Inside Access with Jason LaCanfora and Ken Weinman
Bridget Condon: Lamar Jackson won an MVP for a reason
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With all trails, you can discover trails nearby and explore confidently. With offline maps and on-trail navigation. Download the free app today and make the most of your summer with all trails. I'm Anna Garcia with True Crime News the Podcast. Every week, True Crime News covers breaking crime stories and the fight for justice. Listen to and follow True Crime News the Podcast on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Raven's a finished another day of training camp practice. John Harbaugh among other things said Lamar Jackson is closer to returning waiting for the doctors to clear him. Let's talk some football now. Bridget Conten from NFL Network joins us and Bridget, thank you so much for joining us. As always, we appreciate your time. I guess we'll start here. Where in the world are you? Because it seems like you've been everywhere. Yeah, seriously. I think that's going to be the case to these next two weeks. Something like training camp starting now. If you guys haven't heard, so I'm currently in LA. I'm in our studio Monday to Friday. It's actually funny. I'm literally leaving from the studio Friday at like one hopping on a flight. I land in Baltimore around midnight, Friday night, and then I'll be at Raven's training camp. Saturday, then Cincinnati Sunday, and then who knows honestly. I don't even know what day it'll be next week. Yeah, well, I would say get a rental car and use it because trains and planes are unreliable. What are your expectations for the Ravens? And if it ends in anything less than at least a Super Bowl appearance, is that a disappointment at this stage of the game? I think I hate to say disappointment, but that's what this team is focused on, right? You heard John Harbaugh talk about it yesterday and today. How much, you know, what really stuck out to me was when he talked about that vision and the standards yesterday and like that vision that they're working towards that entire three minute speech or whatever he went on that rants about Lamar Jackson. That doesn't get you fired up for where this team needs to be this season. I don't know what does because that's the thing, right? Lamar Jackson is an MVP quarterback. There's no reason why this team should not be in the Super Bowl come February and they've done things this off season to get guys healthy. They've added some good pieces. You now have a one, two punch that I cannot wait to see in Derek Henry and Lamar Jackson. I don't know how I mean, then I'm looking at the TV right now and it's Kansas City on it. You know, that's a big issue there. We're talking to Bridget Kahn and downside access here on the fender. To that point though, there's nothing left for Lamar Jackson to prove in the regular season is there like he eats one to MVPs when he's healthy. They're the one seed. We saw the two prior years he gets hurt in December. They're the ones he when he gets hurt. So this is all about the postseason for him, isn't it? Absolutely. And I think a lot of people who criticize Lamar Jackson will say, well, he didn't have to go through Joe Burrow in the postseason. You know, Joe Burrows healthy this year. What's going to happen? You know, even in the conference this season when Joe Burrows healthy, but Lamar Jackson has proved himself. I mean, he won that award MVP for a reason. And I think it's the pieces around him and the team. I don't know necessarily. Yes, there was there were problems with the run game. I would say in that game against the Chiefs where they ultimately lost. But Lamar Jackson has proven himself and people can continue to doubt him. But he's just going to go out there with his head down and keep showing people wrong. Well, you mentioned the the Bengals and your appointment there. Joe Burrows had his share of injury woes to start seasons. It feels like he's rarely healthy September, early October, right? And then things usually take off except for last year where then he got hurt again. Can that defense, will that defense be better? Can that can they get back to being a team that showed that they can do what nobody else in this conference can do, which is go to Arrowhead and beat the Chiefs with everything on the line? Well, the reason I said, oh my God, as you started talking is because I thought you were going to talk about his bleach blonde hair. Well, I thought about bringing it up. Yeah, he's got the the vintage M&M look going on, I guess. Yeah, I was thinking to myself, like, I guess when you have the extra time where you're not focused on an injury, like what else do we do but bleach our hair. So when I saw that picture that the NFL posted this morning, I was like, Oh, it's super roller bus. Like this is this is straight to New Orleans, but you know, it'll be really interesting. I love Lou Anne Arumo. I think he's an incredible coach and, you know, he he's helping these young guys. Remember how young that defense was last season. And now those guys, they have a season, you know, under their belt. I think that they'll get back. But the thing that's so tough about the AFC North is how physical all four of those teams are. So it's not like one of these other easier conferences. I don't want to say easy. Of course, everybody in the NFL is very talented, but you know what I mean? Like the AFC North is very physical. You get beat up. And so you don't have a minute to take a little easy conference game here. Let's let the defense get healthy. Like that's where the death is going to be important. Come December, come January. It really comes down to who's healthy and, you know, you hope the young team, the young defense has learned and done enough during training camp and the beginning of the season to put you in a good position, come the playoffs. But it is going to be an interesting storyline as you mentioned. Worried about letting someone else pick out the perfect avocado for your perfect and press them on the third date guacamole? Well, good thing Instacart shoppers are as picky as you are. They find ripe avocados like it's their guac on the line. They are milk expiration date detectives. They bag eggs like the 12 precious pieces of cargo they are. So let Instacart shoppers overthink your groceries so that you can overthink what you'll wear on that third date. Download the Instacart app to get free delivery on your first three orders while supplies last. Minimum $10 per order additional term supply. We all belong outside. We're drawn to nature, whether it's the recorded sounds of the ocean we doze off to, or the succulents that adorn our homes. Nature makes all of our lives, well, better. Despite all this, we often go about our busy lives removed from it. But the outdoors is closer than we realize. With all trails, you can discover trails nearby and explore confidently with offline maps and on trail navigation. Download the free app today and make the most of your summer with all trails. I'm Anna Garcia with True Crime News, the podcast. Every crime tells a story. Every story demands justice. True Crime News, the podcast covers breaking crimes, investigating high profile and under the radar cases. Every week, we dive beyond the headlines, exploring the effects of violent crimes on victims and search for justice. We hope you join us as your weekly source for True Crime News. Listen to and follow True Crime News, the podcast on the free Odyssey app, or wherever you get your podcasts. Bridget, three teams in the division made the playoffs a year ago. Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Of course, your borough was hurts of Cincinnati missed out. But like you mentioned, I'll top this division in is, how do you stack it? Are you buying Cleveland this year with the return of the show on Watson? Well, I think Cleveland buying it, you see that they just gave Amari Cooper and the return of the contract. Like if they're, what do they guarantee him 20 million and they're giving him half of that up front. Like, but they're seeing something there that we believe in. I mean, this has to happen for Cleveland this season. I remember sitting at the news that foot was it two and a half years ago at this point a year and a half ago when the entire blockbuster trade happened with the Sean Watson. And we really haven't even had that moment yet in Cleveland where we're like, Oh, this is why they threw all their money at him. So to me, you've got to have it be this season. And even last year when he wasn't playing, they still found a way. So yeah, I mean, hey, I hope it's not the season of the backup quarterback again, but maybe it will be. Yeah, no, again, like I, if you shouldn't say this, but like put a gun to my head and was like, pick who's going to win the AFC, nor I don't know, like I'd be dead. Well, we have it. We don't want that. No, we don't want that. And we're not going to ask that question. But I'm going to ask. I'm going to ask you about the Steelers. I don't know. I'm pretty bullish on them. I think they, I think the defenses is legit and with Patrick Queen added to it, if Watt can stay healthy, I think they're going to be a problem. I think their run game is going to be a problem for people. And I think there's a way for Arthur Smith to get creative and tap into both of these quarterbacks. Whenever they think one behooves them more than the other. Are you buying the Steelers as division contenders? Yeah, you bring up a good point about Arthur Smith, right? Remember, and I covered a couple of Steelers games last season right after Matt Canada was fired. Remember how little that they, you know, scored? I think they were averaging like under 20 points per game, which was one of the worst in the NFL last season. And, you know, it wasn't just last season. I think it was since 2021. Arthur Smith, remember, yes, a lot of people will look to what he did in Atlanta and say he wasn't good. You know how some of these offensive coordinators are great offensive coordinators, not so great head coaches? I think that's kind of where we can look to him and remember what he did with Ryan Tannehill, you know? And Ryan Tannehill had some of his best time under Arthur Smith. So I think we have to look at the addition there. I do think Pittsburgh is stacked. It's going to be really, really interesting to see the battle between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. I don't know who's going to come out on top. And I think too for teams when you don't have a certain quarterback or if you go through the switch like the Steelers did what three times last season, that, you know, the chemistry with the receivers and all that gets kind of thrown off. So it'll be interesting to see how that plays out in training camp. And if they say, you know, for sure, it's Russell and, you know, I know that's leading that way. But I wouldn't be surprised if Justin Fields, like, makes a run here too. Bridget, before I'm with you, I think Justin Fields is going to play more snaps for them than Russell Wilson, but I could be wrong. I wouldn't be surprised. Let's finish with this. And when we went to 17 games, we kind of all fall in the back of our minds. We're going to get to 18 at some point. But now there's reports at the NFL and NFL PA already talking about an 18 game schedule. Are you excited for more football that matters? I mean, absolutely. I think, you know, pre-season has been kind of an interesting thing. The past, I would say, over the last five years, we don't cover it as much as we used to just because it's, you know, the third string guys, the fourth string guys, which I think is a great opportunity for those guys to prove themselves. But it's these joint practices that really matter more. And so if we just did something like that and have the extra game, I mean, the excitement. And what does it line up where we have Presidents Day off after the Super Bowl? Like, come on. I mean, who doesn't want that? No, I think everybody has been begging for it in Super Bowl to be a holiday. And that just makes it a perfect fit. Bridget Condon, NFL Network. She'll be at Raven's practice tomorrow. Bridget, always great. Thank you so much for your time. Enjoy your travels and try to keep track of where you are. Thanks so much. I'm looking forward to seeing you guys this weekend. All right. Thanks so much. Bridget Condon from NFL Network. We'll come back at the hot corner. We got an update. The lineup is out for the Orioles game against the Marlins. Plus who's starting the next couple of days? I think we have answers. We'll give them to you next here on the fan. Trying to figure out what to eat for dinner yet again. With North Sides and Bullion as you're not so secret ingredient, you can skip the drive-through and do dinner at home. Nor Taste Combos provide a menu of delicious, affordable, and well-balanced meals that you can prepare in 30 minutes or less. Visit nor.com to get quick and easy recipe ideas for your home cooked weeknight dinners. It's not fast food, but it's so good. I'm Anna Garcia with True Crime News, the podcast. Every crime tells a story. Every story demands justice. True Crime News, the podcast covers breaking crimes, investigating high-profile and under-the-radar cases. Every week we dive beyond the headlines, exploring the effects of violent crimes on victims and search for justice. We hope you join us as your weekly source for True Crime News. Listen to and follow True Crime News, the podcast on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.