2008 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Jared Gaither Left Guard: Ben Grubbs Center: Jason Brown Right Guard: Marshal Yanda Right Tackle: Adam Terry
2007 Injuries:
T Jonathan Ogden: Weeks 2 to 7
T Adam Terry: Weeks 6, 7, 15 and 16
C Mike Flynn: Week 6
2007 Statistics:
LEFT END
LEFT TACKLE
MID/GUARD
RIGHT TACKLE
RIGHT END
Passing
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
Sacks
Rank
4.81
8
4.13
21
3.69
31
4.33
16
2.89
32
39
21
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: Last season, the Baltimore Ravens had their worst season since 1996 with only five
wins. This led to the firing of head coach Brian Billick who had been with the team since
1999. The running game improved last season with the addition of Willis McGahee but was
still only a league average 4.0 yards per carry but the offensive line allowed 39 sacks as
opposed to only 17 in 2006. The main reason for the team’s downfall was that they
went from having the best turnover ratio in the NFL in 2006 to having the worst in 2007.
The biggest difficulty for this
team in 2008 will be to deal with the retirement of Jonathan Ogden. Ogden was a big left
tackle at 6’9” and 345 lbs who had been named to 11 straight Pro Bowls but he
had struggled to stay healthy in the past few seasons. His replacement at left tackle will
be the 22 year old, 6’9” and 350 lbs Jared Gaither. He started two games last
season in weeks 6 and 7 when both Terry and Ogden were injured. He has had problems off
the field and needs to get in shape but he has great abilities and is a very good run
blocker. He still has a lot of work to do and will likely struggle in pass protection
early in the season but he has the physical abilities to be a solid left tackle in the
NFL. Starting at right tackle once again this season will be Adam Terry. 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 as intense in his blocking as Ogden.
Terry is good in pass protection because of his size and athleticism but is a below
average run blocker which is why he could be a better fit on the left side of the line. He
should continue to improve this season and could be adequate on the left side if Gaither
cannot do the job. It was evident that the new coaching staff’s plan was to move
Marshal Yanda inside since they drafted two right tackles in Oniel Cousins and David Hale.
Cousins is a third round pick who is quite athletic but is not particularly strong and
does not have great technique. He still has a lot of work to do and needs to improve his
awareness so is probably more of a long term project for now but he has the versatility to
play guard as well. Hale was drafted one round later but is probably more ready for the
NFL at this point. He is a very intelligent player who works very hard and has pretty good
technique. He still has to get stronger and improve his footwork but he will play hard on
every play so could be a surprise in camp.
Starting at left guard will be
last year’s first round pick Ben Grubbs who had a very impressive rookie season at
right guard. Grubbs is strong and athletic at 6’3” and 315lbs 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. On the right side will be Marshal Yanda, a third round pick in 2007 who was a
guard in college but filled in at right tackle last season. Yanda outplayed Adam Terry on
the right side and kept the starting job in the final few games of the season. He 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 can still be an adequate tackle and should
continue to improve this season.
The center position will
probably go to the 2005 fourth round pick Jason Brown. He had a very good season at guard
last season considering the inconsistency there was at the left tackle position. Brown is
pretty strong and athletic at 6’3” and 320 lbs and is capable of pulling to the
outside and block in motion. Brown was a center in college and a move back to his natural
position will likely benefit him. Providing depth at the position is the 25 year old Chris
Chester who many expected to be the replacement for Mike Flynn, the 33 year old center
that was cut in the off-season. Chester was the Ravens second round pick in 2006 and
started nine games in the last two seasons at guard and center. He did a decent job to
fill-in at center last season but may lack the strength to be effective in the NFL as a
full-time starter. On the other hand he is quick and explosive so could be solid if he is
surrounded by two stronger guards.
2008 Outlook:
The Ravens offensive line is starting to take form now that Ogden has announced his
retirement. The biggest question mark at this point is the starting left tackle Jared
Gaither who is only 22 years of age and has only played in two NFL games. The loss of Ogden
will hurt but last season the line only gave up seven sacks and averaged 3.9 yards per
carry in the six games he missed. Ogden was evidently not fully healthy when he returned
and his performances were not as they were in previous seasons so Gaither should not be
too much of a downgrade over the Ogden we saw last season. The other changes will be Ben
Grubbs moving to his natural position of left guard, Jason Brown moving to his natural
position of center and Marshal Yanda also moving to his natural position of right guard.
This line will be very similar to the one that did an adequate job from weeks 2 to 7 last
season but with all five young players continuing to improve and three of them moving to
their natural position. Overall this line was average at best in both pass protection and
run blocking last season and Gaither could struggle in pass protection this year but with
all the depth and young talent, this line should improve this season and could be dominant
in two or three years.
Updates:
August 4, 2008 - T Adam Terry, T Jared Gaither and T Oniel Cousins all suffered injuries
in training camp. Cousins should be back soon but Terry and Gaither are question marks for
the start of the regular season. The strength of this line remains inside so these
injuries should not be much of a concern for McGahee but it could hurt the passing game
and Todd Heap may be asked to block more often.
August 20, 2008 - Adam Terry is now practicing again but
Jared Gaither is still out for now.
