The Baltimore Ravens drafted Kelechi Osemele in the second round with the 60th overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. Osemele started every game his rookie year. Most of them were at right tackle but he moved to left guard during the Ravens Super Bowl run in 2012. The move was part of a shuffle on the offensive line which resulted in Bryant McKinnie moving to left tackle and Micahel Oher moving to right tackle. The Ravens offensive line will take on a new look in 2014, but Osemele will remain a constant at left guard.
Osemele took over as a starter early in 2012 training camp when McKinnie reported late. He held onto his starting right tackle spot until the shuffle, but he has been a starter throughout his short career. The new Ravens line will feature one of the best guard combos in the NFL in Osemele and Marshall Yanda. There’s been some change along the offensive line, but things will remain the same for the interior offensive linemen. Yanda and Osemele are both known for their rough, nasty style of play.
Unfortunately, an injury from college came back to haunt Osemele last year and as a result, he had to have back surgery. Osemele missed the last seven weeks of the season. Osemele is making his way back from the injury. The time that he missed made him really understand how much he loves to play football. The game has been an outlet for him throughout his life.
Osemele will train smarter after his surgery. He can’t do any olympic lifts such as power cleaning or anything over the head. He is not able to do anything that causes vertical compression. He is doing a lot of core work, focusing on stability and flexibility. Hard work is nothing new to him. Osemele used to sneak in extra workouts during his recovery from his injury. The goal for him is to get back to his old form and make a push for a Pro Bowl nomination. Prior to the injury, he played at a near Pro Bowl level. Osemele has already stated this is the best he has felt since he was 19 or 20 years old.
His eagerness to get back on the field hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates. Eugene Monroe spoke about what he has seen since Osemele’s return; “He hasn’t dropped a beat. He’s back to his usual self running around. He’s one of the best conditioned guys on the field. He hasn’t played in a while so we’ve had to slow him down a bit. We are working together everyday and I am glad he’s next to me, I really am.”
The Ravens running game suffered a set back last year. They only managed 83 yards rushing per game which placed them 30th in the NFL. The 2012 Super Bowl team averaged 123.5 yards per game. In one year, the Ravens rushing average dropped 40 yards per game. That’s quite a difference. The Ravens are a physical, smash mouth team so it is not a coincidence that last year was the first non playoff season under head coach John Harbaugh.
The running game is likely to improve under new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak. One thing that is for sure, the Ravens will have an advantage when they run to the left side. Osemele and left tackle Eugene Monroe are man movers and will clear the way for the running backs. The opportunity to continue to play next to Monroe is one that Osemele recognizes as a great opportunity.
“I am excited to be back. We jelled before I had the surgery last year. He does a good job of communicating early, trying to get on the same page. He’s really athletic. I don’t have to come off my guy on a slide in the middle because he’s so athletic that he can kind of be on an island.”
Kubiak’s scheme fits the Ravens personnel. Most of the linemen really like to get after it. The zone blocking scheme will allow them to be on the move and take advantage of their athleticism. That is especially the case for a guy like Osemele. He’s an excellent mixture of a physically imposing yet athletic lineman that loves to mix it up with the defense. Osemele feels that things will improve this year.
“We are confident with coach Kubiak’s zone scheme coming in here. Really getting on the ball fast and flying around, getting to our landmarks and stuff like that. I really feel confident about that. It’s not just the scheme but it’s also the pace that we move at. It’s really good to get guys on the run and change it up and go down field. It’s been coming together well. I feel like everybody is building blocks everyday and getting comfortable with the system.”
Let’s take a look at some screen shots that show how Kelechi Osemele can be a factor in the running game. These shots come from week two last year when the Ravens hosted the Cleveland Browns. The play was an 11 yard gain by Ray Rice in the first quarter on a 1st & 10 at the Ravens 43 yard line.
Here you see Joe Flacco changing the play to run to his left, the right side of the defense. The Ravens have the Browns outnumbered four to three. Kelechi Osemele doesn’t have anyone over top of him. That will change at the snap.
The play is stretch running play that leaves a cutback lane for Ray Rice. Osemele has one of the key blocks on this play. The defensive tackle (#92) is head up over Eugene Monroe but Osemele has to reach to him and turn him towards the sideline to open up the cutback lane for Rice.
The cutback lane is there and Rice cuts it back just off of Osemele’s butt and is up to the second level of the defense right away.
Here you see that Rice has already broken into the open field yet Osemele is still driving his man to the grown. Osemele plays through the whistle even though the play has already passed him. These are the kinds of plays that have earned him the reputation for being a physical offensive lineman.
The 2014 season will be a bright one for Osemele. He has not made it to the Pro Bowl yet but that is certainly his goal. The Ravens new scheme is a really good match for his ability. Throw in the fact that he is healthy again and you have the recipe for a solid season from the third year offensive linemen.
