Ravens: Calais Campbell hopes to reach lofty sack milestone in 2021

The Baltimore Ravens‘ defensive line is old, not senile. And defensive end Calais Campbell wants people to know he’s not quite finished with the league just yet.

Three of the Ravens’ key defenders (Brandon Williams, Derek Wolfe, and Campbell) are over 30-years-cold. But Campbell isn’t going to let his aging bones stop him from achieving his dreams.

Namely, a Lombardi Trophy. Oh, and 100 career sacks too.

In a recent press conference, Campbell told reporters he’s very aware of his current sack record and wants to reach the big 1-0-0. He’s just eight sacks away, and while the elongated 17-game season appears to offer extra opportunities for Campbell to reach his goal, his plans could backfire.

At 35-years-old, Campbell faces arguably one of his most challenging seasons yet and could end up running on fumes.

Last year, Campbell played in a career-low 12 games due to a calf injury but still finished with 28 tackles, 10 quarterback hits, six passes defended, and five tackles for a loss.

Campbell’s also running out of time. The five-time Pro Bowl player enters his 14th season (his second with Baltimore), and even he has to know his games are numbered.

Baltimore Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell wants to get 100 sacks

And as multi-year league veterans are well aware, the Super Bowl doesn’t wait for any man.

Campbell reached the Super Bowl once in 2009 with the Arizona Cardinals but lost 27-23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. That was just his second season in the league, but he still recorded seven sacks, 51 tackles, and 15 quarterback hits.

There’s still plenty of reason Campbell can achieve his lofty sack goals, especially when he’s lined up with some elite members of the defense going into the season.

In 2020, Campbell has proven himself as one of the league’s most durable players, snapping a streak of 98 consecutive starts when he was ruled out for the Week 10 game against the Patriots.

The Ravens recently inked defensive end/edge rusher Chris Smith to add depth to their rotation, and the signing could mean fewer snaps for some of the Ravens’ older guards.

Calais Campbell sounds pretty determined to reach his sack record goals, though, and he’s not going to get pulled off the field that easy.

As Blondie famously says, “Dreaming is free.” Here’s hoping Campbell’s dreams become a reality.