Breaking Down the State of the Baltimore Ravens Offensive Line

One of the keys to the Baltimore Ravens' playoff run that led them to a Super Bowl victory was the reworking of their offensive line. The Week 17 toe injury suffered by left guard Jah Reid sparked a shuffling that affected positions beyond his own, to positive results. The moves paid off, with quarterback Joe Flacco being sacked just four times during the postseason while throwing for 1,140 yards with 11 touchdowns and no interceptions. Running backs Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce combined for 508 rushing yards and two scores of their own. It appeared the Ravens had finally found the magic formula of offensive linemen to help their team move the ball down the field. With Reid out during the playoffs, Kelechi Osemele was moved from right tackle to left guard. Regular-season left tackle Michael Oher was moved into the right tackle position as a result, and Bryant McKinnie—who played only 132 regular-season snaps—was made the new starting left tackle. Only Marshal Yanda at right guard and Matt Birk at center retained their starting jobs from the regular season to the playoffs. Birk has retired, and Yanda has just returned to practice after offseason shoulder surgery. McKinnie again showed up to training camp overweight, and two other sources of protection and blocking—tight ends Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson—are both sidelined by injuries (Pitta potentially for the season, Dickson for the time being). What worked for four games last winter may not work this September. Now that the 2013 season approaches, the question lingers about the what the Ravens will choose to do about their offensive line this year. They caught lightning in a bottle when they shuffled their linemen during the playoffs last year, but this season things are different. More: Shop For Cheap Jerseys baltimore ravens jerseys on Sale Cheap packers super bowl jerseys