At the point, the Ravens will turn their attention toward keeping their former teammate clear of quarterback Lamar Jackson.

”To see his face on the scouting report is pretty funny. It’s crazy,” Baltimore guard Marshal Yanda said. ”We can talk before the game and we can talk after the game, but during the game it’s business.”

For 16 years, Suggs was Baltimore’s premier pass rusher. In addition to establishing the franchise record for sacks, Suggs provided leadership and comic relief on the field and in the locker room.

During this past offseason, however, the 36-year-old opted to return to his roots and signed a one-year, $7 million contract with Arizona.

When Suggs saw the Cardinals were playing the second game of the season in Baltimore, he began preparing for a strange, nostalgic journey.

”It’s kind of a unique situation, isn’t it? It’s kind of weird,” he said. ”Once it hit me that it was actually (Baltimore’s) home opener, that’s when I was kind of like, `Wow.’ That’s when the craziness of it kind of set in.”

Suggs launched the second stanza of his career with four tackles and two sacks in Arizona’s season-opening tie with Detroit. If the Ravens (1-0) are to build on their 59-10 rout of Miami, they’re going to have to stop their old friend from creating havoc in the backfield.

”I’m going to have to bring it,” tight end Mark Andrews said. ”Everyone on this team is going to have to bring it with him. He’s a beast.”

After Ray Lewis retired, Suggs was always the last defensive player introduced to the crowd. On Sunday, he’ll come out with the Cardinals, but surely will be recognized for his past accomplishments in Baltimore.

”I don’t know how I’m going to feel,” he said. ”This is something that in 17 years I’ve never experienced, so this is going to be a first.”

Some things to know about the first meeting between Arizona and Baltimore since 2015:

JACKSON’S ENCORE

After throwing for 324 yards and five touchdowns against the Dolphins, Jackson will be looking to keep the offense rolling in Game 2 of his second NFL season.

He said his objective is to ”try to put on a show.”

Jackson proved last week that he can pass the ball as well as run with it.

”I had a whole year to get chemistry down pat, study a lot, work hard on throwing the ball,” he said.

QUITE A DEBUT

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray brought his team back from an 18-point, fourth-quarter deficit and finished 29 of 54 for 308 yards and two touchdowns.

The 2018 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall selection in the draft is the first player in franchise history to throw for 300 yards in his debut.

Jackson and Murray both have a Heisman in their trophy case and have the potential to shine as pros for years to come.

”In my opinion, they’re two guys that can be the future of the sport if they continue to progress and put in the work and the time,” Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury said.

THE OTHER MURRAY

The Cardinals are relying on more than one Murray on offense.

Justin Murray started at right tackle in Week 1, just a few days after Marcus Gilbert injured his right knee in practice during a non-contact drill. The team put Gilbert on injured reserve on Tuesday.

Murray wasn’t perfect against the Lions, but he more than held his own, especially considering it was the second-year player’s third career NFL game. The 6-foot-5, 315-pounder did enough that Kingsbury expects him to start against the Ravens.

WELCOME CRABTREE

Arizona’s offense already has multiple playmakers. Now it’s adding Michael Crabtree to the mix.

The veteran receiver signed with the Cardinals a few weeks ago, but didn’t play in Week 1. Kingsbury said he expects Crabtree will be in the rotation this weekend.

”He brings a lot of experience, a lot of savvy, a lot of catches and a lot of physicality,” Kingsbury said. ”I know he’ll be excited for this one.”

Crabtree played for the Ravens last season, starting all 16 games and catching 54 passes for 607 yards and three touchdowns.

BROWN DELIVERS

Baltimore’s top draft pick Marquise ”Hollywood” Brown caught four passes for 147 yards and two TDs in his first NFL game.

The speedster was a teammate of Kyler Murray’s at Oklahoma. Andrews also played for the Sooners, but those ties will be put on hold at game time.

Andrews said of Murray: ”He’s an Oklahoma guy, but he’s a rival this week.”

The post Ravens and Jackson brace for old friend Suggs, Cardinals appeared first on IdealCapper.

The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player is not under contract for next season. Newsome said the sides were “very close” to a deal before the season began, but it was a mutual agreement to stop negotiations until the end of the season.

“I’m coming away today thinking that we can get a deal done,” Newsome said at the “State of the Ravens” season-ending news conference. “We’ve got deals done with Haloti [Ngata], JO [Jonathan Ogden], Ray [Lewis], Ray Rice, Ed Reed, [Terrell] Suggs. I’ve got a very good owner who understands the business and understands the importance of certain positions. So, I’m optimistic.”

If the Ravens can’t get a deal completed before the start of free agency, the team will put the franchise tag on Flacco. The exclusive tag, which would take Flacco off the free-agent market, would take $20 million of cap space this season.

“We’re looking to get a fair deal done with Joe,” Newsome said. “If we’re able to get a deal done, it will allow us to be able to participate more in the market if we so choose. But we understand what the priority is.”
Flacco’s agent, Joe Linta, was asked in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday whether Flacco should be the highest-paid at his position, to which he simply responded, “Yes.”

Flacco, 28, is younger than Peyton Manning (who’s earning $18 million per year) and Drew Brees ($20 million), and now has as many Super Bowl titles as each of them. Linta said those are the numbers that matter.

“When you do a contract of this magnitude, you look at what is the player’s body of work presently,” Linta told CNBC. “And what are the expectations going forward over the next four, five or six years.

“Joe wins on both accounts.”

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“(We) shut them out in the second half! Tell them to have fun at the Pro Bowl!” he shouted as he exchanged congratulatory hugs and high-fives with teammates as they walked into the locker room. Seven Patriots were selected to play in the Pro Bowl, which is slated to be played Sunday. Players on teams that reach the Super Bowl do not play in the Pro Bowl the weekend before.

A few minutes later, an excited Suggs explained how his Ravens had an edge even though they were nearly nine-point underdogs playing on the road against a Patriots team most predicted would win.

“Y’all gotta understand, we had an advantage on any team that’s ever walked into Foxborough, because we’ve been here before and we’ve also won here before in a playoff game,” said Suggs, who was on the 2009 Ravens team that upset the Patriots in Foxborough in the playoffs and on the team that nearly knocked off New England in last season’s AFC title game.

Patriots receiver Deion Branch was more subtle with his jabs when informed of Suggs’ comments after the game.

“I don’t know. I think,” said Branch, before a long pause, “they won the game. I’ll leave it at that. Champions carry themselves a little different. If you talk to Ray (Lewis) it might be a little different. If you talk to some other guys, they are champions. That’s not how a true champion talks, regardless of whether you win or lose. It just doesn’t work that way. But congratulations to the Ravens.”

The bad blood between Suggs and Tom Brady, in particular, dates back a number of years. In 2010, a season in which Brady was named NFL MVP, Suggs said he voted for Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick over Brady for the Pro Bowl. He also called Brady’s three Super Bowl titles “questionable” because of the “tuck rule” game in 2001 and the Spygate scandal that surfaced in 2007.

After Sunday’s game, he was more complimentary of the Patriots’ quarterback.

“You can’t take anything away from 12 (Brady),” Suggs told ESPNBoston.com. “You gotta play perfect to beat him, and we played perfect. I mean, a second-half shutout is pretty good.”

Suggs, however, saved his biggest pat on the back for his own signal-caller, Joe Flacco, who threw for 240 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions Sunday.

“I can’t wait to hear what Skip Bayless (of ESPN’s “First Take”) says tomorrow because Joe once again, two years in a row, outplayed the great No. 12, and he showed just how ‘Joe Cool’ he is,” Suggs said. “But he still has one more to get. We’re not satisfied by any means. We’re going to celebrate tonight, and tomorrow it’s back to work.”

The post Terrell Suggs of Baltimore Ravens tells ‘arrogant’ New England Patriots to enjoy Pro Bowl appeared first on IdealCapper.

Lewis said, “It is time for me to create a new legacy” after 17 NFL seasons.

He intends to play for the first time since tearing his triceps two months ago when the Ravens host the Colts in Sunday’s wild-card game, saying: “There is no reason for me to not play,” according to The Baltimore Sun.

Sunday likely will be Lewis’ final game in Baltimore even if the Ravens win because of their No. 4 seed entering the playoffs.

“I talked to my team today,” Lewis said Wednesday. “I talked to them about life in general. And everything that starts has an end. For me, today, I told my team that this will be my last ride.”

He returned to practice on Dec. 5, and for him to be eligible for the playoffs, the Ravens added him to the active roster later in the month.

Colts coach Chuck Pagano, Lewis’ defensive coordinator last year, said, “I thought, shoot, the guy could play forever and would play forever. Great person, great man, great player, just an unbelievable human being — what he’s done for that organization, that city and for that matter, so many people. He’s obviously a first-ballot Hall of Famer and will be sorely missed.”

Lewis has gone to 12 Pro Bowls, been named first-team All-Pro seven times and been voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice. He led the Ravens in tackles in 14 of his 17 seasons, the exceptions being those years in which he missed significant time with injuries (2002, 2005, 2012).

According to Stats & Information, only four players in NFL history have been to more Pro Bowls than Lewis (Bruce Matthews, 14; Jerry Rice, 13; Reggie White, 13; Tony Gonzalez, 13).

“I never played the game for individual stats. I only played the game to make my team a better team,” he said.

Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs, who is almost always upbeat, said of the announcement: “It was sad. It affected me, because for the past 10 years of my career, I’ve been sitting right next to the man and going to war on Sundays. It’s going to one hard last ride, and we need to make it one to remember.”

Lewis led the Ravens to the 2000 Super Bowl title when he was the key figure on a defense that set the NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game season.

Lewis had hinted at retirement previously. He said last summer that he couldn’t see himself playing past age 37. Lewis turned 37 in May.

Lewis wants to spend more time with his two sons. While working to return from his injury, Lewis watched them play on the same high school football team, and he intends to watch Ray Lewis III perform as a freshman next year for his alma mater, the University of Miami.

“God is calling,” Lewis said. “My children have made the ultimate sacrifice for their father for 17 years. I don’t want to see them do that no more. I’ve done what I wanted to do in this business, and now it’s my turn to give them something back.”

Which means he’ll pull off his No. 52 uniform for the last time after the Ravens are eliminated or win the Super Bowl.

“It’s either hold on to the game and keep playing and let my kids miss out on times we can be spending together,” Lewis said. “Because I always promised my son if he got a full ride on scholarship, Daddy is going to be there. I can’t miss that.”

Lewis could have made the announcement during the offseason, but thought it best to do it now.

“I think my fans, my city, I think they deserved for me to just not walk away,” he said. “We all get to enjoy what Sunday will feel like, knowing that this will be the last time 52 plays in a uniform in Ravens stadium.”

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