First off, I want to wish a happy and healthy New Year to everyone.

We started off strong this season and then hit a little bit of a rough patch before getting going again. You don’t realize when you’re going through it, but adversity sometimes builds strength and camaraderie. It’s difficult when you are going through it, but when things get tough during the season and you come out of it as a team, it helps you out, especially during this time of the year.

Personally, it’s been a little bit of a difficult season for me with two tough injuries. But I’m 100 percent now and I look forward to getting out there for the playoffs. In fact, the whole team is feeling good; everyone is healthy.

It’s a great accomplishment to be part of the playoffs again. There are some teams that haven’t been to the playoffs in 8-10 years, so we’re proud of where we are. It’s definitely a great feeling for us to know that we now have a chance to compete for the championship.

We know what we are going to get from the Patriots – hard-nosed football. But we’re playing good football right now in all phases of the game: special teams, defense and offense, so it’s down to business.

Can’t really wait for Sunday. It’s gonna be exciting.

Jared Gaither is a starting offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.jaredgaither71.com .Follow him on Twitter @jaredgaither.

We hit a little bit of a bump, but it’s good to get a win and get back to it. We went back and took at look at ourselves … what we were doing wrong … and then we went out and corrected it. Football’s a team game, but each individual has to look at what they are doing to help you collectively turn things around.

We have tough back-to-back games coming up against the Colts and Steelers. They are good teams, but we know we are a good team, too. We just have to go out there and handle our business.

I really felt the pain of seeing Haruki and Josh Cribbs having to get carted off after having gone through it. I said a few prayers for them while they were down and I pray they will be back playing and healthy.

The movie about Michael Oher – The Blind Side – comes out this week. I’d really like to see the movie … I think it’s going to be real good. We’ve joked with him a little bit, but a lot of the guys can’t wait to see the movie. To see a person come from where he’s had to -- being homeless and everything, to compete at the highest level against the toughest competition – is really great.

Jared Gaither is a starting offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.jaredgaither71.com .Follow him on Twitter @jaredgaither.

First off, I want to thank everyone for their prayers, their concern, and the calls from my family and friends over the last couple of weeks. I’m doing pretty good now… getting stronger and looking forward to getting back in there.

I got hurt on really what was one of our basic passing plays. I was driving a guy to the ground and Joe got hit and he and another guy came down on top of me and landed on the crown of my head. Immediately, numbness and a tingling shot through my right arm and I had some pain in my neck.

A whole bunch went through my head; more than I can put down here. It was kind of scary. I was worried and started praying that I was going to be OK, that it was nothing real serious. My legs were OK, but I just had no feeling in my arm.

We took an X-ray at the stadium and the spine looked OK. And when we were in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, I started to get the feeling back in my arm a little bit. I got to the hospital and we took X-rays and an MRI … I was only there for about five minutes when I knew everything was going to be OK and it was nothing real serious. My arm was just real weak.

But as I said, I’m getting better and getting stronger. And again, I want to thank everyone for their prayers and their concern. Ravens fans have been great and I am glad you support me. I want to pay you back by getting back in there and giving you my best performance.

We’ve had two tough losses in a row … two games we believed we should have won. But we have to learn from the games and turn around and give it 110 percent the next Sunday. The Vikings are a good team and we look forward to the challenge of playing them today.

The thing about a loss is that you try and take something from it the same as you take something from a win. You learn from both. That’s how you become a great team.

Jared Gaither is a starting offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.jaredgaither71.com .Follow him on Twitter @jaredgaither.

It was a great start to what I believe is going to be a great season. We got a win and everybody came out healthy, so that’s definitely a positive.

It was an interesting game. We knew at 24-24 what we had to do … we had to go down the field and score and that’s what we did. Starting the season by winning a close game like that is a great experience. When you win a blowout, it improves your confidence. But when you play in a tight game where you score in the last five minutes to win, it improves your confidence even more.

Now we get a day off to rest up and take care of the body.

Next up, it’s the Chargers. Shawne Merriman. He’s a Terp and he’s doing pretty well with the Chargers. They run a 3-4 so I’ll be seeing him most of the time. It’s great going up against a player like that. On a lot of the teams, the defensive ends are the best players on the defense … the best players on the team … sometimes even the best players in the league. You know you are going to have to compete at a high level when you go up against a player the caliber of the D-ends in this league. It gives you something to look forward to.

The Chargers are a real good team and we are already focused on them. I hear people saying that it’s a big game, but every game is a big game. You can’t worry about what it means to the AFC standings or anything like that. You can’t get that far ahead of yourself. You just have to go out and play your game.

We have a slogan on the Ravens: WIN. That stands for What’s Important Now. Right now, for us, the Chargers are What’s Important Now. Not 15 games down the road.

Jared Gaither is a starting offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.jaredgaither71.com .Follow him on Twitter @jaredgaither.

I’m feeling good … healthy. I’ve got some minor dings here and there but I’ve been able to stay healthy throughout camp. I work out hard going into camp so I can stay healthy.

It’s been a productive, good overall camp. Everyone came in a good shape and everyone is doing what they were expected to do coming in. The rookies have all been doing pretty well – especially Michael Oher. Man, he’s doing great filling in at that right tackle spot. He’s playing really well.

We’re healthy and that’s key now – to stay healthy. But we’re still pushing hard, looking to improve.

Overall, the team is looking pretty good. We’re playing real well together and starting to jell, be it on special teams … defense … especially on offense.

You can also see the difference in Joe Flacco. He’s showing more maturity … more confidence. He’s stepping into a leadership role, but he’s balancing things and doing a tremendous job of still being Joe.

It was pretty good to go against Bart Scott, Jim Leonhard, Mike Kracalik, Marques Douglas and the Jets last night. It’s rare when so many people leave one team and go to another. Most of the time, you get maybe one or two guys that leave, but to have four players and two, three coaches it’s really rare.

I think Rex Ryan was really trying to get that “W” against us. But it was good practice for the young guys on defense going against that two-minute drill. That’s really priceless for them to get that experience and it doesn’t really happen a lot. They came down and tried to get in, but Lardarius Webb made a good play to stop them at the end of the game.

We broke camp on Sunday … it’s great to sleep in your own bed, cook your own food and relax in your own environment. Don’t get me wrong – it’s great to be around the guys at camp, bond and everything, and the Ravens are a first-class organization and hire great chefs to cook for us – but its great to be home. You just feel better when you sleep in your own bed and cook your own meals. Even though the food is good at camp, some times you just don’t feel like eating what they’ve prepared.

Plus, as everyone knows by now, I love to cook.

Jared Gaither is a starting offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.jaredgaither71.com .Follow him on Twitter @jaredgaither.

Was down at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Pikesville this morning to do some cooking with the executive chef for a Rave-TV spot. We cooked steaks, garlic mashed potatoes, onion rings, fish and scallops. We shared the food with the camera crew and some other people down there. Cooked the last one and brought it home for me though, and was real good.

It was a great time … really fun. And I learned a couple of things for the kitchen. The chef said the food was pretty good and I did a pretty good job.

 

 

 

 

I’m winding down my workouts now and trying to get a little rest. Just gonna relax … that’s key. Camp starts Monday … actually, it starts Wednesday, but everyone gets there on Monday. People are looking forward to kicking the season off.

It hasn’t been that hot of a summer, but it always seems to happen this time of year … players are always joking that the coaches pray to the football gods to crank up the heat. It’s mellow, mellow, mellow … then the third day of camp it’s 100 degrees. Always happens ­– especially out in Westminster, where there’s no trees. It’s gonna be a sauna out there.

I really look forward to training camp, though. Camp gets you ready for the first preseason game and the preseason games get you ready for the season opener. It’s exciting to finally see the whole team out there. It’s another year, we want to get better … progress.

I was definitely surprised when I heard about Derrick Mason. It came out of nowhere. I guess my feelings are kind of mixed … I want to see him playing, but I also want to see him do what’s best for him and his family. He’s got a wife and small kids. I want to see him do what he wants and if retiring is gonna let him spend more time with his family, then he deserves to do that. He’s done a lot for the NFL and a lot for the Ravens.

He was a key player for this organization. But we have some guys coming back like Demetrius Williams … and we’ve got Mark Clayton … Marcus Smith. They should be able to step up.

I’m looking forward to see what the defense looks like. Rex Ryan was a loss – both as a coach and as a person – but we have moved on. Those guys are tough over there. I want to see some of the different stuff they throw at us and the other teams. When you change coaches, you change things enough that you wind up with a new product. And sometimes it fits your players better. I’m looking forward to see how they produce.

Jared Gaither is a starting offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.jaredgaither71.com

Hey, everyone …

Wanted to let you know what’s up with me and the team. We finished OTAs and now I’m about to start working out to get ready for training camp. OTAs were very productive for us.  I’m glad a lot of players showed up. The young guys gelled with us and worked hard.

Now that they are over, I might take a little time with my family … maybe go on a little vacation down to New Orleans with my brother and my cousin. Just relax a little bit before things get going.

What I’m really looking forward to is spending some more time in the kitchen. Cooking is my second passion in life after football. I don’t like to eat just anything that’s put in front of me. I like to cook and eat GOOD food.

I make a great steak and shrimp. I can cook a mean Jambalaya. Red beans and rice … everything. I did a Jock Chef video last year for ESPN where I made steak and eggs.

Growing up, my mom and sister would cook. They were good, but I think I’ve surpassed them.

I started really getting serious about cooking back in college. I would cook in my room and guys used to come over and I would cook for them.

Now, I cook for teammates all the time. Troy Smith, Demetrius Williams and Le’Ron McClain all live pretty close and they always come over and get a bite to eat.

There’s nothing better than barbecue when my teammates come over. Three packs of chicken … a couple of packs of hamburgers … a couple of packs of ribs … and my special sauce. Always gotta have that special sauce from scratch.

Every year, new guys come in, but there’s no one on the Ravens who can cook like me. In fact, I’m looking for any challengers in the entire league. I think I can beat anyone in the kitchen.

Jared Gaither is a starting offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.jaredgaither71.com

Hey, everybody. Welcome to my website. I’m working hard and looking forward to a great 2009 season. Check back here and I’ll try and keep you updated about what’s going on with me and the team on my blog.

Thanks, and I’ll be talking to you,

JG

Jared Gaither is a starting offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.jaredgaither71.com