The Ravens offensive line has been criticized often over the past few seasons, particularly in 2005 when the team struggled in both pass protection as well as run blocking. Recently I sat down to chat with Edwin Mulitalo to get his thoughts on the Ravens line play and how he’s preparing for the 2006 season.
TL: Edwin, last year you fought through some physical ailments as well as some devastating off the field issues. How are those injuries coming along and how has your offseason training progressing for you?
EM: Comparatively speaking from this time now to last year at this time, it’s 100 times better. It was basically a non-offseason for me last year. When I came into the [2005] season, it was a case of me playing into shape. I really didn’t have an offseason. And obviously there were the off the field things, the family issues (Edwin’s dad passed away). It was kind of on my mind. You try your best to not let those things affect your play but sometimes it does. You don’t want to really give less to
the game but it shows when you watch the film.
the game but it shows when you watch the film.TL: Sometimes when those off the field distractions occur, you can find yourself concentrating on concentrating and the net affect is really a lack of focus.
EM: Yeah, exactly. Sometimes it works. Sometimes some of my best games were when I might come in with the flu. When you’re sick you’re not concentrating on other things, you just want to play well. But I’m in a ton better off season program right now. I’ve been training since February and I’m looking to have a really good year.
TL: Let’s talk about the Edwin. Tell us a bit about what your training regimen includes and how you’re preparing for the upcoming season.
EM: I run. We have a running program and I run three times per week. And I’m always taking any extra cardiovascular programs the Ravens have, like their spinning classes. Any extra things that can put me ahead of the game. Obviously we’re involved in weight training but we’re also doing agility training. I’m really just trying to take advantage of the things that I didn’t do last year.
But last year I had surgery and I couldn’t do much. I had surgery on my elbow and then I had surgery on my knee. But the reason I came into the season and kept on playing was that as a professional, you just go out there and if you can do it you do it and if you think you can do it as best as you can you go out there and give it your all until someone else tells you otherwise. So that’s what I did last year.
But this year I’m training 100% and I’m here year round so I’m excited.
TL: The offensive line was highly criticized in 2005 yet the Ravens have done nothing in the way of new talent to strengthen it, preferring to stay with the same talent and hope that the maturation process, good health and continuity of the line will improve the overall performance. Talk about that if you could and why or why not the front office’s approach in your opinion is the right approach.
EM: The offensive line is a tricky unit. It’s odd, the most odd unit on the football field. There are five guys that are up there and they have to play in sync with each other. And sometimes when you go in there and try to change things in the offensive line, sometimes it’s not the best move. I think we have the talent as a whole team and obviously we’re looking at the quarterback issue and all that…but to compound that issue… If we get Keydrick Vincent back healthy and Tony Pashos continues to play better, if I can come back and contribute to the team like I usually do, then hopefully we can take a run at this over the next couple of years.
try to change things in the offensive line, sometimes it’s not the best move. I think we have the talent as a whole team and obviously we’re looking at the quarterback issue and all that…but to compound that issue… If we get Keydrick Vincent back healthy and Tony Pashos continues to play better, if I can come back and contribute to the team like I usually do, then hopefully we can take a run at this over the next couple of years.But I think that the team will give me an opportunity to fight for my position. I think that they have their minds on bringing in other talent to contribute and to help us and push us better. You know when you talk about the offensive line, it’s not like you can take one guy out and bring one guy in. You can do that but it’s more than just putting a guy in there. The continuity and the cohesiveness that we have is important. Me and Jonathan Ogden and Mike Flynn, we basically don’t even talk to each other on the line on Sundays because we’ve played together so long. It takes years to build that.
The young guy Jason Brown is looking good. Adam Terry, I see him every day working out. I think those guys can play a more prominent role this year.
TL: Edwin, you’ve mentioned that you, Mike Flynn and J.O. have been together for quite awhile. Mike Flynn struggled last year, particularly when trying to pick up interior blitzes. To the untrained eye, it appeared as though he was beaten regularly. From a professional’s viewpoint, what really happened out there?
EM: There are a lot of issues. Some of the hardcore fans might look at the video or tape. It’s not always Mike’s fault. And the organization’s decision to go with him again this year is evidence that they understand it. When we played the way we did last year, there are some games when the offensive line played great. And then there were other times when we bombed. You know J.O. is sometimes going to take a lot of heat. But usually it’s the center directing everything. I understand that the fans and media put a lot of blame on Mike Flynn.
TL: Let’s talk about the young players Jason Brown and Adam Terry. Last year when we spoke, you told me that when Jason Brown gets up inside your frame and up under your pads that he’s a beast and you will not get away. Talk a little more if you could about Jason.
EM: [Jason] has that low center of gravity and he’s very strong in that position. He’s probably about 6’1” or 6’2” and he’s about 320, 315. Whenever you get a guy like that playing center or on the offensive line, his forte is going to be leverage and that’s a huge thing for an offensive lineman to have. He definitely knows what he has.
offensive lineman to have. He definitely knows what he has.TL: Coming out of North Carolina last year, Jason was thought by many to be the best center prospect in the 2005 draft yet he didn’t play there at all despite Flynn’s struggles. Talk about transitioning from the position of center in college to playing center in the NFL and the “quarterbacking” responsibilities of that position.
EM: I think that was a big problem last year – internalizing the offense. And that will come with time. It’s a big adjustment. But whenever he got in to play, it was a positive thing.
TL: Adam Terry is a player who was a LT at Syracuse. The Ravens want him to learn RT. How big of a transition is that and do you think Terry will be ready to handle that in 2006?
EM: You know a lot of people don’t think that it’s a drastic change to move from LT to RT. But when you’ve played one position so long your muscle memory and your mode of thinking is different. It’s like writing with your right hand and then being told to write with your left. Yes it can be done but it takes practice and some take longer than others. That’s a huge undertaking. I was always thankful that I went from left tackle in college to left guard. The transition is easier between guard and tackle on the same side.
TL: I recall the season when the Ravens experimented with you at right tackle.
EM: We tried that and I was excited to do it. Any challenge to hopefully help the team would be good. I always wished that they had given me more time but things didn’t work out and they opted to let go of that project (chuckles).
TL: Earlier this week I wrote a column about offensive line play and how pass protection and run blocking are impacted by the way other offensive teammates play. The QB and the WR’s need to be on the same page and connect on hot reads, the threat of the deep ball needs to be present, there needs to be balance on offense, etc, etc. Talk a little about the offensive responsibilities, the overall orchestration that contributes to efficient O-line play.
EM: When you see a team with a balanced offense, the offensive line obviously does much better. But there’s so much involved. The running backs have the block, the timing of the wide receivers – if the timing gets skewed a little bit then it gives the defensive line and extra half second to get through and create disruptions. As an offensive line we have a time clock in our heads and we’re thinking about it – 1,001, 1,002…and the ball should be gone. And that’s the way that we think. Sometimes there’s just great coverage. But what I found last year is that we just had inconsistency all around and when that happens, an offense is supposed to be a machine. I use the analogy of those old wind clocks. Everything should be ticking and in tune and when the timing is off, the clock doesn’t work right. Just like the offense.
When the quarterback gets sacked, no matter who misses their block, the offensive line will get criticized. That’s just the way it is.
TL: You mentioned balance in the offense. Talk a bit about the Ravens’ offense and the apparent unwillingness to utilize screen passes, at least in recent past seasons. Do you expect that to change in 2006?
EM: Any time you go into offseason and then come in to the mini camps, we get a little glimpse of what we want to do. I would assume that we’ll open up the playbook again and start from scratch and practice what we feel is going to be successful. We definitely practice screens and there’s always going to be a reverse in there. But what happens during the season, when you’re falling behind and usually your screens aren’t called up. But when you’re playing consistent and winning games then you get to put those trickery plays in. It’ in the playbook, it’s there. So we’ll see if we can do it or not.
TL: One advantage that defensive linemen that oppose the Ravens seem to enjoy is knowing your snap count. Is it me or does it seem that your snap count is almost always on one?
EM: That’s huge and when you look at who jump offsides (false starts) last year, it was everyone! From running backs to receivers to offensive line. If that snap count is on one all the time, then we’re behind the 8 ball already.
TL: So am I right? Has the cadence been that way?
EM: Yeah, this past season we had a hard time changing it up. Whether it was because we were trying to catch up and it didn’t matter what the snap count was. But sometimes that definitely can help us [switching up the cadence] if we can practice that up this offseason.
TL: The topic of team chemistry or lack thereof has been tossed around a ton the last two seasons. I asked Keydrick Vincent to compare the chemistry in Pittsburgh to that in Baltimore. He said and I quote, “In Pittsburgh we had no chemistry. There were a lot of guys that didn’t even talk to each other but once we got on the field we gelled as one. Here you’ve got group activities – and this is all foreign to me.” What is your feeling on the locker room vibe and team chemistry and its importance in winning?
There were a lot of guys that didn’t even talk to each other but once we got on the field we gelled as one. Here you’ve got group activities – and this is all foreign to me.” What is your feeling on the locker room vibe and team chemistry and its importance in winning?EM: I think team chemistry is huge. It’s just different for every team. As a player, if you can have that chemistry and win also, then the experience of playing in the NFL is second to none! That’s the way it was when we won the Super Bowl. That group of guys that we were with – Dilfer, Goose, all those guys. I look at that picture of James Trapp – do I remember the game? Yeah but I really remember the good times and the feeling that you had in the locker room. If you can get both of those? It is just a rush!
For some teams, it’s all business and that might work for them. But for us it seems like the guys get along and we have a good time and I really enjoy that.
TL: Do you think that the Ravens caught lightning in a bottle in 2000?
EM: You know that was my second year in the NFL and I thought that’s what it was going to be like every year.
TL: You got spoiled.
EM: I did, I got spoiled. Call it lightning in a bottle or what you want but we joined the ranks of Super Bowl Champions. Now that we’ve been there and those of us who have been there with other teams, then that’s the goal and that’s just the way it is.
TL: Edwin as a fan of the team, I recall vividly watching the confetti tumble from the sky, that big replica Lombardi Trophy on the field and you guys down there with that sense of accomplishment look on your faces…it felt so surreal. As a player, did it feel as surreal to you as well?
EM: Yes it did. You couldn’t believe it. We could say that we were the best. That whole offseason, I was saying that I was the best left guard in the league because we were Super Bowl champs. So yes, it was surreal for the players also.
TL: Edwin, you are close with Maake Kemoeatu. Have you been in touch with him recently?
EM: He was like my little brother. Us Polynesians we try to stick together and help each other out. It was great to see him grow up and obviously he got paid. I was happy for him and when I talked to him he said he had to support his family and I’m happy for him. I’m excited for him and happy that he’s as successful as he is.
TL: Well you can take your excitement out on the field come October 15 when the Ravens host the Carolina Panthers.
EM: That’s going to be fun. I’ll be licking my chops!
TL: Edwin shifting gears, you’ve always been very active in the community. You have an upcoming Luau, the parade in Ocean City and of course there’s always Big Ed’s Band Foundation. Talk about those things for a moment or two.
EM: The longer that I’m here in Baltimore me and my family feel like we are a part of the community, of this State and this city. So when I get involved with charities and try to help where I can, it’s a privilege for me to do it and to be a role model. We go to Ocean City to show the fans that we love them. And we have our luau and try to keep music in the city schools and surrounding counties. I just hope that after everything is said and done, and my career is over with the Ravens, I hope that I can be hear and talk about football and trying to make the city a better place.
At some point every football player will come to the realization that their football skills are diminishing. But what stays behind and the things that are remembered are the good things that you do in the community.
