<h2><h2><h2><font size="1"><a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.ravens07aug07,0,1069517.story" target="_blank">http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/footbal...0,1069517.story</font></a> Enormous potential for Gaither</h2></h2></h2><dl class="byline"><span class="byline">By Jamison Hensley | Sun reporter</span> August 7, 2007 </dl><div id="module-article-tools"><div class="sponsor-logo-box">The Ravens haven't just uncovered a sleeper talent at training camp. They've discovered a sleeping giant. Known as a lethargic player at Maryland, offensive tackle Jared Gaither has stood above many of his Ravens teammates, and it goes beyond his 6-foot-9, 350-pound frame. </div></div> On the first day of camp, the fifth-round supplemental pick dominated Pro Bowl linebacker Terrell Suggs in one-on-one pass drills. By his fifth practice, he was running with the first-team offense, filling in at left tackle for Jonathan Ogden. And in his first time at M&T Bank Stadium, he manhandled Washington Redskins defensive end Andre Carter in a scrimmage. Everyone in the Ravens' organization - from the personnel department to the coaching staff to the players - has been surprised by how Gaither has made the jump in his fifth year of organized football. But Gaither is not. "I expect nothing but the best from myself," said Gaither, the Ravens' youngest player at 21 years old. "That comes from hard work and confidence." Football has come relatively easy for Gaither, even though he didn't play the game until his senior year at Eleanor Roosevelt High in Greenbelt. Growing up, Gaither was prevented by some youth football leagues from playing because of his size, so he settled on basketball. It looked as if football was not going to be part of his future when he committed to play basketball at South Carolina in fall 2003. But he decided to give football a try in his senior year after years of coaxing by the Roosevelt coaching staff, who watched Gaither grow two inches every summer during high school. "One day, I surprised them and showed up," Gaither said. "We started working from there." An oversized tight end-defensive end, Gaither caught a 56-yard touchdown pass, had four sacks and made an interception in two games, all of which changed his career path to football. In his first season at Maryland (after spending one season at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia), Gaither didn't give up a sack and earned third-team freshman All-America recognition from College Football News. But his career spiraled downward as a sophomore, when he was suspended for two weeks of preseason camp for violating unspecified team rules. In June, he was declared academically ineligible. Three weeks later, Gaither was drafted by the Ravens and later signed a contract that included a $118,000 signing bonus. It's an investment that is paying off more quickly than the Ravens could have imagined. With Ogden on the physically-unable-to-perform list because of a toe injury, Gaither is the starting left tackle after supplanting rookie third-round pick Marshal Yanda. "It's surprising," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "Conventional thinking says he would not have done as well as he has to this point. We'll wait until we get the real thing going, but [the scrimmage on] Saturday was a pretty good indicator."</p><div class="story-subhead">Filling big void</div>If anyone is going to fill Ogden's shoes, it would be Gaither in his size 15s. But the Ravens caution anyone drawing immediate comparisons between Gaither and the Ravens' 10-time Pro Bowl lineman, both of whom have great athleticism despite being 6-9. </p><ul class="article-nav clearfix"><li class="current">1 [*]2 <li class="next">next [/list]
