Terrell Suggs’ main objective is to attack the quarterback…it’s as simple as that. Going into his sixth year in the league, Suggs is becoming a force at his position and already has 45 sacks in six seasons. The two time pro bowler and former AP Defensive Rookie of the Year came into the league already a sack master–garnering a NCAA record 24 sacks his junior year at Arizona State. Could you imagine coming into the league as a linebacker and playing alongside Ray Lewis? Suggs has made the most of his opportunity and has become a consistent force on an already formidable defense. As he alludes to below, he’s not just a pass rusher and has developed a versatility that has proved invaluable to helping the Ravens transition from young to old.

When he was drafted in 2003 at 20, he was one of the youngest players ever to play in the league. Suggs has an opportunity to cement his name in the annals of linebacker greats as long as he continues to consistently developed.

The Ravens placed the franchise tag on Suggs this offseason, so his performance this year will determine if he stays in Baltimore or breaks the bank on the open market. He’s an engaging personality who is as confident and focused as they come.

This interview was conducted last Friday as Terrell and his teammates were finishing up their last practice before Sunday’s 17-10 win against the Cincinatti Bengals. The Ravens defense hasn’t allowed a 100 yard rusher in a NFL best 20 games–which is indicative of just how focused and galvanized this team is on the defensive side of the ball. If a runner gets past the defensive line, he runs smack into a second wave of Baltimore backers.  Terrell Suggs takes his job seriously and is poised to carry on the great legacy before him initially knighted by Ray Lewis.

Michael Tillery: Terrell, how was practice? The last one before the season opener Sunday.

Terrell Suggs: It was alright. Wasn’t that bad.

MT: Obviously you’re excited for the season to start.

TS: Of course! You are always excited to play football.

MT: Is there a different kind of juice that flows this last practice?

TS: Nah, we really just want to get out there. It actually starts Saturday night. Saturday night, you are ready to go. If you’re not, then you probably aren’t going to have the game you want.

MT: Are you one of those cats who can’t sleep before a game?

TS: Nah, I never sleep. I’m a night owl anyway. I sleep more during the day.

MT: What’s the difference between a Baltimore Ravens defensive unit and other teams around the NFL?

TS: On our unit, you have to be able to do everything. You can’t be a one dimensional defensive player. If you are a corner, you definitely have to be able to play the run and blitz when we need you to. It’s our versatility that makes us special. It’s a pretty crazy defense, but it’s fun and we love it.

MT: The play comes in. What’s going through your mind as the QB is getting into his cadence and the motion flashes by you? What are you thinking at that precise moment?

TS: At that precise moment, I have to do my job to the best of my ability. Especially on defense. It’s like a machine, if one part ain’t working then we aren’t going to be successful. In this league if you are playing a veteran quarterback who knows what he’s doing, he’s going to expose your weaknesses. He’s going to expose it all day.

So at the moment, you have to execute, do it fast and make sure the world knows you did it.

MT: Are you also trying to find a weakness? A physical trait that tips you off or something similar.

TS: Football is 90% mental. You are always trying to find something that you could exploit. You are always looking for the offense to tip you off or give you an edge so you can stay one step ahead of them.

MT: Being that you are one of the premier line backers in the league, do you now have a different respect than when you came into the league as such a ridiculous raw talent out of Arizona State?

TS: Oh definitely. All I could do is pass rush and everybody saw me as that. Now, I can do it all. I can play on the line. I can drop back in pass coverage. I can blitz. I can get down and dirty in the defensive tackle spot. I can do it all. That’s why people respect and fear me the Ravens defense.

MT: Obvious question. I’m sure you get this all the time, but what influence has Ray Lewis had on you personally, the team and also the NFL?

TS: Personally, he’s taught me how to be a professional. He’s taught me the nuances. He’s taught me how to keep myself healthy. He’s taught me a lot.

Team wise, it’s good for young guys coming in to have a strong and powerful leader like Ray Lewis. He’s not going to be able to play forever. Everybody knows this. His days are coming, mine are coming, the guy who just got drafted day is coming. He’s just a great example of what a leader looks and plays like.

As far as the NFL? With the roller coaster ride he’s had throughout his career with the legal troubles he had, then getting out of legal trouble, winning a Super Bowl and being the Defensive Player of the Year that year? He showed the world just what type of dedication he has.

MT: You went through what you went through this off season (being tagged), do players dread franchise tags and contract negotiations? Do you want to just get on the field and that’s it?

TS: I don’t know. It’s not a good thing and it’s not a bad thing. It’s a one year deal. I don’t know if I’m going to be here or on another team next year. I can’t do a lot of the things I wanted to do. I’m just playing it out. With the coaching change we had this year, it might have been a blessing. We just have to see how it unfolds.

MT: Is there something to what fans and media hear about a player playing differently in his contract year? Is it an accurate statement or media generated when a player knows he’s about to get that money from somebody else he goes a little stronger and a little harder?

TS: I don’t know. I can only speak personally. I don’t know if they call this a contract year but, I’m not going to play harder or softer than I was already going to do it.

Some people don’t want to go as hard because they don’t want to get hurt.

I’m a football player. I’m going to go out there and compete! I ain’t worried about no contract.

MT: When do you know a QB is cracking mentally because of defensive pressure?

TS: When he’s throwing the ball before he’s supposed to. Peyton Manning would rather throw an interception rather than take a sack–which is stupid if you ask me–but that’s how he prefers to play. That’s when you know you got him rattled. Getting antsy in the pocket and they wanna run–especially non scrambling quarter backs. A scrambling quarterback is going to run regardless.

MT: Who do you love to sack the most?

TS: I can’t really say. I love sacking everybody. It never gets old. It feels brand new every time it happens. I haven’t sacked Tom Brady or Peyton Manning yet, so they are definitely on the hit list.

MT: Who gets under your skin and why?

TS: Indy. Indianapolis. They don’t play smash mouth football. They just don’t line up with their eleven against your eleven. They always got some trickery. Peyton is doing some bullshit at the line. No! Line up, call your play, we’ll call ours and we’ll play football. He doesn’t want to play that way. He wants to do all this shit, calling audibles. Just line up and play. I’m still waiting for them to line up and play smash mouth against us.

MT: You are trying to turn those white jerseys black huh?

TS: Definitely.

MT: If anything, what do you feel you need to improve on?

TS: You can always get better in everything you do. Personally? Definitely speed. Why wouldn’t you want to get faster? It’s not like I’m the slowest guy. I’m not slow by any means, but I would definitely like to be lightening fast, so that’s what I’ll work on.

MT: What’s the best thing about the Ravens locker room?

TS: The different personalities. Everyone comes from different places but we all click. We all appreciate and accept that we are all are different and we just have fun with it.

MT: Is Ed Reed the same cat in the locker room as he is on the field?

TS: He’s the same cat. Ed Reed is fun. We all have our split personalities in that we aren’t exactly like we are off as we are on the field.

I’ve said some things that if my Mom heard me she would be disgusted (we laugh).

MT: I’ve never had the opportunity to interview someone from the state of Arizona. What’s the personality of Arizona football?

TS: It’s alright. It’s good. It’s growing. They’ve just built a new stadium out there. Arizona State was definitely in a football town. It’s kinda hard because the Phoenix Suns are there and winning. They’ve been winning for five + years now. Everyone is a Phoenix Suns fan. They want football when the Suns aren’t playing.

MT: Why not a running back? You were a beast in high school. Why not run over someone like Brandon Jacobs did LaRon Landry Thursday night?

TS: Wow…because he gets hit more than he’s doing that. It happened to Landry on the opener. Everybody gets caught, you just don’t get to see it all the time. 9 times out of 10 he’s not doing that. It’s happening to him. He was just one on one with a safety, so he did his thing.

MT: Who do you watch defensively across the league?

TS: I watch pretty much any pass rusher. I like Jared Allen. I like DeMarcus Ware from Dallas. I like to watch tackles too. Every pass rusher will tell you that it’s because of a successful tackle–like Tommie Harris, Tank Johnson, Osi Umenyiora. There’s a lot of people I watch…Julian Peterson, Julius Peppers. I actually have a DVD of all of their sacks from a year ago.

MT: How about somebody in the past?

TS: Oh…I was a Minnesota Vikings fan! Chris Doleman, John Randall. Everybody knows about Mark Gastineu and Lawrence Taylor. If you are a pass rusher and don’t have those two in your mental rolodex, you are just calling yourself one–can’t forget Reggie White.

MT: When did you know you had a love of football?

TS: When my Dad signed me up for it at ten.

MT: What do you do to relax?

TS: Man…downloading music. I like movies. I’m trying to break into the music business–not acting right away–writing screenplays, directing and producing. Behind the scenes stuff.

MT: Good to hear. What do you have on repeat in you IPod right now?

TS: Definitely Little Wayne and Jay-Z’s American Gangster. I like Pop. I like Neo-soul–some alternative rock. I like all good music.

MT: You are walking down the street and a kid with a noticeable lack of confidence engages you in conversation. The kid who is playing football, but just can’t get over the hump. What do you say to that kid?

TS: I would just tell him that football is supposed to be fun. We are people too. We just play football on TV. There’s nothing to be nervous or afraid about. We had fun when we were kids as well. I would have fun with him and loosen him up. Tell him we don’t bite.

MT: What would you tell him the most?

TS: You definitely have to make school work important. There’s a lot of guys who have the talent but school work wasn’t a priority to them so they fell off.

MT: I ask this question regardless of race. What do you have going on in terms of community service?

TS: I sponsor my own AAU team. There’s also a couple of teams here in Baltimore. I brought all my high school’s uniforms. There’s also a high school in Texas–one of my college teammates is coaching down in Houston–that I’ll be sending a lot of Under Armour gear this year. I’m also doing some things with Morton Steak House and the Make A Wish Foundation that will go down on September 16th.

MT: What are the Ravens 2008 expectations and what do you want to tell the league?

TS: Our expectations are definitely to win more than we lose obviously and I would tell the league that we may be a young team, but we are still dangerous.

We are like a puppy with a mean bite. We are coming though.

Aspiring director and producer, Cole Wiley, son of late sports writing great Ralph Wiley, is next on the TSF mic.

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