FanHouse Terrell Suggs

Coincidence or not, after Tom Brady missed almost all of the 2008 season after a low hit tore the Patriots star's left MCL and ACL, the NFL's Competition Committee made clear that it would enforce more strictly a rule preventing defenders from tackling quarterbacks at or below the knee. It was affectionately dubbed "The Brady Rule" by folks outside the league office.

And the Patriots have benefitted from the increased focus on QB protection, with their opponents picking up five roughing the passer penalties in seven games. One, in particular, raised some eyebrows -- in New England's Week 4 win over Baltimore, Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs gently brushed Brady's knee, and Brady gestured back at referee Ron Winter, and a flag came flying.

Winter might have thrown the flag regardless of Brady's reaction -- it is in the rule book, after all, though the rule states that forcible contact must me made -- but, nonetheless, the anti-Brady folk out there used it as evidence that Brady gets whatever he wants from officials.

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.

Sad news out of Tempe where Arizona State has announced that former football coach Bruce Snyder has died at the age of 69. Snyder was diagnosed with cancer last June. Snyder coached nine seasons with the Sun Devils (1992-2000) and 20 overall. His 58 victories at ASU are second only to Frank Kush's 176.

Snyder also coached at Utah State and California before joining the Sun Devils. His signature season was in 1996 when ASU held a 17-13 lead over Ohio State in the Rose Bowl before surrendering a last-second touchdown that spoiled their chance at a national championship. He left after 2000 but was remembered for coaching a slew of NFL players, All Americans and ASU greats Pat Tillman, Jake Plummer and Terrell Suggs.

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.