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Matt Schaub starting at quarterback. It was a joke to begin the season. Now what was the most nightmarish hypothetical has turned into stark reality after Joe Flacco sustained an ACL tear against the Rams this Sunday.
While Schaub is slated to take over the starting job, who will the team choose to back him up? The Ravens only roster two quarterbacks, and don't have any on the practice squad. This means that the Ravens will have to bring in at least one more quarterback from the free agent pool. This would be to backup Schaub in case of injury, or for the more likely event of Schaub absolutely sucking.
So who are the most only candidates I could find for the job? Let's take a look.
Christian Ponder
You might be laughing, but this quarterback deserves a ponder. I mean, we're talking about a Donovan McNabb-mentored quarterback. You just don't see those every day. This guy was a half-decent game manager who never really got the chance to succeed in Minnesota. My dude also got married at a courthouse and had his wedding meal at Arby's, so that's something neat for us bloggers to mention when we mention background on him.
Ryan Lindley
This guy is garbage. His career stat line is 2 touchdowns for 11 picks, and was responsible for the Cardinals generating the fewest total yards of offense in playoff history in last year's wild card game. If this guy has anything going for him, it's that Patriots had him on their practice squad for about a month earlier this year. He has had a chance to be on the practice squad and be behind some great quarterbacks having been with the Arizona Cardinals, San Diego Chargers, and New England Patriots. Hopefully if the Ravens sign Lindley, he picked up a little something from those guys.
Chandler Harnish
This guy was drafted as 'Mr. Irrelevant', and he still is. Enough said.
Pat Devlin
A Delaware alum, Devlin could really strengthen that Delaware-Ravens bond. A transfer from Penn State, Devlin was basically the second-coming of Joe Flacco for the school. He tossed 38 touchdowns over his two years for the Fightin' Blue Hens, and only 12 picks. He received nominations for the Walter Payton and Johnny Unitas awards, and was a FCS All-American. In what many thought was a strong QB class in 2011, Devlin was a top 10 quarterback of draft analyst Mike Mayock. He was also apparently targeted as the No. 1 overall pick of the UFL Draft, but refused to sign a contract, He hasn't really stuck anywhere, but he also really hasn't been given a chance either.
Bryn Renner
Once said to be a potential first round pick by Mike Mayock, Renner suffered a shoulder injury in his senior year that dropped him off draft boards and into the Ravens' laps. This offseason, he was somewhat of a 'preseason darling'. Renner had really good performances, made some nice plays, and even had the game-winning play once. Ultimately, it wasn't enough for the Ravens, as he was released from their practice squad this September. If the team were to bring one of these guys on, my money is on Renner since he knows the scheme already and the Ravens know him.
Tim Tebow
Considering that the season is about as over as you could expect, my suggestion is to just have some fun with it. Let's bring in Tim and see what he can do. This season isn't the darkest timeline until Tim Tebow ends up as a Baltimore Raven.