Don’t give up on Jared Gaither just yet…he’s on the verge of startin’ somethin’ big at OT in the NFL…
Why does it matter if the Ravens lose Jared Gaither?
I’m biased on this question in favor of keeping Gaither. When you consider the guy is only 25 and has really only played organized football for less than 5 years, and at 6-9, 340 could still develop as a premier offensive tackle in the NFL, why not take the risk that you can coach him up?
Gaither missed the entire 2010 season with a foot problem and a thoracic disc injury in his upper back, but his health has improved, according to a source inside the Castle.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh and general manager Ozzie Newsome both said recently that they would like to hold onto Gaither.
“I would probably have to defer to Ozzie on what it will take to bring Jared back as far as a price tag and all that, but I would like to coach Jared Gaither,” Harbaugh said. “Obviously, he’s a very talented guy. There’s so many factors that would determine whether that can happen or not, I’m not even sure what they all are. He’s definitely got the ability.”
Depending upon whether Gaither is classified as a restricted free agent or an unrestricted free agent, the Ravens could retain his services without necessarily having to negotiate with him.
“Right now, based on the 2010 rules, we can tender Gaither,” Newsome said. “He could still be the property of the Baltimore Ravens and John and I want to keep as many good players as we can keep.”
Last year, Gaither was paid $2.396 million under a one-year restricted free agent tender.
The former University of Maryland blocker has said he wants to remain in Baltimore.
“This is where I started my career, and I would love to start and end my career in the same place,” Gaither said late in the season. “With that being said, I love this organization. I love the camaraderie of the team. This is my place. Hopefully, I can come back.”
If Gaither is healthy, the Ravens could install him as their left tackle again and shift Michael Oher back to the right side. That would also allow the Ravens to shift right tackle Marshal Yanda back to his natural right guard spot.
The Ravens need to know if they can count on Gaither to both practice and play in games for them during the 2011 season if they are going to re-sign him. That’s impossible to know in February when Gaither is coming off a year lost to injury that some say may have resulted from his showing up at camp in poor shape as a result of back problems— and unhappiness with the lack of a contract extension.
The injury problems are bad enough, but the questions about his work ethic raised by last summer’s issues have made it hard for the Ravens to put a full level of trust into Gaither. That explains why a Ravens official told Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun that the chances of Gaither returning for another season were “slim.”
I’m not one to argue with Jamison Hensley. But I have to believe Ozzie is losing sleep over the idea of letting Gaither go. Jared’s just too much of a natural talent to risk the possibility that Gaither could show up in 2011 or 2012 in a Raiders or a Bengals uniform to make the Ravens regret losing him.
Consider how rare a natural talent he is at his position. You usually don’t find offensive tackles with the speed, agility and size of Gaither. All he needs is “coaching up” in the area of technique. Think of Gaither as a Jonathan Ogden in the rough…
People malign his “work ethic” in the light of his back injury last season… but let me tell you, I have a measly pinched nerve in my back due to a lousy little cervical disc bulge…a stupid little remnant of an old basketball injury…and it gives me to this day a perennial “stinger” in my left arm which completely demoralizes me upon waking every day. I can certainly empathize with what the much younger Gaither has had to face daily as he studied his workout regimen, knowing that the day would start with irritation and end in severe pain. Back and neck injuries of this variety are no laughing matter. They get to you mentally…
The good news for Jared Gaither is–he is still so young and relatively flexible, this thoracic disc injury will pass…and he will feel like a college freshman again physicaly… if the injury is given proper therapy and time to heal. And if I’m in the Ravens control center, that’s what I’d be banking on.
Consider how young in football years Gaither really is… he did not even take up the game until his senior year in high school.
As a true freshman at the University of Maryland in 2005, Gaither played in all 11 games and started the last 8. He was named a third team Freshman All-American by College Football News and honorable mention by The Sporting News. He allowed no sacks in 583 snaps played (all at left tackle) and committed 2 penalties.
As a sophomore, Jared played in twelve games and helped the Terps offensive line allow just 19 sacks all season. He was a member of the 2006 preseason watch list for the Outland Trophy, a consensus preseason All-ACC choice, and ranked No. 7 nationally among offensive tackles by The Sporting News.
Gaither did not participate in 2007 spring practices at Maryland because of academic problems. On June 25, Terps coach Ralph Friedgen told reporters that Gaither’s grades failed to meet his expectations, that he would not be able to play in 2007 and he would be eligible to return in 2008. Instead, Gaither declared for the NFL’s supplemental draft and on July 12, 2007, was taken by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round. Gaither took over Jonathan Ogden‘s starting left tackle role after Ogden’s retirement. Jared, at 6’9, is one of the tallest players in the NFL, the other being Dennis Roland of the Cincinnati Bengals .
That is just an amazing progression… How do you give up on that kind of obvious football talent at such a young age?
During the start of off-season camps for the 2008-2009 NFL season, Cam Cameron declared Jared would be the starting left tackle. Despite an early ankle injury during the beginning of training camp, Jared played surprisingly well and was a big reason for the improved offensive line of the Baltimore Ravens.
On October 4, 2009, he suffered a head injury in a game vs. the New England Patriots and was sent to the hospital. He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, and had movement in his arms and legs. In addition, X-rays on his neck and shoulder were negative. But the disc injury in his back was a stubborn remnant of the trauma.
I think fans in Crabtown have a very short memory of just how monumental a talent Jared Gaither is, and how severe the injury was in 2009 that sidelined him and left him struggling to regain his grip on the feeling of full recovery. These back and spinal disc injuries can take up to two years to cool down. Although still very young and vigorous, Gaither is no exception to the “two-year rule” of spinal injury recovery. So it is somewhat foolish of Ravens fans to expect Gaither to emerge from physical trauma in a completely healed fashion any sooner than has happened.
Give Gaither one more year to show he has recovered. I like the odds of his emerging as a premier left tackle in the NFL. I just hope it’s with the Ravens.
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