Between The Lines: Ravens Improved Line Helps Lead Team’s Turnaround

Every week we do a new Between The Lines looking at some aspect of line play in the NFL.

A year ago, the Ravens were a complete mess. They had no quarterback, a "offensive genius" as a head coach who could never seem to figure out how to produce points, and the abysmal record to show for it.

There are a lot of reasons the Ravens have gone from 5-11 to 6-3 and playoff contention. New coach John Harbaugh has gotten the team headed in the right direction. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has added some innovation to the offense and Joe Flacco has given the team the quarterback it had been lacking for years.

But after watching Ravens left tackle Jared Gaither contain Texans defensive end Mario Williams, it's clear that Gaither is one of the big reasons that the Ravens have gone from a league joke to a playoff contender. Gaither had one of the toughest jobs possible--replace a future Hall of Famer. But Jonathan Ogden had played in only 11 games last year and was limited in 2007 by a toe injury, and when he was out, the Ravens were lacking in viable fill-ins.