Sports

The Business of Football, David Garrard and AFC North Predictions

A weekly look at Tweets by and about the Baltimore Ravens.

Ravens linebacker and special teams ace Brendon Ayanbadejo had no illusions about what would happen to the team’s roster following its final preseason game last week. 

“It's that time of year where you have to say goodbye to friends,” Ayanbadejo Tweeted.

With rosters all around the NFL being cut down to 53 players,  there were more than a few football players looking for jobs after Saturday’s 6 p.m. deadline.

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In Baltimore, the most notable cut may have been backup running back Jalen Parmele. It was Parmele who was clearly on Ayanbadejo’s mind when he Tweeted.

@Jayparmele gonna miss my dog,” Ayanbadejo wrote. “I don't think any1 else would put up w/ me like you did for 3 yrs. U always let me talk & didn't make a peep.”

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Of course, Ayanbadejo also sent a Tweet to rookie running back Anthony Allen, who effectively replaced Parmele on the Ravens’ 53-man roster. “Congrats rook,” Ayanbadejo Tweeted.

In just 151 characters, Ayanbadejo summed up the business of the NFL, a league where the most important question is “What have you done lately?” and the catch phrase is “next man up.”

Parmele, for his part, seemed to understand.

"It's been fun Bmore,” he Tweeted. “Enjoyed bein a Raven. Appreciate the love!”

 

“I think David Garrard would be a good backup to Joe Flacco, but ultimately might be too expensive. There should be a market for him.” – Tweeted by Ravens reporter Aaron Wilson (@RavensInsider)

Of course, getting cut in the NFL does not mean a player will go long without work, as Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard is likely about to demonstrate.

Cut Tuesday afternoon by the only NFL team he’s ever played for, speculation as to where Garrard would land began almost immediately, with Wilson stating the case for the veteran to move to Baltimore, but also couching that opinion with the admission Garrard may be too costly.

Garrard was due to make more than $8 million as Jacksonville’s starting quarterback this season, which is far more than he’ll now corral as a likely backup.

But paying top-dollar for a backup quarterback would not be totally out of character for the Ravens, who inked Marc Bulger to a $3.8 million contract that could have ballooned to $5.3 million with incentives to back up Joe Flacco last season.

Recent history does not guarantee Baltimore again grabs an expensive backup to Flacco, especially given that Bulger was signed during a season in which teams operated without a salary cap.

But with rookie Tyrod Taylor unable to prove he can be the No. 2 quarterback after being injured in the preseason finale, the idea of signing Garrard doesn’t seem outrageous.

 

“AFC North Predictions: #Ravens 11-5 #Steelers 11-5 #Browns 6-10 #Bengals 3-13” – Tweeted by Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly_Trib)

One reporter in Pittsburgh is picking the Ravens and Steelers to both be tied with an 11-5 record at the top of the division, with the Ravens apparently holding the tiebreaker.

What do you think? Will Baltimore steal an AFC North title from Pittsburgh this season?


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