If I Could Have 20 Questions With...Michael Oher

Most NFL experts considered the Baltimore Ravens very lucky when they selected offensive tackle Michael Oher with the 23rd selection in the first round of the draft.  For the general football fan, they hear Oher's name because many people felt he would be selected in or near the top ten.  But after trades were made, and teams selected other priorities over tackle, Oher was there for the boys in purple in black.

If you look at his accolades at the University of Mississippi, you can understand why Raven fans are excited to have him.  But it's what Michael Oher has been through off the football field that makes him even more impressive.

Oher's life has taken him to countless schools and foster homes as he was never raised by his parents.  His mother was a drug addict while his father, who again did not raise Oher, was murdered while he was in High School. 

Many people in Oher's shoes would simply give up or get lost in the shuffle, but Oher persevered with the help of several others, especially the couple of Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy.  The Tuohy's with the help of tutors, helped Oher succeed at Briarcrest Christian School in Tennessee and got his grades high enough he could attend college.

Since then, Oher has not looked back. 

If I were to have the opportunity to sit down with the rookie tackle, these are some of the questions I would ask.

1)  How does it feel to be part of the Ravens organization?

2)  In what ways do you feel you'll be able to immediately contribute to this team?

3)  Have the veteran players prepared you for the adjustments you'll need to make from college to professional football?

4)  What has it been like to line up against defenders like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed at mini camp?  Quite a bit different than facing LSU no?

5)  Have you preferred left or right tackle in your career?  Could you tell the readers the difference in playing on either side?

6)  Are there any players in particular you've been able to form a close friendship with?

7)  What has been the best advice you have received since being drafted?  Who gave you this advice?

8)  You're story is so inspirational, there is going to be a movie made about it?  How were you able to overcome such long odds to be where you are today?

9)  Was there ever a point you were ready to say "I give up"?  Who was there for you to lift you up at that time?

10)  What got you to play football initially?  It says here, you really didn't even begin playing until High School.  That is pretty miraculous to pick up the game so fast.

11)  It has been fairly well publicized that the Tuohy's were very influential in your development as a student and as a person.  Who is someone we the public might not know of who was also an influential part of your life that helped get you to this point.

12)  How did those experiences growing up help prepare you for what you'll face in the NFL?

13)  Is there advice you could give youths that might be living in a similar type of situation you grew up in?

14)  Let's take a look briefly at your times in college.  Aside from football, what do you feel you'll miss most from being a college student? 

15)  Was there something in particular that made you choose the University of Mississippi?

16)  I'd love to ask you some questions about your personal life.  What do you envision doing 10-15 years down the road when you retire from football?

17)  What interests do you have outside of football?

18)  You've spent the last years of your life in Tennessee and Mississippi  What has it been like living in the north east now?

19)  The first thing Michael Oher bought after he was drafted was...?

20)  Is there something you'd like to say to Ravens fans?