The Blind Side
Which of the following, on average, would you guess is the second highest paid position in football (behind the QB)?
a) Wide receiver
b) Left tackle
c) Running back
d) Middle linebacker
The answer is (b): the second highest paid position in the NFL is the left tackle. Why?
1. Because of Bill Walsh. You could say, more generally, the West Coast Offense. But there were two versions of the West Coast Offense: one went deep and the other (Walsh’s version) went wide. Spread out the field. Send four or five receivers out for shorter passes, raising your completion percentage and extending the run after the catch. Sending more people out, however, left the quarterback more vulnerable.
2. Because of rule changes in 1978. No longer could a cornerback “bump-and-run” with a receiver all the way down the field. Now he’s limited to five yards. And offensive linemen, who formerly were forced to block looking like clothes hangers, were suddenly allowed to use their hands.
3. Because of Lawrence Taylor. If you still wince when you hear the name “Joe Theismann,” then you’re probably a football fan. Taylor was a QB-destroying machine. The new profile for the blind side pass rusher became that athlete who is large, fast, and violent. In other words, someone not easily blocked by a running back.
Michael Lewis’s The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
The new profile for an NFL left tackle is what Lewis says the scouts call “a freak of nature.” He’s tall (6’4″), big (320+), quick, and has a wide butt, long arms and big hands. Think Orlando Pace or Jonathan Ogden.
Like Michael Oher, now a left tackle for Ole Miss. Much of this excellent book tells his story.
It’s the story of Memphis — a city with an invisible Berlin Wall between white and black. Lewis talks about the Christian academies that sprang up quickly with forced integration so wealthy white children wouldn’t have to go to school with black children. He talks about the pilgrimage east — as far away from the problems of West Memphis as possible.
But this story is specifically told through one young man: Michael Oher. He was a child who seemed to have no hope.
He was one of ten children of a crack cocaine-addicted mother. At times they had no shelter. When asked what he remembers about his first years of life, Michael says: “Going for days having to drink water to get full. Going to other people’s houses and asking for something to eat. Sleeping outside. The mosquitoes.”
For a few years they lived in Hurt Village — a community of about 1000 with no — count them, ZERO — two-parent families. Seventy-five percent of the adults there had some mental illness. Drug lords waited with crack in hand at the first of the month when welfare checks arrived in the mail.
By the time he was 15, Michael Oher hadn’t been to school much. He’d been tested, and his IQ came out to be 80.
But all that changed. I’ll leave the details for you to enjoy the book. But the short story is this: he fell victim to the love and nurture of one wealthy, white family in East Memphis. Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy (a former basketball player and a former cheerleader at Ole Miss) welcomed him into their family. He suddenly had a family, including a sister his age and a younger brother. He had a school to attend — Briarcrest Christian School. He had clothes and food. His IQ rose from 80 to 110.
Whether you’re a football fan or not, you’ll love the chapters on the recruiting of Michael Oher. Every college coach in the country began salivating when he saw tapes of Oher treating large opponents as if they weren’t there. In one game Briarcrest played, every offensive play consisted of giving the ball to the running back and telling him to stay behind Oher’s butt until he heard a whistle. They destroyed their opponent on that one play.
This is a hard book because of the despair. You realize that most people in the Hurt Villages of our inner cities don’t have a Tuohy family to help them.
But it’s also an inspiring read because this one family — this one white, wealthy, Evangelical family — brought a monstrous kid into their lives before anyone knew he had athletic super-talent. He was lost, and Leigh Anne Tuohy was going to care for him.
Kerry,
I live in Fayetteville, Arkansas. There are considerably less than 100,000 people here. There are considerably more than 300 African-Americans. You might be thinking of Springdale.
I know Highland’s leadership has continually said they are still committed to the inner-city and that their inner-city ministries/support will continue to grow. However, I really have a hard time believing this. It’s hard to stay committed when you’re not right there in the middle of a relationship…
Maybe I read too much into that, but it seems like you’re saying “i know that they SAY that, but we all know that its not going to happen”
I’ve probably got you mixed up with some other commenters here Daniel, I apologize for that. I kinda grouped all the “we disapprove with highland moving” people together.
I’m sorry.
Luke D,
Metro area…way more than 100,000
If there’s more than 300, then that has changed considerable in the last few years. I was involved in a demographic study centered around the area east of the square (Tin Cup). In the late 90′s, there were between 300 and 500 black people in Fayetteville proper.
Lisa: My wife and I are former members at Highland Street and now have a house church in Midtown. We would love for you to visit us when you are in town. There are several groups meeting in homes in the midtown area, and Steve Jr. is right: most of them don’t look like “your mother’s church.”
Steve Sr.
sholtsr@juno.com
Yeah, when I said I had a hard time believing that, I didn’t mean I distrust them and think they are lying — and I didn’t think any of my posts hinted that direction. I was simply remarking on how hard it is to remain committed to something with being farther away from it.
Dear Mike,
Another of your “raised in mid-town Memphis/grew up at Highland” readers and I got tired reading all the posts so I scrolled down. I’m married to a good Abilenean, so maybe that adds to the credibility! ha Greg and I read the book over Christmas and loved it. Thanks for discussing it and maybe touching the raw nerve ending of “how do I treat my brothers and sisters” in my life, where I choose to live, worship, etc. I really appreciated the above discussion and the author’s point that Michael Oher, the person, was “rescued” from the inner city because of his ability to play this highly prized position in football. And the blind side is all the other children that are left in Hurt Village. Keep letting this book sink in (it took me a while to absorb all the subtleties) and we all pray to be guided by the Spirit, wherever that leads. We also just finished reading “Leaving Microsoft to Change the World” and it may also lead to some conclusions about what the world needs from us. Thank you for your ministry right where you are.
It is true that its harder to remain committed Daniel, my point was just that many of the people who are committed to that sort of thing (your family and mine for example) live a good 30 minutes from highland, yet still continue support for ministries and being involved as much as possible. Many many members of highland live in suburban white east memphis, and many more live well east of 240. I believe that God has a plan for highland st out east, just as he had a plan for us in midtown (well, barely in midtown). How many people out east are living lives devoted to consumerism who will check out Highland because of its proximity and see the lives of people and a church that are committed to the poor in Memphis. People who are willing to leave their suburban safety zones to go in and help people who live in dire poverty. God is ready to work on people’s hearts in the suburbs and ready to use them in financial ways, as well as use their time. How many churches in eastern shelby county are committed to the poor? How many people haven’t even heard the message that it is our duty to serve the least of these? I’d imagine its a lot. Hopefully, Highlands move out there will show those in suburbia that we are called to minister to those in the inner city. Like I said, its not the best case scenario. It would have been wonderful if we had plenty of land on Highland to accomidate people who wanted to worship with us, but that wasn’t the case, and the elders made the best decision they could. Studies have been done that show that if a church isn’t growing numerically, it will eventually die. I think a worse scenario than Highland moving east is Highland ceasing to exist and ceasing to be a force for social justice in the city of Memphis.
I don’t live in Memphis — I think I’ve driven through it once about 10 years ago — and don’t have a dog in the “where should that church go” fight, but I read an excerpt from that book in a recent Reader’s Digest — I would REALLY like to read the whole thing. The book really challenged me to think about Lee Ann Tuohy and if I would be willing to turn my nice, cozy, safe family on it’s ear to serve someone from such a different place — but who obviously needed to be served. I love that she didn’t wait for a program or plan — she made it happen because it needed to be done. May I do the same!
Highland Street’s commitment to the inner city is only skin deep. Note the departure of two extremely talented, effective and dedicated inner city ministers in the past year or so from the Highland staff (people around here are still wondering what happened there). HSCC’s contributions to HopeWorks have not increased in the past 4 years even though that ministry faces dire and on-going financial strains. But the problem is city wide among churches. Presently, there are more than $20 million in planned building projects among churches of Christ in the city while inner city ministries and projects are left wanting. Buildings or people? The churches in Memphis have spoken.
Could someone tell me if it’s this way in other major cities?
Whoa . . . what a conversation. Mike, did you envision that a post like this would turn into a sounding board for Memphis/Highland Street folks?
Kerry,
You are right; there are way more than 100,000 people in the metro area, but the different parts of the metro area are very distinct from each other.
According to the 2000 (figures have changed, but you said “late 90s”) census, Fayetteville had a population of 58,047, 5.11% of them being African-American. That’s hardly a stunning percentage, but it is approximately 10 times more than the 300 you cited.
If anything, Fayetteville has historically been considered a haven for African-Americans in NW Arkansas when they weren’t welcomed elsewhere. Fayetteville has many problems, but being notably racist is not one of them.
I realize that this is not the central issue being discussed here and apologize for going off topic; I just wanted to contest the misinformation that was being spread about my beloved hometown.
well dang it… the elders are schmucks. chris is power hungry and wants to make highland the c of c bellevue. screw them. I guess I’m stupid for trusting that these men were trying to do what God wanted them to.
I just moved to Memphis. I will be purchasing a home in Olive Branch. I am seriously concerned about the racial and poverty issues of Memphis. I am not moving to Olive Branch because I am white or rich. I am moving so my daughter can go to a decent public school and I can not have to fear for my family’s safety.
Does this mean i am not being salt and light?
Does God call me to put my family’s safety on the line in order to follow him?
Does God want my daughter to have a second rate education so that I can live near the problem?
Or does God want me to find ways to impact that culture, regardless of where I live?
Generalizing those who live in East Memphis, Collierville, Germantown, and Notheast Desoto County as simply “white flight” doesn’t work. The church I attend is made up of majority caucasian, wealthy people. They are generally concerned with the state of the Memphis area. They are working/serving in some of the worst area’s to be salt and light.
They are not passive, self involved believers just because they live in these areas.
I think the situation is far to complicated to generalize.
Grew up in Memphis. Harding Academy graduate. Racism is rampant in Memphis — it is dishonest to describe it any other way. I still struggle to overcome all the way subtle ways that a legacy of racism influences my life. Confession is a good start.
Perhaps God does call me to put my family’s safey on the line in order to follow Him (at least by our usual standards of safety).
Maybe God wonders why my children are entitled to a first rate education while their brothers and sisters have to be satisfied with dangerous substandard schools.
We satisfy ourselves with the hope that we can be rescuers of these communities without the commitment and risk of being fully invested members of these communities. I believe that we are deceived.
Jesus moved in to our neighborhood. By a lot of standards that didn’t work out too well for him.
Josh – No. Had no idea. Thought it would be a discussion about (1) football, and (2) the larger issues of missional living amid such great disparity (using the Tuohys model as a hopeful spark).
I believe God can use us no matter where we live if we are willing. It is interesting though that Jesus left a wealthy effluent heaven and moved to a poor denigrated earth in order to bring us home. Which it seams to me Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy accomplished.
Circle complete.
Jim,
So, just to clarify, do you think it is possible for people to be salt and light in the Memphis area while living in Germantown, Collierville, or Olive Branch?
And you beleive that in order for me to fulfill God’s calling on my life, my daughter and wife need to live in fear?
No accusations here. Just something to think about.
What is it that we fear?
Oh.my.goodness. Did I miss something?
jim… where do you live, just for clarification purposes.
Justin –
What would you say if I told you I lived in the chaos of Haiti and listened to gunfire in the road in front of my house most nights?
What would you say if I told you I lived in Abilene, Texas in a home well below my means but I still struggle with how far separated I am from much of the suffering in my community?
What if I told you I lived in Southern Africa and once payed a terrible price for my foolish risk in thinking it important that I try to more fully enter into the suffering of those who have no choice in where to live?
What if all these things are true? Do I need to earn a right to speak?
Like I said — no accusations here. Just some things to think about — mostly for me. Any sacrifices I make pale in comparison to the sacrifice made by the Christ I claim to follow.
i’m just asking cause its really easy (and common) for people to determine that what they do (or how much they sacrifice) is enough, and anyone with more isn’t in the right. I’ve been on the receiving side of that before. Friends who talked behind your back because your house is bigger than his, but who doesn’t know your family situation. I believe that some are called to be prophets, but being a prophet means living in a radical way (shane claiborne comes to mind). I say we do as much as we can and as often as we can and be an example, but not spend time pointing fingers at people who may or may not have a weaker faith.
Can’t get the finger out of my own face, brother!
I keep finding the less of me, the more of Jesus — and I want it all!
You are welcome in my home anytime.
Of course, concerning teams with left-handed quarterbacks, it’s a very different story. Ahem.
I wish you guys would stop fighting! As a famous American once said “Can’t we all just get along?” LOL!
Julie – I read and loved THE GLASS CASTLE too! Can you believe that Jeannette Walls is normal after that upbringing?