Filed under: Ravens , AFC North , Baltimore With Jonathan Ogden all but retired, the Ravens are looking to Jason Brown to be the leader of their offensive line in 2008 and beyond. It makes sense, then, that they'd put him right in the middle where he can call the blocking schemes and manage the line. The team confirmed yesterday that Brown will be starting at center, not left guard, next season. Just 25, Brown has more starts than any other Ravens lineman and at 320 pounds he won't struggle with bigger defensive tackles like predecessor Mike Flynn . He was a center during his college days at North Carolina so the learning curve isn't all that steep . "The transition has been a lot more smooth than I expected. Maybe it's muscle memory because it's coming back very quickly." The offensive line, while young, has the potential to be a real bright spot for the Raven offense. Ben Grubbs , Jared Gaither and Marshal Yanda all gained on-the-job training as rookies and all three handled themselves well enough to be intrigued about their future. Yanda will move inside to guard because of Brown's shift and that should help Willis McGahee 's effectiveness up the middle. The loss of Ogden is worth worrying about but the entire Raven offense is a work in progress. Brown's move to leader of the offensive line shows that the team is building for the future. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments ...
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Filed under: Ravens , AFC North , Baltimore With Jonathan Ogden all but retired, the Ravens are looking to Jason Brown to be the leader of their offensive line in 2008 and beyond. It makes sense, then, that they'd put him right in the middle where he can call the blocking schemes and manage the line. The team confirmed yesterday that Brown will be starting at center, not left guard, next season. Just 25, Brown has more starts than any other Ravens lineman and at 320 pounds he won't struggle with bigger defensive tackles like predecessor Mike Flynn . He was a center during his college days at North Carolina so the learning curve isn't all that steep . "The transition has been a lot more smooth than I expected. Maybe it's muscle memory because it's coming back very quickly." The offensive line, while young, has the potential to be a real bright spot for the Raven offense. Ben Grubbs , Jared Gaither and Marshal Yanda all gained on-the-job training as rookies and all three handled themselves well enough to be intrigued about their future. Yanda will move inside to guard because of Brown's shift and that should help Willis McGahee 's effectiveness up the middle. The loss of Ogden is worth worrying about but the entire Raven offense is a work in progress. Brown's move to leader of the offensive line shows that the team is building for the future. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments ...