The Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, joined BMitch & Finlay all football season, and when he called in to JP on Friday, he was STILL stoked that Derrick Henry is coming to Baltimore.
“I have a lot of respect for the way that the Ravens have run the running game before, but it very much has been a running back by committee, and part of that's been because of injury. That's just a reality in the NF, but we haven't had a marquee back here who is just that dude,” Gov. Moore said. “We haven’t seen that dude who you know is going to get 20-25 touches a game and go out there and really change an offense, and truthfully, there is not a more complicated back in the NFL than Henry. He's one of the unique backs in the NFL, and you don't have a prayer if you're trying to do a single tackle on him.”
Add that to Lamar’s skill-set and the burgeoning weapons they have outside?
“He’s that kind of talent that until the final clock hits zero, he's always going to be a threat. He's the size of a MIKE linebacker and the speed of a wideout – you don’t find that kind of combo,” Moore said. “He has the most rushing yards since 2018, and now you’re having him in the backfield where you have Lamar Jackson, the reigning league MVP, who also has the most rushing yards since 2008 for a quarterback, and you throw in folks like Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews? This is an offense that is so unbelievably potent. How do you prepare for all that? The Ravens are putting together a video game.”
Maryland does have two teams as the Commanders are still in Landover, and Moore is feeling their offseason so far, too.
“They're having a great offseason, maybe the most explosive offseason in the entire NFL,” Moore said. “It’s actually really amazing, because I like people who do what they say, and when you think about what this ownership team is doing, Adam Peters is doing and the work that's happening there…when they said that they were gonna start with the defense, and really build out and create flexibility on the offensive side, and take real account on how they think about the draft, I think they've done exactly that. You’ve got some horses, and they've been able to really focus on getting good talent at value, which is a really smart move.”
Which includes, he thinks, also finding value in moves like the Sam Howell trade.
“I was not a Howell hater at all, I really do actually think he, has talent, but he's not gonna bring you a championship – and I love the mentality that if you're not gonna bring us a championship, then you can never be the guy,” Moore said. “You can have a role, but if we don't honestly believe you're gonna bring a championship, you can't be the guy. So now, I think they're gonna have a real focus on trying to bring in the folks that they think can really draw championship football – and when you bring in someone who can be anchor of the defense, like Bobby Wagner, I think it's a big statement, about what people can expect from this team going forward.”
Now about those Commanders staying in Maryland, though – there has been a lot of progress made in the government to get control of the RFK land, even as the University of Maryland has taken in some of the Commanders’ business folks to make more room for fan experience in Landover.
And, that led Gov. Moore into a stump speech, after jokingly admonishing JP for advocating for DC.
“I feel good, but I keep watching your Tweets and you’re rooting for them to go to DC!” Moore admonished. “But honestly, I hear you. Lots of fans are looking at the current experience and stadium, and that’s not what they hope for. It’s not what I hope for, either. But when all is said and done, I do believe Maryland will win on merit, and I think we’ll be able to help craft the best fan experience in all of football. We can have that both in Baltimore and in PG County, and I think that people need to see what’s happened in Baltimore – we locked in long-term deals with a real vision to create complete live-play-work, robust fan experiences. This is what we do here, and what this administration is pushing for. So the thing I hope for is people see the vision we can get done with this new ownership group is one that will be expansive and pull together a tremendous fan experience. Congress will do what Congress does, and I don’t want Maryland to be an impediment for an exploration, but Maryland plans on competing, and I’m excited about what the fan experience can be in Prince George’s County.”