Image of Michael Oher courtesy of Bleacher Report.At the Academy Awards last night, Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for her role in "The Blind Side", capping an awards season where she also won a Golden Globe for playing the Southern mom that takes Michael Oher under her wing and helps him achieve a life outside of the Memphis slums where he grew up. The film, made on a $30 million budget, tiny by Hollywood standards, has gone on to gross more than $250 million. Previously, I had reviewed the outstanding book here on FTRS and the movie version didn't disappoint. Most of the movie was straight from the book (some chapters regarding the technicalities of the left tackle position didn't make it onto the screen), and the omissions that were done made sense for a general audience. If you missed out on seeing it in theaters, "The Blind Side" will be out on DVD March 23.
But what about the real Michael Oher? Where is he now and how is he doing? Oher was drafted in the 1st round, 23rd pick overall of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. Weighing in at 309 lbs. and measuring 6'5", Oher made a strong impression on the Ravens coaches early to the point where he became the team's starting right tackle. Over the course of the season, he started all 16 games (11 at right tackle, 5 at left tackle, the position he played during his "Blind Side" days), and was runner-up in the Offensive Rookie of the Year polling. Oher has played well enough that there is some speculation in Baltimore that within the next season or two, Oher will switch to left tackle full time, a hard task considering the premiere pass-rushers in the NFL attack from the left side, hence the blind side.
I've embedded three YouTube clips into this post. The first is NFL Network's coverage of the draft when Michael Oher was selected. The second is an interview of Michael Oher by NBC's Bob Costas from last November, midway through Oher's rookie season in Baltimore. The third is an interview with the Tuohy family and Fox News' Mike Huckabee.
