MASNsports.com is your online home for the latest Orioles and Nationals news, features, and commentary. And now, you can connect with MASN on every digital level. From web and social media to our new mobile alert service, MASN has got all the bases covered.
Get the latest breaking news direct to your phone with our mobile texting service.
Michael Oher's transition from right tackle to left tackle hasn't gone as smoothly as the Ravens would have hoped, partly because of a litany of flags that have been tossed in the second-year pro's direction.
Oher has been flagged for a team-worst 10 penalties, including seven false starts. Lately, issue has been especially prevalent, as the 6-4, 313 pound lineman has been penalized four times in the past two games.
Why has jumping early been a consistent issue for Oher this season?
"I'll tell you exactly what it is: He's a quick-twitch guy," offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said. "Like I've said, he's got a gift of quickness, and we've just got to harness it a little bit and be a little more disciplined. He's trying to get it solved. We're trying to work with him.
"We mix our cadence up a lot. Sometimes on young tackles, it'd be easy for us to go on 'one' all the time to help them out. That would make it a lot easier. But then, what comes next? Now, they're getting off on our cadence. We mix really five different cadences in there at times. We've just got to continue to grow and continue to get better."
Oher's most recent false start came against the Texans on Monday night. It was on the first play of a Ravens' drive which started with great field position at their own 48, but the flag backed them up into a first-and-15 from the 43.
"I wasn't even close," Oher said. "It's a problem I have to fix now. I got to slow it down. I'm hurting my team. I got to get it done."
Oher had a very strong rookie season playing primarily at the right tackle spot, but he's had a rougher sophomore campaign over at left tackle. He knows that cutting down on the penalties will help get him back in the right direction.
"Just working on timing and everything," Oher said. "Just getting the job done, that's what it all boils down to: getting it done and making it happen. You can call anything you want, but you still got to make it work."
