On December 14, Suggs married Candace Williams, the mother of his two children at the Four Seasons in downtown Baltimore with 30 witnesses and friends.
Suggs was a huge factor when he was on the field in making other guys better merely with his presence. Kruger, Jones, Ellerbe, Upshaw – they were all better when Suggs suited up.
Although most saw him lacking some discipline and as the class clown, he loved to compete and he hated to lose. He also loved Ray Lewis – looked up to him and really respected him. He would never want to let 52 down. But from a tactical standpoint, the Ravens needed Suggs healthy, focused and strong. The run defense was so much better when Suggs was on the field. It almost took away half of the field from an offense.
One guy who was very happy that Terrell Suggs wasn’t playing was Bengals tackle Andrew Whitworth, who marveled at T-Sizzle. “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,” Whitworth said. “He’s ripped-up, he’s big, he’s fast, he’s strong, he is intimidating- 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.”
Suggs had the day off in Cincinnati to continue healing, and the Ravens quickly went into preseason mode on a 26-degree day with a wind chill of 16. Flacco played the first two series, but the Ravens were in rest mode for the most part with key players. Fullback Vonta Leach limped off the field early in the game and that was all anyone needed to see to remind them of the downside of this kind of game.
Playing with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback, this Ravens game plan brought a different dimension to the offense. The backup from Virginia Tech ran nine times for 65 yards and was 15-of-25 for 149 yards with one interception returned for a touchdown. The Bengals wanted to win. Marvin Lewis played his starters for much of the game, and the Ravens still nearly won.
In the end, the Bengals won 23-17, and both teams were headed to the playoffs the following week as Cincinnati clinched a wild card berth.
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Center Gino Gradkowski got a chance to play and played well against solid defensive tackles Domata Peko and Geno Atkins. His brother, Bruce, came on and played quarterback for the Bengals in the second half.
Kruger registered another sack to end the season with nine, which would send his offseason free agent price tag soaring. Dannell Ellerbe led the team with five tackles and ended the season with 92 combined tackles, 69 unassisted and 4.5 sacks. He was another Ravens pending free agent who was sure to get paid big money in March on the heels of a monster 2012 regular season. Their productivity had Newsome rightfully planning for losing them in the spring with this kind of late-season productivity and growth. It would just mean two more compensatory draft picks in 2014.
In the end, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis spoke for everyone with his postgame comments: “I’m glad that’s over. That’s a difficult situation to be in.”
The whole day was strange, watching what amounts to preseason quality football during the most intense time of the year. It would be different in 2013, after all of the New Year’s revelry would recede.
The Ravens, as the No. 4 seed, would head home to face the Indianapolis Colts and rookie Andrew Luck in the first round. The Bengals would travel once again to Houston to face the 3rd seeded Texans, who much like the Ravens, found it hard to win in December, losing three of four, squandering any chance at home field advantage through January and a bye. The New England Patriots and the torrid Denver Broncos, who had won 11 straight games, were taking the week off awaiting winners of the divisional playoffs.
Everyone in Baltimore was happy to be getting another chance to eliminate Indianapolis at home.
Beating the Colts would be a great way to begin 2013.
