Ravens legend Terrell Suggs talks with WJZ's Rick Ritter about Super Bowl title, playing the villain
BALTIMORE - (Note: This is the second of three pieces in our sit-down interview with former Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs)
Terrell Suggs, who wore No. 55 proudly for 16 seasons in Baltimore, will forever be considered one of the Ravens' all-time greats.
The retired outside linebacker will be inducted into the Ravens Ring of Honor on Sunday when the Ravens host the Detroit Lions at M&T Bank Stadium.
"I haven't really grasped it yet because when you are in there, you see all of the big names, and you are like, 'Man, those guys are going to be in there forever,'" Suggs said.
Suggs, the NFL's eighth all-time leader in sacks, sat down exclusively with WJZ's Rick Ritter in Scottsdale, Arizona to talk about this honor. He also spoke about his Super Bowl championship with Baltimore and his Bane Mask.
Suggs was a seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker and the 2011 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He played 16 seasons (2003-18) for Baltimore and had 132.5 sacks and 37 forced fumbles with the franchise.
He was a 2003 first-round pick out of Arizona State and became a key member of Baltimore's 2012 Super Bowl XLVII-winning team.
Suggs recently shared with Ritter why he ultimately felt he needed to leave Baltimore and his life after football.
Rick Ritter: I know you're focused on being a dad right now but is there a day that goes by that you don't think of that Super Bowl?
Terrell Suggs: "Oh no, I'll walk past that every day, every day. You know, watch the game now and it's a lot different from when we played, and it was the glory days. Yeah, you think about it, the good times and we took them for granted."
Ritter: What was that Super Bowl run like?"
Suggs: "It actually started years before when Harb (coach John Harbaugh) got there in '08 and we'd always fall short. We started out on fire. We started out rolling and then we had a huge loss, like 44-14, to Houston right before bye week. We had a come to Jesus moment. Everyone was in this meeting room, yelling at each other, and Harbs was like, 'No, we're gonna do this.' And we did it. And it shows what it means to be a Raven, who the Ravens are."
Ritter: "It's hard not to come in this house and see all of the action figures, the Bane Mask. Where did that come from?
Suggs: "You know, it's Steeler week. I just wanted to give it a little extra, have a little fun. I didn't know we'd be talking about it years later. It was just something we did in the moment. Not only that, but Bane kind of destroys Heinz Field, so it's kind of a play on words, goes hand-in-hand."
Ritter: Torrey (Smith) said this, "Maybe he embraced that villain-type role. I think he liked it."
Suggs: "Definitely with them, definitely with them. There was two teams I loved to be the villain, them and the other team in Foxboro, and I said, 'Oh yeah, they're definitely gonna get the villain, the bad guy.'"
Ritter: I have some rapid-fire questions for you. Favorite teammate you ever played with?
Suggs: "My favorite teammate, Haloti Ngata."
Ritter: Who is the quarterback you loved playing against the most?
Suggs: "12 (Tom Brady) and Ben (Roethlisberger) equally."
Ritter: Who is the best offensive lineman you played against? You have to give him props.
Suggs: "Jonathan Odgen."
Ritter: "He don't count, come on."
Suggs: "Willie Roaf."
Ritter: If you had one regret from your career, what is it?
Suggs: "That we didn't win more together. We had a lot of championship teams walk out of the building."
Ritter: What do you think about the Hall of Fame?
Suggs: "If it happens it happens."
Ritter: You know it's going to happen.
Suggs: "They made T.O. (Terrell Owens) wait three years and I don't want to have that feeling."
