Baltimore Ravens: Thoughts vs. Philadelphia Eagles

By Phil Naegely | Aug 23, 2015

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Aug 22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs (55) argues his penalty with referee Jerome Boger (23) during the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

3. Terrell Suggs Sloppy; Hit on Bradford Wasn’t Dirty

One of the best Ravens defenders in franchise history, Terrell Suggs struggled on Saturday and was sloppy. He was called for a few penalties and wasn’t the force to be reckoned with like he is most games. It’s a preseason game, so it’s not the end of the world, but if Suggs’ play from tonight carries over into the regular season, then the Ravens will have an issue.

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There was one play that many Eagles fans were commenting on involving Suggs. The discussion and “that play was dirty” came after Suggs hit Sam Bradford after optioning to hand it off to his running back. Seconds later Suggs came in fast and hit Bradford below the knee and a flag was thrown for roughing the passer, which caused John Harbaugh and sucks to be very angry.

Suggs was coming in hot and had little time to adjust after Bradford handed the ball out. He wasn’t aiming for his knee and didn’t have intent to injure. It was a bang-bang play that was a good football play. Suggs did hit below the knee and that is against the rules, but it was anything but a dirty play.

All in all, Suggs was rightfully mad about the play given he tackled Bradford seconds after the ball was handed off. It also wasn’t a dirty play despite the tackle coming lower than the knee; there wasn’t much a defender could have done in that case to avoid below the knee. No harm, no foul (yes, a penalty), and no dirty play by Suggs there.

Suggs must be better next game or else his sloppiness could become a trend, which would not go over well with Harbaugh or Ravens fans.

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