The Realm of the Verbal Processor

The Blind Side

I very rarely go see a movie in the theater. Before this week, I don’t think I have ever seen a movie in a theater on its opening day. But ever since I heard that Michael Lewis’s fantastic book The Blind Side, Evolution of a Game was being made into a movie, I have been looking forward to seeing it in the theater on opening day. I went to watch it last Friday on opening day, and I honestly wanted to turn around and go back in the theater to watch it again. They did an outstanding job with this movie. I just got back from watching it a second time (with Julie’s grandfather and my friends Tim and Nate).

In the book, Michael Lewis weaves together two storylines. One storyline is that he traces the evolution of the left tackle position in football from a utility position like any other lineman to a specialized position that is often one of the highest paid positions on the team. The reason for this is that the left tackle is responsible for protecting the quarterback’s blind side. He traces it back to teams needing to adjust to protecting their quarterback from defensive players like Lawrence Taylor.

The second storyline of the book is following the life of Michael Oher. Michael was an All American football player at Ole Miss who is now playing for the Baltimore Ravens. Michael was homeless in Memphis TN, and through a series of events came to be enrolled in a private school in Memphis and was taken in by a wealthy family who had compassion on his situation. The eventually became his legal guardians.

Now…anyone who knows me for very long knows that I went to Ole Miss and am a die hard fan. Yes it was fun hearing places mentioned in the movie that I knew from school. I ate lunch in Johnson Commons. However, the movie is fantastic outside of my Ole Miss leanings.

November 27, 2009 - Posted by Jarvis | Misc