FanHouse TerrellSuggs

It all started with the bogus personal foul penalty on the Ravens' Terrell Suggs for his late hit caress of Tom Brady's upper thigh. First, Rodney Harrison suggested Brady remove the skirt he wore over his uniform. Then predictably angry Pats fans responded, followed by Tom Terrific, who took Rodney's comments in the spirit in which they were intended -- as a joke.

And that was that, right?

Not quite. Even though Brady kidded that, "Rodney's been fined more than any player in the history of the NFL, so I can understand why he's a little sensitive about cheap shots at the quarterback," according to the Boston Globe, he's not apologizing for whining to the official for a flag following the Suggs fly-by.

Yesterday, the Ravens re-signed Terrell Suggs for six more years, and it only cost them $38 million in guaranteed dough. He'll pull in $33 million in bonuses the next two seasons, and that makes him the league's highest-paid defensive player and second overall, behind just Peyton Manning.

This must be very disconcerting for Steelers linebacker James Harrison, the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year, who got a new contract earlier this offseason (worth $18 million less in guarantees than Suggs). Because football players -- especially the unpredictable, maniacal types -- draw most of their motivation from being disrespected. Or something.

The Ravens and Terrell Suggs have reached an agreement on a six-year contract that will keep the All-Pro outside linebacker in Baltimore through the 2014 season.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

In 2007, the Ravens finished a disappointing 5-11, stuck with an offense that created scoring opportunities about as effectively as a broken Brita filter cleans water. A draft later, the Ravens picked up lesser-known Joe Flacco, who fell into the job as starting quarterback and led Baltimore to the AFC Conference Championship, eventually losing to the NFL Champion Steelers. The Ravens filled holes at running back last year when they snagged Ray Rice in the second round.

Now, the Ravens know they can win even with a spotty offense, but it is something they need to focus on. Last year, only one wideout, Derrick Mason, caught over 700 yards, and he is 35.

Bart Scott wasted little time in following his defensive coordinator Rex Ryan from Baltimore to New York, leaving behind the greatest leader the NFL has ever seen in the process.

Ray Lewis, indisputably headed for the Hall of Fame once he retires, is also a free agent. And if we believe all the pre-free agency scuttlebutt, he was also in the Jets' sights. Now that the club has reportedly thrown $40 million-plus at Scott, their fondness for Ray-Ray may have waned. Or not, it's early. Either way, one thing seems clear: Lewis won't be going back to the Ravens, a team he's carried on his back for more than a decade.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

It was improbable. The Baltimore Ravens made another playoff run in 2008 based on a defense that used the art of suffocation (oh, and Ed Reed) and an offense that improved dramatically over the previous years. John Harbaugh was impressive as coach, putting a rookie quarterback out to toss the ball around and sticking with him through thick (17-29, 248 yards, 2 TDs in Week 9) and thin (11-28, 115 yards, 2 INTs in Week 15).

Now the team has to figure out what to do about a superstar in Ray Lewis, and how they should handle other important positional players (hello Mr. Stover) in order to return to (and move past) the AFC Championship game without their defensive coordinator.

Terrell Suggs made it clear earlier this week that he'd like a long-term deal. That could still happen, just not in the next few days; on Wednesday, the Ravens franchised the 26-year-old three-time Pro Bowler.

While the two sides work on a new contract, Suggs will play for $10.2 million in 2009. It's a nice chunk of change, but the one-year deal clearly favors the team: if Suggs gets hurt, he's out of luck. But he's currently in better shape than teammates Ray Lewis and Bart Scott.

Here's the plan in its latest iteration: the Ravens will let Ray Lewis test free agency and match any offer he might get to make sure he finishes his career in Baltimore. That could get expensive, but Ray-Ray is the face of the franchise, and even at 33, he's still one of the best middle linebackers in the league.

SI.com's Ross Tucker understands this better than most of us -- in 2004, he faced Lewis and recalls being "amazed with how well-prepared he was and how much of a technician he could be." And that's not even mentioning Lewis' physical skills. But even knowing that, Tucker thinks the Ravens should avoid a bidding war for Ray's services.

The Arizona Cardinals had a decision to make with their franchise player designation. Quarterback Kurt Warner, who led the team to their first-ever Super Bowl berth, is set to become a free agent on Feb. 27. So is star linebacker Karlos Dansby.

Warner came out rather quickly and ruined his chances of making a killing on the open market said that he would either stay in Arizona or retire. The Cardinals appear ready to take him at his word.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

What a difference five weeks made for the New York Jets. From 8-3 to 9-7. from Eric Mangini as head coach to Rex Ryan, and from Brett Favre as the starting quarterback to, well, your guess is as good as ours. Those last five games sent the franchise into yet another new direction, one that will only start coming into focus when free agency opens on Feb. 27.