Left Tackle

Jared Gaither may no longer be a project. Selected by the Ravens in the supplemental draft this summer, the offensive tackle was expected to dive into the playbook and serve as an understudy to Jonathan Ogden and Adam Terry. But injuries to Ogden and Terry have accelerated Gaither's development to the point where the former University of Maryland player might make his first career start at left tackle against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. "You don't have time for nervousness in this game, baby," Gaither said after the team's 9-7 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Regardless of what offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden decides about retirement and what the team does in the NFL draft in a few weeks, Ravens offensive line coach Chris Foerster already knows that the 2007 season will be one of transition. The team's starting left guard, Jason Brown, is going into only his third season and was fortunate enough to start 12 of 16 games last season. Third-year player Adam Terry has started only two games and will play either right or left tackle, depending on Ogden's decision.

Left tackle Jonathan Ogden is now the elder statesman of the Ravens' offensive line after three seasons in the NFL. All the former starters are gone. Center Steve Everitt plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. Tackle Tony Jones has won two championships with the Denver Broncos. Tackle Orlando Brown is in Cleveland and center/guard Wally Williams is on the New Orleans Saints roster."There has been quite a change. I'm the only one left," Ogden said yesterday. "Maybe that would make a difference if we had the same offense, but I'm trying to learn this offense, too. We're all in the same boat."

Former University of Arizona cornerback Chris McAlister may be the Ravens' No. 1 draft pick, but versatile offensive lineman Everett Lindsay has been the team's most valuable off-season acquisition thus far in training camp.McAlister may one day become an All-Pro, but he has yet to unseat DeRon Jenkins as the starting right cornerback. Meanwhile, Lindsay, acquired for a sixth-round pick in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings, is pushing center Jeff Mitchell and left guard James Atkins for starting spots.

Two NFL general managers and one pro personnel director who anonymously critiqued the Ravens agree that they are a young and talented team that could win as many as eight of 16 games this season.They didn't mention the playoffs, but said the Ravens should be competitive in the AFC Central and might finish as high as second."Realistically, that's not that strong of a division," said one NFC general manager. "Jacksonville, rightfully so, is the class of that conference. Pittsburgh is traditionally tough, but this is not one of their better teams.

The Ravens are rapidly running out of offensive tackles. Healthy ones, that is.The latest casualty is backup Spencer Folau, who is the third tackle on the team's depth chart. Folau injured his right knee in Sunday's practice, appeared yesterday wearing a knee brace and said he would not be ready to play until the Oct. 31 game against the Buffalo Bills at the earliest.Folau, who was expected to replace right tackle Harry Swayne (leg injury, questionable) this week -- Swayne did not practice yesterday -- was listed as doubtful for Thursday night's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

He saluted players like quarterback Stoney Case and wide receiver Justin Armour, who produced the winning play of the second victory of his rookie year as a head coach, yet Brian Billick saved a special tribute for those who provided crucial depth on a battered offensive line.Looking back on Sunday's come-from-behind, 19-13 overtime victory in Atlanta, Billick pointed to the poise the line displayed after it lost tackles Jonathan Ogden and Harry Swayne to injuries that could keep each player out of Sunday's contest in Tennessee.

QuarterbackC-Tony Banks had his usual inconsistent performance. Some great throws. Two fumbles. An interception. On some plays, he looks great. On other plays, he looks like he just woke up. He may never develop the pocket awareness he needs to be a star in the NFL. If the Ravens could combine Banks, Scott Mitchell and Stoney Case, they would have a great quarterback. Instead, the Ravens have gotten below-average play at the position.Running backsC-The Ravens averaged 3.7 yards on 22 carries, and running back Errict Rhett had 30 yards on 13 carries.

Michael McCrary vs. Orlando PaceRavens right defensive end Michael McCrary has yet to run a play from scrimmage in 1999, and his first assignment of the year comes against possibly the biggest left tackle he has ever faced. St. Louis Rams left tackle Orlando Pace is all about big. He was the first player drafted in 1997, which is always a big deal. He rumbled into St. Louis out of Ohio State at a hefty 345 pounds, which made big news for the wrong reasons. And after going through his first full year as a starter with the Rams in 1998, St. Louis expects him to begin fulfilling his potential.

The Ravens originally signed James Atkins to give them depth at the offensive tackle position. This week, they will turn to Atkins by starting the five-year veteran at left guard.Atkins replaces second-year man Ben Cavil, who had started the past three games in place of Wally Williams, whom the Ravens have moved back to his customary spot at center in place of Jeff Mitchell.Cavil's performance against San Diego on Sunday included two false-start penalties."We thought that some improvement might be needed at that position," Ravens coach Ted Marchibroda said.

If Ravens left tackle Jared Gaither can't play Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals - and right now, it looks like a long shot, considering that he wore a neck brace during walk-throughs and didn't practice Wednesday - it will probably affect the continuity of the offensive line in one of two ways. Either the line will struggle with matchups, forcing offensive coordinator Cam Cameron to scale back what he wants to do, or there will be virtually no change in the game plan and the Ravens' high-powered offense will keep rolling.

COLLEGE PARK - -Starting left tackle Bruce Campbell, who suffered a medial collateral ligament injury in Maryland's 24-21 win over Clemson, was still not officially declared out for Saturday's Atlantic Coast Conference game at Wake Forest. But all signs pointed to that conclusion Tuesday at coach Ralph Friedgen's weekly news conference. "Right now, Bruce is not out of our plans for this week," Friedgen said. "We'll see how it develops." But the coach said junior right tackle Paul Pinegar, 6 feet 4 and 290 pounds, who played for Campbell after the injury Saturday, is working at left tackle.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The prognosis appears promising for Jared Gaither. The starting left offensive tackle returned to Baltimore with his Ravens teammates after suffering what appeared to be a head or neck injury in the second quarter of the team's 27-21 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday. X-rays at Massachusetts General Hospital on Gaither's neck and shoulder were negative. He collided headfirst with quarterback Joe Flacco's back while trying to block on a passing attempt. A magnetic resonance imagining is expected today on the 6-foot-9, 340-pound Gaither, who was too big to fit into the MRI machine at the Boston hospital.

DEFENDING THEIR TURF: Linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo sacked Troy Smith, and cornerback Chris Carr got to quarterback Joe Flacco. Carr also intercepted a pass from Smith intended for wide receiver Justin Harper. CATCH OF THE DAY, PART ONE: Wide receiver Yamon Figurs raced past cornerback Evan Oglesby up the right sideline and grabbed a long pass from quarterback John Beck with his fingertips. CATCH OF THE DAY, PART TWO: Tight end Edgar Jones got his left hand on a high pass from Smith and caught it while falling to the turf.

Logic dictates that the Ravens need to select a wide receiver in the first round of Saturday's NFL draft, but if the team took an offensive tackle with that pick, it might be a better choice. One of the team's priorities, if not the top one, is to improve a passing offense that lacked big plays and was ranked No. 28 in the NFL. It's no secret that Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton, the Ravens' two top receivers a year ago, are possession types and unable to stretch defenses. Most Ravens fans believe a receiver like Maryland's Darrius Heyward-Bey, Florida's Percy Harvin or North Carolina's Hakeem Nicks would significantly improve the team.

It's a bit dangerous to peddle in hyperbole, so let's allow Jason Brown to offer up the grand pronouncement. "He could be that guy," the Ravens center said the other day. "He could be that guy who makes people forget about Jonathan Ogden." Before you declare sacrilege against one of your own, catch your breath and let's slowly digest this a bit. Brown is referring to fellow offensive lineman Jared Gaither, the second-year giant who has forced defenders all across the NFL to memorize his name in pretty short time.

Before the Ravens play the Oakland Raiders today, Jonathan Ogden will be introduced to the sellout crowd, walking out of the M&T Bank Stadium tunnel for one of the last times. "If he comes out in full gear, you'll know he's playing left tackle," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said jokingly. Ogden will be inducted into the Ravens' Ring of Honor at halftime, just 10 months after playing his final game. Considered one of the greatest offensive tackles in NFL history, Ogden has no regrets retiring after 12 seasons and 11 Pro Bowl invitations.

In addition to keeping his chin up, Ravens rookie quarterback Joe Flacco might have to worry about staying up on his feet. Long considered a cornerstone of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron's philosophy, the offensive line is in a state of flux caused by a spate of injuries, most notably the season-ending knee injury to right guard Marshal Yanda. "We've just got to get it done," left tackle Jared Gaither (Maryland) said before practice yesterday. "When you lose a soldier, you mourn, but then you keep on going.

Jared Gaither has gone from succeeding a likely Hall of Famer to facing a potential one. Named in June as the heir apparent to 11-time Pro Bowl selection Jonathan Ogden, Gaither, the starting left offensive tackle for the Ravens, is preparing to meet one of Ogden's toughest rivals - Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney. Freeney, who has led the NFL in sacks, has tormented some of the game's best offensive tackles. But Gaither (Maryland) insisted that his approach this week leading up to the Ravens' game against the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday has not changed from previous weeks.

When Chad Slaughter was signed by the Ravens a little more than a week ago, the veteran offensive tackle was viewed as a stopgap after Jared Gaither and Adam Terry were sidelined with ankle injuries. The stopgap could turn into the team's starting left tackle by opening day against the Cincinnati Bengals. Gaither and Terry are still recovering, and the 6-foot-8, 340-pound Slaughter has done a more than respectable job in practice and played well in Thursday's preseason win over the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass.