With Gaither downgraded, Ravens face questions at tackle

The Baltimore Ravens have a decision to make — one full of tricky variables as they approach their Week 8 tilt against the Denver Broncos.

The decision involves left tackle Jared Gaither, who has been a bit of an enigma all season, and its ramifications trickle down the entire offensive line (and by extension, the offense).

After starting (and doing well) at left tackle for the Ravens over the past two seasons, Gaither reportedly struggled in the early goings of the Ravens’ 2009 campaign. Then, against the New England Patriots early this month, Gaither’s head collided with QB Joe Flacco‘s back, and the tackle was carried off the field via stretcher with a neck injury.

The injury has left Gaither sidelined since. Rookie first round draft pick Michael Oher, the team’s starting right tackle, filled in admirably on the left side while Gaither recuperated. With Gaither set to make his return this Sunday, some around Baltimore questioned whether Oher should get the start on the left side while Gaither moved to right.

Even that, however, is in question, as it appears Gaither has suffered a setback. Gaither was reportedly wearing a red non-contact jersey to practice Thursday while being listed as “Did not participate” on Thursday’s injury report.

This a day after practicing in full pads and reiterating that he’s “100% healthy,” a claim he first made before the Ravens’ Week 6 battle against Minnesota.

Of interest: the Ravens are 3-0 when Gaither is healthy and 0-3 in the game he left and since. They’ve given up three sacks in those wins and seven in the losses. Flacco has a passer rating of 101.4 in the first three games and an 87.3 rating in Weeks 4-6.

While this seems to indicate that the Ravens are better with Gaither, a closer look at the numbers suggests otherwise.

First, the competition is certainly a factor. New England, Cincinnati and Minnesota are clearly a tougher threesome than Kansas City, San Diego and Cleveland.

Second, the rookie backup isn’t necessarily the problem. Oher has given up 2.0 sacks in six games while Gaither has given up 2.0 in three. Against Minnesota’s Jared Allen, who leads the NFC in sacks, Oher fared fairly well, giving up one sack but shutting Allen down in the second half.

Third, running back Ray Rice has gotten better numbers through the second three weeks of the Ravens’ season, including 194 combined yards in Week 6. Without taking a close look at Baltimore’s season’s worth of game tape, it suggests the Ravens OL Weeks 4-6 might just be opening bigger holes against better defenses.

Finally, the backup right tackle hasn’t done poorly either. Marshal Yanda has slid over (usually a backup guard) and has yet to give up a sack.

It all points to the fact that, although the team has lost close games with Gaither missing, the left tackle position just might be better suited for Oher than Gaither. Have the Ravens come to the same conclusion?

The Ravens will need to come to a decision, at least internally, quickly. The Broncos’ best pass rusher, Elvis Dumervil, has been lining up all over the field, taking on tackles, guards and fullbacks en route to an NFL-best 10 sacks. And if Mike Nolan‘s defenses have shown us anything, it’s that they make the opposing offenses think, and the Ravens OL will need to be on their toes at all times.

With creative safety and corner blitzes expected from Denver, the Ravens needs to hammer out their protection schemes and blitz pickup packages. If practice makes perfect, they need to prepare in their expected lineup all of practice Friday.

They need to prepare for war.

So Friday’s practice and injury report will tell us a lot about the Ravens’ intentions. There’s a good chance the lineup Baltimore employs Friday will mirror their depth chart come Sunday.