Drango set to face Ravens’ ageless Suggs
BEREA, Ohio — When Cleveland Browns 10-time Pro Bowl selection Joe Thomas lists the best pass rushers he has encountered, Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs is always among the defenders the future Hall of Fame left tackle mentions.
Spencer Drango is well aware.
Suggs has 18 sacks, nine forced fumbled and nine passes defensed in 26 career games against the Browns (0-13). Each of the totals is the most Suggs has in those categories against any team, and he’ll attempt to bolster the numbers when the Ravens (7-6) come to town for Sunday’s home finale at FirstEnergy Stadium.
For the first time since they drafted Thomas third overall in 2007, the Browns will face the Ravens without him. Drango will start his seventh game at left tackle in place of Thomas, who hadn’t missed a snap in his career until he suffered a season-ending torn left triceps tendon Oct. 22 against the Tennessee Titans.
“I’m sure Joe will pass along some ideas of some things that have worked for him, but Joe gets that this is Spencer’s probably biggest challenge,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “I know for a fact that Terrell and Joe really respect each other and respect each other’s game and professionalism and everything they brought to the game. Spencer has competed extremely well for us this year and has done some really good things.
“Every week our left tackle has somebody to block, but everybody is not Terrell Suggs, either. We get that. It’s going to be a tremendous challenge. (Drango will) take any help that he can get from Joe Thomas, myself, his linemates, anybody, in order to make sure that he’s ready to go. One thing I do know about Spencer is he’s going to compete. He’s going to give it everything he has.”
At 35, Suggs has a team-high 11 sacks, tied for sixth in the league this season. It’s his seventh double-digit sack season. He has made 6.5 sacks in the past five games.
“A lot of guys tend to slow down at that age,” Browns right tackle Shon Coleman said, “but I don’t see him slowing down.”
Drango and Coleman expect to face Suggs because he moves around, but they anticipate he’ll mostly line up across from Drango, who has taken some lumps as Thomas’ replacement.
“I’m my biggest critic, so I know I can play better,” Drango said. “I know I’m not Joe, and I’ve got those shoes to fill up, too. So that’s what I’m playing for — to make it look like Joe never went out. Am I there yet? I don’t think so, but I think I keep making steps toward that. But I definitely need to work on some things still.”
Thomas keeps extensive notes on opponents, so Drango has been soaking in all of the information he can get about Suggs. Thomas gave Coleman a similar crash course before the Browns fell to the Ravens 24-10 on Sept. 17 in Baltimore.
“He scouts guys for us all the time,” Coleman said, “and he’s really done a good job helping me and Spencer be ready for the top guys.”