In a move that apparently everyone but Jared Gaither knew was coming, the Baltimore Ravens officially moved Gaither to RT today.
MASN’s Dan Kolko has a good post on the move, and Gaither’s reaction which can be found here:
http://masnsports.com/dan_kolko/2010/05/gaither-on-the-positional-change-and-trade-rumors.html
It is interesting to me that Gaither was just notified of the move today. Why not tell him ahead of time?
The bigger Gaither story of the day was ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting that the former University of Maryland tackle could be heading to Buffalo.
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/23364/gaither-could-be-headed-to-buffalo
The move to RT is a move I can support. As high of a ceiling as I believe Gaither has, Oher was physically dominating at the position when he played in Gaither’s absence last-year. Ultimately, I do not care which one lines up where, as long as both are on the roster.
I have always wanted Gaither back, but I noted before the draft how the trade of him had to be at-least considered. If the Ravens could have received additional draft-compensation that allowed the team to improve their overall depth, you could have argued it was worthwhile.
No matter what possible compensation would be coming back from Buffalo, I do not see how this trade could be deemed worthwhile now. The draft is over. The bulk of Free Agent talent has signed (though I guess subsequent cuts are forthcoming). If you trade Gaither, you are not going to replace him with a player of equal talent. Even if there is an adjust for Gaither going to the right-side and relearning his footwork; there is nobody coming in the door with his skills.
Lets say the Bills offered their 1st round pick next-year, and it wound up being a Top 10 pick overall. While that would be outstanding value, I simply do not believe the Ravens would have the season they want to have this year without Gaither. I guess more to the point, I do not believe the Bills would offer their 1st rounder anyway.
This is not 2000. You can not win in the current NFL without 2 competent tackles. The zone blitzing schemes prevalent in the NFL today demand it. With Boldin, Stallworth, and 2 rookie TE’s the Ravens will want to throw the ball more. Flacco better have the time to throw. If you are trying to win a Super Bowl this year, Gaither stays on the roster. If you wanted to trade Gaither, that move should have been done prior to the draft.
Owner
Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.