At 6 feet 9, 340 pounds, Jared Gaither is the largest man in a locker room full of enormous men.
This distinction isn't foreign to the 23-year-old left tackle from White Plains, considering that he has been the biggest player in virtually every room he has ever been in for as long as he can remember.
But part of what's remarkable when you stand next to Gaither this season is the sensation that he is noticeably bigger than a year ago. Not taller, of course - he's already the tallest player in the NFL - but thicker, with shoulders the size of pot roasts and a chest that protrudes from his body like the front end of a Cadillac Escalade.
Although Gaither, and his increased bulk, got off to a bit of a shaky start this year when he didn't play particularly well against the Kansas City Chiefs, he looked like a different player in the Ravens' 31-26 victory Sunday over the San Diego Chargers.
Matched against Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman, who also attended Maryland, for much of the game, Gaither was a suffocating blocker in pass protection and a bulldozer on goal-line running plays. Merriman, a three-time All-Pro selection, was limited to just one tackle. His only impact on the game came on a play in which he either got away with being offside or timed the snap perfectly - depending on your perspective - and pressured Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco into throwing an interception.
Gaither manhandled Chargers defender Larry English on Willis McGahee's first-quarter touchdown run, plowing the rookie backward to the point McGahee walked into the end zone almost untouched.
"They've done a great job," McGahee said of Gaither and the rest of the offensive line. "You know, Coach [John] Matsko has those guys here day in and day out just working hard. Right now, they're doing an awesome job, and I hope we keep it up and we get better. Those guys are growing. We have a young [offensive] line, so the sky is the limit."
You can chalk up some of Gaither's increased bulk to weightlifting in the offseason and the better focus of a young NFL player hoping to build on a promising rookie year. But that's only half the story.
You need to go inside Gaither's kitchen to hear the other half.
"I love to eat," said the soft-spoken Gaither, who has a deep baritone voice. "And I love food."
