The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

NFL Network's Jason La Canfora suggested on Total Access Monday that the Redskins could make a play for restricted free agent LT Jared Gaither.

La Canfora used the words "don't be surprised if...," so this wasn't really a report. However, Gaither would make a lot of sense in Washington as a native of the Baltimore/D.C. area (he went to Maryland) and a need-filler at left tackle. La Canfora suggests a trade for the Skins' second-round pick.

chiefhog44 wrote:smoke screen

Jared Gaither confirmed he would report to the Ravens’ offseason workout program Monday, saying this should remove any doubts about his commitment to the team.

Gaither, the starting left tackle the past two seasons, indicated that his preference is to strike a long-term deal with the Ravens.

“It would be my dream to stay with the Ravens and stay with the team, winning multiple championships,” Gaither told The Baltimore Sun. “I’d be more than happy to remain here.”

Gaither’s absence for the first week of the voluntary conditioning program became widely known last week, when Ravens coach John Harbaugh expressed disappointment in the no-show by the former University of Maryland player.

Harbaugh said Gaither wouldn’t gain any “leverage” for a long-term contract by skipping the workouts.

“I really believe Jared is going to be a premier offensive tackle in this league,” Harbaugh said at the NFL owners meetings. “The thing we need him to do is to get up there and start working on it. I talked to [Gaither’s agent] Drew Rosenhaus and he tells me he’s getting Jared in shape. The last time I checked Drew Rosenhaus doesn’t coach the offensive line in the National Football League. Jared needs to be in our weight room with our players with our offensive line, becoming the player he can become.”

A day after Harbaugh made these comments last week, Gaither announced he would be reporting to the weightlifting program.

Gaither, 24, said he wasn’t there for the first week because he was rehabilitating a right ankle injury that slowed him late last season.

“I didn’t want to abruptly stop it,” said Gaither, who didn’t need offseason surgery. “I’m done, and I’m going to get back with the team. I’m still rehabbing the strength more. The injuries I had last year just stripped me in those areas. That’s really what I was doing.”

There has been speculation this offseason about the Ravens’ commitment to Gaither, a restricted free agent.

No team official has said the Ravens would trade Gaither for a high pick, but the team seemingly announced it would listen to offers by giving Gaither a first-round tender as a restricted free agent instead of the high one (which would require teams to give up picks in the first and third rounds).

The Ravens have options at offensive tackle because first-round pick Michael Oher looked solid at left tackle when he replaced an injured Gaither for five games in 2009.
Harbaugh said he doesn’t know if teams have contacted the Ravens about Gaither.
“We don’t want to lose Jared Gaither,” Harbaugh said. “We need Jared Gaither as a Raven. I really like Jared. I think he’s going to be a great player. I just want to work with him. We want to get him in and work with him. I know he wants to work. I know he’s working hard right now. The other stuff will take care of itself.”

Gaither has consistently had to deal with these types of questions. After he was selected by the Ravens in the fifth round of the 2007 supplemental draft, Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen expressed his concern over Gaither's work ethic -- which led to him losing his starting job with the Terrapins.

"Sometimes he wouldn't work," Friedgen said in 2007. "I think I have to have some credibility there with my players. ... There were some days he didn't feel like practicing.”
Gaither said he hopes his return Monday should quell any doubts with the Ravens.
“I believe my coach and the rest of the staff understand I’m committed,” he said. “And I’ll be happy to be back.”

Gaither has been put in an unenviable role of replacing Jonathan Ogden, the 11-time Pro Bowl left tackle who retired in 2007. He is considered a developing player who has valuable experience (26 starts the past two seasons) and unique ability (a 6-foot-9, 340-pound lineman with skills).

Asked if he was surprised that Harbaugh called him out last week, Gaither said, “I’m not sure if ‘surprised’ is the best word for it. It was never a problem. He has said that to all of his guys. He wants all of us there. I’m not surprised. I had intentions on being there anyway. There was never any conflict.”

Enough of the Jared Gaither talk. Too much is being made of an offensive tackle that hasn't proven to be anything but average.

Gaither is young, and has great potential, but he didn't do himself any favors by not showing up for the start of the off-season training session. In fact, it just added to his reputation coming out of college where there were concerns about his work ethic.

If I were Gaither, I'd be in the weight room every minute because there is a guy on the other side named Michael Oher who played better than me last season, and might take my position in the future.

If the Ravens can get Gaither to work and improve, they have a chance to build a really good offensive line. Instead of his agent and those around him telling Gaither to be concerned about getting a new, long-term contract, the best advice they could give him is that if he plays really well in the next two years, there will be a lot of teams bidding for his services.

Right now, a lot of teams are questioning his durability and his work ethic.

chiefhog44 wrote:smoke screen

fleetus wrote:Now if they would take a 3rd or 4th rounder, maybe. Then it becomes a split-hair decision that the coaches have to meet with Gaither about to see what kind of person he is and if he fits a system that will use some zone blocking schemes.

Warmother wrote:I think the 4th pick in the 2nd round is to high for a player with a questionable work ethic. The Ravens coach has already complained about Gaither missing the first week of offseason work outs.

fleetus wrote:
Skins don't have a shot at Bradford, so you might as well stop talking like it is an option.

Countertrey wrote:

Warmother wrote:I think the 4th pick in the 2nd round is to high for a player with a questionable work ethic. The Ravens coach has already complained about Gaither missing the first week of offseason work outs.

Ummm... it's the 5th pick in the second round. Not sure that makes it any better.

I'm just sayin'


(we were statistically tied with the Chiefs, but because we lost head to head, we get the lower pick in the first round, then alternate with them after that. In round 2, the Chiefs pick first. In round 3, if we had a pick, we would pick first [well... we already did, actually] and so on...)

brad7686 wrote:The main thing is that the Ravens can move Oher to left tackle and have no issues. That way a high second round pick for a guy they can replace and may not like makes sense. Exactly why we should try and move ey. It would be a good move really, it would free us up to draft whoever in the first round without worrying about OT. It would really open up the possibility to draft Berry/Spiller/McCoy/Suh if they don't want Okung or Clausen.

Manchester_Redskin wrote:if we are looking to draft either bradford or Clausen then Gaither would make sense.

If we are looking to draft Okung then Gaither would make sense (play okung at RT)
Either way, Gaither makes sense

Grade-

84 (Outstanding Player 80-89)

Expert's Take-

Gaither was banged up during the 2009 season but continued to progress on the left side of the line. He is a young left tackle who has tremendous size, particularly with his extreme height and overall length, to man the blind side. However, there are times when his high center of gravity works against him. Gaither remains a work in progress as a pass-blocker but is a punishing finisher in Baltimore's power-running game. His hand placement and understanding of what it takes to be a successful left tackle has improved over the past two seasons. He is best when he engages defenders early in the play as quick counter moves still give him problems. His length and height makes it tough for him to maintain great pad level at times and more consistency in this area will improve his overall play. Gaither is a player who has a great upside and all the tools to continue to develop as a left tackle.

The first of these is Baltimore Ravens LT Jared Gaither. Gaither has been a starter for the past two seasons, and in that time his metrics have been nothing short of superb. He has allowed only seven total sacks in 27 games and only one of these was a "one-on-one sack" (defined as when a defender beats a blocker in a one-on-one environment and tackles the quarterback in the pocket within three seconds of the snap).

That illustrates Gaither's dominant pass-blocking skills, but his run-blocking numbers are also quite notable. Gaither was at the point of attack (POA) on 300 running plays the past two years, and he won his block 255 times, or 85 percent of the time.

That is a solid number on its own, but his 2009 POA win rate of 89.0 percent is even more noteworthy. To put that total into perspective, consider that in a typical NFL season, fewer than one out of 10 offensive linemen will crack the 90 percent POA win mark. Gaither was on the precipice of that mark last year despite battling injuries.

Put these two factors together and it equals a truly elite blindside blocker. Add to this the question marks surrounding many of the left tackles in this year's draft and it means Gaither is hands down the best choice in the market at his position, especially since acquiring him reportedly will cost only a second-round pick.

Skinsfan55 wrote:I can literally see NO downside to getting Jared Gaither. He's from the area, is 24, has elite size and has been VERY good so far. He's a win-win option. Also, it's only for a 2nd round pick. The odds of getting someone who is even 3/4ths as good as Gaither in the draft are incredibly slim. Trading for him is a no brainer.

Skinsfan55 wrote:The Ravens have two left tackles... you can't just move one to RT. They have an abundance at one position and we can capitalize and give them a very good 2nd rounder. It's a swap that would benefit both sides.