Jerry Coleman: Ravens Keep Their 'Sizzle'
With headlines swirling around Ravens running back Ray Rice regarding his arrest in Atlantic City on a domestic violence charge. The club attempted to divert their attention to Pro Bowl Linebacker Terrell Suggs, who agreed on a four-year $28.5 million dollar extension. It's certainly his last deal in Baltimore, and as Suggs proclaimed : "If you count the franchise tag, this is the 4th time I've had the opportunity to continue to play here and I'm truly grateful and honored to finish my career where it started."
Suggs - Retiring as a Raven
Suggs on staying with the team
This opens the door to the possibility of making sure that the brass of the organization can keep essential pieces of the franchise together. Players such as Dennis Pitta, Eugene Monroe and others who are pending free agents. So, as General Manger Ozzie Newsome put it: "No. 1, we look at a guy's age. We look at how many times he has been injured. And we factor all of those things into putting together the number of years, Newsome said. "Now, whether [Terrell Suggs] plays two years or three years, we have a mechanism to be able to deal with the salary cap that would make it friendly for us and friendly for Terrell."
Ozzie on Suggs on tape
The 31 yr old Suggs remains one of best in the business at his position but the team would be very wise to keep fellow pass rusher Elvis Dumervil along side. The 11 yr Ravens veteran has learned a lot in his career, however, the lessons that Ray Lewis embedded in him is a keystone to why he will be a Raven for life.
Suggs on Impact of Ray Lewis
"I was very unfamiliar of the man of Ray Lewis – what he's most known for and what he did on the football field. I've learned the value of the word 'legacy' and being on one team and in one uniform your whole career. Like I said, you learn more about priorities when you play with a man like that… "I was quickly humbled with a pie, but I picked all that up as I came along. I don't want to go anywhere else. This city loves me, Suggs said."
Meanwhile , Newsome was reluctant to go into much detail about what transpired over the weekend, he said, "I don't know the situation." However, he did emphasize that until all the facts come out about the altercation he was not going to react. "I've not had a chance to talk to Ray; I have not had a chance to talk to (director of security) Darren [Sanders]. So I really don't know the situation, and up until – with me – I get all the answers, then that's when we make decisions within this organization" Newsome said.
