Michael Oher Interview: Baltimore Rookie Wants to Talk Blocking, Not Book

When the Ravens rolled into Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon, they did not expect what hit them. The Minnesota Vikings went up 14-3 at half and looked near invincible. The Ravens offense looked impotent and the visiting team could have been down by much more.

Then halftime happened.

Baltimore came out and traded punches before exploding on offense in the fourth quarter.

When Steven Hauschka set up for a game winning field goal, Vikings fans were already leaving the stadium, knowing that they would be handed the first loss of the season.

Instead, the kick sails wide left and the stadium erupts.

As a writer, I cover the Detroit Lions. As a radio personality, I work for AM 860 KNUJ in New Ulm, Minn. I attended the Minnesota-Ravens game with a media pass. Admittedly, I spent much of the game following the rout in Lambeau. The rest of the time I planned for a few interviews on each side.

With the huge games by Rice and Shiancoe, I knew I would not have much luck outmaneuvering the major media to them. John Clayton walked by and confirmed my suspicions.

On top of that, the Vikings only make Favre, Peterson, and Allen available in press conference. I waited, instead, by the Ravens locker room and hoped for the best.

In Minnesota, Matt Birk is a god and the local newspaper and television media huddled around the former Vikings center.

As a draftnik, I was excited for the athlete next to him, Michael Oher.

In all fairness, Oher had a very rookie-like game against Jared Allen. He didn't look happy and has never been the most talkative individual.

I started the interview by asking the rookie if there was anything he would do differently to prepare this upcoming week having lost a close game.

As I was finishing my question, attempting to say something about their upcoming by, Oher interrupted me.

"The week hasn't happened yet...I won't know till the week happens."

It was a stark answer, true, but utterly sarcastic. The interview wasn't going well right from the beginning. It went downhill from there.

I wanted to ask the rookie about his move to left tackle after sliding over due to Jared Gaither's injury. The left tackle position is often referred to as the blind side.

"The Blind Side" is also an award winning book by Michael Lewis. "The Blind Side" is also an upcoming movie. Both are based around the early life and recruitment of Michael Oher.

I prefaced my question, wanting to mention the popular book, but ultimately wanting to ask the rookie if he was glad to be back in his normal position. The question never got finished.

"I don't want to talk about that book, don't ask me about the book, ask me about football."

The actual quote is longer, and not as fit for a family friendly site. His response caused a few of his teammates and his interviewer to snicker.

The next question had no preface. Michael Oher was not making this easy, but I needed more on tape.

As I said earlier, Oher was beaten badly on a number of plays by Jared Allen and it needed to be asked how the experience had treated him.

The former Ole Miss Rebel explained that he gave Allen "too much respect" in the first half. In the second, he attacked more and played with more confidence.

This was very true, and not lip service. The success of the Ravens in the second half had much to do with improved protection which allowed Flacco to reach his receivers deep.

The rookie was ready for his shower, and this interviewer did not want to delay him any longer, so I ended the two-minute interview earlier than I wanted.

It was probably for the best, as Oher was clearly not happy with his play or the loss and being the subject of catharsis is never a great way to end a day.

So, as Michael Oher begins what should be a shining career in Ravens purple and black, this member of the media sends a warning to his colleagues in the Baltimore area. For your own safety, don't ask the man about the book.

He wants to talk football.

Michael Schottey is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and the producer and host of The Average Joe Sports Show on 860AM KNUJ (New Ulm, MN). He is also an NFL Analyst and Senior Writer for DraftTek.com.