The third player in Baltimore Ravens history to win the AP Defensive Player of the Year, Terrell Suggs is the all-time franchise leader in Quarterback Sacks with 131.5 and in Forced Fumbles with 33. Suggs was also the Defensive Rookie of the Year (2003), and he would play for the Ravens for 16 seasons before signing with the Arizona Cardinals before the 2019 season.  The exceptionally versatile defender would be selected for seven Pro Bowls and was a key figure in the Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII championship.  Suggs would leave Baltimore having played 229 Games and is one of the best defensive players in franchise history.

Suggs’ 132.5 Sacks and 229 Games are the most in Ravens history.  After a season split with Arizona and Kansas City, he won a second Super Bowl as a Chief.  He entered the Ravens Ring of Honor in 2022 and, as of this writing, is the all-time leader in Tackles for Loss (202), and he had 139.0 Sacks in total, currently placing him in the top 15 overall.

Playing his entire career with the Washington Redskins, Jerry Smith was one of the new breed of Tight Ends who were redefining the position.  Smith was an adequate blocker, but he caught passes at the same rate as wide receivers, a trait uncommon in the 1960s and 1970s.  Smith would help the Redskins reach their first Super Bowl, and he finished in the top ten in Receptions four times and Receiving Touchdowns five times.  He was a Pro Bowl twice, and in 1969, he was named a First Team All-Pro.

At the time of his retirement, Smith had the most Touchdowns by a Tight End.

We would be remiss if we did not mention that Smith passed away in 1986 due to complications from AIDS.  He was a closeted player, though some of his teammates were aware of his sexual orientation.  Considering that there has yet to be a player in the NFL as of 2019 who played while openly gay, it can only be imagined the internal struggle that he had.

Darren Woodson arrived in Dallas as one of the Draft Picks acquired in the Herschel Walker trade, and the 2^nd Rounder from Arizona State wasted little time establishing himself as a force in the Cowboys Secondary, even though he was a Linebacker in college.  A member of the All-Rookie Team, Woodson aided Dallas to a win in Super Bowl XXVII and subsequently Super Bowl XXVIII and in the season after he would begin a three-year streak of First Team All-Pros and five year run of Pro Bowls.  This period would also see Woodson win his third Super Bowl (XXX). 

Considered a shutdown Cornerback before there was such a term, Louis Wright would play his entire career with the Denver Broncos.  Drafted in the 1^st Round (17^th Overall) from San Jose State, Wright paid immediate dividends by being named to the First Team All-Rookie squad.  Denver was developing a reputation for their Orange Crush Defense, but if anyone got past them, they would have Louis Wright to contend with.  Wright was easily one of the best Corners in the late ‘70s, earning Pro Bowl selections in 1977, 1978, and 1979, and First Team All-Pro honors in the latter two seasons.  He was also crucial in helping Denver reach its first Super Bowl, losing to the Cowboys in Super Bowl XII.

Despite Denver's Super Bowl appearance, Wright's exploits didn't get national recognition.  One of the most adept at shadowing a receiver, Wright's instincts were incredible, and in every game he played, his opposing offensive coordinator planned schemes to avoid throwing to Wright.

Wright would go to two more Pro Bowls in the 1980s and was named to the Second Team All-Decade team of the 1970s.  Now that Randy Gradishar has received his due, could Wright follow him?

Although Quarterback sacks have always happened in football, the NFL didn't officially track them until 1982.  The first labeled “sackmaster” of American football would have to be the flamboyant and somewhat controversial Mark Gastineau, who terrorized Quarterbacks; and not because he had sex with Brigitte Nielsen.

Mark Gastineau seemed built to terrorize gunslingers.  It was what he was best at, and it could be assured that if the Jets were on the schedule, the opposing QB would have a sleepless night before the game.  Gastineau twice led the league in the new official statistic and set a season record that Michael Strahan wouldn't break until 2001.  As the sack became in vogue, Gastineau became synonymous with it, especially as he developed his “sack dance”.

For a four-year period, it was hard to argue that Mark Gastineau was not among the top three pass rushers in the NFL.  Some have accused him of being too one-dimensional, and while he did rub some people the wrong way, he faces a long climb if he ever wants to see himself in Canton, though Joe Klecko's induction does help.