josh gives his keys to victory and explains why we, both as a team and city, need this win badly. Dante goes through Pittsburgh’s numbers on the season and gives his keys as well. The boys wrap up with some chatting on the college football playoff heading into the semifinal, and Dante hypes up his Irish. They finish with some music recommendations and Josh talks about his upcoming shows, and we send you all into what will hopefully be the best weekend of our lives. Cheers to you!

135: Happy New Year! Ravens PUMP Texans. Derrick Henry is Still the King. Our Takes on the MVP Debate. Ravens vs Browns Week 18. CFP is Happening. Rave Fashion Discussion.

Happy new year! The boys are back kicking off the new year with the same old bullshit. Josh recaps his Holiday hijinks (pun intended) from Hijyix festival in Philadelphia, as well as the Space Laces show in Charlotte on NYE. Going way back to Christmas day, the boys dive into their recap of the 31-2 assault the Ravens put down on the Houston Texans. Lamar was efficient and took matters to the ground on occasion, but this game was largely the Derrick Henry show. Tallying 27 carries for over 140 yards and a score, the king proved to the country why he’s still the King. Also, Dante takes a look at some of the run fits that has him asking “what exactly is Todd Monken on?” The defense also played a stellar game as they held the Texans offense to ZERO (0) points in the game, Kyle Hamilton and Ar’Darius Washington both made key plays in pivotal moments that helped close out the win. Kyle Van Noy continues his career year, and Odafe Oweh tallied a sack as well in addition to his highest single season total. Lastly, we don’t want to say it too loud, but it seems that Justin Tucker is kicking good balls again. The sports media world is ablaze with MVP discourse between Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, so the boys had to weigh in. Dante actually credits and defends Dan Orlovsky’s take, but explains why Dan isn’t exactly looking at it the right way. The Ravens have their final game of the regular season on Saturday, welcoming the Cleveland Browns to town to close out the year. The Browns will be starting Dorian Thompson-Robinson again this week, and could be missing some key players. From Josh and Dante, the message is simple: get the job done and stay healthy. The boys talk a little about college football as the CFP is still going on. Is Ohio State good? And can Penn State win a big game? Lastly, rave fashion is… something. We love you all so much. Thank you for another year of rocking with us. Cheers!