The Ravens are kicking off their 20th NFL season this year. To commemorate that achievement, we'll take a look at the Ravens' top 10 players of the last 20 years.
#6 - Terrell Suggs
Ah the first player on our list that is still playing. Terrell Suggs is the vocal leader of the team after the departure of Ray Lewis and has been able to keep the team on track in a similar fashion as his predescesor.
T-Sizzle as he's affectionately known around Baltimore was a first round pick of the Ravens in 2003, selected with the 10th overall pick in that draft. Suggs had immediate success in his rookie year, tying the NFL record by posting a sack in his each of his first 4 games. He finished the year with a Ravens franchise rookie record 12 sacks, 6 forced fumbles and 1 interception, earning him the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year Award all while only starting a single game that year.
Suggs has followed up his amazing rookie year with a great career overall. 2011, he was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year due to registering 14 sacks, 7 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions. Suggs, along with the rest of the Baltimore Ravens were instrumental in earning a second Super Bowl victory at the end of the 2012 season by beating the San Francisco 49ers. He has been selected to participate in 6 Pro Bowls over his 11 year career and is easily the Baltimore Ravens All-Time sack leader with 106.5 total sacks in that time as well as the Baltimore Ravens All-Time leading forced fumbles with 27.
Suggs has had the ability to play in Baltimore for his entire career and looks to be playing here until he retires partly due to a contract extension signed in 2014 that lowers his cap number significantly until 2019. In addition to that contract extension, Suggs converted some of his salary this year into a signing bonus in order to clear up additional cap space for the Ravens to make necessary moves. A team player all the way, Suggs has proven it over the last two years with his altruistic moves.
I'm sure all Ravens fans are with me when they hope that the Ravens can keep Suggs wearing Ravens purple until he retires and can notch a spot in the Hall of Fame.