It seems like all that can get in the way of Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs this season is Terrell Suggs.
In last week’s 27-13 win at the Miami Dolphins, Suggs finished with eight tackles, three quarterback hits, a sack and an interception that he returned 44 yards for the first touchdown of his six-year career. That performance earned the 6-foot-3, 260-pound Suggs the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award.
But, that performance got overshadowed by recent comments Suggs made on the Atlanta-based “2 Live Stews” radio show where he said that Troy Smith should start at quarterback instead of Joe Flacco. Also, the NFL is looking into comments Suggs made in the same interview that there was a “bounty” on Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward.
Suggs said there is no “bounty” on Ward, and only meant to say the Ravens need to be aware of him.
“[The reporter] asked me if there was a bounty and I just said I’m going to keep a watch on the guy,” Suggs said. “He broke some guy’s jaw last week, and he tried to cheap shot [Ravens linebacker Jarret Johnson]. He has also cheap-shotted [safety] Ed Reed. We’re just going to be on alert the next time we play him.”
Controversial comments aside, there is no denying Suggs’ talent or his value to the Ravens’ second-ranked defense in the NFL, which prepares to host the Oakland Raiders at 1 p.m. Sunday. The two-time Pro Bowl selection is second on the Ravens with 38 tackles and he leads the team with four sacks.
Since entering the league in 2003, Suggs is fourth among active sack leaders with 49 during that span. The Ravens are 30-10 when Suggs has a sack.
“Terrell Suggs is a very versatile player,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He can rush the passer. Obviously, he can cover back out of the backfield. In some ways he’s more effective than just a pure pass rusher because he can do so many things.”
Suggs’ performance this season comes at career crossroads for the 26-year-old. The Ravens labeled Suggs as their “franchise player,” which guarantees him a one-year deal of the average salary of the top five highest-paid players at his position.
The team wanted to label him as a linebacker, but Suggs wanted to be called a defensive end, which pays more. In the end, the parties reached a compromise, which gave Suggs an $8.47 million deal. As a protest to the designation, Suggs – who can be a free agent again in 2009 – sat out most of training camp.
“Some guys need training camp, some guys don’t,” Suggs said. “Mine, it was more of a business side of the deal on why I didn’t come. It’s always good to at least get the mental reps.”
Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said it doesn’t bother him that Suggs missed training camp, as his play during the regular season is what matters most to him.
“It just shows that he worked hard while he was missing training camp,” Ngata said. “It’s just great to have that guy on our team, especially all that talent and athleticism that he has, it just makes our defense that much better. I’m happy to have him on our team, and I’m happy he’s doing great.”
