Ngata problem.

RDE/DT Haloti Ngata, the Ravens’ best player, finally got a long-term deal done that will keep him in purple and black for at least the next five years:

The contract will pay Ngata $40 million in guaranteed money in the first two years, which is superior to all non-quarterback deals for the first two years of a contract. It exceeds all annual defensive line compensation at the start of a deal.

“It just feels awesome,” Ngata said in a statement. “I won’t have to worry about my family, my kids, with money problems. Hopefully, I can continue to do well for the Ravens now and it’s a good deal for them.”

Admittedly, $40M and “good deal” in the same story produce a bit of cognitive dissonance to the general public, but as far as NFL contracts go, it’s entirely reasonable. As I understand it, the deal also looks to be fairly front-loaded.

Update: Yes, it is. Total deal is $61M, meaning a full 2/3 of the contract’s money is due in the first two years. For the next three years, Ngata’s salary will be fairly low, allowing them to do another deal (or, should he get hurt/lose effectiveness/go Haynesworth, cut him) with relatively little penalty.

Via about a million people on the tweet machine.

PS: If you’re not a football fan, Ngata’s last name is pronounced “Not-a,” making the title marginally less stupid.

Linkwad.

• Did you want a reason to hate at least 50 of your fellow Americans?
• Did you want many, many reasons to hate the NCAA?
• Twitter analytics are on the way. @RWW, via @GinaTrapani.
• Graphs > words, because we are all three they’re more effective.

Baltimore, don’t ever change.

The last line’s understatement makes it great:

A flirtatious tweet sent from state Sen. Catherine Pugh’s account was the result of a staffer’s mix-up, a campaign spokesman said today.

The staffer, legislative aide Gary Brown, sent a tweet from Pugh’s account saying “mmm mmm good looking men here” Saturday night, while at an Associated Black Charities gala at Martin’s West, said campaign spokesman Anthony McCarthy.

Brown thought he was logged into his personal account, but was actually logged into Pugh’s account when he sent the tweet, McCathy said.

Within minutes of tweeting from Pugh’s account, Brown sent a prim-and-proper message from his own account about being pleased to attend the gala. Both tweets were deleted following inquiries from The Baltimore Sun.

Brown will no longer be tweeting for Pugh, McCarthy said.

Over the weekend, the tweet spawned a very short-lived local meme.

Good grief.

This is a great idea: Peanuts strips juxtaposed with tweets.

Update: Tre-mendous.

Linkwad.

1. “The mass extinction of grown-ups has coincided with the rapid expansion of other demographic groups, including people who seek medication for every problem they encounter, 33-year-olds who participate in organized kickball leagues, personal injury litigants, and parents who try to become friends with their own children.”
2. Roger Ailes is more than a little responsible for the current Republican leadership’s crazysauce behavior.
3. Illinois is “so flat you have to dream up everything,” according to Tom Waits. Via @Maryvale.
4. Without football, there’s nothing to do but crimes.