As they dressed near each other and filed out of the locker room, they had a sense of accomplishment, but not completion. It's only two games into the NFL season, but the unit with the most questions about it entering the 2008 season has performed well.
And the offensive line isn't about to quit.
"We're young and hard-working guys," Ravens center Jason Brown said. "We're never going to feel that we have arrived. We're going to come back next week and prepare just as hard for the Steelers. We have to stay humble; that's a key to success."
OK, they can stay humble, but the linemen have been good, and they keep getting better. The Ravens' wins have come against teams that have a combined record of 0-6, but in this season of rebuilding, you look for things to build on in the future.
As far as the offensive line, it has made significant progress from the beginning of training camp, when it was soft and had no clue. In the Ravens' 28-10 win against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, the Ravens did exactly what they need to do if they're going to win games in 2008. They rushed for 151 yards, and they held more than a 15-minute advantage in time of possession.
With a successful running game, the Ravens used a lot of play-action passes, which kept pressure off rookie quarterback Joe Flacco (one sack). And maybe most of all, this group knows how to finish. The Ravens held the ball for more than 13 minutes in the fourth quarter, pounding the Browns into submission.
"You could see it out there. After the first few drives, they [the Browns] were on their knees, and we just continued to pound on them," Ravens left tackle Jared Gaither said.
Very few fans appreciate offensive line play, but this was pretty to watch. At times, the Ravens looked like the 1960s Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s by pulling two offensive linemen on a pitch around the corner.
They ran a cute little counter, or cross-blocking, play where Brown and left guard Ben Grubbs crossed. It was to take advantage of angles and the Ravens' athleticism instead of trying to root the Browns out with sheer power.
This wasn't a bad Cleveland defensive line. The Browns had some big, beefy players up front in tackle Shaun Rogers and end Corey Williams. But by midway through the third quarter, you could feel the energy leaving the Browns and the momentum shifting toward the Ravens.
