Suggs Says 31 Teams Hate Patriots
We've known for quite some time that Terrell Suggs isn't too fond of quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Now Suggs says he's not the only one.
The outside linebacker was doing an interview for "The Big Show" on WEEI in Boston and said he "guarantees the other 31 [NFL] teams hate the New England Patriots," according to ESPN.
So where is Suggs getting this info? He says from former players of the Patriots.
"The NFL is not very big," Suggs said on WEEI. "You think we don't talk to guys that have played for the New England Patriots, that have been on the New England Patriots that have been like, 'Oh, it's been like this.'
"It ain't just me. Why did Bart Scott say the same thing? You think it's just us? You think it's just got something to do with us? No. This is because we have inside information. We know."
Suggs went on to say he feels the Patriots don't respect anybody and he stood by his post AFC championship comments that they are "arrogant."
"Do I apologize for what I said? No. Do I mean what I said? Yeah," Suggs said. "Could I have worded it a little better? Probably. But the fact of the matter is you can't really consider it a rivalry because you have a few more championships than we do, but this has been steaming for a while."
Suggs is still fired up about officials' treatment of Brady and the tuck rule, which he believes shows preferential treatment.
"Years before, I hit Drew Brees and I accidentally tore his knee up. No rule was made," Suggs recalled. "Of all the quarterbacks in the NFL who got their knees blown out when they got hit -- Carson Palmer got his knee blown out -- but then one guy got hit and changed the whole rule for the NFL?"
ESPN is trying to gauge whether Suggs is correct. The site ran a poll asking whether the Patriots are the "most hated team in the NFL." Currently, 53 percent say yes.
"Suggs is both right and wrong on this," ESPN blogger Jamison Hensley wrote. "Yes, it's an opinionated cop-out, but let me explain."
Hensley says where Suggs is right is that the Patriots are hated because of Spygate, the "Tom Brady" rule and "the arrogance of coach Bill Belichick." But Hensley says Suggs is wrong because it's an overstatement to say the Patriots are hated by all 31 other teams.
"I find it hard to believe that the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers loathe the Patriots," Hensley wrote. "The Ravens? Yes. The Steelers? Sure. The Jets and the rest of the AFC East? Absolutely."
49ers Offensive Tackle Calls Suggs A 'Loser'
While Suggs said teams don't like the Patriots, he's not making friends himself in San Francisco.
Suggs made headlines with his postgame comments about the Patriots. Cary* *Williams made headlines when he called the 49ers "fake tough guys" and "pretenders" after Super Bowl XLVII.
Suggs backed his cornerback Wednesday when speaking to San Francisco-based radio station KNBR 680-AM while trying to promote his movie, "The Coalition."
As recounted by The Baltimore Sun, Suggs was asked if he believed that the 49ers' offensive line had some fake tough guys.
"They’ve got one fake tough guy," Suggs said.
Pressed to name who, Suggs praised San Francisco left tackle Joe Staley and left guard Mike Iupati. He called right guard Alex Boone "solid" and center Jonathan Goodwin "pretty good." That leaves one starter, right tackle Anthony Davis.
Word got back to Davis, and he wasn't too happy. He responded with a string of tweets @AnthonyDavis76.
"We went head to head in the Super Bowl. He made no plays," Davis tweeted first in a string of responses: "...do a dance for us Suggs. Lol"
Davis tweeted a few other things that have since been deleted:
- "Another case of a cornball wit money, he was a loser before he had the nfl backing him. You can tell by his moves. Thirsty for any hype. Lol."
- "age don't = wisdom"
- "why they hatin' on a youngin. lmao he 30 yrs old Im on his mind? lol (expletive) loser.."
Patriots Targeting Ravens Free Agents?
This certainly won't help Suggs warm up to the Pats.
With more salary-cap room freed up because of Brady's bargain contract extension, New England can be more aggressive on the free-agent market.
Problem is they may be targeting some Ravens, according to ESPN Insider KC Joyner. Joyner lists five big-splash free agents New England could target and three of them are Ravens – safety Ed Reed, linebacker Paul Kruger and cornerback Cary Williams.
"Reed's addition to New England's defense could have a hugely positive domino effect in turning this team's coverage weaknesses around," Joyner wrote.
"[Kruger's] addition would give the Patriots more than enough weapons to generate a consistently strong pass rush throughout the season."
Joyner says Williams has some "coverage metric woes" but that he could cause cornerback Aqib Talib to give the Pats a discount. And he would take away a player from an opponent's roster.
"It is one thing to help yourself via free agency," Joyner wrote. "But if a team can shore up its shortcomings while at the same time creating holes on a rival roster, it's even more valuable."
Suggs Would Welcome Te'o
Suggs was all over the news yesterday.
TMZ caught him getting into an SUV and fired off a few questions about the value of the combine and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o.
First Suggs said he wouldn't put much stock in combine performances. Suggs ran a slow 40-yard dash in 4.84 seconds, which dropped him down draft boards. As Suggs pointed out, he eventually won Defensive Player of the Year and a Super Bowl, so he proved it didn't matter.
So does that apply to Te'o?
"I think he's got a future, man," Suggs said. "He's alright."
Report: McKinnie To Hit Open Market
The Ravens reportedly don't expect to reach a new deal with left tackle before free agency opens, according to CBSSports' Jason La Canfora.
The reason that it's not a huge surprise is because all of the Ravens’ free agents are in a holding pattern until a deal is reached with quarterback Joe Flacco, reports Aaron Wilson of The Sun.
McKinnie's agent, Michael George, told The Sun that there have been no discussions yet with the Ravens.
"It's just like the other players around the league where Flacco is the main negotiation going on aside from Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger, solely for salary-cap purposes," George said. "Most players go to free agency. You negotiate with the existing club if you can.
"Bryant's preference is to come back to Baltimore, but it's got to be a market-value deal. They're as smart as any organization, so I have no doubts about the Ravens. But, if Bryant leaves, it won't be because of us. We just want him to get a fair agreement."
After sitting on the bench for most of the year, McKinnie was inserted into the starting lineup due to injuries and played a vital part during the Ravens' Super Bowl run.
Earlier this month, General Manager Ozzie Newsome said McKinnie "has a decision to make as to whether he wants to come back and play here." La Canfora seems to think he'll explore what he can get on the open market first.
"Left tackle is a big question for the Ravens, though the draft is deep there, and it remains to be seen what the market for McKinnie will look like," La Canfora said. "If it's soft a return to Baltimore at a modest rate could be possible."
Quick Hits
- The Steelers did it again. They restructured wide receiver Antonio Brown’s contract. Per a source with knowledge of the transaction, Brown reduced his $4.5 million base salary to a minimum salary of $650,000. [Pro Football Talk]
- Three Atlanta men are accused of trafficking counterfeit Super Bowl XLVII tickets. [ESPN]
- Jacoby Jones' mom is excited about his "Dancing With The Stars" inclusion. "I know the judges are going to love his charisma and his moves," Emily London-Jones said. [The Baltimore Sun]
- @RLiuNFL (NFL executive Randall Liu): Super Bowl champion @Ravens now honored on walls at @nfl headquarters pic.twitter.com/3gUyBameva
- @Ravens: Nice to have bookend Lombardis in the lobby. #Ravens
- Three past Polk County football stars and now Super Bowl champions – Ray Lewis, Albert McCellan and Jah Reid – will be honored Saturday in Lakeland, Fla. [NewsCheif.com]
