Between the Lines: Baltimore Ravens 2009 Review/2010 Preview

As we get ready for the start of the NFL season, FanHouse will be take a look at the offensive line situation for each team in the league -- how they performed last season and how they project into 2010. You can find additional FanHouse offensive line analysis here.

Strong offensive lines are as much a part of the Baltimore Ravens as a ferocious pass rush, great run defense and an inept passing game.

But what is impressive is the Ravens' ability to retool their line on the go. Just two years ago, the Ravens' line was led by future Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden and center Jason Brown. Brown left in free agency and Ogden retired, but Baltimore recovered by snagging Jared Gaither as a supplemental draft pick, Michael Oher in the first round and Matt Birk in free agency.

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Player	Sacks	Median Sack Time	Over 3 Seconds
Jared Gaither	7	3.2	4
QB/Play Call	6	3.95	4
Michael Oher	6	2.4	2.5
Chris Chester	5	2.7	1.5
Ray Rice	3	1.8	1
Oniel Cousins	2	2.2	0
La'Ron McClain	2	2.3	0
Ben Grubbs	2	3.4	1
Matt Birk	1.5	3.3	2
Edgar Jones	1	3	1
Todd Heap	0.5	3	1

The Good: Michael Oher quickly proved he's more than a nice story. The 2009 first-round pick was already famous as the protagonist of the Michael Lewis' book/movie, "The Blind Side." He quickly became the Ravens' starting right tackle, and by the end of the season, Baltimore was looking to trade Jared Gaither so that Oher could move to the left side -- Oher played five games at the position in 2009 when Gaither was hurt.

Gaither actually is a pretty good tackle in his own right. He did give up seven sacks last season, but four of those were on plays where Joe Flacco held the ball for more than three seconds (the average sack takes place 2.7 seconds after the snap). Gaither's problems appear to be of the off-the-field variety. He slipped in the supplemental draft because of concerns about his makeup, and teams stayed away from trading for him for similar reasons.

The Ravens may be disappointed that they haven't found a trade partner for Gaither, but it's hard to say that they would be a better team with Gaither elsewhere. Whether he's playing left or right tackle, he's a worthy starter.

Birk is on the tail end of his career, but the 34-year-old is still an above-average center at this point. The combination of Birk, Ben Grubbs and Marshall Yanda gives the Ravens an excellent run-blocking interior to open holes for Ray Rice and Willis McGahee.

The Bad: It's fortunate that the Ravens ended up not trading away Gaither, as his likely replacement, Oniel Cousins, did not appear ready to replace him in limited action. Cousins started the final three games of the season at right tackle. During that time, he was beaten for two sacks (both by LaMarr Woodley) and was also flagged for four penalties (one hold, one false start, one personal foul and one illegal use of hands).

Before Yanda took over late in the season, Chris Chester was sometimes overmatched, especially in pass blocking. Chester was physically beaten with power rushes at times, but he has gained 15 pounds during the offseason to try to rectify that problem.

The Future: Oher has been working at left tackle during training camp, so it looks like there is a pretty good chance that the Ravens will swap tackle spots. The Ravens have made it clear that Oher is their franchise tackle of the future, so it makes sense to move him to the traditional spot for franchise tackles.

If Gaither can stay focused and get healthy (he's missing most of the preseason with a back injury), he gives the Ravens a pair of solid tackles, and while Cousins may not be ready to be an elite starter, he would be a solid third tackle. Baltimore also has some depth inside. Yanda has some versatility to play tackle or guard, and Chester would make an excellent backup if Yanda beats him out at guard.