Suggs down to "fighting" weight as he reports for training camp

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — One of the topics of discussion in an otherwise quiet mandatory minicamp for the Ravens last month was the weight and conditioning of veteran linebacker Terrell Suggs.
Acknowledging at the time that he hadn’t worked out as rigorously as in past offseasons, Suggs still has work to do to get down to his listed weight of 265 pounds, but the six-time Pro Bowl selection didn’t sound concerned about his conditioning upon reporting to Owings Mills on Wednesday. He took part in all three minicamp practices in June, but he says he feels a lot better after working out in Arizona over the last five weeks.
“I totally feel a lot different from the last time I was up here,” Suggs said on the eve of the first full-squad training camp practice. “I can be totally honest with you. I feel great, and we’re ready to get out here and work at camp.”
Entering his 13th season, Suggs already holds the franchise’s all-time sacks record and his 106 1/2 quarterback takedowns rank 24th on the all-time NFL list.
Suggs’ weight has been a topic of discussion in the past, but a player with his impressive list of credentials deserves the benefit of the doubt at this stage of his career. Unlike a month ago when he acknowledged having plenty of work to do for another NFL season, Suggs says his weight is under better control with an eye on shedding more pounds during the sweltering days of camp.
“We’ve shed some [pounds] — a lot,” said Suggs, who added that he passed the team’s conditioning test “convincingly” after reporting. “But I’m not quite at the weight [I want]. We’re at a good fighting weight. That’s what we’re here for and we’ll use this time to shed some more. It’s going to be hot out here, so we’re going to be looking forward to it.”
Unusually reflective last month about his career in Baltimore and uncertain about his future beyond this season, Suggs is more concerned with winning another Super Bowl rather than boosting an individual legacy that could put him in impressive company by the time his career concludes.
Despite a number of free-agent departures this offseason, the Ravens have clear championship aspirations, the kind of territory with which Suggs has been familiar over his long career.
“We all kind of know the expectations,” Suggs said. “We know what we did do great last year, and we know where we finished at. We fell short, and we don’t want to fall short anymore. You want to keep progressing. You want to keep getting better, and it all starts with today and going out there tomorrow.”