Suggs' playing status up in the air

Suggs' playing status up in the air
January 16
Baltimore Sun
"There is no doubt that Terrell Suggs is hurting.

But the extent of his shoulder injury remains a mystery.

With his right arm in a sling, the Ravens' linebacker was noncommittal whether he would play in Sunday's AFC championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"I really can't honestly answer the question," he said. "It would be really unfair to tell you guys one thing right now and do another on Sunday."

Suggs said his availability would be a game-time decision.

"I have never missed a game here," said Suggs, who has played in 100 straight games (including the postseason), the longest current streak for a Ravens position player. "So, I definitely don't want to start with the AFC championship. Come Sunday, we'll see."

Questions remain about Suggs' injury even after he fielded about a dozen of them from reporters.

He wore a sling in front of the television cameras, but he didn't wear one after coming off the practice field (he didn't participate in workouts for the second straight day). He couldn't give details of the injury or the magnetic resonance imaging.

It's uncertain whether Suggs is in tremendous pain or whether this is a ploy to throw off the Steelers.

While Suggs is unsure whether he'll play, his teammates are not.

"You would have to strap him down for him not to play in this game," Ravens free safety Ed Reed said.

Suggs, who was selected to his third Pro Bowl, led the Ravens with eight sacks and finished third on the team with a career-high 102 tackles.

He injured his shoulder in the first half of Saturday's divisional playoff game while tackling quarterback Kerry Collins. After landing on top of Collins, Suggs immediately grabbed toward his right collarbone.

The injury sidelined him the entire second half.

Suggs said he has been rehabilitating the shoulder four to five times a day and it is feeling better. On Wednesday, he seemed to be in discomfort when taking off his shirt, using only his left arm. His right arm hung to the side.

There is a chance Suggs will not start and will play only in passing situations. Jameel McClain and Edgar Jones could fill in for Suggs as a linebacker in their 3-4 alignment, and Marques Douglas could play defensive end in a 4-3 front.

Suggs will likely wear a harness - as former Ravens pass rusher Peter Boulware did - that would stabilize his shoulder (and help it from slipping out of joint) but also limit his movement.

Suggs seemed skeptical of the harness.

"If they have something that can magically stop me from using my shoulder to tackle somebody ... up until then, I don't know," he said.

Asked to describe the injury, Suggs said he isn't a doctor. "I messed it up," he said. "They have never seen anything like that.""
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