On Sunday, nearly 71,000 watched Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs dance after he sacked Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson. Was this jubilation over one play or the beginning of Suggs' coming-out party?
After last season, doubts hung over Suggs. As the team fell way below expectations with a 5-11 record, Suggs' sack total dipped from 9 1/2 in 2006 to five.
One of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL was no longer feared, at least until Sunday.
"I did all right. It was a good way to get the year started," Suggs said. "My big thing this year is to play with consistency, and hopefully that gets things snowballing and we get a few more wins."
Actually, Suggs is on pace. Because of his designation as the team's franchise player, Suggs held out of training camp until a week before the third preseason game against the St. Louis Rams.
Suggs said he didn't get into football shape until a game later against the Atlanta Falcons. But that didn't mean he didn't train hard while holding out at home in Arizona.
"I knew the major thing they were going to look at when I got here was if I was in shape," Suggs said. "I trained outside in the Arizona heat, simulated my workouts to the times practices were going on here. I just needed some time to brush the rust off."
Suggs looked good Sunday. Even when he wasn't sacking Anderson, he was either in the quarterback's face or an inch away before the ball was released.
That quick first step was back. Suggs' body was in constant motion, looking more at times like a dancing machine than an outside linebacker. And when he wanted to, he just came with power.
Suggs spent a great deal of Sunday working against the Browns' Joe Thomas, who in less than two years has emerged as one of the best left tackles in the game.
But that's a weekly assignment for Suggs, even though defensive coordinator Rex Ryan will move him occasionally in an attempt to create a mismatch.
"If you want to be a premiere player in this league, you got to play against those kinds of guys every week," Suggs said.
Suggs handled them well in his first four seasons, in which he had 40 sacks. His tackles went from 33 in his rookie season to 86 in both 2005 and 2006. He was named the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2003 and twice named to the Pro Bowl.
But despite a career-high 95 tackles last season, Suggs had just five sacks. Everybody wanted to know what happened.
"Sacks shouldn't be the only thing that determines if you had a good year," he said. "Julius Peppers had only two sacks last year. Does that make him any less of a player?"
Suggs was hurt by the absence of defensive lineman Trevor Pryce, who missed most of last season with an assortment of injuries. Without Pryce, teams could turn their pass protection toward Suggs and outside linebacker Bart Scott.
The departure of free-agent linebacker Adalius Thomas to New England hurt, Suggs said.
"When we had A.D, he would be on one side with maybe Ray [linebacker Ray Lewis], and I would be on the other side with Bart," he said. "It was a guessing game of who was going to blitz. Nobody caught on the year before, which is why we had a great year."
With Pryce back in the lineup and Jarret Johnson having developed into a solid pass rusher, the guessing game is on. Suggs and Scott are forces again.
But one player who won't return is Ravens Pro Bowl offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, who retired recently but taught Suggs just as much as any coach.
"I couldn't go against anybody else in practice," Suggs said. "I think I won twice against J.O., and that was with him coming off toe surgery when he couldn't push off. That was the highlight of my practices. J.O. gave me pointers against guys who had long arms, short arm and long sets and power sets. He was a good teammate."
Suggs has another tough opponent Monday night in the Pittsburgh Steelers' Marvel Smith. Suggs wants to build on Sunday. At the end of the season, his contract is up. The more sacks he gets, the more money he earns.
"I'm not going to worry about negotiations. I know I can play. I know I'm a good player," Suggs said. "Somebody can always use me. They can always use a dominant defensive player. I prefer to stay here with the Ravens. I'm comfortable here. I want to be here."
Ryan said: "He is a natural as a pass rusher, and his drops are great. He is so physical and violent against the run. He's only 25 years old, and he is just entering the peak of his career."
