Who Will Get David Garrard's Service? Indianapolis Colts or Miami Dolphins

No. David Garrard's agent Albert Irby didn’t spill the beans and this article is pure speculation at this point.

However, the two most likely candidates in the battle for Garrard at this point have to be either the Miami Dolphins or Indianapolis Colts

Upon Garrard's release, I believed there was a definite case for the San Francisco 49ers to add the veteran to their roster (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/838587-4-reasons-the-san-francisco-49ers-should-pick-up-david-garrard-off-of-waivers) but at this point, head coach Jim Harbaugh looks set to roll with Alex Smith and two rookie backups in Colin Kaepernick and Scott Tolzien. 

We won’t go into a ton of stats or information regarding Garrard's performance in this article, however, the above article does a pretty good job of that, if I must say so myself.

Albert Irby has intimated that a third team has now expressed interest (hello Cincinnati Bengals), but I still believe Miami and Indianapolis are the two most likely candidates. And while this all may be over by tomorrow, we still thought it would be fun to have a head-to-head matchup looking at the four (quarters) of the most likely determining factors for Garrard's decision.

Each team will have one opportunity to score over the next four quarters, and at the end we’ll see which team will reign supreme!

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First Quarter: Money

Yes, it’s sad, but this game of football is a business and these guys expect to get paid. While neither team is likely to pay Garrard the $9 million in salary he was set to earn from the Jacksonville Jaguars this year, it will come down to which team is likely to pay him more.

Indianapolis: First and 10

It just signed the injured Peyton Manning to a record contract of $90 million over the next five years, and haven’t even placed the all--star quarterback on waivers yet; so it’s safe to say that it expects Manning back and are looking for a potential fill in for this year and maybe insurance for the beginning of next year. I wouldn’t bank on the Colts opening the checkbook for the 36-year-old Garrard.  (Fumble)

Miami: First and 10, Red Zone

The Miami Dolphins are well below the cap, have no long-term solution at quarterback and have a history of throwing money at aging veterans—Daunte Culpepper and Chad Pennington. Yes, the Dolphins are much more likely to sign Garrard to a higher multimillion-dollar deal, as he could certainly be a good interim solution to their quarterback problem. (Touch Down Dolphins 7-0)

Second Quarter: System / Fit, Dolphins 7, Colts 0

Indianapolis: Kick Off Return

While no one can replace the great Peyton Manning in Clyde Christiansen’s complex zone-blocking, no-huddle scheme, Garrard, however, brings an accurate arm and has the smarts to execute the complex plays in this offense.

Additionally, Garrard brings something this team hasn’t seen in a long, long time, and that’s mobility. Hey, he can’t be any worse than Collins, right?  (Touchdown Colts 7-7)

Miami: Ensuing Kick Off

While Brian Daboll’s scheme is not as complex as the Colts, he and head coach Tony Sporano would be salivating over the opportunity to bring in a mobile quarterback with an accurate arm and deep ball to pair with Reggie Bush out of the backfield and Brandon Marshall downfield.  While Chad Henne has some of these characteristics, he’s nowhere near the leader that Garrard is and doesn’t have the experience to lead this team in a very difficult division.  (Touchdown Dolphins 14-7)

Third Quarter: Playing Time, Dolphins 14, Colts 7

Indianapolis: First and Goal

The Colts need help and they need it bad.

They were willing to throw Kerry Collins into a preseason game a week after joining the team, and he hasn’t performed too well.

Additionally, Garrard's completion percentage was 65 compared to Collins 57 percent. Garrard's quarterback rating was nearly 13 points higher than Collins' as well. 

Garrard is in playing shape, having gone through an entire camp and would just need to get up to speed with Collins, who’s been with the team for less than 20 days. This would lead to a quick transition and have Garrard playing by Week 3 or 4 at the latest. 

The Colts might even throw him a full week of preparation.  (Touchdown Colts 14-14)

Miami: Third and 15

Miami made probably the biggest offseason mishap of the year when it had a chance to trade with the Denver Broncos for Kyle Orton.

The Broncos got greedy and kept all three of their quarterbacks.  Now they have to show Chad Henne that they believe in him enough to give him a fair shake,.

If they did bring in Garrard, it would be a wait-and-see approach, depending on how well or bad Henne plays. This may be a deterrent for Garrard, as he would likely want to jump right in and not have to wait it out.  (Field Goal Dolphins 17-14)

Fourth Quarter: Revenge, Dolphins 17, Colts 14

Indianapolis: Punt Return

The Colts would give Garrard a chance to play in the AFC South, a division in which he’s familiar with.

It would allow him to play the Jaguars, a team that clearly did him wrong not once, but twice last  year in weeks 10 and 17. It'll give him a shot to lead the Colts to the playoffs, while Jacksonville watches him on TV. 

That alone may be enough motivation. (Field Goal Colts 17-17)

Miami: Fourth and 25

The only revenge opportunity Garrard would have here is to play well while putting up decent stats and lead Miami to the playoffs, which may seem unlikely in the AFC East this year. (Punt Dolphins 17-17)

Overtime: The Andrew Luck Factor, Tied 17-17

I know, I know: it’s played out.

But believe me, we haven’t heard the end or even the beginning of the Andrew Luck speculation. 

This kid is truly a once-in-a-decade—maybe even century—type player, and while the Colts already have one of those, they drafted him 14 years ago, and he’s coming off of two neck surgeries.

Now I’m not saying Peyton’s done. I believe he will come back and still play for quite a few years.

However, the Colts have clearly neglected the need to have a quarterback grooming under Peyton the last few years. 

While Andrew Luck or any first-overall pick would be hard to bury on the bench, I think any quarterback in the world would be more than happy to learn from Manning.

The Dolphins, on the other hand, have not had a franchise quarterback since Dan Marino retired and would love to have a shot at the best prospect to come along. I see them as a more likely team to suck for luck, which would give the colts the edge in this battle, but give the Dolphins the edge for at least the next 14 years. (Returned kick for a Touchdown Colts 23-17)

Final: Colts 23, Dolphins 17

Oh, and if you don’t believe me, go ask Jeff Saturday—he seems to be pretty chatty these days.

Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment below and follow me on Twitter @bdizzlefarizzle