NCAA Single-Season Sacks Record Collegiate All-American and Nation’s Top Defensive Player Top-10 NFL Draft Choice Multiple NFL Pro Bowls Ravens All-Time Sacks Leader Super Bowl Championship Carry The Torch

A Revealing Question Ted Monachino remembers it well. It was an enlightening encounter that set the tone for what would ultimately become a remarkable football career. In Arizona State’s athletic offices, fresh off the 2001 season, Monachino – the Sun Devils’ defensive line coach – sat face-to-face with an energetic sophomore who had just racked up double-digit sacks for the second consecutive year. “So, how good do you want to be?” Monachino asked. “I want to be the best,” the player replied. Sign of Things to Come Fast-forward to present year, as Monachino, now Baltimore’s outside linebackers coach, reminisces about that particular meeting. Speaking with fond intent, he explains how 10 years ago, it was Terrell Suggs who made that resounding proclamation. “He said he wanted to be the best,” Monachino recalls. “It wasn’t, ‘Hey, I’d like to be the best you can make me, coach,’ or ‘the best I can possibly be.’ What Terrell said was: ‘I want to be the best.’ “When he told me he wanted to be the best, I knew we had him. At that point, I knew we could hold him accountable on the practice field and in the meeting room.” What transpired the ensuing fall was one of the most staggering performances ever recorded. Focused on breaking Dwight Freeney’s NCAA single-season record of 16 sacks, Suggs – with newfound determination – dominated the collegiate landscape. Producing a final toll of 24 sacks on the year – giving him an astounding 44 for his career – he earned countless honors, including the Bronko Nagurski Award as the country’s best defensive player. “His goal was to break the record, and we knew he had the talent to do it,” Monachino continues. “What happened is Terrell started to practice like the player he wanted to be. Once he did that, his production took a huge jump. When motivation was needed, you could always say, ‘Hey, Terrell, the best doesn’t practice like that. The best doesn’t study tape like that.’ “He was a young kid with a lot of talent, and we saw him set very high goals for himself.” NFL Comes Calling After opting to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft, Suggs quickly became a hot commodity. Initially, many pundits predicted that he’d be a top-5 pick. “We interviewed him at the Combine and were at his Pro Day,” General Manager and Executive Vice President Ozzie Newsome remembers. “But, we went there thinking we’d never get him. I was actually working out a kicker when I got a call from Phil [Savage, former Ravens director of player personnel]. He told me there was a chance we could draft Suggs because of what he ran in the 40 [-yard dash] – something in the 4.8s. Immediately, I go, ‘Yeah right, Phil. No chance.’” However, in a twist of fate, Suggs would slip to the Ravens at No. 10. And according to Newsome, Baltimore had no qualms in tabbing the pass-rush specialist who had endless potential. While Suggs’ 40 time could have been a factor, it wasn’t the true measure on which the Ravens’ based their final analysis. What mattered most was the way they saw Suggs – time after time – terrorize opposing quarterbacks. “While I’m a size-speed guy, you also have to watch the game tape,” Newsome affirms. “The quarterback is not 40 yards away from the center. Suggs had pretty good 10 and 20 times, but it’s the tape that tells the story. “In our vocation, when you see that he’s done it before, then you believe that he can do it again. To know Suggs was able to do it there, we felt at some point it was going to translate to our game.” Suggs Sizzles Right off the bat, Suggs set the league on fire. Producing 12 sacks in his initial NFL campaign, he was named Defensive Rookie of the Year. The following season, he earned his first-ever Pro Bowl honor. As the sacks continued to mount, so too did the individual accolades. After originally making a name for himself as one of the NFL’s premier sack artists, his overall game continued to develop. Several seasons into his young career, he had become an elite all-around defender, and just as Newsome had envisioned, Suggs was fulfilling lofty expectations the Ravens had envisioned. “There are some guys who are just pass rushers,” Newsome explains of the four-time Pro Bowler. “But to watch Suggs and what he does to tight ends and tackles in the running game is fun, too. It’s like watching J.O. [Jonathan Ogden] run block. It’s just fun to do. “We know he’s a guy who can get to the quarterback. However, he probably doesn’t get the credit he should as a run defender. I don’t know if there’s anybody in the league who can set the edge better than Suggs.” King Wants Something More In Week 1 this season, Suggs set one of the Ravens’ most hallowed defensive records. Surpassing Peter Boulware, he became the franchise’s all-time sacks leader, doing so at the ripe age of 28. Certainly no small feat, Suggs fully admits that earning the title of “Ravens Sack King” has always been at the forefront of his goals. “It means a lot,” he states. “That’s something I thought about every day while training during the offseason.” Accompanying Suggs’ record is a sense of gratification that few accomplishments can match – except one. Simply put, the nine-year veteran wants his Ravens to capture a Super Bowl title. And, as he entered the 2011 campaign, he did so with a mindset unlike any he’s exhibited before. “When I was younger, the only things that mattered were individual awards, individual gratification,” Suggs admits. “With Pro Bowls and sacks, I did pretty well. But those days have come and gone. “Now, the No. 1 objective, the only thing left to do, is win a championship. I want it so bad, it’s scary. For years we’ve been on the brink. I’m tired of being on my couch watching other guys play in the biggest game in the world. I don’t want to be known as a player who almost got it done.” The Time Will Come The maturation of Suggs is undeniable. He’s emerged into a multifaceted force whose primary focus is fixated on the team. Additionally, more so than ever before, those who interact with Suggs view him as a compelling leader – a pillar upon which the Ravens heavily rely. “He’s accountable. That’s the word I would use to characterize him,” Newsome affirms. “His truest way of leading is that he does it by example. He’s a part of this [organization's] foundation – absolutely.” “Terrell leads by example an awful lot,” Monachino adds. “He plays with championship effort on every snap and has that mentality in everything he does. His teammates feed off it.” Suggs also takes tremendous pride in upholding a certain standard that was set by Ray Lewis long ago. Similar to Lewis, who has served as his ultimate mentor, Suggs values the tradition and constant inspiration that No. 52 has cultivated in Baltimore. “You’ve got to understand – and I mean this with every ounce of my breath – that Ray Lewis will not only be the greatest Raven ever, but probably the greatest football player ever. Nobody will ever do it like he has done it and like he continues to do it. “However, all of us have our day when we will walk away from the game of football. Whenever he decides to do that, I just want the fans to rest assured that we will always be a city about defense – that we will always have that strong mentality and presence of dominance when representing our city. “Whenever Ray decides to leave and pass the torch, I think I can be the man for the job, and I’d be honored if he passed it to me.” A strong declaration made by Suggs, who still, will never relent in his quest to be the best. Tags: Defense, Ozzie Newsome, Pro Bowl, Sacks, Tackle, Ted Monachino, Terrell Suggs Comment on this entry below