The Baltimore Ravens are about to play their 28th season of football. In those 28 years, the team has seen a litany of great players. They’ve been fortunate with the amount of success and talent they’ve had in those years. What has been their identity since 2000 is the defense. The defense has molded the Ravens into who they are, and the city of Baltimore embraced that mindset. Players such as Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Peter Boulware, Rod Woodson, Chris McAlister, Tony Siragusa, and Haloti Ngata helped build that identity. However, another name deserves significant credit for that, and the Ravens will give him his due this season—the only Terrell Suggs.
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Ravens Inducting Legendary Pass Rusher Terrell Suggs To Ring Of Honor
On Wednesday, the Ravens announced that on October 22, against the Detroit Lions, they will induct Terrell Suggs into their Ring of Honor. Suggs becomes the twelfth player in Ravens history to be inducted into the Ring Of Honor. Other non-players include head coach Brian Billick and owner Art Modell. All this comes for Suggs five years after he played his last game as a Raven. His previous game was winning the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019.
In 16 years as a Baltimore Raven, Suggs became a dominant pass rusher. As well as a core piece on the defense. A few years after the Ravens Super Bowl XXXV victory, Suggs was drafted to Baltimore in 2003 out of Arizona State. With Ed Reed being drafted the year before and Haloti Ngata in 2006, they and Lewis formed a core four on the defense for several years. If Lewis was the fiery leader, and Reed was the stoic playmaker, Suggs was a comic-book personality brought to life. His brashness and attitude brought Moxy to the Ravens defense. It made him the villain at opposing stadiums and the hero at M&T Bank Stadium.
Terrell Suggs And The Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers fans know full well about that Suggs thrived off the Ravens-Steelers rivalry and sacking quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He notched 15 sacks, 66 tackles, three fumble recoveries, and two interceptions in 30 games against Pittsburgh. His most memorable moment in that rivalry was intercepting a Roethlisberger pass between his legs in the 2014 AFC Wild Card game. The interception helped seal a Ravens win and the team’s first-ever over the Steelers in the postseason.
Suggs’ Legacy
Suggs is the Ravens all-time sacks leader with 132.5. As well as forcing 33 fumbles and seven interceptions. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2003 and made seven Pro Bowls. 2011 would see him join Lewis and Reed among the defensive elite. He won Defensive Player of the Year with 14.0 sacks and 70 tackles and led the league with seven forced fumbles. Suggs is currently in 8th on the all-time sacks list with 139, putting him over Hall of Famers like DeMarcus Ware and John Randle. Suggs had a memorable run with the Ravens, culminating with the team’s second Lombardi trophy in 2012. With the Ring of Honor under his belt, a call from Canton, Ohio, may very well be next for T-Sizzle.
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Main Photo: Sam Greene – USA Today Sports
