I Love Michael Oher

[ArtModells Moving Company]

[quote name='J-man' date='19 October 2009 - 03:39 PM' timestamp='1255988347' post='262715']
Nobody gets that but you Jared Allen. How about you stick to football because metaphors arent something your good at.

No Class.
[/quote]

Well, someone else gets it...

[b]Patriots' Warren not an Oher fan either[/b]

Posted by Tom Curran on October 19, 2009 4:48 PM ET

Wondering whose side to take in the burgeoning war of words between Ravens rookie tackle Michael Oher and Vikings defensive end Jared Allen?
Here's a little more context.
Two weeks ago, after the Patriots played the Ravens at Gillette Stadium, New England defensive lineman Ty Warren was asked about Oher on WEEI's Dale & Holley Show.
In broaching the subject of Oher, one of the hosts mentioned the 2006 book that Oher was at the center of, "Blind Side" by Michael Lewis.
"I actually had the same book but I think I'm gonna toss it after yesterday," Warren said back on October 5. "As a young player, he's a little mouthy. I didn't respect that much."
What brand of mouthy did Oher bring? According to Warren, "It wasn't genuine. Some people say stuff they mean and other times people say stuff for a crowd. It wasn't all directed towards me. It was real...fraudulent. i just don't respect stuff like that. But I can see him being a good player in this league.".
So while Allen's persona might make people nod with approval to hear him get tweaked by a rookie, the bigger point is that Oher runs his mouth. A lot. And for him to raise the ire of a player as professional and low-key as Warren, Oher must be especially irritating.
And we thought we'd cornered the market on irritating here at the PFT.

[AwakenTheDemon]

[quote name='R3N' date='19 October 2009 - 02:39 PM' timestamp='1255981144' post='262577']
You Ravens fans are just clawing at signs of life after that loss yesterday. Oher is going to be a perennial pro bowl tackle but JA obviously got the better of him yesterday. It was stupid of him to run his mouth without having any play to back up his talk.
[/quote]

Jared Allen, is that you?

[JoeFlax]

lol I think we might have some Browns fans roaming around our forums with a little too much time on their hands

[kash96ravenstotalfan]

[quote name='larz20' date='19 October 2009 - 04:40 PM' timestamp='1255984858' post='262641']
You guys played a good game and either team could've won. Goodluck the rest of the way. I do want to comment on this because there seems to be a lot of disrespect of Allen after what he said. Oher had a good game IMO but should've kept his mouth shut. No reason to trash talk after the game. Allen simply responded to what Oher said. No reason for that. You guys have a good lineman there. I'll admit that I wanted the Vikes to take Oher with their pick but took Harvin instead. We'll see how that pans out. Again, goodluck to you guys the rest of the way.
[/quote]
I don't think that Oher trash talked Allen, he just stated his thoughts on how he played against him. Sure there was no intention of trash talk on Oher's part

[Andrew Glass]

I was once in love with kipp vickers.

[AwakenTheDemon]

How is stating that you played someone well enough to feel as if there isn't something "really" special about him trashing him? Regardless of whether it is or not, it's distasteful and classless to then come back to a rookie who didn't really trash anyone, and proceed to call him an idiot and say that you "beat him like a redheaded stepchild". One sack on Flacco and you're trashing someone, Allen? Damn, I'd hate to hear what you had to say after the Green Bay game.

[hammer]

[quote name='Bullrush' date='19 October 2009 - 11:57 AM' timestamp='1255967855' post='262274']
I'm glad he's happy with his performance as Jared shredded him in the 1st half on almost every play. He did good in the 2nd half but he shouldn't be running around talking trash about Jared, it's not like he called him out or something. And i still wonder why they decided to not touch Jared on that one play where he recorded a sack. The person that designed that play must feel incredibly dumb. What went wrong the day during the offseason when he put that play together? Was he drunk? Did he actually think it would work? Not blocking a DE and then expect to still complete a pass? Mind boggling. Common sense should have told him that you know what, this makes no sense at all. Let's start over again. This play is not gonna work. It's fascinating that he actually thought this would work.
[/quote]

As a rookie, with J. Gaither out, Oher has recorded O sacks versue NE defense, 0 sacks versus A. Odom, Cin... 1 sack versus J. Allen, Minn. You have to realize that this is a rookie left tackle in the NFL. Oher is probably the NFL rookie of the year!

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

[quote name='hammer' date='20 October 2009 - 12:02 PM' timestamp='1255996926' post='262865']
As a rookie, with J. Gaither out, Oher has recorded O sacks versue NE defense, 0 sacks versus A. Odom, Cin... 1 sack versus J. Allen, Minn. You have to realize that this is a rookie left tackle in the NFL. Oher is probably the NFL rookie of the year!
[/quote]
I think he has done really well too, he hasnt been up for NFL.com Rookie of the Week once?

[hammer]

[quote name='AwakenTheDemon' date='19 October 2009 - 07:11 PM' timestamp='1255993899' post='262828']
How is stating that you played someone well enough to feel as if there isn't something "really" special about him trashing him? Regardless of whether it is or not, it's distasteful and classless to then come back to a rookie who didn't really trash anyone, and proceed to call him an idiot and say that you "beat him like a redheaded stepchild". One sack on Flacco and you're trashing someone, Allen? Damn, I'd hate to hear what you had to say after the Green Bay game.
[/quote]

I agree, I watched Michael go against this dude the entire game and Michael did a TREMENDOUS job against him. Pro Bowler?.....Ok, against......NFL Rookie? Come on Man! Get Real! Next year Oher is bigger, stronger, quicker, better technique? OHER DOMINATES THIS CAT! Just my prediction.

[Osiris]

[quote name='R3N' date='19 October 2009 - 08:31 PM' timestamp='1255973518' post='262389']
It's not difficult to down block when the DE is using an up field speed rush. Any O-Lineman in the league can make that block. When JA read the run, and stopped his pass rush, he stayed in his gap and faught off Oher with ease and got in on a bunch of tackles.
[/quote]
What are you talking about!?
Go learn how to watch football mate!

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

[quote name='hammer' date='20 October 2009 - 01:46 PM' timestamp='1256003206' post='262975']
I agree, I watched Michael go against this dude the entire game and Michael did a TREMENDOUS job against him. Pro Bowler?.....Ok, against......NFL Rookie? Come on Man! Get Real! [b]Next year Oher is bigger, stronger, quicker, better technique? OHER DOMINATES THIS CAT! Just my prediction.[/b]
[/quote]
I look forward to seeing him develop, he's gonna be a star for real.

[beach08]

[quote name='Ed_Reed_Pick_Six' date='19 October 2009 - 08:09 PM' timestamp='1255997381' post='262874']
I think he has done really well too, he hasnt been up for NFL.com Rookie of the Week once?
[/quote]
OHER was up for Rookie of the week, I believe it was week 2, he went against Sanchez!!!!

[BuckWilds]

Allen's freak-out fit in response to Michael's comments shows how much a rookie is in his head. Allen is turning up like a chump in this little 'back-and-forth'.

It's fascinating how emotionally invested the pro-bowler is about a rookie saying he did a decent job...

[FerrariFan87]

I don't think joking about child abuse is funny, Mr. Allen. Perhaps you can try a different analogy next time?

[BloodRaven]

Oher shouldn't have said anything in the first place, it doesn't matter if Allen is a classless hillbilly or if he had a good/bad game, you pay your respects with your soundbites or you just look like a sore loser. What we're saying about Allen is the exact same thing thy're saying about Oher.

[TheRavenouseD2008]

ok Shane(joe) got his jumbo (oher)......suggs is bateman , clayton will play the roll of franklin , heap is that deaf TE rice is that back from the movie now will hauschka please become nigel ..... then we have a good season lol j/k

[hammer]

[quote name='Ed_Reed_Pick_Six' date='20 October 2009 - 03:34 AM' timestamp='1256024065' post='263155']
I look forward to seeing him develop, he's gonna be a star for real.
[/quote]

Michael Oher...Rookie, NFL, First Year Player. Nuff Said. Real Football Fans Aughta KNOW! If you don't? Nothing else needs to be said.

[Fred Sanford]

Haha, Ty Warren sounds like he curled up on the couch with a big tub of ice cream and sobbed his way through "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler.

Reminds me of that Simpsons episode where Burns stacks the softball team with All-Stars. They're taunting Darryl Strawberry, realizing he hears it all the time and doesn't mind. They zoom in on him, though, and this teardrop falls down his face. Hilarious when people get sensitive over meaningless trash talk.

I'd call it a draw between Oher and Allen. Oher did better than any other rookie would've done in that situation, and Allen had his moments. Each had an impressive performance, both are great players.

[Saint33]

One thing you've all forgotten to mention. The stats don't show it, but Allen burnt Oher really bad on one play, and Flacco bailed Oher out from giving up a TD

JA beat Oher around the corner, and hit Flacco's hand, the ball "came out" and EJ Henderson ran it into the endzone. Luckily, when JA hit Flacco's hand, he was still able to retain possession as he moved his hand forward, but 99/100 JA hits that ball out, and it's a TD going the other way.

For a rookie, Oher held his own. But if he was a veteran, I'd say overall it was a bad day, and rookie or not, I don't think it was a good enough perfomance to run his mouth

[TomskyDe'Raven]

Oher as a rookie did a good job against a season veteran that wouldn't hesitate to rush in every chance he got..

[ONCDMV]

I knew when we drafted OHER he was going to be an impact player from jump. Big,strong and fearless. He is going to be a SOLID player for us for years to come. One of the major bright spots for us this year.

[Ravnet]

[quote name='H8R' date='19 October 2009 - 05:05 PM' timestamp='1255986325' post='262676']
I don't really see him being beat up on. It's not how you start but how you finish. Allen disappeared after half time, Oher had more in the tank. This was proven in the 4th quarter, with multiple GAPPING holes because Oher stood up Allen and had his way with him. I know you like to play devils advocate at every chance and generally never give the Ravens much credit but come on. Oher did better against Allen then the other STARTERS Allen has faced. I think Oher did better then expected by most and proved he can contain the best rushers in the game. It was nothing like how Freeney owned Ogden towards the end of the career. Trust me, Allen isn't the biggest challenge Oher will face in his time in the NFL.
[/quote]

I definitely agree that Oher did well considering the circumstances, that Michael played better than some starters do against Allen, and even that Jared was mostly "shut down" in the fourth quarter, but none of this negates the fact that, for a defensive lineman, Allen still had a monster first half, and a pretty good line overall.

Finishing a game is more important than starting a game, but that doesn't mean that starting a game well isn't relevant.

If Oher hadn't allowed Allen to run wild in the first, who knows, Flacco may have hit Washington for a touchdown which could have altered the course of the game.

[H8R]

[quote name='Ravnet' date='21 October 2009 - 04:30 PM' timestamp='1256157044' post='264218']
I definitely agree that Oher did well considering the circumstances, that Michael played better than some starters do against Allen, and even that Jared was mostly "shut down" in the fourth quarter, but none of this negates the fact that, for a defensive lineman, Allen still had a monster first half, and a pretty good line overall.

Finishing a game is more important than starting a game, but that doesn't mean that starting a game well isn't relevant.

[b]If Oher hadn't allowed Allen to run wild in the first, who knows, Flacco may have hit Washington for a touchdown which could have altered the course of the game.[/b]
[/quote]


Likewise, had he not shut down Allen in the second half... a comeback would have never been a thought. I really don't say he had a "monster" game 1 sack 7 tackles and a couple hurries. Nothing like his other games this season anyway, comparably speaking.

[samic]

First of all, no one is mentioning how the question was phrased to either Oher or Allen. Oher is known as a soft spoken and respectful individual. Anyone coming in contact with him has come away with that impression. I get the feeling that some reporter wanted to get a response that would be a hot topic issue. It obviously struck a cord with Allen. If he was more mature he would have handled his response like a vet should. I don't feel that Oher was disrespectful. And I don't think he had a bad game against Allen. Watching the replay, he kept Flacco clean the majority of the game. Most of Allen's tackles came against the TE providing support. Allen had some good plays early on but coming to the end of the second quarter and going on into the second half, Oher more than held his own against a guy making a lot more money than him. This caused Oher to realize that he can compete with these guys. He said he felt he gave Allen too much respect early on but then started to attack him more. As he was effective doing that, it erased the aura that Allen was this unstoppable beast and so not all that special! Could he have phrased it differently, maybe. Should have stayed quiet? Yes. But you also have to take into consideration how the question may have been asked of him. The reporter doesn't really say. What I do know is that all the other interviews I've seen of Mike, he has been respectful and articulate. But a lot of players are going to feel like this kid feels he is something because he has a book written about him and a movie coming out. That is not the impression I get from Mike though.

[Runnin Raven]

He's a young kid (a rookie for pete's sake!) coming off a devastating loss. I think Michael just learned a valuable lesson about interacting with the media. Watch what you say because they will take it and spin it any way they want to. Watching how they work TO all the time makes it painfully clear they self-servingly try to stir things up. Of course TO's narcissism just compounds the issue. Michael is not TO thank God.

[jfc13]

[quote name='samic' date='22 October 2009 - 02:12 AM' timestamp='1256191941' post='264499']
First of all, no one is mentioning how the question was phrased to either Oher or Allen. Oher is known as a soft spoken and respectful individual. Anyone coming in contact with him has come away with that impression. I get the feeling that some reporter wanted to get a response that would be a hot topic issue. It obviously struck a cord with Allen. If he was more mature he would have handled his response like a vet should. I don't feel that Oher was disrespectful. And I don't think he had a bad game against Allen. Watching the replay, he kept Flacco clean the majority of the game. Most of Allen's tackles came against the TE providing support. Allen had some good plays early on but coming to the end of the second quarter and going on into the second half, Oher more than held his own against a guy making a lot more money than him. This caused Oher to realize that he can compete with these guys. He said he felt he gave Allen too much respect early on but then started to attack him more. As he was effective doing that, it erased the aura that Allen was this unstoppable beast and so not all that special! Could he have phrased it differently, maybe. Should have stayed quiet? Yes. But you also have to take into consideration how the question may have been asked of him. The reporter doesn't really say. What I do know is that all the other interviews I've seen of Mike, he has been respectful and articulate. But a lot of players are going to feel like this kid feels he is something because he has a book written about him and a movie coming out. That is not the impression I get from Mike though.
[/quote]

Good post. I think the only thing Oher said wrong was to say that there was "nothing special" about Allen. If Oher had just acknowledged that Allen was a good player and then continued that he felt he did well against him, I think everything would have been fine. But, like you said, Oher is a rookie, not only on the field, but with the media. He's going to have to realize that anything he says can be taken out of context and made to make him sound bad - and the media will do that just to get attention for their story.

Oher has time to learn all about the media - Allen should be a little more seasoned about it by now.

I did like that Oher said he felt he could have played even better in Baltimore. That statement makes it sound like he has embraced Baltimore and its fans. Okay, sure, that would have happened whereever he ended up playing, but I still liked the statement.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='Runnin Raven' date='22 October 2009 - 08:54 AM' timestamp='1256216084' post='264535']
He's a young kid (a rookie for pete's sake!) coming off a devastating loss. I think Michael just learned a valuable lesson about interacting with the media. Watch what you say because they will take it and spin it any way they want to. Watching how they work TO all the time makes it painfully clear they self-servingly try to stir things up. Of course TO's narcissism just compounds the issue. Michael is not TO thank God.
[/quote]

All very true. But as far as T.O. goes, you have to give him credit for staying very quiet this year.

[beach08]

[quote name='samic' date='22 October 2009 - 02:12 AM' timestamp='1256191941' post='264499']
First of all, no one is mentioning how the question was phrased to either Oher or Allen. Oher is known as a soft spoken and respectful individual. Anyone coming in contact with him has come away with that impression. I get the feeling that some reporter wanted to get a response that would be a hot topic issue. It obviously struck a cord with Allen. If he was more mature he would have handled his response like a vet should. I don't feel that Oher was disrespectful. And I don't think he had a bad game against Allen. Watching the replay, he kept Flacco clean the majority of the game. Most of Allen's tackles came against the TE providing support. Allen had some good plays early on but coming to the end of the second quarter and going on into the second half, Oher more than held his own against a guy making a lot more money than him. This caused Oher to realize that he can compete with these guys. He said he felt he gave Allen too much respect early on but then started to attack him more. As he was effective doing that, it erased the aura that Allen was this unstoppable beast and so not all that special! Could he have phrased it differently, maybe. Should have stayed quiet? Yes. But you also have to take into consideration how the question may have been asked of him. The reporter doesn't really say. What I do know is that all the other interviews I've seen of Mike, he has been respectful and articulate. But a lot of players are going to feel like this kid feels he is something because he has a book written about him and a movie coming out. That is not the impression I get from Mike though.
[/quote
GREAT POST, I agree I have met and talked with Oher on 2 occasions, he is very soft spoken and respectful, I strongly believe the media put their own spin on this!!!!

[ravensfolife]

[quote name='jfc13' date='22 October 2009 - 10:44 AM' timestamp='1256222667' post='264576']
Good post. I think the only thing Oher said wrong was to say that there was "nothing special" about Allen. If Oher had just acknowledged that Allen was a good player and then continued that he felt he did well against him, I think everything would have been fine. But, like you said, Oher is a rookie, not only on the field, but with the media. He's going to have to realize that anything he says can be taken out of context and made to make him sound bad - and the media will do that just to get attention for their story.

Oher has time to learn all about the media - Allen should be a little more seasoned about it by now.

I did like that Oher said he felt he could have played even better in Baltimore. That statement makes it sound like he has embraced Baltimore and its fans. Okay, sure, that would have happened whereever he ended up playing, but I still liked the statement.
[/quote]
I dont think oher has to rub allens ego, what i took from ohers comment was he went up against won of the best and pass the test.

[ravensfolife]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' date='22 October 2009 - 10:57 AM' timestamp='1256223471' post='264584']
All very true. But as far as T.O. goes, you have to give him credit for staying very quiet this year.
[/quote]
I for one dont see t.o as a bad person. The media spins anything whatever way they want, reminds me of jedi mind tricks. Remember a couple of weeks ago brady overthrowing moss and galloway, then yelling on the bench like it was there fault. If that was t.o it would have been a big deal, but espn said nothing. Total mind control