Terrell Suggs Not Worried About Sacks, Torrey Smith Not Worried About Usage

Sep 7, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs (55) tackles Cincinnati Bengals running back Giovani Bernard (25) behind the line for a loss during the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to Lunchtime Links, where we round up all the latest Ravens news from around the web for your convenient consumption. Today we take a look at Joe Flacco’s struggles against Mike Pettine coached defenses, Torrey Smith’s lack of usage through two games, and why Terrell Suggs doesn’t care about sacks.

Terrell Suggs more worried about winning than sacks

Terrell Suggs has a reputation for being a bit of a sack master, yet only has one in his last ten games. But Suggs isn’t concerned with those numbers, and neither is John Harbaugh, who says that Suggs is playing good football.

“Terrell Suggs is playing really well,” Harbaugh said. “Anybody who knows anything about football who watches the tape will tell you he’s playing really, really well. And in the pass rush, he played really well. He was very disruptive in the pass rush. Not just that, he’s playing great in the run game. All around, I’d say his game is A, A+.”

“It can be (frustrating) if you get selfish,” Suggs said of his down sack numbers. “You want to get (to the quarterback), but like I said, at the end of the day, if you still win and you’re still affecting the game somehow, then you have to take that, too. You have to find ways to get there sooner. But it’s only Week 2. Come Week 7 and Week 8, we can bring that back up and we’ll talk about it.”

It may come off as an excuse, but both Harbaugh and Suggs have a point. Players can be disruptive and effective without racking up individual stats. And I would argue that stopping the run and getting in the backfield are just as if not more important. Forcing the quarterback out of the pocket can go a long way in killing drives.

Torrey Smith not worried about lack of usage

Torrey Smith was supposed to truly break out this season after cracking the 1,000 yard mark last year. After all, he has improved his game with each season in the league, and now he is playing for perhaps the best offensive coordinator of his career. But instead, he has essentially served as a decoy the first two games while Steve Smith racks up numbers. For his part, T. Smith isn’t too concerned.