Ball So Hard University was more like the school of hard knocks today when news broke that Baltimore Ravens star LB Terrell Suggs tore his Achilles tendon and would likely miss the entire season. Ravens fans thought the sky was falling, panic set in and fans were ready to jump off the bridge.
Suggs, who was the 2011 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, is a major piece of the Ravens defense. He had a career-high 14 sacks and 70 forced fumbles. His absence will create a huge hole that will be hard to fill.
The Ravens just drafted Alabama LB Courtney Upshaw who is sure to be a starter this season. Other players in the mix include LBs Paul Kruger and Sergio Kindle. There is also the possibility of adding another player, but that would cost money and the Ravens don’t have much room in their current salary cap.
When the news originally broke, it was thought that Suggs would likely miss the entire season. Later Suggs reported that he had seen two doctors and he didn’t know if he suffered a full or partial tear. The full extent of his injury will not be known until he sees another doctor next week. His recovery depends on the extent of the injury, he could return in October or November or worse, he could miss the entire season.
Suggs believes that he will be back in 2012 and the fans are keeping their fingers crossed that they will see him on the field this fall.
This devastating news was not easy to hear this morning. I heard it on 105.7 The Fan when Vinny Cerrato announced the breaking news on the Norris & Davis Show. I immediately checked around and didn’t see anyone report it, but then the news gradually spread and everyone freaked out including me.
Suggs is one of my favorite Ravens and his absence is a big deal, but I think that the Ravens have the right pieces to fill in the holes and get the job done while he is out. Originally I thought the sky was falling and in some ways it did, but it is easy to overreact in this situation.
The silver lining, if you can have one right now, is that it happened now and not during training camp or during the regular season. There is plenty of time to figure out how to fill in the holes. Meanwhile, Suggs will undergo surgery and all of us can cross our fingers and pray that he has a speedy recovery.
Suggs is a tough player and while he may be in a lot of pain right now, I have no doubt that he will be back and Ball so Hard University will be open for business again.
Zennie Abraham