Prisco: Cal center Mack | Notebook: OLs, TEs open up combine
INDIANAPOLIS -- The biggest offensive lineman at this year's NFL scouting combine is LSU's Herman Johnson, who checked in at 6-feet-7 and 364 pounds -- down 47 pounds from when he first reported to school.
Honest.
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| Michael Oher: 'I've been through a lot of stuff in my life.' (US Presswire) |
And the most intriguing -- well, that has to be Mississippi's Michael Oher. One of the top four tackles in this year's draft, Oher was the subject of Michael Lewis' best-selling book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game which did so well that a movie is in the works.
Essentially, it's the story of a life where Oher's father is murdered, his mother addicted to crack cocaine and Oher shuttled in and out of 11 schools in nine years. Bleak house? This is bleaker house.
"I grew up poor and was homeless a lot," Oher said. "I just worked hard and came through a lot of adversity. I was taken in by a family that helped me get to college and pushed me. That's why I think I'm here today."
That's the Cliff Notes version of a long and winding road that makes for compelling reading. But here's one suggestion: Don't ask Oher how he liked the book. He hasn't read it.
You heard me. Hasn't skimmed it, browsed it or cracked it, and that's what makes him so intriguing to me. He can tell you about his life, and he can tell you about his career, and he can tell you about the hardships he had to endure to get this far. But he can't tell you about his biography.
Sorry, I don't get it.
"I haven't read it," he said. "But from what a lot of people say about it, I think it was fairly accurate."
Now I know what you're thinking: So what if Oher didn't read a book about himself. Big deal. All that matters is if he can hold off James Harrison or Dwight Freeney or the next pass rusher to come through the gap at left tackle.
Fair enough. But his lack of curiosity isn't what I'd call an encouraging sign. At some point he's going to have to be curious about his next opponent, wonder what he does and how he does it and whom he does it to. Maybe he studies the videotape more carefully than he does a book about his life.
You can only hope. I guess I just find it odd, puzzling -- no, downright perplexing that someone who was the subject of a best seller and soon to be the subject of a Hollywood release wouldn't want to know what was said about him or about the people in his life. But Oher isn't interested.
"He [Lewis] talked to me a lot about the stuff and went over things," he said, "so I didn't feel I needed to read it."
I still don't get it, but so what? I'm not the guy investing millions in my next first-round draft pick. And make no mistake: Oher should be a first-round pick.
Most people have him ranked as the fourth tackle in this year's draft, behind Alabama's Andre Smith, Virginia's Eugene Monroe and Baylor's Smith. Monroe and Alabama's Smith are consensus choices as the top two in either order, with Baylor's Smith and Oher running neck and neck for the next spot.
"Anything's realistic," Jason Smith said. "I do believe it's a realistic thing that Detroit could take a tackle [with the first pick], and I do believe it's realistic that I could be the No. 1 pick."
So he's a dreamer. I like it.
I like Oher, too. He's huge. He's strong. He's mean. He didn't give up a sack last season. And he's raw, so he's still learning the game. That's a good start. But what I'd like to see is at least a hint of curiosity -- especially if I'm the quarterback whose back he has to cover.
Trust me, if I'm that guy I want to know that he has -- pardon the expression -- the book on his next opponent. More than that, I want to know that he's read it, can quote it and can tell me where it goes from here. In short, I don't want any surprises like the one I got Thursday.
"I've been through a lot of stuff in my life," Oher said. "Things like this [talk about Lewis' book] come easy and natural for me. A lot of times it goes in one ear and out the other."
But that's what I'm afraid of. I don't know what Oher is about, but I do know I want to know more. And I know where to start. Sign me up for the book he won't read.
