Terrell Suggs Defensive Player of the Year: Why Ravens LB Was a Great Choice

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs was announced as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year on Saturday night and it was absolutely the right choice.

Despite being on a defense that features perennial All Pros in Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Haloti Ngata, Suggs stood out above them all. The 29-year-old finished the regular season with 70 tackles, a career-high 14 sacks, two interceptions, six pass breakups and a ridiculous seven forced fumbles. 

In his ninth season, the veteran out of Arizona State led a Ravens defense that finished third in the NFL in yards allowed (288.9 per game). Baltimore also finished the regular season ranked fourth in pass defense (196.3 yards per game) and second in rushing defense (92.6 yards per game). 

Thanks to that defense, the Ravens made it all the way to the AFC championship game, where they lost a tight, 23-20 contest to the New England Patriots. 

Suggs, who was the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2003, separated himself this season by simply being a force all over the field for Baltimore. When Lewis, a fellow linebacker, missed a few weeks thanks to an injury, Suggs stepped up and played as well as he has during his entire career. 

While Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen led the NFL with 22 sacks, Suggs did his work in bigger games and more pressure situations. The Vikings were out of contention early in the season, while Suggs and the Ravens were one of the NFL's best teams all year long.

Whether or not you believe that should be considered as an important component or not, it definitely does enter into the mind of voters.

Suggs was outstanding all season long, and a guy who has long been thought of as the third- or fourth-best player on Baltimore's defense is now the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year.