The story broke fast and furiously this morning after Glenn Clark sent out the first tweet regarding a potential season-altering Achilles injury for Terrell Suggs. Within 20 minutes, the entire purple universe was made aware of our worst fears as Ravens fans – T Sizzle apparently balled too hard and appears to be lost for at least most of the 2012 season or worse.
So many questions and so little real information beyond Suggs telling Baltimore Ravens fans he’d be back on the field by November. Sure…we’ll see!
No. 55 isn’t a doctor but he’ll play one on the internet…
As a fan, I’m angry at Suggs’ brazen attempt to play basketball after the Ravens have essentially forbid him from doing so. WNST.net’s Drew Forrester says the team had a $250,000 “fine” placed into his contract for doing just that.
Of course, by mid-afternoon, more rumors surfaced that Suggs tore his Achilles running around cones in a gym as part of his training.
You can choose to believe whatever you like but either way this is a monumental blow to the Ravens’ chances of competing in the AFC and showing up with confetti under the dome in New Orleans next February.
Do we have the right to be angry as fans? Well, my Facebook community was more alarmed by the freak injury and far more agitated with “WTF’s?” than feel good, “Dear Sizzle, Get Well Soon” kinda messages.
But such is life in the era of social media and instant information and feedback. Much like the awful and tragic death of Junior Seau about 24 hours earlier, everyone with a Facebook status was opining about everything from suicide to concussions to amateur depression experts.
At some point, the truth will surface about both Suggs’ injury and the length and duration of his recovery. That will happen.
What can’t be faked or hidden for a week is how the Ravens’ defense and team will react and attempt to do the impossible – replace Terrell Suggs on the field for 40 to 60 snaps a week in September, October and perhaps beyond?
Enter a band of mighty men including Paul Kruger, Courtney Upshaw, Pernell McPhee, Sergio Kindle and a variety of other players who will need to step up their game and their pass rush in 2012.
It was certainly far from the minds of Ravens’ fans – or anyone in the front office – to believe that Suggs would be M.I.A. for the 2012 season earlier today.
But, alas, reality has set in for everyone involved.
And now the Ravens will be forced to pick up the pieces and John Harbaugh and new defensive coordinator Dean Pees will be calling “next man up.”
But we all know enough to state the obvious: the next man up won’t be as good as Terrell Suggs and the Ravens have taken a significant step backward in their pursuit of Super Bowl glory next February.
And Ray Lewis isn’t getting younger…
And neither is Ed Reed…
Is this the beginning of what can only be a let-down after four consecutive playoff and failed Super Bowl runs?
A shame all the way around…and certainly not the conversation the Baltimore Ravens or the fan base want to be having in early May.
