Sizzle can possibly play through the injury and said, 'If you can breathe, you can play.'
Terrell Suggs is hoping to make another impressive recovery this season.
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year suffered a biceps tear in his right arm on Sunday against the Steelers, but he's hoping to play through the injury and get back on the field for this week's game against the Washington Redskins.
"We kind of live by the creed, 'If you can breathe, you can play.' But we just got to check it," Suggs told the media Wednesday. "We got to see how it holds up throughout the week. It will definitely be a game-time decision on Sunday.
"If it's a possibility I can play, then I'm going to play."
A torn biceps muscle is potentially a season-ending injury when it occurs this late in the year, but Suggs said he is confident he will be back on the field at some point.
Suggs was asked if he might shut it down this season instead of rushing back.
"That's not an option for me," Suggs said. "Definitely, I will continue to line up at some point this season. It all depends on when it starts to get better and how much I can really do on it."
Head Coach John Harbaugh indicated the injury is something that Suggs could play through.
"He basically has a bicep, a very serious strain, it could be called a tear, it's something he could possibly play with," Harbaugh said. "He's figuring out now with the trainers and the doctors."
Suggs spoke to the media without any kind restraint on his arm, and said that he "feels good." The Ravens take the practice field Wednesday afternoon, and he's going to see how it responds during the week.
"I really believe that if everything fares out, how I'm feeling, and we do a good job throughout the week, then I will be lining up," Suggs said. "If not, then I miss the Washington game and hopefully I can be back for the Denver one [next week]."
Part of the issue with getting back on the field is that Suggs could potentially risk doing more damage, but he said that won't be a concern of his.
"Anytime you have an injury, you always risk making it worse," Suggs said. "But if I do play, that won't be a concern of mine on my mind. I got to go out there and we got a job to do."
Some players in the NFL have played through biceps tears, and one option is to wear a brace or harness to protect his arm. Suggs has not determined if he will wear any kind of harness.
"We're just going to try it out throughout the week, I don't know what the harness would do or not," he said.
This is the second time Suggs has dealt with a serious injury this year. A torn Achilles tendon in the offseason put his 2012 season in jeopardy – and took a toll on Suggs mentally – but he rehabbed aggressively and was able to return with missing just six games.
Suffering the biceps injury has put another strain on his season, but Suggs said that he's mentally in a good place.
"I'm in really good spirits about it," Suggs said. "I'm not beat down about it."
Suggs' teammates, who have already seen him do the improbable by returning once this season, wouldn't be surprised at all to see Suggs play Sunday.
"It's Suggs. He comes back from anything," cornerback Corey Graham said. "So nothing would surprise me with him."
"It's Sizzle," linebacker Albert McClellan added. "He got Defensive Player of the Year. It means a lot if he would be there. If not, we've got to get his stats from somebody else. If he plays he plays. If he doesn't, then we've got to really prove ourselves."
For Suggs, he said that the most important consideration for him is whether being out there on the field will actually help the team. If he's not healthy enough to play, Suggs said he'll sit it out and hope to return for Week 15.
"My most important concern is, 'Will I help or hinder the team by playing?' I don't want to be out there and can't make a play because I'm unhealthy and I don't have a full bicep," he said.
"You just got to find your [pain] limit. You have to find out what you can't do."
