Michael Oher

The relationship between Michael Oher and Sean Tuohy Jr. has - like Tuohy himself - grown dramatically in the 10 years since Oher was brought by Tuohy's family into their home in the leafy suburbs of Memphis. If those early years became the genesis of a best-selling book and a hit movie that documented Oher's transformation into a college football star at Mississippi and the No. 1 pick of the Ravens in 2009, this year takes the brothers' relationship to another place. In Baltimore, call it The Other Side.

Even if Bryant McKinnie does not prove to be an upgrade over Michael Oher, his return to the Ravens and the left tackle position should at least strengthen the Ravens at left guard and right tackle, where Oher will likely play. Make no mistake, though, Oher will still be in the crosshairs of formidable NFL pass rushers over at right tackle. In a story I wrote in December about Oher's future with the Ravens, I mentioned the theory that in today's NFL, the left tackle position, while still the most important position on the offensive line, might not be as valuable as it was a decade or so ago when Jonathan Ogden was steering pass rushers clear of Ravens quarterbacks.

For the second time in three years, Michael Oher has started all 16 regular-season games at left tackle. The organization's top pick in the 2009 NFL draft, Oher has yet to miss a start in his NFL career, stringing together a remarkable run of avoiding serious injury. The 26-year-old also leads the Ravens offensive line in total snaps played this season (1,058), according to Football Outsiders. But Oher finished the regular season ranked 39th among offensive tackles in pass-blocking efficiency and surrendered 10 sacks, nine hits and 26 hurries, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Ravens still have holes. They need to find a starting left tackle, and they could use a No. 2 receiver and add depth at the linebacker and offensive line positions as well. But as the NFL draft ended Saturday night and the Ravens walked out of the auditorium at the team's training complex in Owings Mills, the defending Super Bowl champions appeared to be potentially as good as last year. Because of retirement and free agency, which led to the exodus of several important veterans, the Ravens are lighter on experience but bigger, stronger and faster than a year ago on defense.

Each Wednesday we'll bring you a Q&A with a Ravens player to help you learn a little more about the team. The first guest is rookie tackle Michael Oher, who was part of an offensive line that helped the team set franchise records in yards (501) and first downs (32) in a 38-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Oher discusses expectations, his athletic background and "The Blind Side: The Evolution of a Game. " Question: There has been a lot of talk about how you could be the organization's first long-term solution at right tackle since Orlando Brown started at that position between 2003 and 2005, and there have been some comparisons to all-but-certain Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden.

When my editors asked me to tune into "The View" on Thursday morning to watch Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher talk about his new book, "I Beat the Odds," I said, "Sure. " After all, I never miss an episode of "The View. " OK, fine, not really. As I was forced to sit through another annoying interview with Jennifer Aniston, I got some grief from passers-by in The Baltimore Sun newsroom, who made fun of the sports staff for watching "The View" like a bunch of soccer moms and house husbands.

Michael Oher strolled into the Ravens' locker room, looked at the sheet of paper taped to one wall and let loose a string of epithets that would make an entire convent faint. The draw for the next cornhole tournament had just been posted. And the big left tackle didn't like what he saw. "Morgan and I won the last one," punter Sam Koch explained to a visitor, referring to long-snapper Morgan Cox. "We beat him and (Joe) Flacco. Just crushed them. " The visitor wanted to know the score.

A day after Ravens coach John Harbaugh jokingly suggested on his radio show that he might institute running laps in practice if Michael Oher continues his bad habit of moving early, the left tackle didn't disagree with his coach. "Something like that," Oher said Wednesday before the team's practice in Owings Mills. "You've got to get it done. But I'm pretty sure it's done after the last game. Should be done. " Asked what gave him the confidence to say that, Oher said, "I've just got to get it done.

Even if Bryant McKinnie does not prove to be an upgrade over Michael Oher, his return to the Ravens and the left tackle position should at least strengthen the Ravens at left guard and right tackle, where Oher will likely play. Make no mistake, though, Oher will still be in the crosshairs of formidable NFL pass rushers over at right tackle. In a story I wrote in December about Oher's future with the Ravens, I mentioned the theory that in today's NFL, the left tackle position, while still the most important position on the offensive line, might not be as valuable as it was a decade or so ago when Jonathan Ogden was steering pass rushers clear of Ravens quarterbacks.

Courtney Upshaw once lived in a house with no electricity or running water. He slept some nights on a worn couch that barely contained his growing frame. He arrived at the University of Alabama with little more than the clothes he was wearing. April 26, 2012 was supposed to be the night Upshaw would be rewarded for his perseverance. Yet as he sat in Radio City Music Hall in New York City, surrounded by friends and family, Upshaw fought back tears. He watched four of his college teammates become first-round draft picks.

As you probably know by now, the NFL will release its regular season schedule tonight at 8 p.m. on the NFL Network. You most certainly know by now that the Ravens will open up on the road on Sept. 5 after they failed to work out a scheduling conflict with the Orioles for that night. Their opponent for the opener has not been announced but I think it would be a huge surprise to everybody at the Ravens' facility if it's not the Denver Broncos. Maybe, it was just a coincidence but the Ravens' Torrey Smith and the Broncos' Von Miller were even the live guests on a scheduling show last night on NFL Network.

Each spring, as a courtesy to local media and the team's curious fan base, the Ravens hold a pre-draft press conference in which they publicly claim to like pretty much every single NFL prospect they are asked about. (A fictional example: “Rudy, the kid from Notre Dame? He's a little undersized but he plays with a ton of heart.”) But there are always interesting tidbits to take away from this Q-and-A session with general manager Ozzie Newsome, coach John Harbaugh and draft gurus Eric DeCosta and Joe Hortiz.

If the Ravens started the season today, they would play Kelechi Osemele at left offensive tackle, and that would be a problem. Osemele, who started at right tackle and left guard last season, could be a left tackle down the road, but he has to improve his foot speed during this offseason. He struggled with speed rushers on the outside as a right tackle and it would be worse for him on the left side if there isn't significant improvement. Osemele is a tremendous talent. He is athletic, has good bend and punch and the ideal torso to be a left tackle.

Ravens offensive guard Ramon Harewood is spending part of the off-season back home in Barbados, where later this week he will host a football camp for children on the island. The "Big Mon Elite Athlete Development Camp" is set to begin Thursday and will include appearances by Harewood's Ravens teammates, including Ray Rice, Torrey Smith, Michael Oher and Bryan Hall. "The strong academic foundation and diverse athletic training I received growing up in Barbados has enabled me to achieve success on many levels as an adult and it is an honor to share what I have learned with the younger generation," said Harewood, who grew up in the town of St. Michael, Barbados, where he played volleyball, track and field, cricket and soccer before transferring to Morehouse in Atlanta to play football.

The Ravens are entering another offseason with a sizable question mark at the left tackle position. That has often been the case since the days of Jonathan Ogden, whether it was Jared Gaither's mysterious injuries, Michael Oher's inconsistency, or Bryant McKinnie's unreliability eliciting that feeling of uncertainty. This time around, McKinnie is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent and Oher, who will be one next offseason, is probably better off at right tackle , the position he manned during their run to the Super Bowl.

When historians look back on the Ravens' 2012 season, they will remember offensive coordinator Cam Cameron being fired and replaced by Jim Caldwell. They will talk about quarterback Joe Flacco's clutch performances in the postseason and how star linebacker Ray Lewis's decision to retire inspired this team. But the best move came two weeks ago when Ravens coach John Harbaugh inserted Bryant McKinnie at left offensive tackle, moved Michael Oher to right tackle and rookie Kelechi Osemele to left guard.

W hen Michael Oher takes the field as a Baltimore Raven this fall, a national audience of readers and moviegoers even bigger than the Ravens' fan base will be cheering for him. The amazing story behind his rise to football stardom will fill the bestseller shelves at bookstores on Oct. 12, with a new edition of Michael Lewis' powerhouse piece of nonfiction "The Blind Side." And if all goes according to plan, it will also pack movie theaters on Nov. 20, when writer-director John Lee Hancock's movie version hits theaters, starring newcomer Quinton Aron as Oher and Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw as Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy - the wealthy, white, conservative, evangelical couple who devoted themselves to the happiness and success of "Big Mike," a black kid from the meanest streets of Memphis, Tenn.

Michael Oher wants to set moviegoers straight about his portrayal in "The Blind Side. " He was never slow, mentally or physically. He did know football from an early age. Most important, many people besides a wealthy, loving couple in the swank east side of Memphis, Tenn., helped him rise from homelessness to football stardom at Ole Miss and in Baltimore. The Ravens offensive tackle tells his story in "I Beat the Odds," written with Don Yaeger. He details his hard-knocks life before he entered Briarcrest Christian School and was mentored and then adopted by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy.

The improvements in the Ravens offense during the past two weeks can be contributed to the play of quarterback Joe Flacco and the play-calling of offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell. But the most significant improvement has been the addition of left offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie. McKinnie has started the past two games, forcing tackle Michael Oher to the right side and Kelechi Osemele to start at left guard. Since then, Flacco has rarely been touched and getting more time to throw.

Courtney Upshaw once lived in a house with no electricity or running water. He slept some nights on a worn couch that barely contained his growing frame. He arrived at the University of Alabama with little more than the clothes he was wearing. April 26, 2012 was supposed to be the night Upshaw would be rewarded for his perseverance. Yet as he sat in Radio City Music Hall in New York City, surrounded by friends and family, Upshaw fought back tears. He watched four of his college teammates become first-round draft picks.