Offensive Line Model and Notes vs. Steelers 12/5/10

[chicagoravensfan]

It can't all be due to the lack of Gaither. This same O-Line (w/ Oneil Cousins and everything) rushed for 175 yards against the Steelers last year.

[RavenScallywag]

If we had kept the same OL as previous weeks, I'd tend to say it was a trickle down effect of having a less than stellar OT (Yanda, who is a great OG, but just pretty good as RT), a less than stellar RG (Chester), and Oher still not fitting in at LT...

But, since we shook up the line last night, the interior line was the same from last season. My guess is that you had guys like Cushing and Pollard wreaking havoc coming in at the T positions and then cutting inside to get to Rice or Flacco. Also, it just looked like we're not getting any PUSH in the running game. Generally, Rice and McGahee were running into crowds with no holes or lanes. At best, the holes came off of draws and screens and cutbacks, but then we had no lane set up for Rice.

[baltimore_hokie]

The lack of success can be traced back to the lack of an identity in the trenches. Here's an opinion on the Ravens struggles:

Gaither’s Absence Bigger than Predicted

Why write about right tackle Jared Gaither 14 weeks into the season? He hasn’t taken a single snap this season and is currently residing on Injured Reserve nursing a hurt back.

With the Ravens attempting to add a spark to the offensive line by inserting Oniel Cousins at right tackle and moving Marshal Yanda back to guard and Chris Chester to tight end, the Baltimore Sun’s Kevin Van Valkenburg sees a void in the running game and pass protection left by Gaither’s absence.

"For the entire complaining fans do about the coordinators or the quarterback, it’s becoming more and more obvious that a ton of the Ravens issues can be traced back to their offensive line," wrote Van Valkenburg. "When they give [quarterback Joe] Flacco enough time, he looks like a pretty good quarterback. When they give Ray Rice lanes to run through, he’s the most electric player on the field. But right now, they’re not doing either particularly well."

Van Valkenburg named a weakness for each member of the offensive line. The Sun writer believes the offense’s struggles to adjust to new defensive wrinkles and to convert first downs can be pinned on front line.

And while Gaither’s reputation took a hit because of a questionable work ethic and attitude, the hole he left has "created a domino effect" on the offense.

"I don’t see how this can be blamed on [Offensive Coordinator] Cam Cameron or [Head Coach John] Harbaugh," wrote Van Valkenburg. "Cam Cameron seems to get slammed for every single misfire that occurs on offense, but in fairness to him, this is one of the few positions on the entire team the Ravens chose not to upgrade coming into this year."

For the offense this offseason, Ravens brass drafted two tight ends (Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta) and a receiver (David Reed). They also signed three big-name veteran receivers (Anquan Boldin, Donte’ Stallworth and T.J. Houshmandzadeh) and even brought in an insurance policy for quarterback Joe Flacco (Marc Bulger).

They drafted tackle Ramon Harewood in the sixth round, but he went on Injured Reserve before the season started.

"The Ravens front office knew Gaither was a bit of a wild card coming into this year, and they decided not to upgrade that position," wrote Van Valkenburg. "That decision is coming home to roost these days."

So is Ozzie to blame? Or do we want to stick with Cam, Harbs, and Flacco?