Shut the Suggs Up

One has to wonder what Ravens LB Terrell Suggs is thinking sometimes. Especially after making the following comment which was reported on Pro-Football-Talk.com:

“I think [Flacco] should get some playing time, but I think Troy should be the starter,” Suggs said. “[Flacco] started out hot, [but] I mean we played two teams [Cincinnati and Cleveland] at the bottom of the league in defense, so everybody was going all crazy about him.”

Terrell, for one, needs to keep his mouth shut when it comes to this kind of stuff. What he thinks about who should be starting over who means about as much as what he thinks about the sagging economy, the war in Iraq and whether or not Britney Spears looks hot in her new music video.

Nothing.

Secondly, Suggs should use some common sense and take a look at both QB’s. Both are inexperienced players, but now that Flacco has started in 6 NFL games, he has 3 times as much experience as Troy Smith, who only started 2 games at the end of 2007.

Thirdly, Flacco has been entrenched as the starting QB since the third week of pre-season and has practiced with the first team offense since that time. Smith, meanwhile, was busy losing 30 pounds while suffering through a nasty bout with tonsillitis.

Yeah, it’s unfortunate that Terrell’s boy Troy lost his job to a freak virus, but it is what it is. Flacco gives the Ravens the best chance to win based on experience and overall talent.

And it doesn’t end there.

Suggs had Joe Flacco on his weekly radio show and what did he break out with? You guessed it, the Shane Falco references from The Replacements. Remember that movie? The one where Keanu Reeves plays a washed-up college QB who crosses the picket lines to play football during a strike and Baltimore stands in for Washington, DC?

The Falco reference may not be a direct insult to Flacco. After all, Shane Falco eventually does become the QB he knew he could be. We only hope that Flacco can turn out the same way. But come on Terrell, show some respect for your QB. Call him by his real name. Especially on the radio, and especially after the defense has suffered through the likes of Kyle Boller, Anthony Wright and a decimated Steve McNair who couldn’t throw the ball longer than 10 yards. Joe Flacco has kept the defense rested by maintaining drives and has showed promise on several occasions by standing tall in the pocket and completing 64.1% of his passes thus far.

Meanwhile, Smith has completed 52% of his passes.

My question to Terrell Suggs: What game are you watching?

In my opinion, this kind of crap can’t go undisciplined. For too long the defense has been the aggressors in the locker room, bullying the offense left and right. Suggs is just another loud-talking ego, and that is something the Ravens need less of.

Take Chris McAllister for instance. Wondering why he sat out the Dolphins game last weekend? Turns out he violated the team’s dress code, wearing shorts through the hotel lobby while 3 women were hanging from his arms. There are also some rumors floating around that McAllister dared Harbaugh to sit him out of the Miami game. You can read McAllister's comments on the benching here. He doesn't sound too happy.

I’ll be amazed if Terrell Suggs and Chris McAllister are on the Ravens next year. Yes, both are amazing talents, but at some point, this thug-mentality that has plagued the Ravens defense for so long has to come to an end. And losing these two players after the season is over is a good place to start.

And if you can trade Terrell Suggs to the Arizona Cardinals for say, Anquan Boldin, I would make that deal in a heartbeat.

In the meantime, just shut up and play.