With the benefit of: (a) a night of sleep; (b) a cup or two of coffee; and (c) a chance to talk through the situation during the opening segment of PFT Live, it’s possible that I’ve figured out the connection between the Ravens announcing on Wednesday that quarterback Robert Griffin III will be signed (not has been signed, but will be signed) and G.M. Ozzie Newsome and coach John Harbaugh being questioned on Thursday in quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s pending collusion grievance.
Newsome and Harbaugh likely will be saying that they regarded Griffin as being a superior talent to Kaepernick. If they would have been saying that on Thursday without letting the world know on Wednesday that they’ll be signing him next week, the line of questioning would have gone something like this:
Lawyer: Why did you offer a contract to Griffin last year and not to Kaepernick?
Witness: We think Griffin is a better player than Kaepernick.
Lawyer: How much better?
Witness: Dramatically better.
Lawyer: Dramatically better?
Witness: Dramatically better.
Lawyer: Better than any other option on the backup quarterback market?
Witness: (Pauses.) Yes, better than any other option of the backup quarterback market.
Lawyer: Tell me, which NFL team currently employs Griffin?
Witness: (Pauses.) Well, none of them.
Lawyer: Well, why don’t you?
By adding Griffin, that line of questioning goes away. And while it’s odd to think that the Ravens would allow legal strategy to influence football decisions, it’s too coincidental that they held a press conference on Wednesday announcing that Griffin will join the team next week, a day before Newsome and Harbaugh are scheduled to answer plenty of questions about why they picked Griffin over Kaepernick.
Besides, the truth seems to be that the Ravens previously allowed business strategy to influence football decisions, based on the decision not to sign Kaepernick last year. The challenge for the Ravens and the NFL on Thursday ultimately will consist of showing that the Ravens made their decisions about Kaepernick on their own, and without any influence of a league office that arguably was spreading the word that signing Kaepernick would be bad for business.