Terrell Suggs loved being the villain. He felt most comfortable behind enemy lines.
Now Suggs deserves to feel what it's like in Canton.
The former Ravens linebacker is eligible for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the first time this year and is one of the 50 modern-era candidates.
Suggs finished his 17-year career as one of the NFL's all-time sack artists, ranking eighth in NFL history with 139. DeMarcus Ware (138.5 career sacks) was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the Class of 2023.
While taking down quarterbacks was what he enjoyed most, Suggs was also a rugged run defender and smart playmaker.
Beyond the stats, it was the way that Suggs played the game that made him one of the most menacing defenders of his era and a critical part of the Ravens' dominant defense alongside other Hall of Famers Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.
Suggs tormented quarterbacks on the field. He toyed with them off it. Just ask former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who said Suggs' "intimidation factor alone" made him a problem for opponents.
Here's the case to put Suggs in the Hall:
Awards
- 2011 Defensive Player of the Year
- 7-time Pro Bowler
- 2011 First-Team All-Pro
- 2008 Second-Team All-Pro
- 2003 Defensive Rookie of the Year
- 2-time Super Bowl champion
Stats
- 244 games
- 139 sacks (second most in the league from 2003-2019 behind Hall of Famer Julius Peppers)
- 39 forced fumbles (35 strip-sacks)
- 142 tackles for loss
- 7 interceptions
- 15 fumbles recovered
- 3 defensive touchdowns
- 5 sacks in 21 playoff games (fourth-most in NFL history)
Signature Plays
"Thighmaster" Interception in Pittsburgh Playoffs
Suggs essentially sealed a 2014 playoff win in Pittsburgh when he intercepted a Roethlisberger pass between his legs midway through the fourth quarter.
Sack on Tom Brady in 2009 Playoffs
On the Patriots' third offensive play of the 2019 Wild-Card playoff game, Suggs burst around the edge and sack-stripped Brady and recovered the fumble himself.
Three-Sack Game on Thanksgiving
During his 2011 Defensive Player of the Year campaign, Suggs took over the Thanksgiving game in the first Har-Bowl between brothers John Harbaugh and Jim Harbaugh, sacking 49ers quarterback Alex Smith three times.
Quotes
"In multiple games throughout his career, Terrell would make plays that would dictate the outcome of the game. You could always depend on him in a critical moment to make a critical play that would also allow us to be a victor. Terrell was also great in the locker room. He was able to get other guys to realize the tenacity and the IQ you have to play with for us to be a success." – Ozzie Newsome, Longtime Ravens GM and Pro Football Hall of Famer
"Terrell Suggs is a premier player. He's one of the best players in the National Football League. He's one of the premier defensive players that everybody game plans around. He gets blocked every different kind of way a guy can get blocked, from one game to the next, when you watch it. He still finds a way to make plays. Plus, he's one of the best leaders I've been around. This guy is one of the hardest working guys I've ever been around. He's part of the heart and soul of our team and our defense." – John Harbaugh, Ravens Head Coach
"Terrell is one of the best players to ever play the position. He has had a ton of success. He has been doing it from the time he came in the league [in 2003], and now he has been in the league for a ton of years, and he is still out there doing it at a high level. He is not a guy that does it here or there. He is out there pretty much every snap of the football game playing physical run defense [and] getting after the passer. He can do everything. It is definitely very impressive, and he is one of those guys that you will definitely look back on when you are probably 50 [years old] and be able to tell everybody that you played with them." – Joe Flacco, former Ravens quarterback
"'Sizz' is a once-in-a-generation type player. You just can't replicate what he brings. Not just on the field but his whole belief, his mantra, his aura about himself that he brings to our defense. He just brings that confidence to all of us. You know, as an older guy, you get someone like that, you can really lean on them. You can look them in the eyes and say, 'Hey, we need a play right now. We need to pick each other up.' And he's right there with you." – Eric Weddle, former Ravens safety
"He is obviously one of the all-time great outside linebackers in our game. He and I have had a lot of great battles. They have a great defense for even way longer than I have been in the NFL. Obviously, Suggs has been a big part of that tradition. It is always a great challenge getting ready to play against him, and it is always good fun seeing him out there. The toughness that he shows week-in and week-out out there playing with a torn biceps is pretty amazing." – Joe Thomas, Longtime Browns left tackle and Pro Football Hall of Famer
"If you could get the Madden game and design your own player, it would be hard to say that you would design anyone that wouldn't look like T. Suggs. He's got it all; he's ripped-up, he's big, he's fast, he's strong, he is intimating looking, and he plays the same way. I think I'd create him about 11 times over for my defense. He's the guy that you wouldn't want to have to square off in a small area with, that's for sure. I think that's why he's special, why he's a Pro Bowler year-in and year-out because he's one of those ultimate talents." – Andrew Whitworth, Longtime Bengals left tackle
"He's such a ferocious player. He's got really long arms and legs and he uses his hands real well. He's super athletic, fast, strong – ferocious. I think something that people really don't write about… But his intimidation factor alone. When you line up across him, I think a lot of linemen and running backs and tight ends, before the play even starts, are a little intimidated because of his reputation of being such a good, ferocious player." – Ben Roethlisberger, Longtime Steelers quarterback
"He's been a great player for as long as he's been in the league. He just does a lot of things really well. He's got all the rush moves, he drops into coverage, he bats down balls, he [crushes] the tight ends coming off the line of scrimmage. It's not just sacking the quarterback like most defensive ends. He makes plays in a lot of ways. He has great instincts and plays with those instincts. If he thinks the ball is going inside, he rips inside, and 99 percent of the time, the ball goes inside. You can't ever count on the same thing from him. You have to play him straight up and see what he's going to do." – Tom Brady, Longtime Patriots quarterback
"He's a Hall of Famer to me. The guy is ridiculous. I have the utmost respect for him. I loved him when he was in college. I love watching him play in the NFL. He's just one of those guys, he's one of the best to ever do it." – Derek Carr, Saints quarterback
"His physical talents are what they are, and they are well documented. He is athletic. He is powerful. But his awareness, his feel for the game is displayed statistically in the number of passes that he bats and the fact that he is always not just playing for a sack, but that he is a ball-aware guy, he is a sack-fumble guy. I just think his football intelligence is on display in just about every element of his game. He is a very aware player. He makes plays because of that. He has very good hands and eyes." – Mike Tomlin, Steelers head coach
