"It's dangerous to fall in love with your own players," he said, "so we try to be objective and as critical as we can be. ... One thing I'm proud of is our ability as a staff, scouting and coaches, to be able to disagree and [still] reach a conclusion and make a decision."
It's not a perfect system, DeCosta is quick to point out. The Ravens let running back Priest Holmes and wide receiver Brandon Stokley get away in free agency and both went on to achieve greater success.
But, says Casserly, "you don't have many players who leave and who have tremendous success."
The results were somewhat mixed this year, in fact. While the Ravens extended the contracts of Ray Lewis and Suggs, they lost linebacker Bart Scott to the New York Jets and a $48 million contract. Suggs recognized the difficulty the Ravens had in attempting to re-sign three players at the same position in the same year.
"I think it was just going to be hard to bring all three guys back, and we all knew that," he said.
Because of Suggs' extraordinary talent and his age (26), he was a bargain at almost any price for a team that places a premium on pass rushers. Suggs played under the franchise tag in 2008, and had until Wednesday at 4 p.m. to reach a new deal or carry the $10.7 million tag again this year.
Had the Ravens not gotten the contract done, they would have been staring at the highest level of franchise tag in 2010 at perhaps as much as $18 million, because he had been tagged previously. Players designated with the franchise tag are forced to accept a one-year contract at a salary based on the average of the NFL's five-highest paid players at that position. That made getting Suggs signed this season a high priority.
"It's another example of [owner] Steve Bisciotti supporting his GM and coach by paying the money needed to be paid to get the deal done," Casserly said. "And you've got to give Ozzie credit for making the decision [to take Suggs with the 10th pick in the 2003 draft] because there was some question regarding Suggs and his workout times. His times were not good."
Said Cass: "Steve has a strong financial commitment to winning. From the fan perspective, he's a good owner. He's willing to pay to win."
In Sports
Deal anticipates the player Suggs will become, Harbaugh says.
Locking them up
The Ravens have made a habit of not letting their first-round draft picks reach the free-agent market, instead signing them to lucrative extensions.
