(Photo by Ned Dishman/Getty Images)
In the team’s preseason opener, the Baltimore Ravens dominated the Washington Redskins, 23-0. There were a lot of bright spots.
After struggling in minicamp, starting quarterback Joe Flacco was sharp, going 9-of-15 with 103 yards and leading the team to field goals on his two drives. Both Ray Rice and Willis McGahee were solid, and the biggest bright spot of all was the defense.
The Redskins mustered a mere 199 yards of defense, fumbled twice, and threw one interception. While it is an irrelevant preseason matchup, Ravens fans were eager to see their first round pick, offensive tackle Michael Oher.
When I watch the tape on Oher, I notice that he truly blocks until the whistle blows, he’s an intimidating presence on the line, his pass blocking technique is fantastic, and has good athleticism for his 6′5″, 309 pound stature.
Oher was very well known going into college. As a junior, he came out of nowhere to emerge as the top high school football prospect.
He is the subject of the Michael Lewis book “The Blind Side,” and is an inspiration to many. In his two-year high school career, he didn’t allow a sack, and was credited with 200 pancake blocks.
In college, he didn’t disappoint. As a freshman, he started at right guard, an unnatural position for him, but he was versatile enough to make first-team Freshman All America. As a sophomore and junior, he was very good, and even considered going pro after his junior campaign, but returned for a final encore at Mississippi.
As a left tackle, he dominated, making a name for himself as an elite prospect, but slipped all the way to Baltimore’s No. 23 selection, where the Ravens picked him.
Since veteran Willie Anderson retired, Oher was practically handed the right tackle job, but he would still have to earn it. On July 30, he signed a bargain of a contract, agreeing to terms on a five-year, $13M deal.
Oher was impressive during training camp, and would see his first action on Aug. 13, 2009, against the Washington Redskins. To put it simply, this kid is going to be a beast. You heard it here first.
On one of the first Ravens plays of the game, Joe Flacco threw a short pass to Ray Rice, who took it 34 yards inside the Skins 20-yard line. What you won’t hear about that play is how Michael Oher made it.
Lining up opposite 14-year veteran Philip Daniels, Oher would face his first real challenge. To say the least, he made it look easy. The vet came on a blitz, but Oher wasn’t having it.
The rookie shoved Daniels to the ground, so hard that the rookie’s helmet came off. While Daniels was down, the left tackle shoved him even more. Mean? Yes. Good? Yes.
Later in the drive, with the Ravens inside the Redskins 10-yard line, Oher this time lined up opposite another veteran, but Oher again made it look easy. Opposite 13-year veteran Renaldo Wynn, Oher made a fool of him.
The rookie drove him back a few yards, and then slammed him to the ground. Kaboom. Oher slammed him so hard, he had a gash of his blood on his forehead, and left the game.
But no worries. The 309-pound left tackle returned later in the game. After just two plays, Oher is a fan favorite in Baltimore.
I will admit, it’s just one preseason game. So it’s premature for me to say this kid will be a good one. However, I don’t see any reason why he can’t be.
He has a mean streak. He finishes plays. He has solid pass and run blocking technique. He’s a physical lineman, who showed that he is more of a mauler than a finesse blocker. Is there any reason this kid can’t be special?
But while Ravens fans can (and should) watch in awe of his talents, what he’s overcome as a person are much more admirable. Born May 28, 1986, in the projects of Memphis, Tenn., he had a terrible upbringing.
His mother was addicted to crack cocaine, and his dad, whom he never talked to, was murdered when Oher was a junior in high school.
Michael repeated both first and second grade, and attended a whopping 11 different schools his first nine years as a student. In addition to that, he was in-and-out of Foster homes, and until he was 16, he didn’t have a home. He was homeless.
He didn’t know his name, age, or how to read or write. At 16, a friend of his, Tony Henderson, recommended he apply for admission at local Briarchrest Christian School.
Oher, of course, had no foundation academically, so many doubted he’d be able to handle his schooling at BCS. It took the generosity, care, and help of a local Christian family, but he did.
Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy saw Oher walking with the same shorts at school...in the snow. They noticed he had nowhere to go, and took him in. He brought up his GPA, then 0.4, to 2.65.
In November, the movie “The Blind Side” will come out, with Sandra Bullock playing the role of Leigh Anne, and Quinton Aaron as Michael. He has certainly overcome a lot in life, and out of it, he has the right attitude.
After he was drafted by Baltimore on April 25, he seemed not only happy, but grateful and eager to prove the Ravens right.
“I’m in the NFL. That’s all I ever wanted to do. Now I got to stay in. I’m not going to let them down.”
Give him credit. In his 23 years, he’s overcome more than your average person has in their entire life. “He had a very hard, rough upbringing with no parental supervision. He had nothing,” said Leigh Anne Tuhoy’s daughter, Collins.
“He’s a diamond in the rough, if you would," says Briarchrest principal Steve Simpson. Yes, Steve, he is.
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