"I still love it," Suggs said Thursday at the conclusion of minicamp. "It's still my playground. That's where I get to be myself."
Football has never been a chore for Suggs, the Ravens' sack leader with 125陆. He works hard at his craft, but he perceives his rigorous offseason regimen over the past two years to be a small sacrifice to maintain a high level of excellence.
"We stepped it up," he said. "As you get older, you have to really listen to your body."
The results were on full display this week at Baltimore's mandatory minicamp. Suggs' arms bulged with muscles, and his quickness did not escape the notice of coach John Harbaugh.
"The guy is in phenomenal shape. He's at another level of conditioning," Harbaugh said. "He's on a mission, and I think he's headed for the Hall of Fame. I want to see that statement made this year, next year and for as long as he plays."
Former Ravens star Ray Lewis will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer, and Suggs has a legitimate chance to join him there one day.
That, however, is not what motivates Suggs to perform at his best.
"One thing I learned from the Hall of Famers on this team is that they never really chased the Hall of Fame," Suggs said. "There was nothing more important than what they were doing at the moment. I can't practice every practice or play every play like, 'Oh, I'm trying to get into the Hall of Fame.' If it happens Dallas Goedert Jersey Eagles , God willing, it will happen. But that's not the No. 1 important thing in my life right now."
His goal is to get another Super Bowl ring. And, of course, to have a blast during that pursuit.
"I really couldn't picture myself doing anything else," Suggs said. "You know what they say: If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life. So I'm pretty much still having fun as a kid."
Now entering his 11th season, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has never known a time in Baltimore when Suggs wasn't there.
"I feel like he's 2 years older than me, yet somehow he's been in the league for 20 years," Flacco said with a grin. "It speaks volumes for what kind of person he is, what kind of player he is. He's a special player. I've definitely been lucky to be around a handful of those types of guys, and one of them is going into the Hall of Fame in a couple of months."
When Lewis approached the end of his career, he formally announced, "This will be my last ride," as the 2012 season approached its conclusion.
That's not Suggs' style.
"I'll never do that. I don't think I'll ever be able to say that going in," he said. "It will probably be one day, I'll wake up ..."
After a slight pause Weston Richburg Jersey 49ers , Suggs added, "I don't think I'll never not love it. I didn't choose this. I was born, and this is what I am. We'll just take it one year at a time."
Someone asked Suggs, whose nickname is "T-Sizzle," whether there was ever a particular offseason in which he pondered retirement.
"Some of them I was coming off significant injuries or a down year, and you don't want to end it like that," Suggs said. "So when I was hurt, or didn't perform the way I wanted to, that never crossed my mind. It was, 'Nah, that wasn't a Sizzle year.' When that day does come, it will end on a Sizzle year."
NOTES: Flacco is the starting quarterback, but former Louisville star Lamar Jackson, drafted in the first round, took the majority of snaps at practice Thursday. "Putting the pressure on him to have to run the whole practice, operate the offense Authentic Sam Hubbard Jersey , was valuable. He handled himself pretty well," Harbaugh said. ... Flacco said he will find a time before training camp to hone the passing game with his new crop of receivers. "It's going to be a lot of fun. It will be good for us," Flacco said.
鈥?The Green Bay Packers stayed afloat in the postseason race while hoping for nearly two months that Aaron Rodgers would return.News that the two-time NFL MVP was cleared medically to come back from a collarbone injury finally arrived Tuesday night, coming a bit later than coach Mike McCarthy hoped 鈥?but well worth the wait for the playoff-hopeful Packers.Rodgers is in line to start this weekend against the Carolina Panthers.“The strength and the flexibility came back the quickest,” Rodgers said after practice Wednesday. “It was just waiting on the bone to be ready to play.”That clearance finally came on Tuesday night. He didn’t want to go into detail about how much his surgically repaired collarbone had healed.He’s aware of the risks.“Well, we’ve talked about everything, and I’m confident knowing all the information. That’s why I’m going to play,” Rodgers said.So it’s back to a normal week of preparation for the quarterback after making what McCarthy had considered great progress in rehab since getting hurt against Minnesota on Oct. 15. At the time, the Packers warned that the injury could have ended Rodgers’ season.The Packers (7-6) went 3-4 with backup Brett Hundley starting to stay in the playoff race, including a 27-21 victory in overtime last week over Cleveland. They are one of four teams with at least seven wins chasing Atlanta for the second wild-card berth in the NFC.The path to the playoffs remains tough. But Rodgers’ return gives an emotional boost to a locker room that has already drawn confidence from two straight overtime victories.“It’s great having him back, but if the decision went the other way, it’s still status quo 鈥?we still have to win these next three games,” left tackle David Bakhtiari said. “But obviously having one of the greatest players in the game right now makes us better as a football team.”Rodgers is eligible to be activated Friday, eight weeks after initially going on injured reserve. But the preparation has already started. McCarthy said there would be extra individual work in practice.“I feel confident I will be able to go out there and play the way I’ve always played, but I’ve been off for seven games and been out for a while,” Rodgers said. “So it’s going to take getting out there Authentic Avonte Maddox Jersey , getting that first pass, getting that first hit, and I’ll probably settle in.”Rodgers, though, has looked good throwing the ball in brief periods when he has been before cameras, including pregame in Pittsburgh before the 31-28 loss to the Steelers on Nov. 26.He returned to practice on what McCarthy called a “trial return” on Dec. 2, and led the scout team last week. The collarbone was scanned on Monday to determine he was ready to return.The Packers are known for their conservative approach in dealing with injuries. Rodgers is known for his competitiveness.“They laid out the gantlet of what needed to be done, he ran through it,” McCarthy said of the medical staff’s evaluation of Rodgers.“You have to trust the people, the expertise, the care and we all understand the importance of every play coming back in this situation, especially Aaron’s specific injury. … We went through that process and this is where we are today.”It did make for a late Tuesday night of preparation for the coaching staff before McCarthy was finally able to return home.“I have Elf on the Shelf responsibilities and I didn’t get to it (until) midnight last night,” the coach joked.Notes: CB Davon House (shoulder/back) did not practice after leaving last week’s win over Cleveland on a cart because of a back injury. LB Jake Ryan (knee) also missed practice, while S Josh Jones’ absence was not injury related. … CB Demetri Goodson (hamstring) practiced for the first time since being activated from the reserve/physically unable to perform list last week following an unrelated knee injury. … LB Nick Perry (foot/shoulder) was limited after missing last week’s game. … WR Colby Pearson was signed to the practice squad. The rookie out of BYU was initially signed as undrafted free agent in June before being released during training camp in late August..