Offensive Line - Who Stays And Who Goes?

[rmw10]

The question is simple. What will out offensive line look like?

Let's assume the starting lineup is the following:
Bryant McKinnie
Bobbie Williams
Matt Birk
Marshal Yanda
Michael Oher

Guaranteed backups:
Kelechi Osemele
Gino Gradkowski
Jah Reid

Who's left:
Tony Wragge
Ramon Harewood
Justin Boren
Howard Barbieri
Jack Cornell
Addison Lawrence
Paul Madsen
Antoine McClain
Cecil Newton

There are a lot of intriguing names on the "who's left" list. Who do you see getting the additional 1-2 spots available on the line, pending there are no injuries?

[Gordo52]

Best case scenerio for our offensive line this year...
Mckinnie gets in shape, Williams stays healthy, and plays like he used to. Birk stays heathy, and Oher cutting back the penalties.

Hopefully Gino and K.O. learn a lot in their rookie year, and can take over in 2013-14.

I love the fact that Gino gets to learn behind Birk for a year. It could really pay off in the long run.

I'm so excited to see what these guys got in the preseason.

[Bazooka Joe]

McKinnie LT
Williams LG
Birk. C
Yanda RG
Oher RT

Back ups
Gradkowski. C/G
Jah Reid. RT
Justin Boren C/G
KO. T/G

[hawkprey]

Boren has been impressive so far which is good to hear. I don't think anyone expected him to make an impact before the year started. I think Barbieri and maybe Lawrence make PS, Harewood should make the roster unless he gets injured again. Wragge I'm not so sure about. Osemele might make starter by the end of training camp. He's been sitting out with a minor injury so it's no surprise he's not the frontrunner now.

Also, McKinnie has been a question mark because he's not in the best condition. They've been running with Oher at LT and since Oher has looked good this offseason, I wouldn't be surprised if he stays there (they were hoping he'd be a left tackle).

[baltravens]

The OL is accurate and I see Boren as the one who could make the 53-man roster.

[flynismo]

Williams sucks. We better pray that KO is as good as advertised

[BloodRaven]

I'm hearing bad things about Reid, he might not even be able to play RT. Cornell could be a sleeper.

[Bullrush]

Harewood was supposed to start at LT here and from what I've heard he could turn out to be a starter, he's got talent and great size. He just needs to stay healthy considering he landed on IR the past 2 years before the season even started. He'll definitely make the team. I wouldn't mind us starting him at LT in the preseason to see how he does. I could care less about McKinnie, he's getting old, out of shape, and he's not playing well. Might as well move on with a younger guy who's got upside.

[Ed_Reed20]

Yanda aside, is there a single lineman we can be confident won't break down badly as the season wears on or play well consistently?

[Irish Raven]

Boren was very good last pre-season
Yeah it's only pre-season, I know

With a years coaching up on the practice squad I'm rooting for the guy to make the roster this season
And he has every chance of making it, there is room available

[Rav'n Maniac]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1340011189' post='1090864']
Yanda aside, is there a single lineman we can be confident won't break down badly as the season wears on or play well consistently?
[/quote]

This is what concerns me most. Imo it is our weakest group on the team. We can't inject youth into the veterans and our youth are inexperienced at best. Hopefully, they'll have some good games like last year. If not, we are in for a long season offensively.

[Corvus]

[quote name='flynismo' timestamp='1339993388' post='1090843']
Williams sucks. We better pray that KO is as good as advertised
[/quote]

He has been exceptional in the past as a run blocker in particular, but he was pretty bad last yeat. I'm just hoping KO can get healthy enough to compete for the spot again.

As to the topic in question, the word so far is that Boren has looked excellent in OTAs and the minicamp. Apart from our 5 starters, I can see us also carrying (KO or Williams, whichever doesn't win that LG spot), Gradkowski, Boren and either Reid or Harewood, depending on who has the best camp. I doubt the team would just drop Reid this early in his career though, so if Harewood is actually healthy to try to make the roster, I could see us carrying 10 linemen.

[ravensfan2430]

[quote name='Bullrush' timestamp='1340008420' post='1090863']
Harewood was supposed to start at LT here and from what I've heard he could turn out to be a starter, he's got talent and great size. He just needs to stay healthy considering he landed on IR the past 2 years before the season even started. He'll definitely make the team. I wouldn't mind us starting him at LT in the preseason to see how he does. I could care less about McKinnie, he's getting old, out of shape, and he's not playing well. Might as well move on with a younger guy who's got upside.
[/quote]

Harewood was a raw prospect from the get-go. Could you link an article about him being the starter.. I haven't heard that. I thought McKinnie played well last year. He didn't have a pro bowl year, but it was pretty good in my book.

[rmw10]

To be clear, I also thought Boren was good for making the roster. It just leaves us with a lot of interior lineman, and not too much on the outside. Then, I thought Harewood would make it for that reason, but I don't know if he's shown enough to warrant a spot.

I personally think both should make it and we should take 10 lineman after what happened last year, but for some reason, it doesn't seem like the team's forte.

[Suggs Package]

I have a feeling Cecil Newton may make the team. John Harbaugh loves players with other family members who play in the NFL. Gino Gradkowski, Casey Matthews, etc.

A lot of these potential players have played Center in their college and NFL careers. That has me thinking the Ravens aren't too confident in Birk holding up much longer.

Boren is obviously one of the favorites and the only one that has a realistic chance of being signed. Depending upon injuries however, you may few a few more of these guys on the roster at the start of the season and get cut after a few games.

[BloodRaven]

[quote name='Bullrush' timestamp='1340008420' post='1090863']
Harewood was supposed to start at LT here and from what I've heard he could turn out to be a starter, he's got talent and great size. He just needs to stay healthy considering he landed on IR the past 2 years before the season even started. He'll definitely make the team. I wouldn't mind us starting him at LT in the preseason to see how he does. I could care less about McKinnie, he's getting old, out of shape, and he's not playing well. Might as well move on with a younger guy who's got upside.
[/quote]

When he was drafted he carried his weight well but he's had both knees and an ankle rebuilt in the last two years so he might not be as light on his feet as he was. The early indications from minicamp are that he plays too high and has a long way to go, shoring up fundamentals usually takes a while.

[berad]

Boren's essentially guaranteed, too, I think. I'd be surprised if he's not on the 53.

I still say KO starts at LG.

[Bullrush]

[quote name='ravensfan2430' timestamp='1340035758' post='1090955']
Harewood was a raw prospect from the get-go. Could you link an article about him being the starter.. I haven't heard that. I thought McKinnie played well last year. He didn't have a pro bowl year, but it was pretty good in my book.
[/quote]
I couldn't give you a link now, that was a couple years ago. When Gaither went down Harewood was supposed to step in. Then when Cousins got hurt he was supposed to step in as well. He is/was very raw and missed 2 years already. He was extremely raw coming out of college. If he doesn't put it together this year in camp or gets hurt again he's gone. But he's very talented.

[Bullrush]

[quote name='BloodRaven' timestamp='1340039568' post='1090990']
When he was drafted he carried his weight well but he's had both knees and an ankle rebuilt in the last two years so he might not be as light on his feet as he was. The early indications from minicamp are that he plays too high and has a long way to go, shoring up fundamentals usually takes a while.
[/quote]
That's true, but he missed 2 years with knee injuries, he's gonna be rusty at first. I think by the time camp begins or the preseason begins he'll look a lot better once he's closer to football shape.

[scrock]

[quote name='rmw10' timestamp='1339956051' post='1090693']
The question is simple. What will out offensive line look like?

Let's assume the starting lineup is the following:
Bryant McKinnie
Bobbie Williams
Matt Birk
Marshal Yanda
Michael Oher

Guaranteed backups:
Kelechi Osemele
Gino Gradkowski
Jah Reid

Who's left:
[b]Ramon Harewood - stays
Justin Boren[/b] [b]- stays[/b]

[b]GONE[/b]
Tony Wragge (maybe he stays)
Howard Barbieri
Jack Cornell
Addison Lawrence
Paul Madsen
Antoine McClain
Cecil Newton

There are a lot of intriguing names on the "who's left" list. Who do you see getting the additional 1-2 spots available on the line, pending there are no injuries?
[/quote]

[baltravens]

Speaking of the OL, does anybody know what happen to Gurode? He is not listed on our roster, and I seriously thought he was going to be more than a one-year wonder.

[arnie_uk]

[quote name='baltravens' timestamp='1340126695' post='1091372']
Speaking of the OL, does anybody know what happen to Gurode? He is not listed on our roster, and I seriously thought he was going to be more than a one-year wonder.
[/quote]one year deal just, not resigned to a new deal

[baltravens]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1340127004' post='1091376']
one year deal just, not resigned to a new deal
[/quote]
Yeah, I understand he is a free agent but I thought that he would hone his skills so he could become appealing to the Ravens where he could make the 2012 roster and at worst as a backup.

[scrock]

[quote name='baltravens' timestamp='1340127340' post='1091380']
Yeah, I understand he is a free agent but I thought that he would hone his skills so he could become appealing to the Ravens where he could make the 2012 roster and at worst as a backup.
[/quote]

nah he was only here for 1 year, no real interest in bringing him back now they signed Wragge or whatever...

[baltravens]

[quote name='scrock' timestamp='1340191739' post='1091629']
nah he was only here for 1 year, no real interest in bringing him back now they signed Wragge or whatever...
[/quote]
It still surprises me somewhat when we pick up veterans like Gurode, Evans, and Housh to name a few, and then they are gone the following year. It seems that the Ravens did not have much confidence in Gurode even though he held down the fort last year until Grubbs came back from injury. The Ravens must feel that our offensive linemen from the draft will be enough to make the roster for our 2012 OL corps, not forgetting about Reid, too.

[The Raven]

[b]Starters[/b]
[u]Backups[/u]
[s]Cuts[/s]
[u][b]Backup/possible starter[/b][/u]

[b]Bryant McKinnie
Bobbie Williams
Matt Birk
Marshal Yanda
Michael Oher[/b]

Guaranteed backups:
[u][b]Kelechi Osemele (LG)
Gino Gradkowski (C)[/b][/u]
[u]Jah Reid[/u]

Who's left:
[s]Tony Wragge[/s]
[u]Ramon Harewood[/u]
[u]Justin Boren[/u]
[s]Howard Barbieri
Jack Cornell[/s]
[s]Addison Lawrence
Paul Madsen
Antoine McClain
Cecil Newton[/s]

So that leaves with:

McKinney, Oher, Reid, and Harewood as the tackles.

Yanda, Williams, KO, and Boren as the guards

Birk, and Gino as the centers.

This leaves us with 10 offensive linemen on the roster, which is 3-4 more than we had last year. Some may disagree with keeping 10 linemen, but I think it's necessary for depth purposes, and because we have many young players who could become future impact players.

I have a feeling that this might be the year Harewood makes the 53 man roster. I think he will provide adequate depth as a left tackle backup, but not much more this season. I have a gut feeling that he'll improve greatly this offseason.

I think that both Gino and Kelechi could potentially be starting at some point after the bye week, maybe later in the season as Bobbie and Birk wear down. I think that could be best case scenario for the long term development of the offensive line. With Bobbie and Birk presumably wearing down at the end of the season, it could be a necessary change; we may not even see a major drop off. Kelechi has a better chance than Gino, just because of his size, strength, and athleticism. Gino is smaller, and may not adjust well to having to block nose tackles in the AFC north. The zone blocking scheme will cover up for his lack of size because of his quickness and toughness. The fact that he has Yanda and KO/BW next to him will help him a lot with making double teams on big NT's.

I'm so excited for the offensive line! I'm so eager for the preseason!!!!!

[PurpleReign92]

Andy Moller has a lot of Talent to work with, puzzling should start in the off season and Pre-season. We should have something set up by the regular season with the starters and line-up of back up's on the roster...

[rmw10]

Would people want me to do this for other positions? Instead of just listing names, I could provide a small write-up on each player. It's a slow offseason so at least it would open up some discussion.

Edit: Also, at the end, we should be able to come up with some sort of "consensus" 53 man roster.

[gabefergy]

[quote name='The Raven' timestamp='1340219553' post='1091830']



So that leaves with:

McKinney, Oher, Reid, and Harewood as the tackles.

Yanda, Williams, KO, and Boren as the guards

[s]Cecil Newton[/s]Birk, and Gino as the centers.

This leaves us with 10 offensive linemen on the roster, which is 3-4 more than we had last year. Some may disagree with keeping 10 linemen, but I think it's necessary for depth purposes, and because we have many young players who could become future impact players.

[/quote]
I cant see us carrying 10 Offensive Lineman. 9 is a possibility but 8 is probably the number.

[u]Starters:[/u]

McKinnie
Williams
Birk
Yanda
Oher

[u]Back-ups:[/u]

K.O.
Gradkowski
Reid

The only way I can see us keeping Harewood is if he is 100% healthy and looking dominant or if McKinnie comes to TC out of shape and gets cut. The other player I could potentially see us keeping is Justin Boren, but I think he is still eligible for the PS (not sure how the playoff activity affects PS eligibility) which may allow us to stash him for one more season.

[The Raven]

[quote name='gabefergy' timestamp='1340236999' post='1091890']
I cant see us carrying 10 Offensive Lineman. 9 is a possibility but 8 is probably the number.

[u]Starters:[/u]

McKinnie
Williams
Birk
Yanda
Oher

[u]Back-ups:[/u]

K.O.
Gradkowski
Reid

The only way I can see us keeping Harewood is if he is 100% healthy and looking dominant or if McKinnie comes to TC out of shape and gets cut. The other player I could potentially see us keeping is Justin Boren, but I think he is still eligible for the PS (not sure how the playoff activity affects PS eligibility) which may allow us to stash him for one more season.
[/quote]

Fair point. I think that's still pretty reasonable. As long as we don't keep 6 or 7 like we did last year I'll be content. We actually kept 6 on the roster at one point!!! That's a terrible idea!