Titans sign Michael Oher to four-year, $20 million deal

Michael Oher has a new NFL home in Tennessee. (David Banks/Getty Images) Made most famous by his role as the main character in Michael Lewis' best-selling

Doug Farrar | Mar 14, 2014

Titans sign Michael Oher to four-year, $20 million deal /

Michael Oher has a new NFL home in Tennessee. (David Banks/Getty Images)

Made most famous by his role as the main character in Michael Lewis' best-selling novel and subsequent hit movie "The Blind Side," former Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher signed a four-year, $20 million deal with the Tennessee Titans on Friday evening, according to several media reports. The deal includes $9.5 million guaranteed, which is a bit of a curiosity considering the fact that Oher regressed as a player in 2013 -- and he didn't ever really live up to the Ravens' first-round selection in 2009.

Oher ranked 68th out of 76 qualifying tackles in Pro Football Focus' grading for the 2013 season, and he allowed eight sacks, seven hits and 42 quarterback hurries -- all at right tackle. Baltimore tried him at primarily left tackle the year before, and he allowed 11 sacks, nine hits and 32 hurries. HIs best season was actually his rookie campaign, when he allowed five sacks, six hits, and 21 hurries. Unfortunately, and as the Ravens became more of a passing team, it's been downhill from there.

To the general public who may not care about such things, Oher is the young man who grew up in crushing poverty. Born in Memphis Tennessee as one of twelve children to his mother (an alcoholic and crack cocaine addict), Oher's father spent stretches of time in prison. There were times when Oher was essentially homeless as he grew up. But as he filled out and started excelling at football, he was helped by many people, including Tony Henderson, an auto mechanic who took him in from time to time, and Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, the couple who eventually adopted him after meeting him at Briarcrest Christian School.

Oher turned himself into a major national recruit, turning down offers from several prominent schools to play at Mississippi, the Tuohys' alma mater. There, he became a first-team All-American at left tackle, and the Ravens took him high in the 2009 draft.

In Tennessee, Oher will most likely replace veteran David Stewart at right tackle.

Grade: C.

Jake Locker

Published Mar 14, 2014

DOUG FARRAR

SI.com contributing NFL writer and Seattle resident Doug Farrar started writing about football locally in 2002, and became Football Outsiders' West Coast NFL guy in 2006. He was fascinated by FO's idea to combine Bill James with Dr. Z, and wrote for the site for six years. He wrote a game-tape column called "Cover-2" for a number of years, and contributed to six editions of "Pro Football Prospectus" and the "Football Outsiders Almanac." In 2009, Doug was invited to join Yahoo Sports' NFL team, and covered Senior Bowls, scouting combines, Super Bowls, and all sorts of other things for Yahoo Sports and the Shutdown Corner blog through June, 2013. Doug received the proverbial offer he couldn't refuse from SI.com in 2013, and that was that. Doug has also written for the Seattle Times, the Washington Post, the New York Sun, FOX Sports, ESPN.com, and ESPN The Magazine. He also makes regular appearances on several local and national radio shows, and has hosted several podcasts over the years. He counts Dan Jenkins, Thomas Boswell, Frank Deford, Ralph Wiley, Peter King, and Bill Simmons as the writers who made him want to do this for a living. In his rare off-time, Doug can be found reading, hiking, working out, searching for new Hendrix, Who, and MC5 bootlegs, and wondering if the Mariners will ever be good again.