Quote:
Originally Posted by sportsshrink
I assume Gaither was to replace Ogden and doesn't Oher play RT or am I wrong. Not trying to be provoking here.
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Ogden retired the same year Gaither came into the league through the supplemental draft (2005, I believe). At that point the Ravens spent a.... 5th (?) round pick on what was pretty much a wouldn't-this-be-cool-if-he-played-up-to-his-potential type player. They ended up scoring big.
Oher started out at RT because they had Gaither, but Gaither had that nasty neck/head injury halfway through 2009. Either way, the Ravens certainly weren't drafting Oher to play on the right side, when he was a natural fit for LT in the pros.
Oher was in the 2009 draft, which was before Gaither's serious injury. That says they were planning to replace him/have him play on the right side. When the injury situation picked up and he missed in 2010, the Ravens played it safe and planned to move on without him with a replacement. It's what a smart team would do. But to me, that doesn't necessarily mean they viewed Gaither as a soft guy. They were just taking precautions by finding his replacements now, and when he didn't get a new contract from them, it was obvious they were already moving in a different direction.