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2009 Offensive Line Analysis - Baltimore Ravens

2009 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Jared Gaither
Left Guard: Ben Grubbs
Center: Matt Birk
Right Guard: Marshal Yanda / Chris Chester
Right Tackle: Michael Oher

2008 Injuries:
G Marshal Yanda: Weeks 7 to 17

2008 Statistics:

ALY (Adjusted Line Yards): It is an alternate measure for yards per carry developed by Football Outsiders that takes into account various factors including down, distance, situation and opponent.
Source: www.footballoutsiders.com

Overview:
The 2008 season was the first one in the post-Ogden era for the Ravens and surprisingly the offense ranked 11th in the NFL in points scored, their best season since 2003. The Ravens ran week in and week out behind their young offensive line and averaged a respectable 4.0 yards per carry, same as 2007, despite a league-leading 592 attempts. Moreover, they improved in pass protection by allowing 33 sacks as opposed to 39 in 2007 and ranked 18th in the NFL.

Starting at left tackle for the second consecutive season will be the 23-year old, 6’9” and 350 lbs Jared Gaither. Despite only starting only two games in 2007, Gaither was named to be Jonathan Ogden’s successor and played surprisingly well throughout the season. Gaither ranked sixth amongst left tackles with only 3.0 sacks allowed. He has all the physical abilities to be one of the best left tackles in the AFC but he needs to improve his technique to become more efficient as a run blocker. Nonetheless, in his first season as a starter, Gaither secured his spot as the starting left tackle for the Ravens for years to come. Opposite of him at right tackle will be the Ravens 2009 first round pick Michael Oher. Oher was the star of Michael Lewis’s book “Blindside” and has shown tremendous development on and off the field in the past ten years. He has great size at 6’5” and 310 lbs and very quick feet, two very good assets to succeed as a tackle in the NFL. Unfortunately, Oher still has a lot of work to do on his technique and will also need to get stronger to be effective as a run blocker, especially as a right tackle. All in all he has all the assets to be effective in the NFL but it may take him a few years to develop into a good starter at the next level. Adam Terry was drafted in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft to be Ogden’s replacement at left tackle but has been disappointing in the past few seasons. He is also very big at 6’8” and 330 lbs and has pretty good strength but is not particularly intense in his blocking. Terry is good in pass protection because of his size and athleticism but is a below average run blocker. He is an adequate backup on both sides of the line and could start on the right side if Oher is not yet ready to go. Also adding depth at tackle are Oniel Cousins, third round pick in 2008, and David Hale, fourth round pick in 2008. Both were in uniform for a few games last year but did not see any action as starters; Hale can also play guard.

Starting at left guard will be last year’s first round pick Ben Grubbs who had a very impressive rookie year and was equally impressive last season at left guard. Grubbs is strong and athletic at 6’3” and 315 lbs and has a very good work ethic. His athleticism allows him to pull to the outside as a run blocker although he could build a little more strength to be more effective when blocking in motion. Grubbs is equally solid in pass protection because of his good technique and quick feet. He should be an excellent guard in the NFL for many years and is likely a future Pro Bowler. Starting on the right side should be Marshal Yanda, a third round pick in 2007 who was a guard in college but filled in at right tackle in his rookie season. Last season, Yanda was back at guard but suffered a season-ending knee injury in week six. He is very likely to miss training camp and could begin the year on the PUP list. Yanda is known for his great intensity and never giving up on a block. He is not particularly athletic so is a better fit at guard in the NFL but could still be an adequate tackle and should continue to improve. If he’s not ready to go, Chris Chester, who started 11 games last season, will fill in for Yanda. The Ravens were still effective in the 11 games that Chester started with an average of 4.2 yards per carry but Chester must get stronger in order to be effective at guard in the NFL. He is quick and explosive so he could be a good starter but he still has work to do.

At center, the Ravens signed six-time Pro Bowler Matt Birk to replace Jason Brown, who signed with the Rams. Birk is a very smart lineman with great technique and good strength for his size. His best asset is his awareness and he will definitely make this young line work better as a unit. The downside with Birk is that he will be 33 when the season begins but he seems to still have a few years left in him. The twelfth-year veteran has not missed a start in three years but if he were to go down, Chester could move back to center.

2009 Outlook:
The Ravens line was pretty good in 2008 but should be even better in 2009. Matt Birk will be an immediate upgrade at center despite his age and Oher will help stabilize the right tackle position after the retirement of Willie Anderson. Even if he’s not yet ready, Terry is a very capable backup who started seven games last season. Furthermore, the young duo of Gaither and Grubbs will have one more year under their belt and should continue to improve. In terms of depth the Ravens are in good shape with Terry and Chester but the other backups are unproven so they cannot afford to lose more than two starters. Overall we expect this line to be slightly better in both pass protection and run blocking because of Birk but it could surprise depending on the performance of Oher at right tackle.

See all of our 2009 Offensive Line Analysis Articles