There's no guarantee we'll even see Terrell Suggs on the field for the Baltimore Ravens in 2012. But the rehabbing Pro Bowl linebacker is as determined as ever.
"I'm going to shock a lot of people when I'm coming out of that tunnel," Suggs told The Baltimore Sun on Sunday night. "I'm in a boot already working on flexibility, getting back that range of motion. Next week, we're going to start a little walking and working side to side."
Suggs partially tore his Achilles' tendon last month during a private workout in Arizona. He said the injury happened as he mimicked the Ravens' shuttle run, though there were reports he was hurt during a pick-up basketball game.
Has Suggs been approached by the team about contract snags tied to the injury?
"The Ravens have never said anything to me about that, and I hope they don't," Suggs said. "That's just petty gossip."
Suggs and the Ravens previously circled late November as his targeted return. It's an ambitious timetable, but Suggs isn't backing off it.
"Late November, that will be the latest I return," he said. "Going into the (hyperbaric) chamber is an option, it certainly can't hurt. I can take an iPad and iPod in there and spend a few hours a day. It can only help the healing process."
Suggs is an intense competitor, and he acknowledged he believes he injured himself by "pushing too hard." The duty of the Ravens' medical staff is to keep him on a program and schedule that doesn't put him in danger of a damaging setback.
The Ravens undoubtedly will get him the best treatment possible, but Suggs will have to be smart about himself.
